Mel’s Drive-In

I’ll start with the not-​so-​good and end with the crescendo of really bad…
It all started with my husband wanted to give Mel’s another try. I was very reluctant because I didn’t remember why I didn’t like it the last time I was here, but I agreed to go as it was close to where we were at the time. Only 2 spaces remained on this late Saturday evening although inside, there really wasn’t that many customers, so I suspect some spaces were taken by the employees. We were seated relatively quickly, and our server was pretty efficient.
I ordered the chicken fried steak ($ 15.95) and my husband ordered a mushroom burger ($ 11.75), supersized to 8 oz. ($ 1.50), medium rare and fries ($ 2 extra), and a chocolate shake ($ 6.75) to share, which we actually had a free coupon for. Our meals came pretty quickly. The burger was cooked all the way (no pink or red) and the fries were a good portion. As he sometimes will say, «if you’re going to cook it all the way, why do you ask how I want it?» My chicken fried steak meal was a little odd… the mixed vegetables were nicely cooked, but it sat in a pool of oil, which I attempted to soak up with a napkin and in the end wasn’t able to drain enough to finish all of it. My chicken fried steak was on top of brown gravy that tasted like a stew but was topped with the creamy sausage gravy, and my mashed potatoes were topped with the brown gravy. I’ve had a lot of experience eating chicken fried steaks, probably hundreds of opportunities, and as far as I know, it should all be served with white gravy. The half white, half brown gravy looks like a mistake. I might even accept the mashed potato being served with a brown gravy while the chicken fried steak had white gravy, but again, this was odd.
Our bill came shortly after we were done, and this part gets interesting. Until we received our bill, we didn’t know that fries were extra, but we were charged $ 15.50 for the burger that should have been $ 13.25. My husband brought it up to the cashier, who explained that it was the price on the computer. He was told that the menu had a different price, but he said that it was an old menu. We pointed out to him that it was on the menu we were given as well as on the to-​go menu that is right in front of him. Another lady came by to ask what the problem was, and the cashier explained that my husband was «trippin’» First of all, you never use your computer as an excuse for a discrepancy (it’s false advertising to show one price and charge another), second of all, you need to blame yourself for using an «old» menu if that was really the reason (and you owe it to your customer to charge the amount they were shown), and last of all, you never say out loud that your customer is trippin’ when there is a legitimate complaint (really, you never say that about your customer, legitimate complaint or not!). The lady realized the problem, explained to the cashier that she was removing a couple of things to make it right and a slight discount for our trouble, which we appreciate, but we should have never had to endure all of that.

You will get an overpriced sandwich ½ the size that is pictured in the menu. Food is very GREASY.

I’ve been going to Mel’s for as long as I can remember. To be honest this place has pretty good food but overall not great. You can always expect to leave satisfied, but you probably won’t be thinking about the next time you’re going there. It’s usually good for those late nights where nothing else is really close or open. Another thing is the price, overall the place kind of over charges for some items that’s for sure. Service is always great, and all of the people who work there are awesome. just the food, and price is OK not great

We have been to this location many times over the years. The food was always good. Our latest visit left us wondering if we will go back there. We ordered the chicken tenders and they tasted wet, not moist, wet and chewy. The batter was blah and the bbq sauce was very bitter. We both ordered the San Francisco hotdog. The roll was not scooped out, the texture of the cheese was like rubber and not melted. We were supposed to get pickles on the side, never got them. In the past they served a pickle, sliced tomato and lettuce on the side, we received nothing as a garnishment. Total disappointment. The bus person kept leaving the dirty dish cart next to our table, he wasn’t even cleaning a table. The service was less to desired.

I’ll start by saying the food is ok. Not for the price.
With that said, my dad and I went on a slow day around lunch time (11) and there were many open seats. We seated ourselves because after standing there for a while other people started seating themselves and it didn’t seem like anyone was going to seat us either. There are menus already on the table so we just started looking through the menu. After deciding what we want my dad tried calling to anyone’s attention but no one would take our order. It took maybe ten minutes for a perky woman to come take our order. She was very nice. However the other server at the bar walked past us multiple times without so much as eye contact acknowledgment.
The food is ok but I could make the same thing at home. It’s so expensive and doesn’t have any WOW to it (despite my dad buying the WOW burger). We took the rest to go and left. Of course it took a while for anyone to give us the check, though.
The bathroom is scary. I hate public bathrooms and the Mel’s diner is a perfect reason why. When I went in there were two stalls for the girls. Someone was in the bigger one so I went in the small one. First off, the person before me could not flush. But I don’t even know how they did any kind of business because the door would not close properly! The stall door literally would not close, not because the lock is broken but it literally does not fit the width of the frame.
I know my dad likes Mel’s but we will not come back here. The service here sucks and the food is overpriced and bland.

Me and my husband are visiting from L. A and we were looking for a place to have a quick lunch without the the hassle of looking for hectic San Fran parking. The parking was easy enough and we were greeted with a sign that said it was «the best budget breakfast in San Fran ». It’s a 1950s style diner and the menu was extensive but the pricing was definitely not budget friendly, it was more above average pricing for a dinner. The food was average and the eggs were powdered and the hashbrown was boxed and I ordered a burger which apparently didn’t come with fries so they were added for me. For two meals and coffee and 1 soda it was about 43.00 plus tip

Other than the prices the breakfast is really great no chemicals at all!. Th place it’s clean and the staff friendly and fast! It’s worth for your money.

I was disappointed, even though the good olé diner menu was broad enough to satisfy everyone in our group of 9. We had 6 twelve year olds and three moms… after a cold night under the holiday lights at the SF Zoo. The girls each tucked into giant milkshakes (brrrr) and us moms held the hot tea tightly to warm our hands. The place was virtually empty… maybe 5 tables in all, most of them with one or two patrons. It took a full 9 minutes for our waiter Luna to come to the table and greet us – which didn’t start the experience off well. We were cold and hungry! Since it was so empty – we asked for separate checks for us and our kids – he said ‘we don’t do separate checks tonight’ and we laughed under our breath. ‘Tonight?’ But if we come back tomorrow? Strange but I pressed on… I mean, the joint was empty! He finally agreed to go ask the manager. Geez. So he wanders off and we watch the manager glare our way… and he comes back and tells us ok as if her were delivering us some big concession. Anyway – the food was good, the orders were right and we paid our three bills. It was a lackluster experience though. It wasn’t wam and friendly – even during the holidays. Most of the staff looked bored and didn’t crack a smile. The manager didn’t say thanks when we left – she glared even though we just spent $ 200. She I stress questioned the ‘open check’ from our table, as one of us had used a card. Yuck. Cmon Mel’s. You can and should do better.

I have no major complaints, but I don’t have anything great to say about this place either. The only other time that I’d been to Mel’s Drive-​In Diner was when I was in middle school which was years ago. The food came in decent proportions, the prices weren’t excruciating on my budget, and the atmosphere felt very homey and like old school San Francisco, which I always have appreciated about Mel’s.
There was something a tad lackluster around the time that I came, which was around midnight on a Monday into Tuesday morning. I usually look forward to going to places like Mel’s because its so busy, and hearing/​seeing all the great conversations happening around me make me feel like I’m really in the city, out & about, enjoying my time. This part of my review doesn’t really factor into the fact that I gave 3 stars. The next part I’m about to talk about is though.
After sitting down quickly in the booth, it took a minute for our server to come over and take our orders — which I didn’t mind, but what really threw me off was the fact that when we all asked for waters, the server took water straight from the tap in front of us, which to me was kind of a turn off, regardless of me realizing that tons of restaurants do this as well. Maybe it’s just a preference that I have but when my server is filling a cup with water from a not-​so-​clean-​looking sink in front of me, I can’t help but feel a little turned off from that. Minus one star.
I ordered the Elvis Scramble and I have absolutely no complaints about the flavor, the portion size, or the price point that this place delivers. One thing that turned me off again that made me minus about star was that my utensils were not thoroughly washed properly and that was a big big turn off. Luckily there were other utensils around me and I just grabbed a different set from another part of the table. Minus another star :(
Otherwise, my server was attentive, knew the right times to come in and ask if we needed anything, and he did the best he could an hour before the restaurant closed. I’m not completely amazed by this place, but I’m definitely willing to give it another shot!

Mo goto is the cheeseburger with bacon. I like their Denver omelette for breakfast with fruit (yes, its fresh) and abc juice (apples beets carrots and ginger i believe) with a cupp o 2 of Peerless coffee. Not the cheapest «diner type» place but I don’t have to worry about bad quality ingredients nor chemicals/​hormones in my food. Its also very clean and cute memorabilia of Happy Days type stuff. The food tastes fresh and many homemade comfort food items. The vanilla ice-​cream tastes creamy and old fashioned the way I remember as a kid getting ice cream at custard stands.

There was something wrong with pretty much everything we ordered. First, we waited 45 minutes for our food to arrive. We asked for a peach smoothie. The waitress brought us a strawberry smoothie. We had chilaquiles. Bad idea! Beans had little burned bits. Finally, the burger. The buns were burned completely black. Most comical moment of the evening was when waitress stopped by to ask how everything was at the exact moment I’m scraping the burned bun with my knife. Although, she was very sweet she didn’t seem to acknowledge what was clearly happening. We said, «everything’s great!» In fact, everything was not great.
THIS PLACE REALLY BURNS MY BUNS!

I very much want to like this place. Easy parking, no wait, inexpensive, large menu…
problem is that it smells like feet inside. Musty and mildewy. Maybe a DEEP DEEP DEEP clean would help. The smell is too much.

Poor service. Terrible food.
Sat at the bar. Only person there. The waitress was rude. The manager who rung me up didn’t even look at me. My burger sat under the heat lamp until I mentioned something. The most disgusting burger I’ve ever eaten. Took two bites. Went to the bathroom to wash my hands. Employee in the stall came out and didn’t wash his hands. Batter up.

FOOD
— Avocado Burger: ¹⁄₃ lb ground beef with avocado slices, bacon, jack cheese, and lettuce, purple onions, and tomatoes on a toasted sesame bun. This burger was huge! I shared half with my husband. The patty itself, lacked flavor. The bacon could have been crispier. ³⁄₅
— Onion rings: large, perfectly fried, golden rings. ⁴⁄₅
SERVICE
This place was packed on a Sunday afternoon. There wasn’t enough room for our group, so we split up in groups. We ended up sitting at the front counter. Our waiter was fair. He wasn’t over the top friendly, but he was polite. He did stop by and checked on us after serving our food, which came out pretty quickly considering how busy they were. ³⁄₅
FINAL THOUGHTS
I would come back to try something different. There’s tons of options on their menu.

This is crappy food, but it hits the spot when you’re hung over.
Unfortunately, I ate here when I wasn’t hung over, so I can’t believe the price I had to pay for such crappy food: $ 30 for a salad with bad avocado in it, so-​so pumpkin pie, and good coffee. Good thing I had the self-​awareness to not make a big stink over a damned avocado, but I was tempted
Service was good, no problem with them. And though I knew what the individual prices were when I ordered them, sometimes it takes the bill total to remind you of what a bad dinner this place can give. It must be a 5-​star drunk spot
To be fair, they have lots of other choices. But, this is a diner joint, and it should price appropriately. I should have been priced at $ 20 or $ 23…but $ 30?
That’s like two good lunches out here in the SF bubble. But for two good lunches, I got a crappy dinner. Great trade for me

I came in and wanted a chocolate shake and I ordered a 16 ounce chocolate shake to go. I honestly don’t feel that it was worth the eight dollars for the size of the cup I felt like I was ripped off for a tiny little thing! Not coming back and for those who have a sweet tooth don’t come here it’s not worth your money

American comfort food in a 50’s diner interior, complete with jukeboxes at each table, booths and photos from George Lucas’ American Graffiti movie gracing the walls. And they have their own parking lot in front — a big plus for SF. This place has been here for years but it has not changed. The food is predictable in that whatever you order, it will meet your basic expectation to satisfy your hunger. On this trip, we shared a plate of fried chicken which was good but could use a little more seasoning, like salt or garlic salt. Otherwise the batter was good and the chicken was alright and not over cooked. We also shared the New Orleans scrambled eggs which had sausage, and bell peppers. It could have also used a little of seasoning like salt. I think that if you are not too much of an adventurous eater then this is a good and safe place to go. The milkshakes are really good and conducive to sharing. We had decent service even with our server forgetting my coffee (she brought it after I reminded her). This is a good place for kids and families. They have paper convertibles (cars) at the cash register that they give out for free. A nice touch.

We kept passing this place as we traveled around USF, moving in a loved one at school one weekend. I KNEW it would be a mistake to eat here, just like I knew that, eventually, when fatigue and laziness set in, I would undoubtedly end up here.
We had breakfast here and it was exactly what I expected: serviceable. Not bad, not great. The 2 stars are for the waitress, very nice and efficient, and the coffee, which was really excellent, which I would gladly have again.
I ordered a mushroom omelet, with well-​done home potatoes on the side. Inexplicably, with this omelet I had to special order cheese on it. (I know, this is San Francisco, I think they may have outlawed cheese) When it arrived, it was rubbery, which I kinda expected, and of course, they forgot the cheese. Ugh. The potatoes were dark brown, almost burnt yet flavorless. It felt like a retaliatory move by the chef: Cheese? NO cheese for YOU! Oh, you want your potatoes well done? HERE’s your Well-​Done! Haha!
I know I will probably end up here again… I’ll stick with the coffee this time.

I always forget that this Mel’s exists here. I’m usually too engrossed in looking for some dim sum, ramen, or curry that it’s something that slips away… until I get fed up with waiting in all those lines. Mel’s is always my accidental back up plan when I’m out here.
Let’s be real: it’s a diner. As a kid, I loved this place because I’d get the little cars with my kid’s meal. As an adult, I think the prices are way too high for portions that aren’t generous and food that is only mediocre. Service is never consistent, and sometimes, you can’t actually tell where you’re supposed to sit, because they kind of just make a vague gesture and hope you can figure out where to sit, without really checking to see if the place is full or if the tables are clean.
I was hoping to get a quick meal before my appointment, but it was one of those moments where I wasn’t entirely sure if we’d get out of there on time. Even when this place isn’t busy, they seem busy. All in all, it’s still my back up plan until I can find a cheaper, tastier alternative without a long wait.

I have a special place for this Mel’s. The food is decent, always changing special s. Solid specials. The burgers and onion rings are always a hit. Milkshakes and pie are must. Service is always a hit or miss. I find if you are going look for the server that is smiling and request that person when you are to be seated.