Mel’s the Original Diner

I spent most of my life working in restaurants in the kitchen and on the dinning room floor, so it is easy for me to figure out the why of the experience good or bad. I had three meals at Mel’s Dinner. I ordered the breakfast steak and egg special, eggs over easy, steak med-​rare. I got eggs over ugly, well to tell the truth only the very good cooks can do over easy right, the steak was good, cooked right. I went for dinner, had the fried chicken, I was very happy with that meal. I went back for breakfast. I ordered the «hangover», while the eggs were ok, (I ordered scramble, the, easiest for the cook), the gravy good, the biscuits were rock hard ! Now a half assed cook would have told the server that they were out of biscuits, and offer a substitute. It’s shows that that cook is a clown, who just does not care! So Mel’s is a iffy call

Awesome place to eat. Everything was perfect. Including the food, The service and the atmosphere. Next time my husband and I go to Reno. We will definitely go there for breakfast and hit the casino.

Excellent diner, very friendly and accommodating. They really cook to your specifications, I said low oil and no butter and they listened. Coffee, eggs, mimosa, hash browns, service, atmosphere, etc. is all good. This is my third day eating here, and it is all consistent. Staff are friendly and have a service oriented atmosphere. We even mused that they are entirely too chipper early in the morning. :)
What more could I ask for? Well how about the manager finding my camera and having it for me this morning! Thanks Jacqueline.

Boom Town, no love at the tables but breakfast was good. Very busy so took a little longer than usual. Other than that everything else was good.

This place is a life saver I work graveyard shift so I have a weird schedule. It was 3:30 AM and I was so hungry like so hungry I was shaking because I didnt eat before work. Anyways nothing is open at 3:30 AM and I remembered passing by Mels a few times.
I ordered a Jalepeno burger and the guy on the phone was super effecient took my order, even told me how long it was gonna take, and how much. Went to pick up my food and it was ready to go I was literally in and out. GREAT SERVICE!!!
Now the burger I liked it it was great they even included little sides of ranch and ketchup and mustard and a pickle and the fried were great. If you are in the area and need some late night food MELS is an option.
GREAT PRICE, GREAT FOOD AND MOST IMPORTANTLY GREAT SERVICE. even at 3AM

So Mel’s is pretty good mostly because, again, it’s open when I’m awake at the odd hours of the morning and I can get a burger at zero dark thirty. It’s very retro and there’s a little juke box at each table. I stopped here for coffee once because none of the fast food places around were open or had coffee. It wasn’t amazing but it did the trick. The waiter was super nice, and I told him I’d be back. He ended up being my waiter when I returned for some actual food.
Kind of reminds me of Denny’s with the food selection only the place is cooler and I like the quality better than Denny’s.
I brought my laptop with me to do some work because it was pretty dead in there. Another dude came in and sat at the counter later and then some people in another booth came and left before I was even gone. The cook was listening to some metal (not too loud or noisy or anything) back by the grill which was perfectly fine for me!
I ordered the bleu Melbuger and some sweet potato fries, which are always pretty hit-​or-​miss for me. These were a hit. The potatoes were sliced julienne and had a good flavor and were perfectly crispy. The burger was huge! I got it medium-​well and it was cooked correctly. It came with a pickle spear (which I love). The burger had lettuce, tomato, mayo, blue cheese and fried onion strings. It was absolutely delicious and next time I’ll add bacon. The only thing I didn’t like was the shredded lettuce on the burger (I prefer leaf), and I don’t generally put tomatoes on my bleu cheese burgers (personal choice) so next time I’ll go without those. The bun was fluffy and grilled.
I know I’ll be back if for no other reason than because there aren’t decent places open ²⁴⁄₇ in Reno and the ones I’ve seen but haven’t tried yet are like 25 minutes from me. This is right down the road, the service is good, the food is well made and tasty.

I’m new to Nevada (Reno) and decided to try out this diner with the family. I really liked the scene, very retro 50s/60’s, 24hr diner. Had the San Francisco burger with fries, both delicious! The milkshake was just ok, definitely have had better at Mcd’s (or maybe it was just a fluke?) I’ll give them another chance. Great service tops our experience. Will definitely come again. I’ll rate my breakfast experience when I next visit.

I’m no stranger to Mel’s, and I’ve frequented the Folsom location many times when I lived there. I totally dig the «oldies» vibe, music, atmosphere, etc.
The food is really good, too! As for this location, I had breakfast on one occasion, and had gone for a milkshake date on another. My favorite milkshake is the chocolate banana kind. I enjoy their breakfast and the prices are fair, too.
I really have no complaints when it comes to this Mel’s, or Mel’s in general. It’s been consistent each and every visit and it continues to be one of my favorite places to go to for a fun time with friends. Bring some quarters for the jukebox :)

Are you looking for a little good Ol Fashioned American Food? When a great meal at a fair price is often hard to find, you can always locate it at Mel’s
I’ve come to Mel’s many times, and visits several locations, each time it’s been a satisfying experience. The food portions are generous, the quality very appetizing and the service? Outstanding!

I’ve only been here twice, so I’m not sure that I have enough experience for a valid review. The first time all I ate, or drank rather was a milkshake. The second time I think I had some sort of appetizer, like fries or onion rings and another milk shake.
So all I can speak for now are those. And let me tell you, those are some of the best milkshakes I’ve had. They definitely know their stuff. :)
I will have to go back and have a meal of substance and update this review :)

Retro chain
Stopped on evening after a nearby sports event. It’s step right on to the set of American Graffiti. Clean place. Service was good. The air conditioning really works, it was a little too chilly inside and I still ordered the malt. Malts and shakes are plenty big and wide choice of flavors. The menu is the usual diner food– burgers, sandwiches and breakfast. All the plates had big portions and food arrived plenty hot.
The counter is fun to sit at, the spot has an open kitchen for watching the staff. Not an overly big restaurant inside. But a fun spot

I’ve been to this restaurant two times now with two different experiences. The first time, we went after a basketball tournament and it was so good! We were in a hurry in between games and the waiter was great about our time crunch. The food was hot, tasty, and fresh. Our waiter kept our drink glasses full (this was when the restaurant was packed.)
We went the other night after football practice– totally different experience. Our server only had two tables but was super slow. We waited to catch her several times to get our glasses filled. My food (burger and fries) came out over-​done to the point I could not eat it. I didn’t want to send back because I didn’t want to wait any longer. Our server was nice but seemed unable to serve two tables.
We will be going back to give it another go, because it is a nice clean restaurant and we had a stellar experience the first time. Hoping I can come back and upgrade my review.

I’m staying in Reno for a few days in the south Reno area and after a couple of failed attempts to have a nice burger at some places up at Lake Tahoe, I was in the mood to try again. My Cuz says there’s a new Mel’s nearby. I’ve been to other Mel’s Diners in other cities and they seemed decent. The last one I went to was in Placerville CA. So we drive on over. Mel’s is located in a strip mall, sort of like everything in south suburban Reno. Nice wide streets and plenty of parking. I hear this was a Denny’s and then a Heidi’s restaurant and now a Mel’s. I can’t tell the difference since I’ve never been here.
We enter and are greeted by a bubbly hostess and get seated in a nice booth. Looking around, this looks just like the Mel’s in Placerville … I guess that’s why it’s a chain! 50’s and 60’s music is playing along with a few songs from Johnny Cash for some reason. The menu looks identical to all the rest of the Mel’s. Just water’s to drink this time around. Now that I’m here, I maybe don’t feel like a burger (being healthy in the back of my mind), so I get the Crispy Chicken Salad (around $ 10), but Cuz gets the Bacon Cheeseburger and fries med rare. ($ 10.50). Our server is quite enthusiastic and perky and does a good job. I wonder if she turns off her «happy» mode when she goes home.
Our food arrives and my salad is a good sized one, no skimping on salads here. My crispy chicken pieces though, remind me of those little animal crackers or cookies, you know the pink and white one’s? Not that they are sugar coated, but just the shapes sitting on the salad. I guess they came out of a frozen bag of nuggets. I didn’t think I’d be expecting a fresh cooked and battered chicken breast. They actually tasted pretty good and were still warm as a nice contrast to the salad. There were lots of other goodies in the salad, like cheese, onions and lots of BACON!
My cousin’s bacon cheeseburger came served open faced so you could assemble it with the lettuce, tomato and onion if you wanted. It was cooked medium as expected, when you order med rare, it’s always cooked a little more, so it was ordered with that in mind. My Cuz says, here take a bite! Well, OK then! I notice the buns are not the standard squishy white bread buns, but a firmer bun that held up well and was toasted nicely on the inside. Gotta have toasted buns! Upon my first bite, I’m thinkin’, shit, maybe I shudda got this! It was a flavorful morsel, juicy and dripping like a burger should, not like that dry burger I had last at a burger joint at Tahoe. There was plenty of bacon and cheese. The meat between the buns here is a good almost ½ pounder. 7oz. it says on the menu. I stole a few of her fries as well!
As I work on my salad, I’m still thinkin’ about that burger and wishin’ I had that instead. Well, there’s next time! This Mel’s I think is better than some of the other I’ve been to. I’m glad it’s here in south Reno. The breakfast looked good too, so that’s something else to try and they serve breakfast all day, plus this location is open 24hrs.

Mel’s opened in place of what was previously Heidi’s. I was sad to see Heidi’s go because I love breakfast places.
We decided to give this new place a try. We had heard from other friends that it was a pretty good place to grab something to eat. The menu online seemed like they had something for everyone. Everytime that my wife and I decide we want something in the morning, I always want breakfast, and she always would prefer lunch.
We arrived on a Friday morning, and were greeted and seated promptly. The place wasn’t very busy, maybe 6 tables total, and its a pretty big place. The girl that sat us, also took our order and cashed us out.
She was great about refilling our drinks, and checking on us. Food was good. I ordered chicken fried steak and eggs. I liked it, not too salty. My wife ordered a french dip with french fries. Nothing out of the ordinary, good service, good food.
we will be back.

This review is based only one 2 To Go orders. Delicious, delicious! We ordered the Patty Melt, meat loaf, a turkey club and the Patty Melt again because it was so delicious.
I am looking forward to dining there. But if you want to get a to go order, their menu is very large and they packed our food wonderful.

Today I ate one of the best burgers I’ve ever had.
I had an intense burger craving today, and after an early session with my trainer followed by a hike, I was so hungry! So the kids and I decided to hit Mel’s.
I love the nostalgia, super cute place. The jukeboxes on the table are neat, my kids loved that.
The kids had shakes which were yummy, and they thought the meals served in the little cars were so neat. They both loved their burgers and fries.
I got the ranch house burger which comes with bacon and a egg fried hard on it, along with lettuce, tomato, and onion. Our server suggested that I try it with BBQ sauce on it, so I got a side of that. And I chose pasta salad for my side. The BBQ on the burger was amazing. I don’t know what it was about that combo but it was just perfect. The burger was already delicious on its own– I really liked the meat, great flavor; and the bacon was thick cut and cooked crisp, yum! The BBQ sauce just kicked it up a notch and it hit the spot for me today. It was HHHUUUGGGEEEE and I ate the whole thing. It’s been like three hours and I am still full.
Most definitely will be back. I’d love to try some of their breakfast dishes as well. I was reading the menu and they had some great sounding things on there. Next time I’m going to bring some extra $ 1 bills for the table jukebox!

Walked in, got helped and say right away. Jamie was who sat us, took our drink and food orders, and then rang us up and the end.
Matt ordered breakfast (naturally, because if he has a choice between anything and breakfast food this is what he chooses) he got steak and eggs which came with toast. The gravy had big chunks of sausage in it which was really good.
I ordered s French dip with cheese (it does not come with it) and French fries (I’m more of a lunch girl). The waitress was on top it, refilling our drinks, and asking if we needed anything. She brought our check quickly, told us there was no rush. I like that because when you are ready to leave, you don’t have to wait!
We will be back!

Great food, great nostalgia, represents the movie American Graffiti quite well! I love the Jute Boxes at the tables, nice selection of music, the service was a little too quick for my taste, we had just gotten our food and our server brings us our check, I was like whoa, okay. But all in all a good diner. It has more of a sixties feel than a fifties feel, but I like that even more. The shakes and Vanilla Cokes are good, and the kids get their meals in a cardboard shaped car-​Mustangs, Caddies…
Cool place.

Wow! I was not expecting to like Mel’s as much as I did. We wanted a quick dinner that wasn’t typical fast food. The décor is nice and it makes you feel as though you are in a vintage diner and they had plenty of seating too.
I had the turkey dip and it was delicious. The turkey had good flavor on its own and didn’t even need the au jus. The au jus wasn’t too salty or greasy either. The side salad was fresh and a good portion. We will definitely be visiting Mel’s again!

From Denny’s, to Heidi’s to Mel’s. I guess we are destined to have a diner at this corner.
And yeah, I guess that makes sense, lots of people like that nostalgia, and diner food. We are in the mood every once in a long while. This is definitely going to be a place to hit up after everything else is closed. That is the most scoring part of this, late night dining without hitting up a casino!
My house made corned beef hash was pretty good. If I get it next time, I will probably skip the potatoes though. They were good, just lots of carbs. Mane I’ll get a some cottage cheese or something.
My wife got the pastrami Reuben. Very good. No problem ordering that again.
The picky daughter got the hot dog and Mac and chemical cheese.
Our server Megan killed it with good service! Waters were always filled. Even though the place is covered in period shiny kitsch, she stood out as an even brighter star of pleasantness.
So hit em up… just don’t expect anything more than diner food.

The atmosphere is a fun blast from the past with its 50’s diner setting. There are even mini jukeboxes on most tables and you can choose a variety of classic songs.
Breakfast is served all day, though some breakfast specials may have a limited time. Their burgers are a big staple and of course, they have great malts and milkshakes. And if you have little diners, they’ll enjoy getting their meals in a convertible car they can take home.
Everything else from the food to the service seems to be just A-​OK. I’ve had their version of the Hawaiian burger; pattie with teriyaki sauce, pineapple, cheese, lettuce and tomato. Nothing impressive about it, and nothing to really make me want to come back. I might return if a friend wanted to dine here, though.
This particular location has not done well with venues in the past, but Mel’s just might make it work. I’ve seen the place packed many times and I hope that will continue to be the case.