Love this place. Definitely what Newport needs is a normal sit down breakfast diner that isn't overhyped or overpriced

I love a greasy spoon, small local breakfast joints with seats at the grill are fantastic but this place failed to impress overall quality of food was mediocre, coffee was weak, toast basic white, bacon thin and overdone, home fries inconsistent in size leaving some raw and others overdone nice guy behind the counter, will probably give em a second chance, maybe not a good morning read more

Food was ok, service was meh! Female server at the counter seemed more bothered than happy to see you. Considering the area it's a 3 star.

Great coffee, great egg and sausage breakfast sandwich. Nice owner! Fair prices. Old school atmosphere.

Every week my breakfast goes up a dollar. Not coming back!! $12,$13, $14, today $15. Bad business

Good honest food from a hard working Greek family. A must stop when we visit Newport, RI . The French toast was nice and custard like the bacon nice and crisp. The Gyro omelet was delicious the meat was fresh and moist the seasoning carried through the whole omelet the tomatoes and onions where a nice addition. The homemade Chorizo hash is a nice change from the traditional canned hash. The coffee is also quite delicious! The staff is friendly and welcoming and the food is served quickly. The decor is clean and typical for a greasy spoon there are booths tables and seating at the counter. read more

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Best place to get breakfast in town. Fast service and great staff. Gyro omelette is my go-to breakfast. Highly recommend going there.

Food is typical diner food. Good and wholesome. Waitresses on the other hand seem absolutely miserable. Not sure why but they for sure don't want to be there. read more

My go to breakfast spot when getting off a third shift. love the pancakes but love the home fries more . And you cant beat the atmosphere. A great counter man in mel and a morning mix of retirees and people off to work . A must go . read more

Food was ok. Server Absolutely miserable. She never wiped the table down when we sat and gave us a nasty look when we, politely, asked if she would please wipe the syrup so our coffee cups wouldn't stick to the table. Looked like she wanted to be anywhere else but there as she read a magazine at the counter and ignored the five people in the restaurant. Love a greasy spoon but there are better places in Newport. read more

Great little greasy spoon. The food was great! Amazing chocolate chip pancakes, hash and home fries. 7.50 for a good plate of food. The service was lacking a bit. There weren't many people in there... At all. But in the almost two hours we were sitting, we never got water or tea refills, which is just plain bad service. The bathroom was just plain terrible. Almost every review says this, they need to take it seriously. Not only was it disgusting, but there wasn't any soap! read more

Mel's Cafenio - Chocolate chip pancakes, hash and home fries. So good! - Diners Near Me - Newport, Rhode Island

Stumbled on this place looking for lunch in Newport. Ordered a cheesesteak and fries and really enjoyed it! Very very cheap and great portion! Perfect lunch spot. read more

Great food for the price and no long wait gotta get there don't wait Best egg sandwich ever read more

If you do not like Waffle House, you will not like Mel's Cafenio. It is a hole in the wall by every definition. The place is pretty well laid out, the decor is dated (like 1970's), and the upkeep of the shop is a little lacking, but the food is greasy goodness. There are a couple cobwebs in the corners if you look really hard (after reading the other reviews, I was curious), but honestly, who cares as long as the food is good? The fact it is cheap blows my mind. Since coming to Newport, I have eaten a lot of breakfasts here, and most of them have been garbage. Other than Corner Cafe and this place, what they pass for breakfast is a sad attempt of doing something fancy. Forget fancy, if you can do the basics well, you don't have to make things up. Wife and I came here, ordered two breakfasts, 2 drinks, and walked out with a $20 bill. Honestly, in Newport, I'm used to the highway robbery of $40 for 2 for basic breakfast... Wife ordered the french toast with home fries and Chourico hash. The Chourico hash is like straight up crack. It is by far our favorite thing about this place. Wife said the French toast wasn't bad, but next time is going for over easy eggs with the Chourico hash to drizzle the yolk over it to make a savory spicy awesome taste. I ordered the 2 eggs, Chourico sausage, home fries and toast. Unlike the other joints in town, my over easy egg actually had a runny yolk! So many places have overcooked overeasy eggs that you get a solid yolk, even worse they over cook eggs Benedict and do the same thing. I did not understand why Corner Cafe had an hour wait for breakfast until I tried other options, and I have to say, I understand waiting since most of them suck. But this place is really good, half the price, and right across the street. I will be honest though, if you like vegetarian options, I did not see any on the menu, but breakfast is eggs, meat, and home fries in my book, so this fits me perfectly. I highly recommend you try this place out if you are waiting in line somewhere else. Since coming back to the U.S., Newport is like the twilight zone of restaurants, with 75% of them sucking and wishing you would have ate at home. This place doesn't promise you a 4 star meal, just a greasy good tasting one at a decent price. I can live with that... read more

Mel's Cafenio - 2 eggs, chourico, home fries and toast combo - Diners Near Me - Newport, Rhode Island

Great little find. My husband had been dying to try this place and so happy we finally stopped in. Great food and great prices.

My girlfriend and I have been intrigued by this place for quite some time - we walk by it frequently. They have two large windows on Broadway, and squarely in the center of one window it says "LUNCH" and the other "BREAKFAST". With such an aggressive advertisement, we simply had to try it. Unfortunately, it didn't meet our expectations. The service was super friendly and personable, so I want to give a better rating - but it was about the greasiest breakfast i've had. The potatoes (they use russet potatoes, which are not my favorite) were not very tasty. Prices are cheap, for sure - I know of nowhere you can get two eggs, home fries and toast for $3.00. However, I just don't think it's someplace I'd recommend. read more

Mel's Cafenio - the front of the building - Diners Near Me - Newport, Rhode Island

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We were looking for our last brunch hotspot when we wandered into this gem. Very pleasantly surprised. Although the decor is 70s theme based, the food is amazing. Old style cooking. Not greasy. Portions were large enough to keep us full. Ordered the western omelette and the chorizo omelet. Both were perfectly cooked. Cheesy and delish Staff was friendly. Very accommodating and attentive to coffee refills. Will be back next visit to Newport. read more

Great local find. Prices were much better than on the main strip. Our party of 9 all had breakfast sandwiches and burgers. Everything came out quick and tasty. Coffee was good (basic bottomless cup) and orange juice was not pulpy. Waitress was attentive. read more

Good food. Extremely fast. But added food on our tab we didn't order! Is this what this town does??? Thinking City would like to know about this..... read more

Mel's has a new sign it says "Mel's Caffino" not sure if it has changed hands or not. I have been coming here for a long time. Always for breakfast and almost exclusively I order a Chorizo and Cheese omelet. This last visit I noticed the coffee was better than usual and the pancakes were a tad dry. My Chorizo and Cheese omelet was good, as always. Sometimes I get the Portuguese omelet instead. * When I was younger this was a "hangover" bfast place for me. Saw it still is for some ;). * Nice counter, and plenty of tables. * Great downtown location. * No AC read more

My second one-star review. Diner food (my very favorite kind), simple, classic, easy-to-prepare, but ruined by indifference and carelessness. They were out of more things than they had. The food was filling and did not poison me, but that is about all I can say good for it. The place was filthy, especially the restroom. The service was indifferent. Cheap, but not worth the price. read more

Best pancakes in a while!! This place may not seem like much from the outside and may even seen a little sketch inside...but let me tell you...the breakfast here is reasonable and very good! They are very basic here ...plastic cups...patterned napkins from the supermarket and basic decor...but the1y have good old fashioned food here! Plus no lines and waiting like the other crazy touristy breakfast places around. Sunday mornings can be crazy for breakfast places in Newport so naturally it was great we could sit right away. We will be back read more

Quick and delicious... the food was the perfect amount of greasy after a night of drinking

It's cheap, food not bad, they haven't redecorated since the 70's but I kind of liked it, my only complaint is the awful waitress, she seems to be the daughter of the owner (it's a family owned place), but she has an attitude, very rude, with a face that yells "i want to die". I've been there, believe me, but you can't take it out on people just because you hate working on a restaurant on a sunday. read more

A dive in a good way. It a breakfast place that has been around a long time . The place has not changed since the 80's but it's perfect. If you are trying to find a local place with out all the tourist you have found it. The bottom line is the breakfast is good. Sort of a diner feel with a little more. Pancakes and omelette are solid . Coffee could be better. read more

Love this place. Great food, great staff. Try the Mel's special best buy for your money and you have to have the Greek espresso coffee (you'll love it). Family owned. They definitely make you feel at home. read more

This is a great diner with friendly service and great food and prices! Expect a small and simple menu....eggs, bacon, sausage, toast and hashbrowns...nothing more and it is fabulous! read more

Nice, cheap diner with good breakfast food and friendly service. No fancy silverware or crazy menu choices here, just good classic breakfast griddle food. A great alternative to Newport's pricier breakfast/brunch spots. read more

I've been buy this place quite a few times, and one time I decided to try it with a friend. I always "try" to give places the benefit of the doubt, but this wound up being pretty bad. The owner behind the counter was friendly and personable, but the place is absolutely filthy. The food was really not good as the eggs were overcooked and made on a dirty grill that wasn't cleaned before they were made (as I could tell with bits and pieces of other food in them). The pancakes were okay but a bit dry. I can see why one review was filtered because more than likely the filtered reviewer was someone that is affiliated with Mel's, or has some investment in it because I don't know where he/she could have possibly come up with a review of the place being at all clean! The bathroom was really bad too, and you had to walk through a storage room with things thrown all over to get to it. The floor was really disgusting and needed to be power washed!! The front and back windows really need a good cleaning as well. I am giving this a two star instead of one because you really can not beat the price. It really is one of the cheapest places in Newport, but the cleanliness mostly and food is a real turnoff. These little things (which are pretty important things in this kind of business) are simple to fix and can be easily turned around but don't know why the owners can not see this as a problem. read more

My hubby and I ate here this morning after experiencing Newport restaurant sticker shock the night before, and it was a pleasant surprise to find a simple, cheap diner for our breakfast. We both had omelettes with home fries and toast - both great and extremely cheap! I had a veggie & feta and my husband had chourico & cheese. Home fries were yummy. Only minor gripes: it's a Greek diner without a spinach and feta omelette (they had feta and a zillion other toppings, but no spinach). Also, aside from feta it seemed they had only american cheese. Otherwise, a great simple breakfast spot that will keep you full all day! read more

The food is great and the family is so pleasant. It's nice to see a family run establishment with a long history. Just really good people and food. This is a diamond in the rough. read more

Solid breakfast for a reasonable price. Locals are here so it has that non-touristy feel that I like. It's very real!

The food was very basic breakfast food but very few veggie choices to add to an omelette. Just meats and cheese. Coffee was good. I would never go back because the place is filthy. Cobwebs from drop ceilings, dust all over. Afraid of filth in bathroom. BOH needs to take a look. read more

The staff is great. Everyone is super nice. Personally I love the older decor and homey vibe. The place needs cleaning however. The food is wonderful with a nice Greek touch on the menu. Great for kids and adults. The prices are great and they also try their best to help the environment. Overall I would HIGHLY recommend this place for tourists or just a family looking to have a great meal. read more

When you want a quick and dirty breakfast or lunch you can come here, except for the quick part. My experience here was less than adequate. The food is mediocre and the place is old and dirty looking, dirty tables, dirty floors, even dirty "eco" placards which I found amusing. You wouldn't expect to find a "greasy spoon" joint in Newport. The only thing going for them is decent pricing. Spend a couple of bucks more at The Cornet Café just up the street. They do breakfast and lunch right! read more

Our waitress was very friendly and attentive, but the menu is meat centric and lacks an inventive flair. If you're hungry for a basic breakfast, this place will do. The coffee was decent. read more

It has been a couple of years since I have eaten here, but I used to go all the time on weekends. Definitely one of the hidden gems in the area. Food is always great-- and most importantly around Newport-- cheap. Definitely a "locals" type of joint, but the staff is friendly and attentive. read more

This place is the bomb!! What a great family owned business. Food just like from Grandma's kitchen. Not too many places around are so unique. And the owners are personable and friendly to all their clientele. The hash browns are perfect. The hamburger and French fries are cooked perfect. The meat in the hamburger was not over cooked. Everything made to order and fresh. Coffee is great; soda pop by the can. If you're downtown Newport, this is the place to go for breakfast or lunch!!! read more

This place is FILTHY! I was afraid to touch anything, never mind eat there. Nice people, but they need to clean the place. The bathroom is a war zone, even diseases couldn't live in there. Do yourself a favor and don't bother going to this rat hole! read more

VERY dated. Doesn't look clean. This is where to meet the locals. Servers are inattentive. Food is mediocre and very fried. Good value if you can stand it. read more