Melting Pot

I’ve heard many things about the Melting Pot over the years. While I’ve always wanted to make my way there, I never quite got to it because I always wanted to patronize a mom&pop over a chain. I’m glad I finally made it, though because the experience and the food was amazing and I’m sad that the Philly location is closing because I enjoyed it enough to make my way back.
We found ourselves here on a rainy Saturday evening because we had a gift certificate. Getting there a half hour early, we decided to sit at the bar for the time being. I noted that the cocktail offerings at this location were very reasonably priced, some were even cheaper than the premium beer selections. Our bartender was great, friendly and quick, we just got a glass of wine and beer to start with.
Upon getting our table, we made our way back to a very quaint and intimate booth that was shaped as a half circle around an albeit small but usable table. Because we had a gift certificate we couldn’t partake in the ‘endless entrée’ deal that was ongoing at this location, but we simply went with the on-​menu selection of a four course meal. I picked the surf ‘n turf, the girlfriend got the Cajun platter. On both were chicken, shrimp and filet mignon (the Cajun selection had sausage). To start, we got the Alpine fondue which was a Gruyère with white wine and garlic. This was amazing, although we noted the early tastes still were full of wine, it wasn’t until we got half way through that we could taste a nice balance of cheese and wine. The 4-​course offerings come with a salad of your choice, I got the house and wasn’t disappointed.
When we got our main courses, we were really excited. The small cubes of raw meat go right into your pot of hot oil. We got a special cooking type which included two different batters to cover the cubes of meat in prior to frying. While this part of the experience is unique to the Melting Pot, we found that the cooking times our wait staff told us to use were simply not cooking the meat all the way through. We came to find that with the batter on, it almost doubled the necessary cooking time. After figuring out that our cooking times were a bit different than what we were told, everything was alright and the rest of the main course was great.
For dessert we got the bourbon pecan chocolate fondue. There’s not much more to say than wow — that was delicious. I highly recommend that fondue if you like a nice taste of bourbon with your dessert.
Finally, our waiter (whom I’ve unfortunately forgotten the name of) was amazing. He was quite friendly, helpful and didn’t rush us in any way. After learning we were celebrating our birthdays, he had two candles put in our dessert — a touch that was the icing on the cake for my experience. I loved this dinner from the experiences of cooking our entrée to the ambiance of the restaurant, it was a great evening. Note that this location IS closing but moving across the river to New Jersey. I think I may have just liked this enough to make a trek over once they open their new location.

We didn’t know we needed a reservation, but that didn’t stop them from accommodating us with one right on the spot. We sat down in the back corner which they called the love shack. The waitress and waiter had a sense of humor especially after we told them that we were brother and sister (joking obviously). It was definitely an experience, cooking your own food in a boiling broth was different, but very enjoyable. We relaxed, talked and just had an overall good time. I want to do this at least once a year.

Ah, my very first visit! I’d heard so many things about the Melting Pot for like a decade but never made it in UNTIL my friend got married and hosted her reception here. It was an absolute pleasure from start to finish.
The staff knocked it out of the park, bless their hearts. It’s not easy working that layout with 70 guests, but everything was prepped beforehand and once the fondue train started rolling, it was a blast. For a first-​timer, the experience of cookin’ and dippin’ errything took me back to foilpacks and summer camp, but with a table full of sous chefs we got it in! The menu was exquisite (picture’s posted). I really enjoyed getting the full spectrum of offerings and how the staff coached entire groups of us through the cooking process – not an easy task with cocktails freely flowing :)
We had specially created cocktails to honor the bride and groom and I’mma tell you, that bartender was killing it with his cute self!
For about 3 hours we laughed, cooked, fake jabbed each other and had a really great time. I’m pretty sure I’ll head back soon for my own special treat and you should too!

We’ve been going for several years and this used to be our go to place for special occasions. And even though they’ve pared down the menu (certain items that used to be included are now separate), it’s all still delicious.
Unfortunately, it’s the service that has been lacking lately. They’re friendly and informative, but they’ve either rushed us through the courses or barely checked in with us — which is particularly difficult considering how fast we go through some of the dippers and sauces. Seriously, the green goddess needs to come in a larger serving size! This is particularly disheartening because service used to be amazing.
I think we’re going to stop coming in for the whole 4-​course experience and switch to the occasional cheese or dessert fondue.
On a side note, the specialty cocktails have gotten really strong. Tried the «sassy señorita» and boy will that put some hair on your chest.

Seriously for my first visit ever I was so impressed as a chef myself I was having the time of my life cooking all of my own food. Our server josh and the manager were superb! Definitely will return for future visits and I enjoyed my experience with my boyfriend for our five month anniversary

My son and I love The Melting Pot! Every city we go to that has one we eat at a total of 7 different ones! The teriyaki steak is the best. I would still sick with the cheddar cheese, the loaded potatoe was ok.

The desert there is out of this world. I would go back just for that! These customer service and ambiance were great!

How I wished I could leave a good review about eating here, but alas, it wasn’t meant to be. My husband and I came here for our anniversary because of all the good reviews, and I thought it was a cute concept. Here is the food broken down:
Wisconsin Cheddar Fondue — Lacked the «bite» of sharp cheddar. Honestly all I could taste was the lager that they mixed the cheese with. If I had wanted beer cheese soup I would’ve gone to Fado. We were given a handful of raw vegetables, STALE bread, apples and grapes to dip into the beer… er, cheese, fondue.
Salad — I had the Caesar, while the hubby had the Melting Pot (I believe that’s what it was called). I liked our salads, they were surprisingly good.
The «Main Course» — We both ordered the Land and Sea in the Coq au Vin broth. We only received three small cubes of filet mignon, three shrimp and three cubes of chicken. Can someone please tell me how that equals to $ 37? The Coq au Vin had absolutely no flavor, like none at all. We boiled the meat and it was hit or miss. So because we were unsure on the cooking time, the shrimp came out rubbery, the filet was beyond well done and the chicken was okay. But, like I said before, it had no flavor. I could cook a similar meal at home for a lot less than $ 120, and a lot more flavor too.
Chocolate Fondue — This is the only part of the meal that I actually enjoyed. We ordered the Flaming Turtle fondue which came out with Rice Krispies, pound cake, brownies, strawberries and bananas. It was fun dipping all of the «dippers» in the melted chocolate, and besides, how can chocolate ever be a bad thing.
All in all, we probably won’t be back. It was a nice experience, but I can’t justify spending $ 120 for food that you have to cook. Not a fan.

Wonderful food, wonderful restaurant and wonderful service! We will be back!
The restaurant is easy to find and is located close to Reading Terminal Market. We had a wonderful booth for two that was small and intimate and really gave us the experience we were hoping for. We were there during happy hour so we each ordered the «simply happy hour» meal which includes cheese, entrée and chocolate. We also each had a drink. I had the love martini and it was delicious!
Our waiter Eddie is what put this experience over the top for us. We have been to other melting pot locations and never before have we felt so appreciated as we did with Eddie. He was attentive, helpful and very friendly.
Overall the experience was wonderful and we can’t wait to go back!

This place is my sister’s absolute favorite, and so the whole family was convinced to check it out during restaurant week. Four of the six of us have been here before, but for two it was a brand new experience, which made the meal a bit more fun.
The RW deal here is killer — for $ 35, you get a cheese fondue, salad, meat/​seafood platter, and dessert fondue. Ordering all of that a la carte would easily rack up to big bucks. With a group of at least 6, you get two different pots, which means you can try two different cheeses and desserts.
For the first course, we went with the spinach-​artichoke and classic alpine cheese fondues. The spinach-​artichoke was far and away my favorite — it was perfect with the chunks of bread and mixed veggies we were served. The alpine went nicely with the apples and grapes, so I was glad we got to sample two.
I had the California salad, which included gorgonzola cheese and candied pecans. It was good, though not my favorite part of the meal.
For dinner, I had the «King of Prussia,» which included a lobster tail, shrimp, and angus steak. Not being a meat-​eater, I was pleasantly surprised that they were more than willing to switch out my steak for some extra shrimp. The basic bouillon cooking pot was perfect, especially because the variety of sauces served are amazing, offering plenty of extra flavor.
Finally, we ordered the Ying and Yang and Bananas foster for dessert — again, both were delicious. Bonus — when we ran out of things to dip but still have chocolate in the pot, the waitress kindly brought us more of our favorites.
The service was friendly and attentive, which is especially important here, as the wait staff spends quite a bit of time at the table preparing cheese and dessert pots.

One of my all time favorite restaurants. It is pricey, so the best time to come is when they have specials or if you have a groupon. I went here with my family for restaurant week and for $ 35 a person you got cheese fondue, salad, dinner fondue (everyone picks their own salad and meat), and desert.
We got the spinach artichoke cheese and swiss cheese. Both were delicious, and the server refilled the dippers. For salad, I had the california and it was good but a little sweet for me. For the entrée, there were limited options due to restaurant week but the server was very accommodating for my two vegetarian siblings who substituted more shrimp for the steak. For desert we had the bananas foster chocolate and the yin and yang chocolate. This was my favorite part of the meal and by the end I was extremely full.

After all these years, my first visit to a Melting Pot confirms why I never wanted to eat here. The food was bland and the prices are rich. Too bad it wasn’t the other way around.
This location was near our hotel so we decided to try it out. The server accidentally spills water on my wife so she is wet during the whole dinner. She brings out one polyester cloth napkin to wipe it up. Uh, we need at least a hand towel to soak up this mini ice-​bucket challenge. She apologizes politely and «takes care of us» by comping a drink. That’s not gonna put a dent in my wife’s dissatisfaction at this point especially after we just dropped $ 160 bucks for a crappy meal.
There’s a Melting Pot in Pasadena, closer to home. Do you think I’m going to visit that? Nope. There is no fun in fondue.

Highly recommend coming here during restaurant week otherwise it is pretty pricey. If you come during restaurant week it’s about $ 35 for dinner I think plus tax and tip (good deal considering if you came here any other time it would be like $ 100 for two people). I’d recommend coming here in like groups of 2s so like 2,4,6, because you’ll be sharing a pot with someone. come here if you like fondue (don’t need to necessarily like chocolate).
Spinach Artichoke Cheese Fondue is super good! The cheese is delicious! I was greedy and kept dipping more bread (save your stomach for the main meal).
I got a random selection of meat (shrimp, beef, pork dumpling) and we picked the tempura pot. Not much flavor obviously but it comes with 6 different sauces so it makes up for it. I like the blue cheese and the garlic sauce. You can always ask for more sauce, bread, etc.
For dessert I got the oreo one, super tasty! Unlimited fruit, brownies, etc.
They explain how everything works when you get there since they will ask you if it’s your first time.
It’s prob not terribly filling but if you load up on the carbs you’ll be good. It’s a fun experience like interactive cooking fondue style.
Note: Takes like 3 hours… would not recommend coming here on a first date

I went with some friends for Easter Brunch. The whole experience was amazing, fun and Enjoyable. I think it will be nice spot for a cute different date, where you will do the cooking not the dishes ;) We took our time cooking and eating the three courses of fondue and were not rushed.
Three and half Unilocal

I finally came here with the bf on a date since my sister had given us a gift card for my bday about a year ago. We got parking right in front of the restaurant at a parking meter spot. We made reservations but there was a little wait for our table.
The server was nice and descriptive about the menu since it was our first time. We both got the four course meal (plus a box of chocolate covered strawberries).
For the salad course, I got the California (Mixed baby salad greens, Roma tomatoes, candied pecans and Gorgonzola cheese with Raspberry Black Walnut Vinaigrette). I didn’t enjoy any part of this salad except for the pecans. The cheese was overpowering and the vinaigrette was very sweet.
The cheese spinach artichoke dip was my favorite portion of the meal. The bread was a bit dry as dippers though.
For the entrée, we got the coq au vin as the base. I wasn’t a fan of this flavor. I got the fondue fusion with lobster, sirloin, bbq pork, duck breast and a pasta pouch. The bf got the French quarter and his came with filet, chicken, shrimp and Andouille sausage. Nothing was spectacular. I mean, all you’re really doing is cooking the meats yourself in a weird base soup and then dipping it in a multitude of sauces. It’s the American style of Asian hot pot. But at least Asian hot pot has more variety and flavors.
For the dessert course, we got the flaming turtle. Chocolate doesn’t normally let me down so this was better than the entrée.
Overall, this place is such a silly concept. And an expensive one at that. I would gladly stay home and cook myself than come back.

Today clarifies why I rated the Melting Pot a 5 the first go around. The service is spectacular. Eric our bartender/​waiter is beyond amazing. He knows the menu like the back of his hand. Most importantly he genuinely seems to love his job. He even went after us when we forgot something. Have people like Eric work for you is what does it for me. The food as always was beyond amazing. What really added to the meal was Eric’s knowledge of the food and drinks he serves! Thanks Melting Pot can’t wait to be back!

The melting pot is one of my favorite chain restaurants around. I’ve been to several locations, and recently tried out the Philly when I saw they posted a deal on Groupon.
The deal included a cheese fondue split for two, two salads, and two dinner fondue entrees. Sadly, dessert (which is the best part!) was not included.
I decided to try the Spinach Artichoke Cheese Fondue– which was delicious. The cheese comes with several dippers– bread, grapes, apples, and other veggies. PLEASE NOTE– you can get refills on the dripping supplies! (this is something I hadn’t discovered until this trip– it makes a world of difference and applies to the cheese and dessert!)
My go to salad here is the California. The portion is small– but it is delicious.
For the main entrée I got to select three dripping items, I went with:
1. Teriyaki-​Marinated Sirloin– My personal favorite.
2. Pacific White Shrimp
3. Filet Mignon
All three were delicious, and personally I would stay away from the ravioli as it breaks up in the pot– and the meats are some much better anyways. The entrees also come with veggies to put in your pot and 6 dipping sauces. I have yet to pick a favorite as they are all wonderful.
As they say– save the best for last… DESSERT! There are about 5 different chocolate pots you can pick from– and not one of them is a bad choice. I personally love the smores pot. The chocolate comes with delicious dessert dipper including: strawberries, cheesecake, rice krispies, marshmallows, pound cake, brownies, and bananas. YUM. I ended up ordering dessert fondue for one and split it with the person I was with. There was plenty of chocolate for both of us– and like I said– they will refill the dippers!
The melting pot is located in a pretty crowded area of Philly– so parking options are limited. I would suggest parking in a garage– there are plenty in the area. Call ahead and find out which lots the Melting Pot validates. My parking originally was $ 28, but with the validation it was only $ 8 for 5 hours!
The food, location, atmosphere, and staff were all great and I hope to be visiting this Melting Pot again soon.

Let me start off by saying that I am reviewing the full four-​course dinner at the melting pot and had I only down the cheese or chocolate this would have been a 5-​star review. I have been here at least 5 times and try something new each time I go.
Service: excellent everytime
Ambience: private, upscale
Cheese fondue: superb, a must! My favorite is the spinach and artichoke
Salads: they were fine, barely touched mine so that I wouldn’t get full for the rest of the meal
Entrée: this is where I subtract a star. The look of the uncooked meat is I appealing to me and the amount of time I was told to cook each for was misleading. I recommend getting the lobster tail or chicken dumplings and avoiding the beef and pork.
Chocolate fondue: out of this world! I will continue coming back here just for this part! Endless cheesecake, pound cake and strawberries to dip = heaven.
Price: $$$ definately upscale, I recommend finding a groupon or living social deal or skipping one or more of the courses or drinks to cut down the cost.

I came here about a week ago. Was actually really excited because everyone seems to rave about it and now actually had the chance to go. We were seated promptly, there wasn’t many people there. Seeing the pots and pans were exciting, but other than that meh.
I got the spicy combo one with shrimp, chicken, beef. With your choice of
Salad and dessert for 30 dollars. The salad was good, nothing special. Now when the actual dish of meat and seafood tray came, I was very disappointed. There was so little of it and when thrown into the melting pot, there was practically nothing there… The flavors weren’t really all that great, I prob could have done a better job at home for a better price. I think I was still pretty hungry after I finished.
The dessert was just an assortment of brownies, little cakes, and marshmallows. It wasn’t very spectacular, just average. If you are looking for the experience or like to go on a special occasion like a family dinner. Then I think totally go for it.

Une fondue aux Etat-​Unis, une fondue de FROMAGE à PHILLY? Ca peut paraître une folie totale, une hérésie, un sacrilège car ici ils mettent tout de même le fromage sur un steak, et ensuite dans un sandwich; alors à quoi s’attendre avec une fondue? Et bien contre toute attente, aucun massacre du concept (ou si peu…) et même une super expérience inattendue: la rencontre joyeuse entre la Savoie et le Wyoming. Si, triste à Philly, la neige vous refroidit l’âme et le cheesesteak né pourra jamais vous suffir, je sais ce qui peut vous combler: il vous faut cette etonnante fondue du Wyoming de Melting Pot !
Préparez vous à une expérience renversante.
Oubliez vos habitudes franco-​suisses préalables et renaissez l’esprit ouvert avec cette fondue du wyoming qui choquerait nos ancêtres ou contemporains savoyards. Fondez comme un Phoenix (ah.ah.ah) sur la fondue spéciale du Wyoming. Attention aux âmes sensibles car le fromage débarque… râpé. Oui ça surprend. Le serveur mélange tout ce fromage râpé avec du poivre et quelques herbes et le tour est joué. Mais il né faudrait pas pour autant sous-​estimer le goût de cette fondue qui se défend bien. Elle est beaucoup plus crémeuse que nos fondues françaises, plus dans le style de celles que j’ai goûtées à Genève (en termes de texture j’entends). Et ohoh ils ajoutent du bleu (certains risquent ici la crise cardiaque). Mais ouvrons nos esprits et nos papilles, c’est plutôt bon.
Autre surprise: oui il ya du pain (dieu soit loué). MAIS aussi: des légumes, oui oui, brocolis, carottes et mêmes des fruits avec les pommes… Au début on se dit «berk quelle idée non merci, non mais ça va pas» et puis une chose en entraînant une autre, on se retrouve sans y penser à apprécier le mélange pomme-​fromage (y compris du bleu — né l’oublions pas) et à tremper joyeusement sa pomme.
En dessert, je vous conseille la fondue au chocolat pour finir en apothéose votre expérience et là vous découvrirez qu’il est possible de tremper non seulement des fruits mais aussi des BROWNIES au chocolat dans du chocolat. Ben oui. No limit.

Awesome place! This was the second time here. We actually ordered the whole course meal and everything was great. First the spinach artichoke cheese came with veggie, fruits and bread as dippers. Next was the salad. And next was the entrée. We all were vegetarians, yet the tofu, portobello mushrooms were properly cooked. The cooking style was rich with spices and it was great. Finally the desert menu was super awesome and chocolaty!
Excellent service and I would recommend this place for anyone!