Melba’s

Right up there with Sylvia this is a contender for the best soul food in Harlem. Delicious fried chicken and good sides — mac & cheese is delicious and the sautéed spinach is great (fresh and not too greasy or oily). I would not, however, recommend the Yukon potatoes, which were a bit underwhelming. Nevertheless, everything else was good enough to earn Melba’s five stars.

Great Service, Tasty Food!
Was looking for a tasty place in Harlem. Ran across this spot and the Manager Melvin and Bar Server DaeDae were accommodating. I ordered the Mac n Chesse, Collard Greens, and Fried Chicken and it was all just perfect for me. Will def visit again. Much Love

I know that this will come as a surprise. I wanted to try this restaurant because I
heard Melba on a radio talk show. She made it so enticing that I had to go on my birthday
weekend. I went with family before an Apollo show. We didn’t wait because we had a reservation, which was a good thing. Fast forward we ordered our drinks & food, which came in good time. The white sangria although good came in such a small glass. I ordered short ribs of beef. I was surprised that the meat was tough and stringy, chewy and it was a small portion. The bbq sauce it bathed & saturated in was way too sweet. Its almost as if they used the bbq sauce to hide the inferior quality of beef. My sister ordered turkey meatloaf which was flavorless and unseasoned and it looked undercooked. She said it wasn’t very good. I’m not in the business to give bad reviews but I was disappointed in our meal.
Maybe I’ll give it one more chance, but I’ll try the chicken and waffles that everyone raves about.

This was honestly the best meal I’ve ever had in my life, so freaking delicious! I couldn’t even speak the whole time I was eating because it was that good. I purposely ate slowly, so I could savor the food! Ugh! It’s a bit pricey and little long wait but I promise you you will not regret it!!!

The food was AMAZING! I had the fried codfish and egg night waffle. The waffle just melts in your mouth. and the fish was nice, flaky, and was not over seasoned (which some people can do with fish). Also, from the appetizers i had the spinach and cheese empanadas and crab cakes, which were both amazing. I would definitely recommend this place. Oh yea… the service was very good as well… I was raving about the food, that I forgot about the service

Melba’s my go to restaurant for Southern Comfort. I’d literally leave my house in Brooklyn and travel by train on a Sunday night just to satisfy my palette. Melba does it for me! I usual order the chicken and waffles, burger, fries, and grits. I’m not a burger and fries girl but the burger is so juicy and seasoned to perfection. The fries! Yes! I haven’t been disappointed yet. The staff at Melba’s are so pleasant and accommodating. I feel comfortable dining here. The patrons appear more authentic and do not shy away from a conversation. I witnessed a diner once pay for a family’s entire meal because it was the mother’s birthday. And oh! If it’s your birthday, you are serenaded to Stevie’s version of the HB song. I love this establishment.
Disclaimer: I’ve never been here during brunch hours so I’m usually seated almost right away for dinner.

Melba’s is a wonderful, fun, delicious and inviting neighborhood eatery. The menu, though oriented around a vision of American ‘comfort’ food (fried chicken, mashed potatoes, barbecue ribs, waffles, etc.), contains surprises, like the small but succulent spring rolls. The food is almost literally addictive. My wife ALWAYS orders the fried chicken, I ALWAYS get the turkey meatloaf, and my daughter ALWAYS gets the sweet yams and short ribs.
The service is reasonably efficient, but consistently warm, friendly and personal. The bar is impressively inclusive and the specialty drinks creative, varied, and delightful. And Melba herself is like the mama your family needed — seemingly everywhere, ruling with love, clearly filled with joy at the sight of her evolving family (the customers, of course). By the third time we went, she introduced us to the staff and everyone at the bar, all of whom she knew by name.
My only caveat is that the music (funk, soul & R&B of the highest quality) can get loud enough to hamper conversation. Doubtless there are customers who love it. It’s a problem when we bring my mother-​in-​law, who loves the food, but speaks very quietly. The good news is that nearly every time I’ve asked a waiter if it could be lowered, it has been, and the staff attitude has been accommodating.
But even with that, Melba’s is so good and so special I can’t bear to deduct a star. There’s something about it that makes it feel like your own personal treasure.

Went to Harlem to look for Mase and good Soul food. I found one, hello Melba’s.
Had a weekend brunch here with a group. I had the pleasure of trying the Chicken and Waffles $ 13.95, Fried Chicken and Grits $ 11.95, and French Toast $ 8.95.
All of the dishes were on point, but the grits and toast stood out the most for me.
The staff here is very nice.

Died and gone to heaven! Loved loved loved everything about Melba’s. Awesome atmosphere! We had the salmon, the BBQ Turkey Meatloaf, and the Shrimp with sides of Mac and cheese, collard greens, spinach, sweet potatoes. All prepared to perfection. The cocktails were heavenly originals and the service was fabulous.

First time here from Houston.
The Good…
To the Point: Fried Chicken Seasoned Well, Crispy, Juicy White Meat Breast, Just Perfect! Order this! $ 13.95
WOW! I have had ALOT of Chicken and Waffles under my belt. Melba’s is pretty good.
Catfish seasoned well too! Crunchy. Grits perfect
Bad
Space limited and wait is Long
Waiter Forgot to Bring my Coffee
Waiter forgot my Side of Grits and still charged my Bill.
Free Biscuits came out late
Samantha Saved the Day to keep this review at 5 Stars!
This tells you how First Impression is So important.
She was patient and accommodating and was aware of the Dining Floor
Kudos to her — Give her a Raise!

Best food in Harlem! Chicken and waffles are delis and their wine selection is fab! (Huge Pinot Nior fan and theirs is by far my favorite) if you’re looking for a nice soul food spot with a comfortable yet classy décor I strongly recommend Melba’s. I’ll be coming back real soon!
*sometimes they’ll have a live band and allow a few people to come up and sing! *

This was my first visit here for brunch and I was pretty excited to try the soul food here. My friend made reservations for us which seems to be necessary as the place is small and gets really packed for weekend brunch. We were seated right away but then we just sat there waiting for our server. Our waiter was pretty much unavailable most of the time, we waited quite a while after being seated for water and the menu. Once we placed our orders, I asked our server for the drink menu because in my mind it’s not a real brunch without some alcohol. After about 10 minutes our server still had not come by to check on anything or bother bringing the drink menu, finally my friend got his attention and reminded him about the menu. While most times I’m pretty relax and understanding if servers are very busy, the experience felt very unorganized and the service was practically non-​existent. We both ordered the smothered fried chicken and eggnog waffles. I must say that the food was delicious! The smothered chicken was absolutely amazing, the gravy was so good and the sweetness of the waffle made it the perfect combination. I’m a big chicken and waffles fan and I really think this was one of the best I’ve had. Honestly if my review was about the food alone then it would be 5 stars but the service was just lacking. If you want to try some delicious smothered chicken and waffles I would definitely recommend, just be aware that service does not appear to be a strong suit here.

The first time I visited NYC, my friend attempted to find me some good fried chicken. She failed the first time, but she redeemed herself with a reservation at Melba’s. The food? Delicious! I ordered the fried chicken, mac & cheese, and greens. Everything was so good and inexpensive. The service was great and I felt so welcomed when I walked in the door. I’ll definitely be visiting Melba’s on my next trip.

Marlon, the Manager and the wait staff was VERY accommodating as we had a couple issues:
1. We were 20 mins late for our reservation
2. Original reservation was for 12 …15 of us showed up
We selected Melba’s as our Post-​Hoodwinked dinner. Michelle Ware, the CEO of Hoodwinked was able to secure a Hoodwinked Special for us. After our experience, we bolted over to Melba’s. We were late but they held our table thanks to Michelle.
The food was off the chain! I ordered the Chicken&Waffles. My mouth is watering just writing this! Others in our party ordered the Shrimp, Caesar Salad, Short Ribs, Red Velvet Cake and the Peach Cobbler. EVERYONE thanked me for selecting this spot and are making plans to return
It was a little tight but then again, we had more than what was expected in our party.
The staff was friendly and VERY patient with us!

Nestled right in harlem is this beautiful small resturant. I have heard of melba’s before but to finally eat there all i have to say is wow.
I had the beef ribs with mac n cheese and it was delicious. The meat falls right off the rib bone and they must have made it especially for me because that is the way i love it.
The prices were reasonable considering the type of reaturant i was in.
I will be coming back to try many of the wonderful sounding things on the menu.

After hearing about Melba’s a bunch of times from my friend. Finally, he took us here for brunch.
There seemed to be a wait, but 5 of us got seated right away.
This is my first time trying chicken and waffle. I kinda have mixed feeling about it. You mean, you pour syrup on Chicken and eat it along with waffle? Oh hell, I’ll give it a try anyway.
After we ordered, we were served with scones to go with our coffee.
Three of us got the fried chicken with waffle. I ordered mine with dark meat. It was pretty good with or without the waffle.
One of my friends got collard green omelette. It was actually good and healthy.
Make sure you get Bloody Mary!

Soul food at its best. All of the classics from fried chicken to country catfish to braised short ribs are in the mix here. Don’t forget the sides because the Mac n cheese and sautéed spinach could be entrees on their own.

So glad I got the chance to enjoy Melba’s!
The place is quite smaller than I expected but there was a steady flow. The service was great and very attentive. Samantha seated us and Raquain waited on us. Both were attentive and pleasant.
Everything was delicious. Each of us ordered a different dish: The fish strips, the chicken and Eggnog waffle and the Fried chicken with rice and beans with spinach.
Fro dessert, we shared the Coconut Cake and the Red Velvet Cake. Both were equally yummy and satisfying.
I look forward to going back!

A few friends and I were hanging out in this neighborhood on Saturday. We were trying to decide where we were going to eat dinner. I pulled out my phone and went to my favorite source… Unilocal of course to search for restaurants.
Several restaurants popped up in the vicinity but I noticed that Melba’s had at least 474 reviews and after reading a few reviews, I suggested that we give it a try.
Upon arriving at Melba’s, I noticed that it wasn’t that large in size but it was just right… leaning more towards an intimate setting. There is a bar section with about seven to eight bar stools.
When we arrived it was fully occupied with few seats available at the bar. The host Michael came to greet me and was very nice. What I love is we came at the right time and didn’t have a long wait to be seated because we only had a party of four.
Upon being seated, our server Trent came over and introduced himself and welcomed us to Melba’s. He was also very friendly and nice. He also was very attentive to each of his customers needs.
Now about the food… oh my goodness! We all enjoyed each of our selections from the menu. I really enjoyed my chicken and waffle. The chicken was seasoned just right and fried to perfection. The eggnog waffle was the best waffle that I’ve ever tasted. The strawberry butter was amazing that I almost wanted to ask to take some home with me lol.
I truly enjoyed dining at Melba’s and will definitely be back in the near future.

This was my first time dining at Melba’s and my cocktails and dinner that evening were amazing. We missed our initial reservation by 5 minutes searching for a park and unfortunately had to wait another hour and a half before we were seated as the restaurant is very small but delivers with their food.
Catfish strips and chicken and waffles were seasoned to perfection. I was thoroughly surprised with their potato salad which was VERY good and you know how you compare everyone’s potato salad to your Aunties. Well, they delivered.