Mellos Restaurant

Came in on a busy Thursday night and was extremely disappointed with my experience.
We waited 2 ½ hours for our food. When it finally came, it was cold (saw the cook plating 9 plates at once instead of a table at a time, which is absurd considering how long we had been waiting). I was overheard telling my friend it was cold, so they offered to reheat it, but I was just too hungry after the wait.
Mac and cheese was good (even thought it was cold), but broccoli was so salted, it was inedible. Chicken breast was ok, but a bit plain. Definitely not worth $ 28.
I don’t care how busy you are, you should be able to serve the amount of tables you have in your restaurant.
Server put our drinks on the house cause of the wait, which was nice, but I would have preferred to pay for them and be out of there before 10:30pm, especially on a weeknight (came in at 7:45pm).
I might come back to give it a second chance considering the other reviews and friends’ recommendations. Maybe I just went on a really off night.

The food at Mellos is really good. If I were to base my rating off the food alone I would give Mellos a five star rating. The kitchen is an open kitchen so you can watch the chefs make your food. I was personally fascinated watching them make the fresh home fries. However, the service at the restaurant was lacking. The waitress never checked in on us and was slightly unfriendly (but this could be due the fact that the restaurant was really busy). If you are visiting Ottawa, and if you are looking for good food, I highly recommend coming here.

I’m basing this review mainly on the burger, it was amazing and on par with the best burgers I’ve ever had.
Keeping the décor the same is neat as it looks the same as it did 15 years ago which was the last time I was there eating 5 $ breakfasts and chain smoking.

Fantastic food. A retro diner with a very old school look. Don’t let the décor fool you. The special noodles are always great. One of the best burgers I have ever had.

Mellos is not just the average diner where you would just find the typical dishes (Eggs and Bacon, Pancakes) in any diner. They like to change their menu, depending on the seasonality and tastes of their customers.
I decided to check this place out with a friend while we were exploring around Byward Market to find a place to eat. When we entered inside, we were greeted with a lot of friendliness from the wait staff. The place is small and the lights were dim, perhaps it was intended for the dining experience.
There were not many items for my friend and I to choose from, which actually is not a bad thing. Therefore, this places focuses solely on making sure every item on their menu is perfect. I decided to try their Omelet with Home Fries and Garlic Sauce and my friend decided to order their Poutine. The wait for the food was not bad as our food came freshly made to our table.
The Omelet was very well balanced in flavour as the goat cheese blended well the pickled peppers and arugula inside the omelet. The Home Fries were a nice complement to the omelet as the Garlic Sauce beautiful ties the well seasoned Home Fries together nicely.
The Poutine was very delicious as the portion was very big, therefore my friend got a great deal for only $ 10. The piping hot gravy melted the cheese curds very nicely with the well seasoned fries.
Overall, for around $ 10-​$ 14, I was quite satisfied for the service and food my friend and I received in our visit and I definitely would recommend this place to anyone looking for a simple diner that serves just more than eggs and bacon.

Good food :)
Had a western sandwich for brunch. Big enough to share with an other person. Came with fries. Had a side of sausage. All good :)
Service was a bit slow

We went here on a whim on a Wednesday night. I ordered the Mellos burger on recommendation from a friend and was quite surprised by the dish. Burger in the most simplest sense, the only toppings were cheese and onions. The burger was situated between two slices of buttered bread. Half the plate was then filled with thinly cut fries.
The burger was delicious, and they do give a good serving of fries (Although I am not a fan).
One thing to note that puts my rating actually between 2 and 3 is the wait time. I think it took around 45 minutes to get our food together.
Come to Mellos to try their unique burger, if you have the time for it.

I would go back for their burgers for sure. Big portions of great food for reasonable prices.
The reason I’m giving 3stars is the wait. Last time I visit, the place wasn’t even full, so I dont know why it took so long, but it took 50mins to have the food on the table.

Mellos offers a more tasteful approach to a diner meal. The basic breakfast (two eggs, potatoes, toast, slices of tomatoes, orange slice) is $ 7, which only includes coffee/​tea before 10am.
What separates this meal from a typical greasy-​spoon diner is that food is plated nicely, the ingredients are higher-​quality (the bread specifically), the potatoes are topped with chives, and the tomatoes are actually ripe and also topped with slivered onions.
A bit more expensive than a typical diner breakfast, but you’re getting a much better meal.

I used to frequent Mellos for my weekend brunch. It was cheap, quick, and delicious. A death in the management has seen this place changed though. The menu is updated, prices have raised, staff is all new, and the hashbrowns just aren’t the same.
Mellos has a great bustling brunch atmosphere and the food is good. But you can get the same quality of breakfast at many of the pubs in the market and at a lower cost. The worst thing though is the wait. I arrived at 11:30 on a Sunday and did not receive my order of eggs, hashbrowns, bacon and toast until 12:45. This is completely absurd! To make it worse, the waitress didn’t check in once with us to explain the delays or let us know how much longer it will be. The experience was so horrible that I have unfortunately decided to give this place up and move on to another breakfast joint. It was great while it lasted though!

Great place for a «greasy spoon» type breakfast. Excellent old school diner — looks like it fell straight out of the 50’s or 60’s. Great spot for pub-​style breakfast. Staff has good time with their regulars and tourists. Very reasonably priced food.

Excellent value, laid back atmosphere and soundtrack to weekend brunch. We liked it so much we went both mornings we were in Ottawa.
We had wonderful service from our waiter, really friendly and attentive and remembered us straight away from the day before.
Try the brunch bowl– pretty damn tasty

If you are around the By Ward Market area, but want to experience a more local greasy spoon weekend brunch, this is it.
Melos has the feel of a diner from yesteryear. During weekend brunches they offer standard breakfast fare that is generally very good, though not especially cheap. Sit at the counter or in old style booths. Coffee is included with meals between eight and ten.
Service here is average. Don’t expect lots of personal attention or immediate refills. However, if you have a few friends or family who just want a traditional breakfast in a comfortable place, this is a good bet.

I went there for breakfast awhile back and its no better than anywhere else, but I’m surprised I got through it. The guy I went in there with was a regular but I had never been. The waitress came over, she was probably in her 60’s, sat on my friends lap and started pawing all over him and kissing him. We were both embarrassed and left. Not an ounce of professionalism in the place because they just laughed. Will never go back and I discourage others from doing so.

This place turned out to be the perfect antidote for us after a very long day on the road, driving from Brooklyn. Mello’s Supper Club for dinner was on my shortlist anyway of places to try, but finding out it was just a couple blocks from our hotel (Marriott Courtyard-​Byward) felt like it was downright fated.
Anyway, Mello’s looks just like a regular olé diner, so if you didn’t know it was a supper club by night, you’d probably walk right past it. Feeling totally schleppy after what seemed like an eternity in the car, we were very happy to settle into a cozy booth. We were even happier to see beer and wine on the menu, which we ordered immediately from our sweet, if a bit lackadaisical server. As for food, my husband and I decided to share a starter consisting of fried mushrooms and tofu followed by a middle-​eastern inspired lamb wrap; the kid went with poutine (always a meal in itself, though not exactly healthy – but we were on vacation, so don’t judge)
Now, Mello’s Supper Club is apparently pretty much a one man show with a single chef seemingly doing most of the cooking… which we found out the hard way. The food took forever to arrive. And yet, somehow, we didn’t mind all that much. The restaurant felt very relaxed and we had nowhere to be. But if we had been in a hurry… At any rate, when the food finally arrived, we wound up enjoying all of it. Portions were generous and pricing reasonable. I also noticed that many tables ordered a gorgeous looking club sandwich that caused me to feel a tiny pang of «orderer’s remorse.» Next time!

Wonderful breakfast joint with everything cooked in front of you.
You can see from looking around that the restaurant has been there for some time — there is a patina of time in the place.
Watching the crew cook breakfast was like watching a well oiled machine. Waitress was cheerful, fast and accurate. Food was what we wanted and expected for breakfast.
Table turns are pretty quick, due to the quick service, so even if there’s a bit of a line, suspect it’s worth the wait. We got there around 9:30a and line up was just forming. Earlier than that, you are likely ok.
Would I return: yes
would I recommend: yes

I’ve been here for breakfast twice. Typical dinner breakfast food here. Portions are a bit on the smaller side compared to the local competition, but the quality is consistent.
I come here for the vibe. Over weight french cooks, needle thin guys smoking darts and hauling bags of potatoes over their backs, a waitress named «Deb». I digress.
The layout of this place is nostalgic, and they offer a free newspaper to read which is a nice touch. Also the service is wicked fast, and the coffee is endless. I suggest sitting at the bar in order to always get a coffee fill when the server walks by.

I have been living in the market for many years and have eaten pretty much everywhere in the area. This is my favourite spot.
In the evening this dinner turns in the perfect place to be unpretentious foodzie (if such thing exists).
The menu is interesting, fun, just different. They have few classics like their burger (which continuously crave) to asian fusion and creative twist on classics. However the enu changes often. The food is amazing.
They have a great drink menu as well. The prices are more than reasonable for the quality you are getting.
The atmosphere is causal and not pretentious. Sit at the counter as the cooks prepare your meal in front of you.

Dinner familial qui servent de la patate et des œufs. La patronne parle a tout le monde, le daron est au fourneau, la fille tente de servir de l’eau et des cafés et le fils a l’air de se faire royalement ch#@! Mais l’ambiance demeure sympathique.
Décor: 3 — rien d’extra tout est ancien même les tenanciers
Service: 2 — n’ai jamais eu de verre d’eau, la patronne est sympa mais le reste de la famille semble blasé
Nourriture: 2.5 — déjeuner classique sans fantaisie
Prix: 3 — le rapport qualité prix est très bon
Au final une note de 10.5 /​20 … Juste passable

The crew have worked a small miracle here. The petri-​dish lighting is toned down for the evening, the pie cooler in the front is gone, some brick is exposed, but the bones of the old greasy spoon are not changed. The cooks work in the open grill kitchen behind the counter.
The menu is limited, but all high quality. There is a decent wine list and a short list if cocktails on the board. I had the Gin Mule and it was great. Service is prompt, friendly and helpful. Portions are a reasonable size and the food is fresh and flavourful.

Stumbled in for lunch. Heard they had a ‘pop-​up’ restaurant with a big deal chef. They do (but not for lunch). Note to try this later. Staff is terrific. I am an older woman but everybody needs to be called «my dear sweetheart» once in a while. Even if just in reference to a smoked meat sandwich.
Food is good and straightforward. Pop comes in cans. If they have the flavour you want in stock that day, you can have it. Simple. Nice pastrami sandwich. We discussed the reuben but no sauerkraut that day. A little cheese was good though.
My colleague had the Everything sandwich. Starts as a fried egg sandwich, ends as a BLT, best as a I can figure.
Not big, maybe 10 tables. The old-​school neon sign is the biggest thing about the place. Not at all fancy. A nice break from the tinned ambience of the market. I’m going back for breakfast. Forget the pop-​up restaurant. I bet their servers won’t call me their dear sweethearts.