Mel’s Diner

Don’t come here, there are other better diners.

Mel’s is okay but somewhat overrated. The last time I went in my roommate and I were hungover/​dying and actually walked out after waiting 20 mins for a server to come over to our table, AFTER waiting 20 mins to be seated. I get being busy but come on. Food has always been decent but that kind of ruined things for me. nothing gets between me and my eggs while hungover.

Pretty standard diner food with unique interior design and layout.

My friend and I ordered two burgers for take-​out and it took FOREVER to come out. And then, we had two of the saltiest burgers we’ve ever eaten. I usually come for their breakfast food, which is very mediocre, but this burger was just next level inedibly salty. Also, their fries and home fries are drowned in salt. But, their burgers were humongous and extremely filling, which I guess was what I was looking for! Maybe try asking for less salt if you go.

Ok Food, Amazing service.
Came here around 9Pm on a Saturday night, the place wasn’t too busy neither too crowded.
It has a very American vibe to it, red and white décor, high ceilings.
Our server was great, followed through our order, brought us water without asking and refilled it without asking as well. I ordered chicken and waffles and my foodie partner got something with beef, cheese and eggs (cant recall the name). It wasn’t bad, it wasn’t good, it was OK, let’s just say I wouldn’t come back to eat it myself, the waffle was a little on the sweet side, and the chicken tenders lacked flavour. If I come back here I will probably try something else and see how is their other stuff.
I also had Vanilla shake with Blueberries, that was pretty damn tasty, I will definitely not hesitate getting a shake from here if I am ever feeling it.

Mels is a best place to get comfort food. They serve all day breakfasts and a great variety of diner foods such as burgers, milkshakes etc. For breakfast lovers like myself, I would highly recommend the Hungry Mel. for 12 bucks it comes with 2 eggs, bacon sausage AND ham (yes that’s right. You get all three, you don’t have to pick only one!), homefries, toast and a choice of pancakes or french toast. What’s great about it is that you get to have salty food and sweets all in one meal! Their portions are also huge, so the prices are reasonable. They open till past midnight on Saturdays too (not sure about Sunday) and it’s great if you crave some comfort food at 2am in the morning after going clubbing or drinking.
One thing I do not like about Mels though is their speed of service. They only have 2 waitresses in the whole restaurant and if the restaurant if packed, it will take quite a while just for them to take your order.

Came here for dinner with some friends over the weekend, glad I did. Food was great, service was decent, environment was as expected. Would definitely come again!
Food: I had a special order that’s not listed on the menu called «Mel’s Favorite» which was two eggs, toast, a choice of sausage, ham or bacon, and an orange slice for about $ 6. It was DELICIOUS and I would totally recommend it. One friend had the Sheppard’s pie which is also fantastic, and other had the chili which was a little small but tastes great.
Service: This is where they were lacking, when my group came in there was a booth available, but I don’t know if the servers noticed it because they didn’t go to clean it up or anything. The place was super packed and they were really understaffed with the servers so I didn’t mind that much, just a tad because I was starving and waiting while you’re hungry is a pain. The food came out at a decent time and the waitress checked up on us frequently enough.
Environment: The place was packed with university students, not a surprise, so it was definitely loud & rowdy. The booth we were seated in fit us, but with our bags, it was kind of a tight squeeze. They don’t have a lot of space to work with, but it was still fairly comfortable.

Came here and ordered a pancake breakfast along with a burger. The service was pretty slow. On top of that, they screwed up the scrambled eggs. From the way the scrambled eggs looked, it looks like they poured the eggs in the pan, and forgot to scramble it. Then they just took the disk of cooked eggs out of the pan and cut it into rectangles. Everything else we ordered was fine. However a restaurant that specializes in breakfast should not be messing up scrambled eggs that bad — I do not see myself ever coming back.

Great food (in terms of taste and cost) and atmosphere, but the service is almost nonexistent. The waitresses would rather chat with each other than serve their customers.

Not a fan of this place… Everytime I come here we have to wait to be seated for around 30 mins… Not because there aren’t any spots but because no server approaches us.
I just had lunch there and ordered the Huevos Rancheros. It was very soggy … There was about 10 pounds of beans in there and the texture was not very appetizing. I couldn’t eat most of it and the server never came to ask how the food was.
Overall terrible service and the food is usually okay-​ish… Would not recommend

Food is good better than McDonald’s breakfast in America. The food portions are big, but their milkshakes should be bigger in my opinion. Not a big fan of breakfast food so I don’t know what else to say. My friends all love it though. Although the service isn’t that great most of the time, the waitresses seem so stressed and busy. I mean it’s always busy there so good luck hope it doesn’t ruin your day though. After all breakfast is the most important meal of the day!

Mel’s Diner offers classic diner food at a reasonable cost. A great staple for a Canadian students breakfast. The early bird special provides a lot of value to the poor student populace.
Busy on weekends and the only breakfast place open 24 hours on Fridays and Saturdays.
Specials at Mel’s Diner should not be overlooked. Occasionally, the special of the day provides a unique treat.
Burger special mondays are good for the best around the university and good value too.
I am going to miss the girls who work there.

I try to avoid Mels on Saturday & Sunday mornings as it has become the go-​to spot for hungover brunch. However no line/​wait time will keep me away from their $ 4 burger specials. On Mondays, a basic burger (bun + patty + lettuce + tomato + onions + pickles) is only 4 $. You can pay for additional toppings such as cheese, bacon, guacamole etc. Fries are another $ 1.99. Thus for about $ 6 after tax & tip, you can enjoy a delicious juicy burger!

I always enjoyed Mel’s and their portion sizes are pretty big. Depending on what you get, Mel’s can be really cheap or a bit pricy.
I did get served a burnt burger once, but I mentioned it to the waitress and she gladly ordered another one for me. The second one was great, cooked well and no burnt spots.

Atmosphere really nails it here. They have a «Godfather» count on the wall indicating how many people have successfully finished the 3lb burger at Mels. Oh, 4 $ burger mondays are a treat as well. Large portion sizes and great service.
If you’re looking for brunch, they have a mel’s special for 5 $ and a 4 $ breakfast before 8am. Great value all around.

Very depressing food, very absent servers. We waited a long time for the waitress to come over with menus. When she finally came, I ordered fish and chips, while my boyfriend ordered meatloaf. Again, a very long wait for our food. Two other tables who came after us got their food first.
When my fish and chips came, it was missing the coleslaw, I had to go up and ask for it. The coleslaw tasted like it had been sitting out for a long time, like old stale carrots and wilted lettuce. The fries were incredibly bland and oily. My boyfriend’s meatloaf was slightly better, but his side of veggies was literally soggy unseasoned boiled zucchini.
The waitress took so long to come let us pay that I gave up and went to the counter to find another girl.
We definitely won’t be back to Mel’s for a long long time. It was an incredibly depressing and disappointing experience.

Overall, Mel’s is pretty average. Food is decent, but nothing spectacular.
However, one thing I really like is their Mel’s special. For $ 4.99 ($ 3.99 if you go before 11am i think), you can get 2 eggs, home fries, toast, and your choice of bacon, ham, or sausage. As a university student, this is a great deal for breakfast (especially if you get it for $ 3.99), and even lunch if you don’t want something too big.

Mel’s became a staple of my undergraduate career after it re-​opened a couple of years ago. For a long time in my life, it was missing, mostly because it had tragically burned down in April of 2010, just after my first year of studies at the city’s namesake university had wrapped up.
I’ve had a lot of great memories here. The place feels like an old style diner, the majority of the experience is via the booths that line both side walls of the restaurant.
One of those «great memories» was discovering a thing called «poached eggs», and then discovering further that there are «hardnesses» of poached eggs — «light», «medium», or «hard». Man, did I have a field day for breakfast that day (one of each, I got three poached eggs! Haha!).
I’ve also particularly enjoyed their burgers, since diners are usually more well-​known for those kinds of things. I never tried that massive 3lb burger, but I promised myself I would before I die — so keep an eye out for that challenge later, I’ll definitely Tweet about it, or at the very least update this review to reflect that.
The beer selection isn’t readily obvious or available, but they have one — you just have to ask (and show ID, of course, if you’re my age and look way younger than you actually are).
The environment is definitely nice and casual, and great for smaller groups (2 – 8) as well as individuals, but if you’re trying to host a party of 10+, good luck!
The biggest downside of this place is the sheer size. For the popularity of the restaurant, you’d think they would have bought more space, or at least found ways to clear and rotate tables more efficiently. I get that they’re a smaller establishment and are trying their best, but clearly things can be done a little better.
Let’s get down to brass tacks, though!
Pros:
– Great selection & variety of food — one of the best I’ve seen in a long time, actually, especially when it comes to the breakfast selections! — just be sure you order exactly what you want, since sometimes the menu items feel a little more restricting than they actually are.
– Great prices — I’ve never seen a dish over $ 20 on their menu, pegging this at a great mid-​ranged diner within walking distance of UWaterloo.
– Some of the best breakfast foods I’ve had in a long time. Pancakes /​French Toast here is awesome, and the bacon is always freshly cooked & exactly the way I like it (a little crispy, but not at all greasy).
Cons:
– Inconsistent quality. Some days I feel amazing when I eat there, others times it’s just «meh». At the start I thought it was because it was a honeymoon effect, but as time went on (read: three years), I realized it was more because they’re better at breakfast than they are anything else.
– Burgers are the biggest «hit-​and-​miss». Some days, they’ll be exactly as ordered, others will be like «wait, is this medium? it feels like well-​done!»
– Fries are a little too greasy for my liking — even the sweet potato fries! (I’m a huge sweet potato fry lover, BTW!) This is especially unfortunate because while I like these fries, and the portion sizes are great, I can never bring myself to eat all of them because of how greasy it is — that’s how terrible I feel about myself.
– Beer selection (I don’t think they have a lot of other alcoholic beverages?) isn’t amazing. I guess it’s a diner, so I let that one go without being penalized.
– Bathrooms are a little cramped — sink isn’t intuitively well-​designed (have to pull up and hold to keep water flowing — annoying when trying to wash both hands simultaneously). They don’t seem to clean them a lot (the men’s, anyway), or replace the paper towels that often. (this could be because it’s not their focus, which is fine, but it’s been the same experience for over a year in my experience)
Overall, I’d recommend this place for newcomers to town, or to new students/​residents to the Waterloo area. I wasn’t a «regular» here by any means, but it’s a solid place to go to, provided it’s not busy (wait times can be 1 hour if there’s no seating, since the max I’ve ever seen is two wait staff, and two cooks, at any given point in time).

A favorite among the university crowd. I’m not a fan. I’ve been here multiple times and this time I decided to write a review.
I’d gotten the «Healthy Life.» It didn’t seem all that healthy to me. Not really sure what I paid for was actually worth my money, it seemed quite plain and simple. And the tomatoes they’d been using were terrible. On top of that, I’d ordered orange juice. Expecting freshly squeezed orange juice, I drink a «from concentrate» glass of Oasis orange juice which I’d seen the waitress pouring for us. No. Just no. And charging us $ 3 for it? Nah b.
Other times I’ve gone, it seemed alright. A typical 60’s diner setting. If you’re actually considering weekend brunch at Mel’s, you might to consider coming early, to avoid the rush. Other than that, the place itself isn’t all that fantastic. In comparison to other places in the proximity, this place is alright. I’d only go here if I’m in absolute need of greasy food.

Either the quality of their food has decreased or I’ve been to too many better brunch places in comparison to Mel’s. Their home fries are gross and the value you get out of what you pay for anything that’s not Mel’s Favourite is very low.
Plus the service isn’t that great and the food usually takes awhile. Not sure if she’s still there, but there is one black haired waitress who always looked mad/​meh haha.