Meli cafe was very okay, but I knock off a star for the price. This has actually been on my brunch bucket list for awhile, although I'm not sure why. It's a little out of the way of downtown but the good thing is that my party didn't have to wait even though we were there at around 1 pm on a Sunday. My first impression of the menu was that nothing was super original - very traditional brunch food. What put me off though were the prices. Two eggs, potatoes, and toast would set you at $10. $10?! That meal costs maybe $1 to make. All the crepes/waffles/pancakes/etc were $15+. I opted for the granola cereal because I already had breakfast and didn't want anything heavy. The granola cereal was actually very decent - they give you a generous serving of milk, a large bowl of house made granola, and a whole banana for $8.50. Still not cheap but relatively inexpensive. The granola was pretty good too, but nothing lifechanging. I tried some of my friend's chicken and waffle and I thought that tasted pretty good. But I wouldn't get it for $15.50 Overall, Meli Cafe is a very average brunch spot in Chicago. Service is decent, food is decent, prices are not. I would look for other brunch spots before coming here but it would not be the worst option to come here at least once. read more

Meli Cafe - Granola - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I have been coming to Meli's for the past 2 years since I live right across the street. but my last three visits were quite the epic fail from a service stand point. Food is great! Everything from the breakfast food, lunch, coffee selection and cocktails. YUM YUM YUM Service on the other hand, deserves 1.5 stars max. Usually the hosts are good, semi- friendly and quick to seat. My last few visits ( this past Sunday and Monday) were unbearably slow. A breakfast that should not last longer than 45 minutes was pushing almost 2 1/2 hours * EYE ROLL* the waitress was no where to be found. I took my friends there since they were in the city visiting and wanted a good breakfast spot. We ordered cocktails, coffee's, beer, skillets, eggs, and french toast. The food took a while but when it came out my friends were missing their toast, fine, but it took 10 minutes to find the waitress then she looked at all of us as if we never ordered toast.. umm alright.. we waited another 20 minutes for the toast to come ( no toast expert but it doesn't take that long to toast 1 slice of bread). Best part.. my friend ordered a bottled beer before the food came and the waitress finally brought it an hour+ later when we already asked for the checks.HOLY COW. Although the food is great, make sure you allow yourself plenty of time because the service is turtle paced slow! read more

Meli Cafe - Brioche French toast - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Wonderful experience and decent food Me and my hubby had Nutella crepes and spinach feta omelette ... Take a note that portions are very generous so we had to share . There was sweet waitress by name Olena ,, she was fast and quick for everything in right time . She even offer us to take it to go Definitely we are coming back to this place again . read more

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Wow I been seating here for 15min no one came to the table yet ... customer service here is horrible.. I just got up and left.. instead I went to a little café across the street . read more

Meli Cafe - It's not even busy.. yet been waiting for 15 min and no one came to the table yet. - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The only nice thing about this place was the outside scenery when passing by. Food was mediocre, but not worth the price point that they have for their options and the bartender/server was rude and seemed like we bothered her just by sitting down lol. I went to get one of their juice options and once I seen how they keep it set up I instantly changed my mind. Overall will not be recommending this place to anybody, if you're in the service industry your staff should learn customer satisfaction.. a tip is earned not a given. read more

Meli Cafe - Juice machine - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I ordered the down on the farm bowl. Was extremely satisfied with the amount of meat. Normally places fill the bowl with a lot of potatoes but not here. The bowl was very good and the iced americano was excellent. read more

The hostesses are unfriendly and look like they just crawled out of bed. The service is slow. The food is average. The restaurant smells like pee. The waitresses were cheery. read more

Grabbed potatoes on a Monday morning heading into work. They taste AND look like they're left over from the previous Friday. That is how the potatoes taste. Yes, stale and old, dried out...how delicious. Four dollars well spent. read more

They had good safety protocols in place so I felt safe. My food was great and drinks were even better. I'd definitely go back.

Great food, great service! We ordered a bottle of champagne for mimosas and I got the veggie scramble/omelette i think that was delicious!!

Good service good food good atmosphere. What more can you say? Breakfast only-no dinner just breakfast and lunch. We will be there again tomorrow and Wednesday. The coffee cups are very small and with bad index fingers hard for me to pick up. read more

Despite some recent poor reviews, we stopped at Meli Cafe for breakfast around 10:00 am on a Tuesday. The service was surprisingly fast and the food exceeded our expectations. read more

Conveniently located next to the Hotel Blake. Clean facility and friendly staff. Fast kitchen service. Tasty orange juice and coffee. Pancakes are not well flavored and syrup is like sugar water. I recommend Meli Cafe as a decent breakfast option but not my first choice. read more

Hands down worst the breakfast place ever. Our server was rude as well. I will never comeback again EVER read more

Meli Cafe - Horrible smoothie - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Three place is not far from downtown and it's right out of the expressway so it's easy to get to. As for the parking, we parked in the street and didn't pay much for it. When we arrived, right away a lady took us to our table and sat us down. We didn't have reservations and I thought we were going to wait but we didn't. We got water and menuswhile our server stopped by. The menu has plenty of options to choose from. Ordered coffee and breakfast and both were well made and had a good taste. Our server did come around to check on us and was friendly and patient and I appreciated it even more because I know the place got busy as the day progressed. The boss boys were attentive to clean our table and kept the water full. As for the place, it has plenty of natural light due to the large windows facing Congress Avenue. The place has nice modern decor. Fresh and cool Will come again. read more

Food was good. Service aloof. She served butter with vegan pancakes and let my friend order a big side of hash browns without mentioning his meal already came with them. We stopped as part of a long walk. I had my coffee thermos with me from home (but ordered coffee at the table - and had to ask for a refill btw). Forgot my thermos and the restaurant just threw it away. I expressed these concerns in an online comment form since the whole experience deviated from the great service I've always had at Halsted, and never got a response. So docking a star for that. read more

I used to frequent Meli Cafe pretty often a few years ago and it was always my favorite go-to in south loop. They used to have amazing granola pancakes and fun daily specials. I am not sure what has happened recently but my experience today was mediocre! I was very disappointed to see the execution of this brunch menu go down: our food lacked any flavor and we were upcharged for every additional topping/detail we changed. I love a solid brunch so I don't mind spending more for fresh, quality ingredients but for the price point, this just wasn't worth it. The ambiance is beautiful and maybe it was a bad day, but I'm sad to say the food just isn't what it used to be. read more

Meli Cafe - Pancakes, veggie patties, hashbrowns, build-your-own egg sandwich - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This is the fastest service I have ever experienced. There was no weight on a Saturday morning, they are very efficient so they have fast turnover. The symphony crepe was amazing! We also got the avocado toast Benedict. The aïoli sauce was delicious and both meals were amazing. read more

Meli Cafe - Symphony Crepe - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I stayed in the hotel next door, so I dropped in for a quick bite before my flight. It took about 5min for a server to come the table (I guess COVID/understaffing is still the excuse). Then it took another 20min for my fish sandwich to be brought out. Look at the portion of fish in the pic(!). It looks like a lonely fish stick. I asked if that was normal and the server said "umm yeah" as if I was weird for asking. Then after needlessly explaining what mahi mahi is and how it's cut (the unmitigated gall), she finally relented and offered to have the kitchen prepare an 'extra strip.' Okay cool. But after waiting another eight or nine minutes with no check-in, I asked to speak to the manager to settle the bill for the few fries I ate. She said there was no need and that I could leave. That was it. As I was walking out, she did offer to package a sandwich to go, but the damage had already been done. read more

Meli Cafe - This is the fish portion I was offered. - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

We were staying at the attached hotel and went to breakfast here one morning for convenience. To my surprise not only was it convenient, it was delicious! If you find yourself in the area around breakfast time, it's worth the stop! read more

Meli Cafe - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Quick, convenient and very well designed atmosphere. We ate here mostly for the breakfast but they have a loaded bar. Location is great and the staff are polite. You have a great view of the busy streets of Chicago and the ambiance is really fancy. Not your mom and pops style, I'm talking - you would feel bad if you walked in looking like a bum. Definitely try their handmade juices as they have a sh*t ton to try from. My favorite is the beet blend and the wheat grass shot. Edit: ate here twice now. They serve you large portions of food! I struggle to finish everything. It's not like it cost more than your typical ihop. Never leave here hungry that's for. Sure. read more

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Outdoor seating + Perfect Chicago Weather + Brunch in the South Loop = an ok experience. Came in over the weekend and thought how great it would be to enjoy brunch outside. It didn't seem that busy and I was under the impression that their service would be more accommodating because of that. Our waitress was very kind, she introduced herself and explained that she was about 2 weeks into her new job. Since our waitress was so polite when she introduced herself we made it a point to be patient and understanding. Unfortunately the service didn't improve after placing our orders. She walked away before we were able to place drink orders which took place after our meals were served. I began to watch the other table across from ours and I noticed that the overall Outdoor Seating Service is just a mess, It felt like there was no order! Anyways, I witness the table across from us servicing themselves - wiping down their table and even setting the table after their food arrived. I also noticed that they weren't all too pleased with their experience. There was a point where a waitress (different from the first) brought my order out. I asked her if we could have Ketchup / Hot sauce, ya know for my meal. I was given a weird look and without saying anything back to me she walked away and never returned. I asked a second time well after starting to eat my meal and after about an additional 10 minutes the ketchup and hot sauce were brought out. And just before finishing our meals, the butter / marmalade / and jam for our toast were brought out for our toast... Our waitress was nowhere to be found. Even paying our check was a difficult task, not what I expect when Brunching in the South Loop... Overall the food was alright and for the cost of eating here the poor service definitely needs improvement. read more

Meli Cafe - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Came here when a bunch of my college friends were in town and while the food was good the poor service knocks this place down to 2 stars. It took about 15 minutes after we were seated for our waitress to come over to take our drink orders. It took another 15-20 minutes for us to get our drinks and when the Bloody Mary's came to the table the busser had no idea which Bloody Mary was which, so my friends and I had to spend time investigating the contents of each drink to determine which belong to whom. The same thing happened when our food was delivered to our table. We had three orders of French Toast and two looked damn near identical. When we asked which was which the busser gave us the "how the hell should I know look" and said she didn't know. You would think that someone delivering food to a table of 9 would know what dish was what so that the correct person could get the food they had ordered. In terms of the food, 90% of us enjoyed what we had ordered. I probably won't come here again because of the service. I didn't like having to spend 11,000 seconds trying to figure out which dish was which because the people working here couldn't help us figure it out. Food we had *Chicken and Waffles - the chicken was juicy and crispy. *Breakfast Tacos - must try. So good and filling. *Elvis French Toast - hated it. I am not a fan of peanut butter unless there's jelly so I don't know why I got this. My own fault. *Cookie French Toast - this was a special menu item and it was delicious. *Cornbread French Toast - this was a special menu item and my friend said it was good, but there was a little too much corn for her liking. read more

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I used to love this place but I had such horrible service that I don't think I will go back! Let's start with the host. After we asked for a table for two, she proceeded to say just a min while she get the table ready for us. More than five mins later, she decided to have this conversation with one of the server in front of us. So we were confused as to what is taking so long if there are tables available. Our server was the worst, it took her a good 8-10 mins before stopping by to ask if we want coffee. Then besides checking on us once half way through our meal, she was standing somewhere out of reach! (Mind you it was not busy) My food was fine, but my chicken sausage actually had some big pieces of bones in it (see pics), one actually hurt my teeth. I told the server to let the kitchen know, but guess she was new and gave an impression that I made it up or something. After that incident, we just want our check. It took us another 10 mins for her to notice us. Maybe it's the location or just the server, it was an overall bad experience I had at Meli's. read more

Meli Cafe - Here's the brunch breakfast bowl with the chicken sausage - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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The Second visit in this month! Benedict with pork belly is my favorite. Tried the vegetable one this morning , not so good.. Friendly service. Reasonable price. Update- Came here again for the brunch and ordered peach mimosa- so delicious! Also came here once for dinner. Very good too. I always order from their specials. Always good choice. Again, staff here are very very friendly. They serve good dresser too! read more

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Delicious food, they don't take long to bring it out. The staff was very nice. I recommend it here for causal breakfast

The decor is lavish and allows you to feel like you are somewhere special (so you dont mind paying twice as much for that drink!). We had the breakfast tacos and an omelette, good, well presented. I went for one of the special juices, it was a little smaller than I would have expected, but good mixture of flavors. The service was fair, but everywhere is a little off these days isn't it. All in all a very nice place we were happy to spend a Sunday afternoon. read more

I'm never disappointed when I go to Meli's Cafe. They change the menu often and always run different specials. I particularly like this location because they have wine, beer and spirits. The atmosphere is beautiful and food is great. read more

Great food, quick service, comfortable, next door to 5 star Blake Hotel. Br and lunch only.

OMG fantastic portion sizes, great atmopshere, terrific selection of mimosas and a menu that I wanted to order one of everything!!!! Breakfast, lunch, evening appetizers and dinner. I'm definitely coming back! Everything absolutely was delicious!! ! ! ! ! ! read more

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Do not and I repeat do not order food from here. They literally delivered black, burned biscuits. How disgusting. And I paid for it. No one there cares what kind of food you get. read more

Meli Cafe - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I liked this cafe. It is attached to the hotel we were staying in. Friendly staff, good food. I didn't have anything complex. Just eggs, potatoes, and English muffin. The taters were very good. Just needed a bit of salt. What did stand out the most was the marmalade. I don't know if they make it or where they get it but it was so good. Made it worth going in. read more

Meli Cafe - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This is probably one of my favorite cafes. It felt like stepping into another country. The food, the service, the music was amazing. We had the chicken chorizo breakfast tacos, the farmland bowl and peach crepes. Oh boy the crepes were so tasty! I highly recommend Meli Cafe for a great Sunday brunch. read more

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I ate here twice, once for brunch and once for lunch, on a recent stay at Hotel Blake. I'll give it that - if you're staying at the Blake, Meli Cafe is super convenient. That said, for lunch I ended up getting a breakfast item anyway - the Nutella Crepes - but I also ordered a side of "corn beef hash". While the crepes were good - as crepes, nothing special, but certainly what I would expect from a generic restaurant - the corn beef hash was just strange. It came in pre-formed lumps of some sort, was served lukewarm at best, and tasted nothing like any corn beef hash I've ever ordered (even from lower-end restaurants) or made. I would avoid it at all costs if you ever eat here. The friend who was with me for lunch ordered one of their salads - the Village Salad - which was literally just a dish of tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions doused in a Vinaigrette dressing and sprinkled with feta cheese. While the description didn't say anything specific about greens, when one orders a full-priced salad one kind of expects some sort of greens are included. I just don't feel like this "salad" should have been anything more than a side item, and certainly not priced at $10 (as of when we ate here). The time I had breakfast, I ordered more of a "regular old breakfast", but also splurged on the juice. Again, about two shots' worth of room temperature juice is not worth the prices they charge at this restaurant. The general breakfast foods were good, so if you stick to that and take advantage of their brunch drink specials, this may be the place for you. Just be prepared for average (or lesser than average) service and know that while some menu items are worth it, you're kind of playing roulette over which ones are. read more

Awesome food!! Wife and I went for breakfast and I really enjoyed their Bacon Bloody Mary as well as the Corn Beef Eggs Benedict. Wife had the Lox and said that was delish as well. read more

Meli Cafe - Bacon Bloody Mary - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I've had Meli bookmarked on Yelp since the beginning of time. When they opened a convenient location in the South Loop, naturally, I was super excited to finally try this place. Unfortunately, the service and food just left a bad taste in my mouth. Someone in my party and I ordered the cafe benedict and, for lack of better terms, it was disgusting.. The pork belly had a strong 'gamey' flavor and the smell of it made my stomach churn. The eggs were practically hard-boiled and the waitress disputed with us that the eggs are poached and not meant to be runny. After a short debate she agreed to ask the kitchen if it was properly cooked. Finally, she returned and offered us 4 poached and RUNNY eggs (2 per order) to 'correct' the issue. On a positive note, those that ordered the scramblers seemed to enjoy it. The bread pudding pancakes were so soft and delicious. read more

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A 3.5% charge for using your credit card??? No thanks. They just lost a customer because why??? Why pay an extra fee to eat mediocre food when we have soooo many other options in the area? read more

Go to this place for breakfast and sit at the bar so that you can watch their very expensive looking machine make orange juice. You will not regret it. Most fascinating thing I saw on my entire trip to Chicago. Server was very knowledgeable about the orange juice machine and answered all of our burning questions. I'm so mad I didn't get a pic of it. Food was fine but the orange juice machine was fantastic. Breakfast and a show, what's not to like? Seriously you guys.. go! read more

Meli Cafe - New American Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Friendly service and nice cafe. I ordered two eggs, potatoes, English muffin, and veggie patties. I also tried my friend's banana bread French toast and it was yummy. The food was great, but warm. I would have liked it hot. The fresh orange juice was served at room temperature, but makes sense since it was squeezed there. Their smoothie and juice selection looks good too. read more

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We stopped by for breakfast this morning -- what a mistake! Everything was terrible, from a bad smell upon walking in to the legitimately terrible food. Both dishes were bad but the 'yogurt berry parfait' was especially laughable -- just a huge bowl of low-quality yogurt with a tiny amount of granola/berries. The waitress asked if everything was ok but walked away quickly before I could say 'No.' We will never make the same mistake of coming here. read more