The Melt Stanford

I have been here a couple times, last time was during the Christmas holiday shopping season in December. I was shopping at Stanford shopping center, found tons of great presents for the family, and finally had to stop and get a little food in me as it was 3PM before I knew it! I tend to forget to eat when I shop… LOL
I ordered one of their burgers, the bacon cheese burger plus fries. It was definitely delicious, but a little smaller than I am used to seeing for this price. In fact as I was walking out the door, a big football player type guy, turned to his girlfriend and said, «that was a great appetizer, now whats for lunch?» I could not help giggling, as it was certainly on the smaller side. But for a quickie lunch, I enjoyed it, and did not really need more. I would come back. It’s A-​Ok.

My cousin has been dying to try to place. Finally came around it, and … I’m not impressed, neither is she.
Walked in, really spacious, modern and hip, clean and bright enough (saw some tables with some cups and napkins, probably from the previous customers)
Looking through the menu, shall I say UP AT THE MENU! Oh! My! Neck!
I’m 5’1 LoLs
It wasn’t like I couldn’t see but the glares from the lighting makes it hard and some of them words are small as well.
Finally decided on our burgers (really wanted grill samdwich but wasn’t feeling like it today)
Went up to the register to order, the lady that took our order was … Kind of inattentive…
My cousin was the one telling her our order and mid way she cut her off and spoke to another customer giving her a cup, then back to our order then cut us off again and said something to the other customer (I didn’t hear but I saw) and then back to our order (she got our orders wrong too, I wonder why, I’ll tell you in a bit)
She asked for initials to call us for pick up. Went to the back, sat for 3 minutes and BAM!
LZ! (Intercom)
Scared me, like it made me jump, it’s that loud.
Cousin came back with the burgers and …
Feel hella ripped off, where are our fries? Like only 15 fries in the basket… 15!
I wanted my burger medium done but instead it’s well done (so she versed it) that was the mistake.
There wasn’t much flavor to it. We sat and ate. Literally.
This place is nothing special, you’re hungry and want a quick snack, come here.
I gave it 3 stars because the place is clean and crisp. And the food is decent. It’s not bad but it’s nothing to praise about.

Le Melt est un restaurant formidable. J’ai pris un «classic grilled cheese» et la soupe aux tomates. C’est très bon. Le fromage fond dans la bouche et l’assaisonnement sur le pain est l’équilibre parfait. La soupe est crèmeuse et délicieuse. Ce n’est pas cher et c’est un restaurant pour un repas très vite et facile.

Good for a quick bite but not the juiciest burger. Reasonable price (under $ 10).

For quantity quality and value, The Melt is definitely up there.
Walked in right before the lunch rush and ordered a Cobb salad and a spicy avocado burger with fries and a drink for $ 12 – 14 ish? The order came out pretty quickly — they call out your initials from the credit card or when you give them your name.
The portions initially look pretty small, but I walked away not hungry? So definitely filling enough without going overboard. Place was clean and parents loved taking their kids here for lunch apparently.
Parking kind of sucks at Stanford mall, so be prepared to circle around or walk a bit.

They recently just changed their menu, and for the most part, I am loving the changes. I think their grilled cheese sandwiches have gotten better (my favorite is the Italian job with jalapenos), and the addition of burgers/​fries and macs makes it easier for everyone to be able to order what they want. HOWEVER, I hate the fact that their sweet corn soup (another favorite of mine) is now a seasonal item, whereas it used to be available year round. For now, I have to settle for the black bean soup, which is also yummy in its own right.
Other than that, though, I do love this place. I think that they’ve perfected the grilled cheese: perfectly crisp bread, warm, melty cheese blends, they are the epitome of a perfect grilled cheese. You get a crunchy pickle with your order, as well, love that.
Definitely will be back, for sureeee

I LOVED The Melt. I would give it 5 stars, but here’s why only 4.
I used to go here all the time when i worked at Stanford. My usual order was the mission grilled cheese with a sweet corn soup. So delicious. The mission melt had bits of jalapeño with pepper jack cheese and it was in their special garlic bread. The sweet corn soup was exactly what it sounds like… a blended creamy soup made with sweet corn. Together, they were perfect. Anyway, I came back to eat here after maybe a year or more not working at Stanford anymore and the menu completely changed! They didn’t have the mission melt anymore which was a huge bummer! You can still add jalapenos for free to any of their grilled cheeses but it’s just not the same. (I ended up getting the one with mushrooms and it was still pretty good.) Apparently their sweet corn soup is seasonal, so they didn’t have it… so disappointed. That soup would basically pull the meal together for me. I ended up not getting a soup. When I worked at Stanford, I remember eating here year round and I swear they would have the corn soup ALL the time. I don’t know though. maybe not :(. Another thing is that they have less grilled cheese choices now and they added burgers and other choices to their menu. I’m not really a fan of this move since I think it takes away from the fact they specialize in grilled cheeses (or used to). Now, it just seems like an American restaurant that offers a few grilled cheeses in their menu.
Overall, still love it enough to come back. I just gotta make sure I go when the corn soup is offered! Wish they would revert back to the old menu.

It’s gone so far downhill! Now it’s just like any other diner, specializing in cheeseburgers and milkshakes, having dropped the grilled cheese combos and inventive styles. What a shame! Plus my grilled cheese was only cooked on one side. Won’t be back!

The Mac Daddy is my favorite. You get grilled cheese and Mac n cheese all in one. The tomato soup is very good and of course goes great with you grilled cheese. The food comes really fast. The only down side is there is very little seating and the outdoor seating area is not heated. The two restaurants next door have heaters so their out door dining area is packed, but not a single table occupied here as its too cold outside. Which is the time most of us want grilled cheese and tomato soup. I hope they put some out for the winter.

Came here after watching the Stanford vs Penn State Wrestling match, because my buddy wanted to try something new and be close to some cupcakes, Sprinkles Cupcakes is located in the same shopping center.
The location is in a great location for business located in the Stanford Shopping Center, my guess when school is in session this place would be packed with students. We went on a Sunday before Thanksgiving break so it was just an average amount of people there.
The food, I got the Philly CheeseSteak. I love cheesesteak and this place is know for their Grilled Cheese so I decided to put it together. It wasn’t the best experience could of been a lot better. To me it was just a an average cheesesteak on sliced bread.
The service wasn’t bad at all, they call you up by your initials which can be confusing sometimes, if people have the some initials which happened when I was there.

A little overpriced but they have pretty descent food here. Their menu isn’t anything special or extraordinary but their grilled cheese sammie and tomato basil soup really hits the spot.

Food is so-​so, crap compared to The American Grilled Cheese Kitchen. Portions are minuscule (but cheap as well).
Service is OK, but the tables were all dirty throughout our whole stay. The bathrooms are filthy!!!

The Melt has always been one of my favorite chains. In terms of grilled cheese sandwiches, it really does not get better than here. The Italian, with BOTH jalapeños and fresh tomatoes is always a slam — especially if you get it with a cup of the tomato soup.
Fries — amongst the food chains, really second only to McDonald’s. It is crispy and well seasoned. Quite tough to beat these fresh tasting fries.
I am also a fan of their soft serve, although I get really mixed reviews on this. My wife tells me that it is just okay, but I love their soft serve as it does not taste overly heavy. If you like lighter soft serves, the plain vanilla bean here really is fantastic.

3.5 stars
We got the Regular Grilled Cheese, the Italian Job, and Tomato Bisque Soup.
Sandwiches were tasty and dipping in soup was fun.
Would have given 4 stars if you could do a half-​sandwich + soup (you can’t… bummer), and if they would give takeout boxes (they don’t). And they definitely don’t give out the awesome kids boxes. (We tried… haha).

My guilty pleasure food item is for sure a nice grilled cheese sandwich. When I heard that there was a place that specializes in grilled cheese sandwiches, I went crazy! I’ve been here a couple times by myself and sometimes with family and/​or friends.
Classic Grilled Cheese Sandwich
–I thought they did a decent job with this. The bread was crunchy on the surface and slightly chewy, so that was good! The cheddar cheese was nicely melted and there wasn’t too much of it! Phew!
Mac Daddy Grilled Cheese Sandwich
–I was a bit disappointed with this because I didn’t like the bacon, so I took it out. Furthermore, there wasn’t definitely not enough cheese and it felt like I was eating sandwiched pasta. Too dry!
Sweet Potato Fries
–These were yummy! Not too crispy but I tasted the sweet potatoes lots :)
I would rate the food here a 3.5 but because I love the décor and logo (in orange omg!) and service, I bumped it up to a 4!

This is no Alexander’s Steakhouse. But cmonn I wasn’t expecting it to be.
Sandwiches are pretty good. Italian Job’s my fave. get with bacon and tomato. They can come out slightly burnt when workers are in a hurry, which is uhh no bueno. But when they’re edible, they’re fine. Cross your fingers they’re being vigilant that day, guys.
Well-​dressed fries weren’t THAT «well-​dressed» IMO. Comes with cheese, bacon, and crispy onions. Cheese is a little sparse and solidifies quickly. plus what bacon there was I finished in 2 bites. Oops. Fries are a bit too hard and crunchy. Still worth a try.
Overall though, food is average~3 star. So why the 4 star?
This place has some of the BEST MILKSHAKES I’ve EVER had. Let me rave here for a bit.
Many places fall on either end of the spectrum: gross diabetes-​inducing sugar rush or plain «what exactly am I drinking here» stuffz.
They for some reason get that icecream+milk+1 cup of sugar does not a milkshake make. Whatever legendary icecream they use or magic ingredient they’re adding, I’m a fan. Spot on flavor that’s subtle enough it isn’t like a kick to the face, smooth creamy texture, and perfect amount of sweetness that leaves me headache-​LESS. (At least the 2 I tried. cappucino and snickerdoodle, no not at the same time dammit).
Add malt for 50 cents! Worth it.
Newly revamped. Nifty ordering. I find Initials system on board pretty effective to let you know approximate time till your order’s ready. Outdoor seating available.
Would I make the trip here just for the shakes? You bet.

Service here is below average, and perhaps terrible given the location. The lady giving the orders wasn’t pleasant, and looked unhappy when our party asked for more forks and knives.
Service aside, the food was not bad. The burgers ranging from $ 7 – 8 are quite small, but flavorful. I had the shroom burger and thought it was good. I also shared a T-​mac (truffle mac and cheese) which was also decent and portion wise, better.
Feel like I’ve heard a lot about it, and now that I’ve tried it, I can’t say I’m impressed. I think the experience itself definitely brought down the rating here for me, sorry.

We were at American Girl shopping, and got done just at lunchtime.
This is just around the corner… and we were pleased with the menu.
Girls shared a Mac-​and-​cheese and a grilled cheese, I had a burger, and mommy had a grilled cheese and fries.
I would go for the grilled cheese next time, but I did like the burger. It is small (which I like) the meat and bun were a nice quality. Perhaps a bit underdone for my taste.
Serviceable, quick, simple food. We all liked it!

Normally… DINERS = GREASE
GREASE + ME = BLAH
Therefore…DINERS + ME = BLAH
Fortunately in this era of new wave diners like The Melt, you can shockingly have a relatively healthy meal. We really like that the burgers, chicken sandwiches and fries are not drenched in oil. Everything is well made and actually tastes fresh. This is a great place for the kiddies when you want to reward them with a little fast food treat that won’t have you feeling too guilty. It’s not cheap, but c’est la vie.

Seen this place many times, different locations, but I’ve never had a chance to try it out (I didn’t even know they were a food truck either).
Warm weather on a Saturday called for walking around the mall and window shopping. We stumbled upon this location right before we decided to leave and decided to check it out. Once you step inside you’ll see these clipboards that hang on a metal bar, DONT WRITE ON THEM (like I did, HA), they are just there to give more information to the items on the menu. :0)
WHAT WE ORDERED:
The Burger Melt Combo includes their Original burger melt /​naked fries /​fountain drink = $ 8.95
— Original Burger Melt: the patty itself was juicy, we added spicy ketchup with the burger and it was delicious.
— Naked fries: the fries really reminded me of McDonalds fries and I’m not saying that in a bad way at all, I love McDonalds fries but I feel so guilty eating them, The Melt’s naked fries are a great guilt-​free version of McD’s fries.
— Fountain drink: they use Boylan’s Bottling soda which uses no high-​fructose syrup and they also use cane sugar instead (another guilt-​free choice). Options for soda: Cane Cola /​Root Beer /​Lemon Lime. I highly suggest their lemon lime, not too carbonated and not too sweet.
— Trio Mac n Cheese = $ 3.95: can’t say much about it besides the aged cheddar definitely made the Mac tasty.
— The S’mores = $ 3.95: I wish we ordered this after we ate because by the time we decided to eat it, the bread was already getting stiff and it wasn’t warm anymore so definitely order this dessert after you eat your meal. It tasted good tho. :0)
OTHER INFO:
— they have a screen where you can see if they’re still working on your food. Thought that was nifty.
— they have no tip jar :(my boyfriend was looking for one but we couldn’t find it, wish they had one because our experience was great!
— outside seating has heating lamps.
— I took a bunch of photos of this place because I really appreciated all the details and how cute the set up for everything is. (Soda area, wall decals, etc.)

I like that The Melt is walking distance from my work! They’re known for their grilled sandwiches so I ordered the Italian Job. I thought it was alright… I like their simple menu and that you can customize your meal with a choice of soup and etc.
They do offer other foods besides grilled cheese sandwiches now, so I’ll probably come back for those instead and skip the grilled sandwiches.