Our food was good, but the service was great (I'm horrible with names). He was very polite and attentive and handled the entire front of the house by himself (with a smile)! We ordered the Manicotti and Pepperoni Calzone. The portions were huge, the food was hot, and very tasty! We had a pleasant experience on this date and that is mostly thanks to the guy running the floor (tall, light colored hair, big smile)! read more

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Their salad is the worst chef salad I've ever gotten in my life. The owner didn't compensate for th we terrible meal, only the salads and my nephew paid like $91 for our meal. Horrible experience and will NEVER GO BACK !!! Oh and the ranch dressing that w a s supposed to be homemade came from Save-A-Lot definitely.... read more

Calzones and pizza here are great. Service is hit and miss. Generally a miss. My family sat around for 30 minutes this evening waiting for a to-go box. Never received drink refills during the visit. Gave up and left our food behind. I hate wasting food but we had to go. read more

We had a wonderful experience here today. Wendy greeted us and seated us right away. Trenton our waiter was very pleasant and gave us excellent service. We both ordered the chicken parmesan which was delicious and came with parmesan covered breadsticks. We will definitely come back, we had such a positive experience. read more

Ate here tonight for the first time in at least 10 years. I couldn't remember why we stopped eating here. But I believe it's because of the following;; Women's Restroom is in dire need of a deep clean. Wait staff could use some help learning to be friendly. I had a veal dish with peas. Peas were obviously canned and tasted awful. My companion had their penne pasta with chicken, spinach and pine nuts. Chicken was obviously commercially frozen diced chicken. She offered to share but frankly it didn't look appetizing. read more

I dont usually go to mt. sterling but when I do this place is usually a top spot to go to. It was good, the service was really slow but it was just 1 kid working the whole place so props to him. the caprese had fresh tomatoes and cheese but the oil just tasted off, not sure why. My pasta was really good, the clams and mussels tasted frozen but im not really complaining, the sauce was delicious and garlicky but it did make me feel a little sick when I got home. The resturant itself is nice in there, our table was super wobbly and it smelled like we walked into a mexican resturant which is a good smell but weird for an italian resturant. Overall not bad. Plenty to eat and big portions. read more

Melini Cucina - mediterraneo - Italian Near Me - Mt Sterling, Kentucky

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I had the Chicken Parmesan. It was delicious. The dining area was very clean. The prices are reasonable. I was not a fan of the music but it was at an acceptable volume. read more

We have ate at Melini's for at least 20 years and it always been great. The service was good but either the manager or cash register person cannot be trusted at all. We had a $61.52 meal & tipped $20. The charge on my card was for 81.52 and the tip was changed to $30.00. We did not get a receipt (big mistake!!!). This is the second time this has happened in 8 months. This is finally straw for dining there. Absolutely dishonest!!! Owner should make changes to staff responsible and ask forgiveness from the public read more

Yummy food. Love their calzone and salad. The bread is also amazing. Never leave hungry.

I rarely go to Melini's as I am not a fan of their food - and primarily the sauce they use for many of their dishes. The good - The service was good, although the server struggled with English at times. My wife's salad was huge and she liked it. They keep the drinks filled and fresh bread on the table. Now for the less than good - my lasagna was poor - so poor that I would say that I have never had a worse lasagna. It had absolutely no cheese whatsoever - other than a slice of mozerella melted on top. No ricotta, just layers of pasta and ground meat - all topped with Meilini's sauce. Fazoli's lasagna is immensely better than Melini's in every facet. The fried cheesesticks were served with a layer of the sauce on top of them, making the coating a soggy mess - definitely not what I expected, but they tasted ok. I generally support our local restaurants, but to be honest I rarely go to Melini's because I just think their product is less that satisfactory overall. The price is reasonable, but there are many better alternatives, even in a small town like Mt. Sterling. read more

Great service, okay surroundings, but truly awful food. Chicken Piccata came out a watery, tasteless mess , no flavor and too much water to allow the Parmesan cheese powder to stick, and the chicken was pale and very tough. Chicken Francese was the same watery mess. The men's room was filthy. read more

Nice local restaurant. Good Italian food and friendly service. Quiet and comfortable. Locals eat here so that tells you it's a fine place to dine. Reasonable prices. read more

Delicious food and a wonderful service staff. Highly recommended, best Italian in the area. read more

My husband and I will not be returning to the Mt Sterling Kentucky restaurant because of the rude unprofessional customer service that we received by the female that appeared to be a manager who we spoke to about our pizza that we ordered that was prepared incorrectly. The pizza we received had toppings on it that we did not order and did not want but we had already waited (dine in) for over 30 minutes with our nephew and niece for it to get to our table so we told the server we would just take off what we didn't want to eat. As we went to pay I spoke to the rude woman and asked if she would give us a discount for them preparing our pizza incorrectly and she refused firmly and said that they did not make a mistake. I am telling you when I say I was being extremely nice about the situation and how disappointed I am. I wasn't asking for anything big as she could have just taken the price of our drinks off...simple! Or maybe just be polite and say I would if I could and I'm sorry we messed up but instead tried to make me feel I was in the wrong. Her saying I was wrong is the problem but 4 of us know how the pizza was ordered and even the server said it was. So no more business from us read more

Melini Cucina - a truck parked in front of a restaurant - Italian Near Me - Mt Sterling, Kentucky

Tried Melini Cucina in Mt. Sterling for the first time last week. It was overall good with reasonable pricing. My calzone was good and chunky but not memorable. The wife's pasta was good but lacked flavor. Might try again sometime when we drive from Winchester. read more

I usually always get the salmon Caesar salad....its always really good...if I sway from this...I get a side salad and a slice of pizza or spaghetti with sauce on the side as they always put too much sauce on it for me....these are my go to's ...and they are always good!... read more

The food is always good. It's consistent. probably not the best Italian food in the country but it's the only good Italian restaurant around. It's consistently good and I have been eating there for a few years. I got to the one in Mt Sterling, Morehead, and Grayson. Across the board they all taste the same so that says something for the great quality of food they serve. read more

Food is excellent for a great price! The bread they bring out at the beginning is a little dry but still decent for the overall price of the restaurant. Good service. Overall good experience read more

Melini Cucina - To say this Calzone was the size of a watermelon is almost dead on. This Calzone is massive and very cheap for the portion size. - Italian Near Me - Mt Sterling, Kentucky

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I have only been once, but my son goes a lot. He always gets the pizza wrap thing. We also got the italian cheese bread -- and that was amazing! I love the chicken alfredo - great quality dish. It does take a little while - I am assuming they cook to order so be patient and you will be happy with the quality. read more

So I took my sister here for lunch on the Friday before her birthday. This is kind of a hole in the wall place that I normally would have driven right by without the direction from my sis. With that said...The food was great. I loved the fact they brought out a fresh baked bread cut into sticks and stuff with a type of cheese with parmesan on top with a red sauce for dipping. YUM. I loved this. I even asked for seconds. My sister and I both order the lunch special pizza slices aka personal pans. They were HUGE. I ended up taking some of it home. Could have been because I filled up on the bread, but oh well. I had a hawaiian slice and my sister had a great white one. Both of which had perfectly crunchy crusts and came out piping hot with garlic butter brushed on the crust after they baked. SO GOOD. It was very well priced, but the service is a bit slow for a quick lunch break. Order ahead if you are in a hurry. Stop by and see these folks if you have a moment and are in town. read more

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The food was good, not as flavorful as I would have imagined since most of the reviews were very positive. I agree that the broccoli is very good here. For a grand total of over $80 spent on five people for lunch...the wait staff should have been more attentive and the food more tasty. The decor was nice and the restaurant is very clean. On a positive note they have free WiFi. read more

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I have ate at this restaurant in the past. They are starting to fall off. Wife ordered the Fettuccine Alfredo with chicken. Chicken tasted like it had some freezer burn. Alfredo sauce was very thin. Did not have the consistency of better blended creamier Alfredo sauces. Possibly a new cook or kitchen turnover. Use to be a great place to eat. Not properly managed. Its time to give them a break and pick up my Italian at other restaurants. read more

I really love the food here. They have big portions and are very friendly. if you like real Italian (not the chain type) you should try this place. read more

Melini Cucina - Combo Calzone. - Italian Near Me - Mt Sterling, Kentucky

A tucked away Italian restaurant in Mt. Sterling KY. The real deal Italian. The menu is endless We always enjoy read more

Melini Cucina - Warm bread and sauce to munch on till entrees come. - Italian Near Me - Mt Sterling, Kentucky

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I consider myself a pretty straight forward guy. I don't normally adjust my scale for any reason. I have standards. In the case of this restaurant you pretty much have to on the fact that you are in Mt. Sterling Kentucky. I meant that with absolutely no disrespect to this wonder small town. I live in Lexington but I work here. Bare with me and I will tie that long intro into a rating very soon. Warning I will periodically use the phrase "for mt. Sterling" several times during this review. So with the disclaimer out the way lets get down to business. Service: the service wasn't bad. I was the very first person in the restaurant so it wasn't anyone at the front to greet me. I notice the hostess was in the other section with her back to the entrance on her phone I think. No biggie at all. Pretty sure if there was a bell or chime device she would've heard me. Once I pretended to read an old advertisements paper and flipping pages very loudly she came over. The hostess was very nice and friendly for mt sterling ( another story. McDonald's review coming soon). So far so good Food: food wasn't bad for an Italian restaurant in mt sterling Kentucky. This is when I have to adjust my scale a little. Seriously people do you think I had my mind set on five star Italian cuisine mid day in mt sterling Kentucky. Did I think that Mario Batali was in a kitchen on a Monday in mt sterling Kentucky serving pasta. Heck no I went to this place expecting tomato sauce and some generically shape noodles. Exactly what I got but with a some store purchases Italian sausage. Exactly what I would've made at home but with a styrofoam to go box. The point of the story is that I bonded with a new friend at a local restaurant. What was special about this place was the regulars that knew the hostess by name. The way they laughed while joking about last Wednesday when she spilled sweet tea. Thats the real take away from this place. This is the type of place that the not so well off go when they get tax return money just to make the kids feel special. Just make them feel like the "other half" for one day. Today I learn to stop rating small town local restaurants base on my big city taste. read more

Is so sad. This used to be my wife an I's favorite Italian restaurant. I guess it was bought out a while back, and it really shows. The food is no longer fresh, the sauces are so watery, they're almost inedible. The last time I went, I got my old favorite, shrimp scampi. It was so bad I sent it back, twice! The shrimp smelled fishy, the sauce looked like it was made by someone who had no idea how to make a simple scampi sauce. And the pasta was so overcooked it was almost mush... It breaks my heart to see such a wonderful, quaint Italian restaurant, go to the dogs like this. read more

I'd give this place 1/2 a star if it were possible. This is the 3rd time I've eaten at this restaurant and now it finally gets the review it so richly deserves. This place is terrible. I forget the name but I ordered a chicken dish with penne and it was supposed to be cooked with white wine and the chicken looked like they boiled it in water... Gigantic pieces of green pepper and tomatoes were thrown in there with a few pieces of mushroom, penne pasta, and the 'boiled' chicken... It was utterly disgusting. My wife ordered spaghetti and meatballs and the pasta was mushy, overcooked. The meatballs were tasteless and dry. The service was pitifully slow and half rude. I don't understand how this place stays in business because, frankly, their food is tasteless, not AT ALL authentic, and they can't even correctly cook spaghetti. Don't waste your money dining (ha, that's a joke) in this establishment. There's a SUBWAY down the street with a sub that's more Italian than any of the 3 dishes I tried here and the sub tasted about ten times better than this crap. Yes, I'm being a little rough on Melini Cucina because they've basically robbed me 3 times out of my hard earned money. The bottom line is their food is either disgusting or tasteless. read more

Best pizza place in town!! You get your money's worth, order a large pizza and the slices are huge!! Also give the calzones a try too!! Then top everything off with a cannoli!! read more

Stopped here with my wife, sister and brother inlaw. The waiter asked why we would like to drink, my sister and brother asked for water and my wife asked what kind of wine they had, the waiter asked if she wanted to see the wine list and we never saw him again. After waiting five minutes for him to return we got up, walked past a manager and two hostess, who didn't bother to ask if anything was wrong, and out the door. After reading reviews, I'm glad we did not stay. read more

I'm from out of town passing through. In the mood for Italian gave it a try since didn't find any other Italian options nearby. I had the eggplant parm, my husband had chicken parm. The eggplant didn't even seem breaded. It's like they dredged in grease instead. It was the worst I ever had. My husband's was so-so. We used the bathrooms before we left and they could use a good scrub down. Not impressed with food or cleanliness. The server did a good job though. Young kid was the only server, he handled all the tables well. But there was only about 5 tables on Sunday evening. read more

Service isn't good at all, but the food is ok. It took them 30 minutes to bring a drink. We were really disappointed. This place used to be super good but, through the years, it's just gotten worse. read more

Stopped in here for lunch. Awesome calzone for like 7 bucks. You can't beat it. My buddy had a large piece of pepperoni pizza that was huge. Highly suggest this place. read more

Good Food there and How the chefs make it the food look good and not a complete failure

Bad place to eat. Slow service too. Breadsticks were under cooked and the overpriced dinner had no flavor at all. Seemed like the pasta was frozen because it was rubbery. For the price we paid, Olive Garden would have been a much better choice. Waitress talked & talked to another table while we wait for refills on drinks & another table waited for her to acknowledge them. read more

All I can say is that the baked spaghetti and meatballs were quite excellent! Service was fast and good! Best French dressing I've had anywhere! read more

Really sad about my dinner. I took my boyfriend there for Father's Day. I hasn't been in a couple years and the difference between the food was really noticeable. The breadsticks that I once loved were so gross. The waitress took our order and brought our check. Never refilled our drinks. The food was just ok. It makes me sad a great place went down hill so fast!! read more

As far as the quality of the food and service Melini's has truly let itself go since the new owners took over. Before you would get your food and drink without having to endure a 30+ minute wait from what appears to be the owner's wife/the only waitress in the entire place. If you order a Calzone expect all the pepperoni to be stacked on top of itself on one side and all of the other toppings shoved in the other side, and please don't order the Alfredo sauce! It just to be absolutely delicious but now tastes like a bland version of its former self, again, ever since the new owners took over. The only reason I gave two stars in because of the fond memories I have of my wedding reception being held there. I'm just beyond thankful that we got married back when Melini's was a decent place to eat. read more

This was the worst Italian food I've ever had. I first ordered the chicken ravioli and the server told me that the company they buy it from no longer carries it. (In retrospect, this should have been a huge red flag because it obviously means that THEY DON'T MAKE THEIR OWN FOOD IN HOUSE) so I ordered the veal paccata. It arrived and I took a bite of the veal and it was dry and tough. I don't pay $14.99 for veal that tastes like they bought it frozen and threw it in the microwave. It was disgusting. Had to chew that one bite for 5 minutes just to get it down. The pasta was sitting in what can only be described as a "grease sauce". It was orange and left a greasy residue on the plate wherever it touched. It was likewise disgusting. The server came by and asked if there was anything wrong with it. I told her that it was disgusting. So she left the plate on the table and brought me my bill. I paid $14.99 for one bite of the worst, frozen and microwaved Italian food I've ever had. I've never had a restaurant charge me when you don't eat the food because it's horrible. Amazing. Do yourself a favor and just walk into the Kroger nearby and buy some frozen Italian. You'll save money and it'll taste a lot better. read more