We often visit Mel's Diner in Fremont when we're servicing our cars, and it's always a fun little step back in time. Given the recent storms hitting the Fremont area nonstop, we figured we'd support this local mom-and-pop spot for lunch this weekend. We walked in and were quickly seated at a booth near the kitchen window and the lunch counter stools. The greeting was prompt, and drink orders were taken--iced tea and Coke Zero. Yep, this little diner is proudly a Coke Zero establishment. Classic! I usually get the club sandwich, but this time I took a moment to consider if I should branch out. But, I ended up sticking with my original choice. I went for the club with tots, crispy of course. My husband opted for the Big Bopper Burger and crinkle fries. While we waited for our food, we chatted, checked our phones, and had a little people-watching session. One memorable moment was watching a toddler trying to feed boogers to a teenager. Classic diner experience! I couldn't help but overhear the servers gossiping at the lunch counter while rolling silverware, occasionally letting out a few choice words. I'm not one to judge, but it is a business, and I can't help but wonder if that might bother other customers. On top of that, I overheard them questioning whether a to-go order looked right before boxing it up. Makes you wonder... After what felt like an eternity, our food finally arrived. My tots were supposed to be crispy, but they were more like soggy, sad little bites of disappointment. I could tell they'd been fried crispy and sat around too long. The club sandwich was good, as always, though I wish the toast had been a little crispier. I get it, though; that happens when a sandwich sits in the window for a bit. My husband didn't have complaints about his burger, but there was one odd thing. The fries on his plate were barely there. He had just a scattering of a few cold ones. The server then mentioned they were making him a fresh order of fries, which left me wondering: did he get leftover fries from a previous order, or whatever was left in the fry basket? It seemed a bit off. He said the fries on his plate were cold, so I guess the mystery of leftover fries remains unsolved. Unfortunately, this was the most disappointing meal we've ever had at Mel's. I'm not sure I'll be in a hurry to return next time I'm in the area. It's still a cute spot with a lot of potential, but it fell short this time. read more

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I don't understand the 4-5 star ratings. I ordered a cheeseburger, figured that a Diner cheeseburger would either be thick and juicy or smashed (my favorite).. It was neither, it was a dried out, pale, tasteless, frozen patty. I only ate it because I was starving. Then the waitress "accidently" brought a Coke instead of water, asked if I wanted it anyway so she didn't have to throw it out, so I took it. She said I would not be charged, I WAS charged. We got there are 11:15 a.m., not many customers inside, still took more than 30 minutes to receive our food. Too bad my husband didn't read our bill before paying, never again will I visit this place. read more

The food would have been good but the service was absolutely appalling. I was brought my eggs, bacon and potatoes, and she said she would get my toast. Waited over 20 minutes and she only had one other table. Never stopping here again and dont recommend it. read more

Stopped in for breakfast this morning and the place was packed. I had an upcoming appointment and was a little worried about how long eating here would take. Well, I was seated immediately and waited about 30 seconds before the waitress arrive to take my order. 10-12 minutes later and my breakfast was delivered to my table. The food was awesome and priced fairly. I highly recommend this restaurant! read more

Really old school diner with nice service and decent food. Worth checking out and trying some grub

The service is horrible in this place one girl drops a menu off & says your waitress will be right here they never come back take everybody else order who walk in 10-15 min after and still argue on who is going to serve you ! This happend for dinner & breakfast what a joke read more

MELS was our go-to for a relaxed lunch/supper for my husband, myself, and adult kids. We've overlooked the dirty walls & sagging booths bcz the tabletops were always cleaned. We've overlooked the grimey menus. We've even overlooked the old, dirty bathroom. All because the waitstaff had always been friendly, the prices were fair, and the ambiance was relaxed. Today, I was alone for a late lunch. The food was fine; the service was good. However, when I rcvd the bill, I was overcharged $1. I nicely asked the waitress to correct it, showing her the menu price difference. She smiled and left to take care of it. Then, an unidentified angry woman came over to my table and informed me that a sign was posted on the inside front door that I had been expected to read, informing customers there was an extra 50cent charge for each egg. Unfortunately, reading any of all the posted signage on the door while holding my phone & car keys in one hand, my cane in the other, and trying to pull the door open, was not possible. I calmly explained that I had ordered what was printed on the menu. The angry woman said it didn't matter; their doorsign was posted and I'd have to pay the extra amount anyway. So, I said ok, that I would just take the $1 from the tip, and the mgmt could compensate the waitress the extra if they wanted. The angry woman said, "Then don't come back," and stormed away with the bill in hand. Next, a stringy-haired boy brought the bill back to the table and said I'd better pay it or they were going to call the police. Paying the bill was never the issue - what had the angry woman said to cause him to say this to me? All for a $1 overcharge? I asked a familiar waitress to take my $20 to the register to pay the bill for me bcz by then I WAS upset. I left the 20% tip and collected myself to leave. Then, I thought, how hard is it to just add a sticker to the menus? So, on the way, I went to the register, anyway, and tried to give this suggestion to the older gentleman standing there. The angry woman took that opportunity to falsely accuse me of yelling&screaming. Meanwhile, the older gentleman looked very confused bcz he recognized me as a good, repeat customer (if I HAD been yelling, he would not have been confused). The stringy-haired boy told me to "get out bcz I was hurting business" and "losing them profits." Unfortunately, they are doing that on their own. So, ok. Our $200/month will now go elsewhere. Sorry, my sweet waitresses, but your 30% tipper is now gone, as well. All for $1 of misadvertising? Not really - for not respecting me as a decent customer and as a human being. You don't treat people like this -- especially in the service industry. I left feeling as if I'd just encountered a pack of wild hyenas. smh. read more

Yes, enjoy the meal and very friendly place. Thank you. And I would recommend anybody to stop by and have lunch breakfast. Dinner better than all other places out there on my behalf worth it. Try it out and really liked it. read more

I came in for a late breakfast. I ordered 2 eggs, bacon, hash browns and biscuits and gravy with a cup of coffee. My coffee was weak. My bacon was cold and had congealed bacon grease on it. My hash browns were hard and tasted like they had been fried in old grease. The texture of the biscuit was like a cake, it was really different. The gravy didn't have much flavor. I could only eat a little bit of everything because it wasn't very good. The one good thing about this place is the price, my breakfast was reasonably priced, it just wasn't edible read more

Mel's Diner - 2 eggs, bacon, hashbrowns and biscuits and gravy - American Near Me - Fremont, Nebraska

Feel like taking a trip back in time to a little diner...step inside MELS DINER! This diner has such a great atmosphere and energy! The service is absolutely superb and friendly. The food here really hits the spot. Incredible place that you must check out. read more

Great Diner experience . Large selection of food, and great staff. The prices are very reasonable, and the food is amazing. read more

Mel's Diner - Outside of Mel's Diner - American Near Me - Fremont, Nebraska

Absolutely fantastic food. From out of town and my family stopped through after hearing great things about the place. Had the omelette (made to order), came with Mel's potatoes and YES they are delicious. Ascetically pleasing, love the 50'd diner vibe. Pancakes were super yummy! Husband had chicken tenders and they are really big and we could smell them being cooked. (Not frozen)! The waitress so friendly and we really enjoyed her service! Prices are definitely affordable. We will definitely come back to this great place! Thanks for feeding my family awesome food! Ally read more

Had the Flo it was super best bacon and Sausage patty EVER!!!!Service was quick @ the counter Jane has got it going on Ice Tea Very Good! Will return!!!! read more

Very good food And service. Good friends and home environment. Check it out. Way to go is Mel's Dinner by truck stop in Fremont

I go here all the time. Place is just good food. decent sized helpings. It is just hard to find good ole comfort food anymore. Surprisingly though the burrito was top notch. read more

I took my father here for breakfast. I ordered eggs benedict. I am 64 and not very picky about food. The food on my plate was just not edible. The bread was stale and overly sour. The holendase gravy was lumpy and also sour tasting. The runny eggs were just quickly thrown on top like an after thought. Hashbrowns were badly burned and oily. The worst breakfast I have ever tried to eat in my adult life. I gave it back and they still brought me the bill! Maybe other meals are better here but how can any "Diner" mess up a breakfast? I cant recommend eating here for breakfast. Just AWFUL! I could never come back to this place. read more

My usual go to breakfast spot was closed from the recent flooding. So I checked out Mel's biscuits and gravy. The best in Fremont! Great flavors, plenty of biscuits and gravy. A nice rib sticker to start the day! read more

Mel's Diner - Biscuits & Gravy - American Near Me - Fremont, Nebraska

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Good food good service serve breakfast lunch and dinner all day Homemade pies Shakes and malts read more

Found this little place while visiting Fremont today. It's darling on the outside; we attempted to go around 12:30p, but it was packed full, no parking space around. This added to the intrigue, so we waited about an hour and went back. Definitely worth the second try! It looks like you just walked back into the 1960's. absolutely full of vintage charm!!! The service was great, we were greeted immediately by our very friendly server, and our order arrived fast, hot and tasty! Highly recommend! read more

Great breakfast! Had the pancake and French toast combos. Very fast and nice service!

Always great food. I love the chicken and waffle. The broasted chicken is amazing. Terrific staff. Grumpy owner but harmless. Ask for Alexis' coffee. Dale might be your cashier. Be gentle. read more

OK so the food was good. However, I had an omelet with Swiss cheese, tomatoes and mushrooms. There was way too much tomatoes ground up really small you couldn't taste them and not near enough mushrooms. I'm pretty sure the egg was that fake crap. Didn't have any meat in it because I thought I mentioned something to the waitress about sausage in the Biscuits/gravy. I thought I saw something on the menu about sausage gravy but no there wasn't any. The biscuits were a little hard and had to use a knife to cut into them. I ordered the Mel's Potatoes. according to the menu there was supposed to be grilled onions but there were none. Also some kind of special seasoning which there was none. Not a good 1st time experience. read more

Great to see an "American" style food restaurant in our once great city that used to have them in every section of the city. Great tasting breakfast!! read more

Super cute place, with really good food. For the portions you get, the price is not bad at all!! Has a cool retro vibe. I would recommend! read more

Mel's Diner - a man taking a picture of himself - American Near Me - Fremont, Nebraska

Went here last year for my birthday absolutely exquisite I would 10/10 recommend. All ages welcome and no matter what they'll treat you like family. read more

They have a great country breakfast! Big servings, good coffee and pie!! One of the best places to have a good hardy breakfast. Our out of town friends are always happy when we bring them here. They also have a wide selection of lunch and dinner items including sandwiches and burgers. read more

Mel's Diner - Homemade pies - American Near Me - Fremont, Nebraska

We enjoyed a really great meal here. Just happened to be passing through the area & feel lucky to have found this little gem. Super cute diner. Excellent waitress. Delicious food. What more could you want? :) read more

Fantastic food and coffee. The way breakfast is supposed to be. Reminds me of the breakfast my grandmother used to make growing up.

As always, Mel's continues their excellent service and food. Megan was our server, she was the first person we met when we first began coming here. For my meal, I had the four-piece broasted chicken, baked potato, side salad, and chili. For $10.49, it certainly comes with a lot. If you leave full, that's your fault! Rarely do I see a restaurant give so much food for so little cash. My companion had the turkey and dressing with beef barley for the soup. To end the meal, we had banana cream pie which is always a favorite. I would have gotten the chocolate peanut butter pie, but they didn't have any. No matter, other flavors are quite tasty. As it is about 35 minutes away, we regularly make the trip from Omaha just to eat here. It is our favorite diner in the area. I will continue to eat at Mel's as long as the great food and service remain. PS: I think I'll try something new next time I make it there. read more

The restaurant is set up as a 1950's diner, decor is nice but the whole place needs a thorough cleaning. Many flies were buzzing around our table. Mel's Potatoes were cold. Sweet Potato fries were overcooked. The side salad is lettuce (no additional toppings) that was absolutely drowned in dressing. The only saving grace was the chicken was hot and tasted good. We watched customers near us have to tell the waitress that their food had been waiting to come to the table for a long time. My advice would be to look for another stop. read more

First let me say, homemeade pies baked fresh by the owner's mother. That fact sets the tone for the whole experience here. Homey, warm, friendly, and good homecooked comfort food. I had a breaded pork tenderloin sandwich, mashed potatoes, and the most heavenly banana cream pie. My companion had a ribeye, mashed potatoes, chili, and cottage cheese. All was done perfectly and reminded us both of the quality and general atmosphere of a good hometown cafe from years gone by. When you first walk in, the comforting aromas of good food instantly make one relax and smile. There are regulars here, and the staff calls them by name. But we, as newcomers, got treated just as well. Our waitress, Meg, took really good care of us. The entire experience is why we will be back and will happily recommend it to others. read more

Mel's Diner - Pork tenderloin sandwich and mashed potatoes. Yummy! - American Near Me - Fremont, Nebraska

Consistent consistent and consistent. Everything I order is exactly the same as the time I ordered it before and that's what I love about this place it's very consistent with super friendly service. One suggestion is to ask for the coffee to be made stronger other than that I highly recommend this place for breakfast lunch or dinner read more

Looked pretty tasty as an old school diner but never had the chance to taste the food. After being served old tea that had a film our young waitress took 2 orders from customers that arrived after we did. Then after complaining she comes over w/a "are you ready yet?" Really? Bye bye Mels, we'll leave you for better pastures. read more

Standard small Cafe eats, not sure what I actually expected. The server was super busy and acted like I was a bother. The food was subpar at best. They may have the very cheapest syrup I have ever tasted. I am not a fan of Mel's and won't be back read more

Stumbled on this little diner and were glad we did! Solid breakfasts and great price...plus fun servers! Atmosphere was just as you would imagine and we couldn't find fault with our meals at all. We really liked/appreciated the hearty "welcome" when we walked in, and speedy wait service. Food arrived quickly and was delicious. read more

Mel's Diner - American Near Me - Fremont, Nebraska

Have eaten here countless times for breakfast and it is excellent. Frequented by truckers and locals alike, this place serves up classic diner food. Little things like no upcharge for getting biscuits and gravy instead of toast go a long way. The chicken fried steak and the breakfast sampler is what I normally get, try the mel's potatoes instead of hashbrowns! read more

Mel's Diner - Chicken fried steak gravy on side, scrambled eggs, mels potatoes, biscuis and gravy, $10.99 - American Near Me - Fremont, Nebraska

Great breakfast served all day. Awesome burgers and I love the homemade pork tenderloin!

This darling 1950's diner had the best patty melt and homemade fries I have tasted since 2020. The service was quick and friendly! The pie was fantastic! So glad we found this little dive! read more

It was a busy Saturday morning but the host showed no interest in advising us of the wait time and suggested we look elsewhere. A server came by to tell us we would have a table in 5 minutes. Food was mediocre. read more

I been here several times before traveling over the road and never had an issue. Today I got the Country Club Omelette with hash browns and French toast, with orange juice. When I went to check out, instantly I had to vomit. Moments after getting to the parking lot I had to go, everything that I had eaten came up. So I really hope this isn't food poison. Because my body has rejected everything that I ate here. Got here at 6:30am left at 7:15am. Just hope the vomit is the end of it and not get worse. read more