The Melting Pot

If you go to the Melting Pot in Towson you will not be disappointed. I have been here several times over the years and I have always enjoyed the experience and the food. It’s important to remember that fondue is an experience so don’t come here if you are looking for a quick bite. It’s typically a longer meal which is a nice change of pace from most restaurants.
There are four courses available at the Melting Pot. Don’t skip out on the cheese course– there are several options but I almost always go with the basic cheddar. The cheese fondue is served with a range of dippers including bread, broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower. Next is the salad course which is pretty self explanatory. Then there’s the entrée. This is where things get messy. Once you choose an entrée you are presented with a raw portion and a cooking dish. This can be fun but its very time consuming. I usually skip this part as the appetizer, salad, and dessert course are very filling.
Last is the dessert. You could write poetry about the deliciousness and magic of the desserts at the Melting Pot. On my last visit, we ordered the Turtle Fondue which featured chocolate, caramel, and heath bar toppings. The dippers for dessert are pound cake, marshmellows, brownies, blondies, bananas, and strawberries.
The best part of the Melting Pot is that the staff is very attentive. They are happy to help whether you are there for the first time or the fifteenth time. You are able to enjoy the food with your friends and not be rushed through your meal. It’s a great way to share a meal with your favorite people!

«Caroline was so personable. She explained everything in such detail and made sure we did not feel ignorant to what we were getting. We were very pleased with her service and hope she is still there when we return. The manager Marsha was awesome as well. She made sure we were pleased the whole time. We were not nagged at any point, she just made sure we were having the best experience possible.»

We had a reservation for 9:00PM tonight. The hostess was very nice and said we needed to wait for them to clear the table. We waited until 9:15 at the bar and then were escorted to our table. We sat at the table until 9:45 completely ignored by all of the staff. We never had a waiter introduce themselves or bring us water or anything. Even a manager who was making rounds, just passed by our table. After 30 minutes of being completely disregarded, my boyfriend and I decided to go because we were starving. We walked right next door to the green turtle where we were seated immediately and had our order in within 5 minutes. I’m sure the melting pot has good food, it is just a shame that their staff was too inadequate to care for their customers.

I personally have always loved this place! How could you not! The cheese fondue and chocolate, it’s all amazing! The staff is very attentive and the experience has always been good for me. The menu could probably use a facelift. I like the menu items but I’ve been here many times over the years and not too much changes. More specials and change ups would be welcomed by me.

SO GOOD! I know you pay a lot, but you leave full for sure! The vegetarian option is pretty good. Usually have pretty good service and friendly waiters. I’d go a lot more often if it was more affordable, but it’s a nice treat for a special occasion!

Absolutely a wonderful experience after snotty maitre’d snapped at us about reservations. Terrific wait staff. Manager, Don, stopped by to say HI because we are tourists, although he might visit every table, we felt special. The food, oh my! $ 30 Girls Night Out. You will get full, have fun and remember every minute. Love Margarita, to die for. Try gouda cheese and yin/​yang chocolates. Go to this place but for goodness sake, make a reservation lol

This is a staple for my wife and I. Our favorite spot to have an intimate dinner. The ambience, décor, intimacy and interaction make this place awesome. Great place for a first date as well. It’s a conversation starter and dudes, it’ll score you major points!

My boyfriend and I came in for a weekday happy hour date. There was no one in the restaurant, but the hostess looked at us funny when we said we didn’t have reservation– not sure why we would have needed one, but we sat at the bar anyway. The bartender was very personable. He brought us our drinks and got us started with our fondue quickly. We chose the Gruyère/​Brie fondue, which was delicious. We wound up getting dessert, as well– the S’mores fondue, which he set on fire. It came with Oreo encrusted marshmallows, strawberries, pineapples, blondies, brownies, and mini rice crispy treats. We thought it was awesome.
I would definitely return to Melting Pot for happy hour. It was friendly to our wallet, and we liked that it wasn’t crowded. A great weekday date!

I’ve never been «fondue-​ing» before, but I thought it a novel idea. Melt cheese and chocolate on stuff? What’s no to like? Weeell here’s a few pros and cons:
CONS
1) Not budget friendly… it ain’t cheap!
2) I needed a 10 minute tutorial on how to order, eat, and participate in the process
3) Participate in the process… why do I want to dine out and act as sous chef again?
4) Food was tasty, but when it was all said and done, I felt like I consumed a bunch of elaborate hors d’oeuvres
5) Eat a hoagie before going… or you’ll still be hungry when you leave
6) Parking is a little funky at this location
PROS
1) Staff was super friendly and we were seated immediately
2) Our personal waiter did a great job developing a rapport w/​us
3) Deserts were decadent (items you dip in your special sauce were refillable)
4) Décor was cozy and comfortable
GRAIN OF SALT
A) I’m new to this concept
B) I was really hungry
C) I’m not the most patient person
I’d go back for just desert, but a full fledged meal… probably not. That being said, I would recommend giving it a try for yourself!

We were a bit disappointed with this melting pot. From the outside it looked nothing like any of the other locations across the country I visited. In fact it took my party ten minutes to locate it bc it seemed to be under construction, or in a rather run down area. We were a bit taken aback also from the interior. It also was a bit on the, used side. Our server was nice, knowledgeable. Took the order without writing anything down, which is the standard at this chain. I abhors this technique. As was expected, part of my parties selections were incorrect, another’s was forgotten. The portions were a lot smaller than I’ve experienced elsewhere. It was a friend’s birthday and most everyone in our large party had never been. The reviews were mixed. I’ll go again, but not this location.

This was my first time dining at a fondue restaurant– I should also note this is where I picked to eat my birthday dinner (and it was also my parent’s anniversary). That being said, we were celebrating on a very special Saturday night.
Our reservation was for 6:45, but we were seated closer to 7:30. The hostesses offered us to sit and have a drink at the bar while we waited. We should have taken them up on the offer, in hindsight. The 45 minute wait was a little unacceptable… especially with a reservation.
After being seated, our server learned that it was our first time dining with them. She explained the menu thoroughly and left us alone to decide. Twenty minutes later she returned to take our drink orders, which came out with our first course… another twenty minutes later. (DO NOT plan on having a quick meal at this place, and make sure you like the company you’re sitting with… because you’ll be spending about 3 hours with them.)
We ordered the special lobster/​cheese fondue. Our burner was acting up, which took our server an extra 15 minutes to prepare the sauce. I realize this was not her fault in the slightest, but it still was disheartening after waiting for so many other things. Our salads and entrees came out quickly after we had finished the first course, which was nice. We all ordered different plates and shared. Cooking the food in the broth was something new and different, which I really enjoyed– and the quality of the food was fantastic, and the presentation was equally impressive.
Dessert will win you over, hands down. We ordered the Flaming Turtle fondue, which comes out, and the server flambes it for you at the table. The Oreo-​crusted marshmallows and the fresh strawberries were my absolute favorite.
I can’t give them any higher than the three because of the wait. We ended up not leaving the restaurant until almost 10PM. It was an interesting experience, but definitely not for everyone. If I ever go back, I think it will just be for dessert and coffee.

Someone previously recommended to «keep an open mind». I would second the recommendation. It seems like they prefer reservations but accepted us as a walk in. The bar staff and wait staff were friendly and helpful. This was a one time experience because it involved a lot of do it yourself activity and that with liquor didn’t always work well. We loved the cheddar cheese fondue appetizer and chocolate turtle fondue dessert. I may try the mojo both if I ever go next time. We got the coq au vin with land and sea and vegetarian. Fun experience. We might go back for happy hour.

This restaurant was my husband’s pick for Restaurant Week, and he felt underwhelmed; he gives it a 2. I give the experience a 3 because although it’s not really novel, I do like being a more active participant in my meals. However, it is overly expensive for the amount of food you get, so I have to bump it down to a 2 as well. For $ 25, you get a cheese course, a salad, and a 3-​entrée sampler. Since we weren’t particularly hungry, we asked if we could order one to share. The server said that Restaurant Week portions were smaller, but it was no problem.
The spinach artichoke cheese sauce was fine. Not bad, but not amazingly delicious, either. I also like a fair amount of cheese when I’ve committed to eating it, and I found the amount given insufficient for the amount of stuff we were provided for dipping. My husband liked the green apples and bread + cheese combo, but thought the vegetables weren’t very fresh.
We both liked the California salad.
The entrée sampler consisted of 3 raw shrimp, kebab-​sized cubed steak (2 cubes plain and 2 cubes teriyaki marinated) and 3 small spinach artichoke (I think) ravioli. My husband didn’t think the meat was all that great, and you have to cook all of these yourself in the vegetable bouillon. Unlike some previous reviewers, I don’t mind the latter as it’s pretty much hot pot, which I love doing — but it is far pricier than doing it yourself at home, and it really is very little food. The provided boiling times were pretty accurate. I didn’t quite get the point of marinating the steak beforehand, as it basically all washes off in the bouillon, and you have to re-​dip in one of the provided sauces anyway. My husband liked the sauces, but I only used the curry yogurt and «green goddess» sauces for most items, and the ginger-​plum (?) one only for the steak.
It took a while for the food to come out, particularly the entrée course. From some reviews, this seems to be intentional to let you enjoy your food or whatever. However, my husband is an impatient man; he’s used to running around the hospital and scarfing down food in between surgeries, so he was peeved, especially since he had to make a phone call after dinner to his attending. I didn’t mind myself, but 1.5 hours was perhaps a bit more than necessary for the small amounts of (and as my husband pointed out, «It’s raw, why did that take so long?!») food.
It took so long that we had to skip the chocolate course so that my husband could make his call… Unfortunately, it was the only course I cared to try. –_​_​_​_​_​-​;; However, after we went home, we chopped up some fruit, melted some Tollhouse chocolate chips in the microwave, and had at it; I can’t imagine that the chocolate course at The Melting Pot would have been so much better that I would have felt really bad for missing it.
My husband did not like the décor, and said something about it looking like it came out of «Kitchen Nightmares.»

We had a wonderful time it was a different food experience. But with each course we laugh and we ate and we had a great time. The service was good and the atmosphere was cozy. Would come back again.

Sigh.
My birthday was Tuesday. My DBF’s was Friday. We had big birthday fun with yet another birthday buddy planned for Saturday, so Friday night’s dinner needed to be low key (although we still wanted to do something different/​special). We had had a fairly meh experience with The Melting Pot the last time we were there, but I had a long expired LivingSocial deal so we decided to give it another try.
We had a 7:15 reservation and after some back and forth about where to seat us amongst the hostesses, we were finally seated at a little two-​top cozy corner spot beyond the bar (that is it would have been cozy if a four-​top wasn’t seated directly across from me less than 10 mins after we sat down; I felt like we were part of their table). After a few minutes, our server came by and took our drink order, returned with our drinks and took our dinner order, then disappeared for about 30 minutes. During that time, other tables around us were seated, greeted, served drinks and even began eating their own cheese fondue appetizers, while we sat there, incredulous. Unacceptable. I had just given our server five more minutes to appear before chasing down a host/​manager/​anyone when our cheddar cheese fondue makings finally came to the table.
Our server was nice, very friendly and personable, but we did not appreciate that there was no mention, no apology and no explanation as to why she was gone so long. We also did not appreciate that the server for the previously mentioned four-​top did not even once turn our way every time she came to check on her own table; I know not every restaurant employs the teamwork methodology, but surely she noticed that her co-​worker was AWOL and that we were just sitting there, staring at an empty pot and growing increasingly more annoyed (especially since the other server seemed to check her own table every 5 – 10 minutes).
It did not help that the A/​C seemed to come and go in varying intervals, blowing cold air right on us. Throughout the rest of our «experience», a drink request was also forgotten, and there continued to be periods where our server disappeared for long intervals. The food itself was good, in addition to the cheddar cheese fondue we also had house salads, the chicken, shrimp and filet entrees in the coq au vin style, and the Flaming Turtle dessert, but by the time the manager brought over the check we just wanted to run out of there.
This is the part where I am embarrassed. We totally forgot that we had given our server the LivingSocial deal at the start of the meal. Granted, that was three hours earlier (yes, three hours) so I guess it was an easy mistake, but in our haste to just get out of there we didn’t pay attention and wound up only tipping on the discounted amount. Whoops. I feel like a jerk, but it really was an honest mistake.
We were so disappointed that our birthday dinner was a bust and that we basically wasted three hours, half of which was spent waiting. I know that a fondue dinner is a marathon, not a sprint, but we have dined here many times in the past and gotten out in half the time.
It will surely be a couple more years before time dulls the pain and we give them another try.

My sister and I came here the day before Thanksgiving. It was her treat «for a foodie like me» as she put it. I had never been to this location or any other in the franchise. To be honest I wasn’t completely sure about the concept. Anyway, I’m so glad that I finally made it. This was the best dining experience I had in a long while. The food was fantastic, but the service was even better! Our waitress was attentive, knowledgeable, and a down right sweetheart.
We ordered the spinach and artichoke fondue for our first course. It was just as good if not better than the dip I usually make at home, which is has never been the case at any other restaurant I’ve been to. Next was the salad course. Lettuce is lettuce.
We chose the court bouillon for our main course. I got The Classic, so I could sample a variety of things and my sister got the French Quarter. My entrée came with Angus sirloin, Memphis-​style BBQ pork medallion, Pacific white shrimp, herb-​crusted all-​natural breast of chicken, and teriyaki-​marinated sirloin. It also comes with vegetables and red potatoes. It sounds like a lot of food and it was! It also includes six delicious sauces/​condiments. The green goddess sauce made with sour cream, cream cheese, and herbs was so good I plan to recreate it at home. The curry yogurt sauce was light and refreshing.
We ended the meal with the Flaming Turtle fondue which is swirled with caramel, sprinkled with candied pecans, and flambeed with 151! I’m not the biggest chocolate fan but it was to die for. We dipped banana (we asked for more), strawberries, rice krispy treats, brownies, blondies, marshmallows, and pound cake until we thought we’d burst.
At the end of the night we left a hefty tip, gave to St. Jude’s, and waddled out stuffed and happy. I cannot wait to go back. We received a gift card for giving so, soon and very soon!

My second time at this location. Street parking, there are parking lots in the rear with a cost. Staff is overly friendly and helpful.
This is a place for girls’ nights or date night either are both fun. Only thing you will need is time. Between the cheese fondue selections, salads, main entrée boils, and chocolate fondue selections it can take up to 2+ hours of fun. They have booths the fondue pot in the middle of the table. You pick the type of cheese you want, it comes with vegetables (broccoli, carrots, cauliflower), green apples, and mix bread (wheat, french) to dip. You can request more of the sides. The entrée come with vegetables (mushrooms, broccoli, potatoes), meats (chicken, seafood, beef), and pasta. (Yes it all raw, you have to cook it yourself by dipping it in the boil) The chocolate fondue comes with cake slices, cheesecake bites, marshmallows, and fruits.
You can get lost in conversation and forget your times for each dip. The staff becomes more helpful to make sure you are enjoying yourself. I prefer the Columbia location due to parking.

Came here for the first time last night. This was the first time I’ve been to this restaurant and it was my birthday. We made the reservation, came in and was seated in about 2 – 3 minutes.
We let our waiter know it was our first time and he explained everything thoroughly enough that we weren’t confused when he left. We got the 4 course experience which was excellent! Our waiter let us know the cook times and we were all set. I had a great dining experience and was there past closing, but our waiter didn’t even rush us out. I don’t know about the other locations but this was excellent.

Yes, it’s time again for LoML’s birthday celebration. Being born on International Pi Day (otherwise known as Steak ‘n BJ Day), LoML has a lot of options to choose from when it comes to great restaurants. This year, he decided on The Melting Pot; he’d never been here before and wanted to try it. As a previous customer of the location in Columbia many eons ago, I agreed that it was an experience that he should try. So, the Melting Pot it was.
We were seated promptly in a very quiet area on the second floor, which was perfect for us, as we wanted to avoid crowds. Jake, our server, was extremely pleasant and polite and took time to explain to LoML about how the concept was executed and what his choices were. He was very solicitous and offered to help with everything we needed.
We decided on the «Full Monty» — basically the 4 Course Experience (which used to be called «The Big Night Out» a long time ago), which consisted of a cheese fondue, a salad, an entrée and a chocolate fondue for a basic set price. After a short conferral, we decided on the Traditional Swiss cheese style (I would have liked to try Fiesta, and will next time we visit). It was absolutely perfect, especially on the apples and the veggies — I avoided the bread because I didn’t know what it would do to me carb-​wise. The salad choice for both of us was the Spinach Mushroom — and I’ll tell you what, that was absolutely DYNAMITE. The dressing knocked both of our socks off — seriously, it was just that good.
When it came time for the entrée, we chose the coq au vin broth — he ordered Land and Sea (filet mignon, shrimp and chicken), while I had the French Quarter (essentially the same selection, only I also had a couple of pieces of Andouille sausage as well). The French Quarter selections were rolled in some REALLY potent spices, too — but it just added to the flavor of the coq au vin, not detracted. Again, Jake was very helpful in advising us how to cook the items, how long they needed, and provided sauces that just added to the deliciousness. (The plum hoisin was GREAT — LoML preferred the sweet red sauce.)
(It is vital to note that this is the very first time I’ve ever seen LoML eat steak of any kind. He ADORED that filet mignon. I do mean adored. I think my favorite, though, was the shrimp pieces.)
The final touch was the chocolate fondue — we both had a really hard time deciding on which to choose, but we settled on the Yin and Yang (white and dark chocolate) — the Bananas Foster was a very close second, though! They provided a small piece of cheesecake with a birthday candle in addition to the usual dessert fixings, which I thought a VERY nice gesture. And the chocolate was, in a word, decadent. It was quite good!
We rounded out the meal with hot tea (nice touch, offering Bigelow!) and a Café Monique for the birthday boy. He enjoyed it, but thought it was a touch strong on the alcohol and probably wouldn’t choose it again.
The manager stopped by the table a couple of times and asked us how the service was, if everything was okay. Even more impressive. We really appreciated that personal touch.
This was the only time that we have ever tipped over 30% in a restaurant setting, and I can tell you now that Jake earned every cent of that money. He was the perfect example of what service should be — solicitous, personable, but not overbearing or condescending. It is our hope that we see him during future visits, and I will say this — there WILL be future visits.
We spent about 2.5 hours there — this is definitely not a setting where you want to rush — and we never felt the least bit pressured to hurry along or to leave. This is a place where you WILL cook your own food — that’s the whole point of fondue — and if it’s something you don’t want to do, you don’t want to come here.
The best part was that the entire meal was less than 90 dollars TOTAL — we actually spent more last year at Amicci’s and honestly thought the food and atmosphere a lot better here.
Excellent food, excellent service, excellent all around. We both LOVED it. We will be back here the next time there’s a special occasion to celebrate.
Tip for Diabetics:
I thought that coming here would wreak havoc on my diabetes, but the plain fact is that you’re really not going to get that much food that’ll make anything off limits. If you’re really trying to be careful, I’d avoid some of the dipping items like bread pieces (and you may want to be careful with the chocolate fondues and dessert items) — but really, there just isn’t enough here that’ll make anything outright impossible. Be careful with the alcoholic drinks — those actually lowered my BG levels a bit, which is just as dangerous as having too many carbs.
BG Levels Before = 92
BG Levels After = 105
Disclaimer: I’m not a doctor. YMMV. Seek medical advice and tailor my review to your situation. I simply provide opinion.

Ok, our Server is a young lady named Jess. Outstanding people skills which were a plus because this was our first visit to The Melting Pot and other than knowing how to use a fork, we were totally unfamiliar with this place.
My companion had the Sunshine Sangria and I, the Sailor’s Punch; they weren’t overpowering with alcohol, nor were they like watered down kool-​aid.
We had the Cheddar Cheese Fondu (I wanted the Fiesta cheese which was spicy but she wouldn’t have been able to eat it) but it was very good. Never had apples dipped in cheese but it was good. I ate everything but the white broccoli… (cauliflower)
Next came the salads and the Raspberry Walnut vinaigrette on the California salad was outstanding! She had the Spinach and mushroom salad with the a balsamic dressing.
We are now awaiting our Mojo cooked entrée. I’m having angus sirloin, white pacific shrimp, natural chicken breast and Mahi Mahi while my she is having Mahi Mahi, white pacific shrimp, salmon and the chicken breast… Stay tuned… ok, we’re back, lol! So the food’s in the fondu pot, different foods take different amounts of time of course. Chicken and angus sirloin take 2 minutes for example, veggies take 7 minutes (by the way, the meat and Veggies come to the table raw and cook in a pot in front of you).
Everything was delicious! Now we’re on to the dessert, dark & light chocolate called Yin & Yan. To dip we had bananas, brownies, Oreo marshmallows, strawberries, etc.,. The chocolate was exceptional, not too rich either. And to top my night off I had a Billionaire’s Coffee (had Grand Marnier in it, awesome).
Overall it was quite a nice experience, we were full, everything tasted great and it was really a nice «Couple’s» experience. Definitely worth a first visit, then a second and a third and so on!