Mel's Burger Bar

I'm thrilled with Mel's! Although at first glance the exterior and interior style seems bit forced, that falls to the wayside when you experience the exceptional service and food. I'm kind of a cheeseburger freak and have been to many of the so-called top rated in the City. I've been to Mel's 6 times in 6 months and have always had a perfectly cooked, juicy burger and hot, crispy fries. They have an outstanding beer selection too. I've been waiting for years for a great unpretentious burger place on the upper, upper west side and will undoubtedly return to Mel's again and again!

I was excited that a new burger place had opened in the area. It looked kinda theme-ish but I cannot say no to a good burger. I was disappointed though. No Fries and no adds-ons included in the price of the burger made me think the burger must be that good that they could sell it at such a steep price....wrong! The burger is one of those big patty's that is aerated with a lot of holes and seems to have air and filler mixed in to give it size and shape. Also had prefab beef and grill flavor...almost taste like a burger king burger. I asked for bacon on it...which they forgot, then bought out 2 slices of very big but strangely tasteless bacon. Not great. The specialty beer I ordered was also blah and watered down. If you go, go for the restaurant's decor and fake pub atmosphere, the food is not the attraction here.

was recommended to my husband by our neighborhood bartender.. We just had a great lunch on a very cold day. Great service--delicious big burger--the classic on toast--wasn't even the big one and I had to take some home--crispy fries-- Love the rustic feel and the artwork--what a nice find! We will be back--

What a great addition to the hood! Cool vibe, great food, great drinks, cute staff! A little more expensive than other neighborhood spots, but worth it. I will def be back.

I was eager to try out Mel's when they first opened. Our server was very nice, however, the food was sub par. This place is supposed to specialize in burgers, right? No, seriously. The burger was small, didn't include fries AND I had to pay extra for sauce. The onion strings were hard to chew and felt stale. The food wasn't horrible, but the burgers were nothing special -- I actually prefer the burgers from Vareli across the street. For a place with "Burgers" in its name, they're not doing a great job. Sorry Mel's.

Burgers were way overpriced and not that big. Fries cost extra adding insult to injury. Service is very poor, they made me wait at the bar for 20 minutes when there were plenty of visible tables available. I ordered coke and a beer from bar, left a $1 tip, and bartender just sneered at me like it was not enough. I asked for my burger well done and got it back medium rare.

Can I just say how obsssessed I am with Mel's?? I'm a senior and only wish this place had been there the past 3 years! Here's the deal: Food = delicious (burgers, fish tacos and spinach dip are my faves). Boozy shakes are unique and amaaazing. Only drawbacks- drinks are a little expensive other than after 11pm (then they do $3 beers and $5 wells). Also the bartenders are a little slow...but the place is cool, fun and food is best in the hood!