I've seen the place while exploring what Brea Mall has been doing with the old Sears property, and finally had an opportunity to visit The Melt (thanks to Yelp and The Melt, of course). And I'm so glad I did, because it's really good!
I checked out the menu online, so I knew what I was going to order before I got there. My lunch partner didn't know anything about the place, but they had physical menus right as you enter, so you don't have to crane your neck to look up behind the counter.
It wasn't very busy when we were there, so ordering was easy. I noticed right away they had a unique brand (Alameda) for fountain beverages, so don't expect to see Coke or Pepsi. One thing about looking at the menu ahead of time is understanding the options: basically, if they have the ingredients, they'll do almost whatever you want. I ordered the Three Cheese Classic with grilled chicken. My partner ordered The Melt Burger. We each got a fountain drink and a side of regular fries.
They give you a pager to let you know when the food is ready, which is great, since they have both indoor and outdoor seating. We waited about 5-6 minutes before our pager went off. It looks like the kitchen set off the pager while they were just placing the food on the table to be picked up by the front-of-house person and put on the counter. I like it a lot, so you know you're picking up the food hot, and it hasn't been sitting there for a few minutes.
Looking at our food, we know why this place is called The Melt. Cheese dripped off both our sandwiches. From the first bites, we were both impressed. The blend of cheeses on my sandwich was perfect, and there was grilled chicken in every bite. My friend loved the hamburger, commenting on how juicy it was. He said it was much better than the two other California fast-food burger places we all know and love. Our only mistake was not getting enough napkins the first time. Anything with that much cheese means your hands will get a little greasy. The russet potatoes sprinkled with fire were excellent, with the perfect amount of seasoning.
While we were eating, they came around with 1/4 size chocolate chip cookies to sample. While I don't need the sweets, they sure topped off a great meal.
The sandwich was heavy enough that I took half of it home, and they were happy to give me a to-go box. I've now had the 2nd half and can tell you it's microwaves just fine.
We usually eat in the food court when shopping at the Brea Mall, but this place might just be our new main dining spot. read more