I always enjoyed Mel's and their portion sizes are pretty big. Depending on what you get, Mel's can be really cheap or a bit pricy. I did get served a burnt burger once, but I mentioned it to the waitress and she gladly ordered another one for me. The second one was great, cooked well and no burnt spots. read more

Mel's is always a classic choice. Pretty much always a packed house so be prepared to wait an average of 10-15 min for a table. Of course, come at a more off-time (not during prime brunch/lunch/dinner rush, you won't be waiting very long). Food is consistently good. Service is good. Atmosphere is upbeat. read more

Overall, Mel's is pretty average. Food is decent, but nothing spectacular. However, one thing I really like is their Mel's special. For $4.99 ($3.99 if you go before 11am i think), you can get 2 eggs, home fries, toast, and your choice of bacon, ham, or sausage. As a university student, this is a great deal for breakfast (especially if you get it for $3.99), and even lunch if you don't want something too big. read more

Great for late night eats, morning over-sleeps and everything in between. Open 24hrs on the weekends, its situated in the hub of universities in Waterloo. Only downside is that the space is small so when it gets busy (and they do!) there is quite a wait. Love their pancakes and chicken fingers!! Beware of the Godfather... read more

Mel's Diner - Staff hard at work. - Diners Near Me - Waterloo, Ontario

Oh Mel's. If I had checked in every day I've been here, I don't know if anyone would reach my Dukeness. Open 24 hours, this place is located in a great location between both Laurier and UWaterloo. I can say I've only been once after midnight, as I typically come here for breakfast. I don't even use the menu anymore, as the Mel's special (off the menu) with coffee has become my go to. I usually rotate my eggs from soft through hard poached and I've had no complaints. The milk shakes are also delicious, and a nice treat after a night of drinking. Im not sure if this is still a thing, but if you got the special before 9 AM you used to get a discount on the special. Sadly every time I went in the past year was after 10. read more

I thought it was karma when it burnt down after a Cpl experiences and blind-eyes I was told to turn in the kitchen... But it's cheap, so if drunk, or resilient, don't mind your breakfast meats deep-fried to speed up orders and to get the blue from showing on the expired breakfast ham slices; -if they still serve it that way; & re-firing dropped burgers if the chits are flying out the kitchen-line: Mel's Is your Ticket. (*Maybe they upgraded to a proper cooler after the fire *Anybody I love I tell not to eat here in good conscience... Sorry Jerry. I REMEMBER BUDDY ~"I make money by the pennies by the pennies, not the dollars" -For taking rotten edges off the produce x) read more

Stopped by to get breakfast (Mel's Favorite, $6 after tax and tips) on a weekday morning. It felt like the food was prepared very lazily - I can picture the staff dumping potato chunks into the deep fryer and pulling wrinkled sausages out of tubs filled with old lukewarm oil. The breakfast was comparable to the free "continental breakfast" provided at inexpensive chain hotels scattered across this fine nation. I imagine Mel's other offerings are of similar quality. Even though I won't be coming back I don't think Mel's is bad at what it does - it's a diner, and diners don't really promise to deliver outstanding food or service. read more

Food is good better than McDonald's breakfast in America. The food portions are big, but their milkshakes should be bigger in my opinion. Not a big fan of breakfast food so I don't know what else to say. My friends all love it though. Although the service isn't that great most of the time, the waitresses seem so stressed and busy. I mean it's always busy there so good luck hope it doesn't ruin your day though. After all breakfast is the most important meal of the day! read more

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Would not go back, would not recommend. Went on a monday a while ago, took 40 minutes to get a burger and the burger was cold, fries tasted like they came out of the microwave and were tooo over cooked. Took over 20 minutes just to get a refill for my coffee.I sat at the counter and I saw some poor waitress getting yelled at by who I can only assume was the manager or supervisor. The food ended up making me feel sick for the rest of the day. My husband found a piece of steel whool in his meal. Disgusting, bad management , and bad service. read more

Servers are hit and miss. You can get either a really really good and nice friendly server. Or someone very mean and not very good at their job. Food is always good though!!! :) I always get the Mel's favorite. It's basically eggs, bacon, toast, and hash browns for only like $5.... (Hint, it's not on the menu, you need to ask). There's a combo on there that likes $10 that's like the Mel's favorite except it has extra pancakes/toast. read more

The service here was standard, not horrible, but not the best, just fine. The food, however, was so bland. I ordered the shepherd's pie, and it had no taste whatsoever. Not a bad place to go if you want "just fine". read more

Such a cool and fun place to go! The food is good and so is the service. It can get really crowded and getting a table can be a bit of a wait but it's definitely worth it! read more

I have eaten at Mel's many times with friends usually because of the convenience of location and the crave for breakfast foods. The food at Mel's (I have only ever eaten from the breakfast menu) is not bad and priced fairly. The menu has lots of variety with many typical options such as omelettes, pancakes and variations of eggs Benedict. Mel's also has a special menu that has some more interesting picks at certain times of the day. My problem with Mel's is the service. Each time service has gotten worse and worse with its staff being less than friendly. During my last visit my server was rude towards my whole table to the point where I felt this review absolutely necessary. After finishing our meals the server left the machine at our table as we were attempting to pay, to help another customer. Fine, we take no issue with that. We decided to help the server out by typing in our appropriate bills so we could all pay and get the next table in our place. As we finished paying the server rushed to us and demanded that we pay again as the payment "didn't go through". I calmy showed her the receipt and payment yet she rudely insisted that "you have to pay again, otherwise I have to pay for it". Although, it was clear that we did already pay as I showed this on the receipt and my credit statement she insisted that "she didn't care and we had to pay again". I suggested that this was fine, but I would need a refund for the first payment which she refused. After asking to have her manager come and sort this out she changed her message to simple (and be it unprofessional) "whatever, just go I don't have time for this". It's nice to know that you don't have time for me. Thus I do not have time for Mel's Diner. I realize this one server does not represent ALL of the servers at Mel's but this is just the final straw. I sincerely hope the other servers (though I've had other bad ones here) are not like this. If you choose to eat here do not have high expectations. read more

I've had two bad experiences here and 0 good ones. The first time I ate here I was given a glass of water with little CHUNKS OF OLD FOOD floating around in it. Very disgusting and unprofessional in my opinion. The waitress was very nonchalant about it and basically acted like this happened all the time, didn't apologise or offer compensation, simply replaced the water. The second time I ate here my boyfriend and I ordered a milkshake. I did not realise that it came with whipped cream and therefore was unable to drink it. Keep in mind, these milkshakes are like four bucks a piece for a small glass. Nobody commented on the fact that I hadn't touched the milkshake, or asked if our food was OK. Once again, bad customer service. I will not be eating here again. Bottom line: The food here is OK but overpriced & nothing special and the customer service SUCKS. read more

I've been to Mel's many times for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Do not come here expecting a quick meal, even when it's not their peak hours. The service has never once been enjoyable, with servers often forgetting drinks or sides I ordered and often disappearing for long periods of time. I don't think that the food justifies the wait or the service, but it does the trick if you're willing to wait a while for a traditional breakfast read more

I was craving some tasteless food one weekend, and decided to head to Mel's. I ordered a burger and some fries, and told the waitress to wait an hour before serving my food. Needless to say, after waiting an hour for a plate of unappetizing food, I decided to leave a generous tip. You don't see many diners these days that still uphold the quality of food and service these days like Mel's. While most would say that diners provide an emotional connection between omnivore and roadkill, Mel's serves up the equivalent emotional connection of a quick hand job in a Walmart toilet from a middle-aged shelf stacker named Rhonda in exchange for half a packet of Marlboro lights. I would definitely recommend Mel's to friends who have had their taste buds removed, and perhaps will one day return when I feel the need to waste 3 hours of my weekend. read more

Meh, I don't get the big deal over this place. Ordered the Mel's "special" breakfast (toast, eggs, taters, and a side dish) with a milkshake and it came to $10. It may sound okay to some but that was one of the most mediocre dishes I've ever had; certainly not worth $10. Buy yourself some eggs and fancy bread and you'll be much more satisfied. read more

Food was okay, but service was bad. The waitress forgot about our coffee and never came to our area of the restaurant until 30 minutes later when our food finally arrived. She didn't even notice drinks were missing until we reminded her. I'd been here a few times and I really like the atmosphere but my boyfriend was so pissed at the service that he was ready to walk out. I would probably only return for the $4 breakfast special in the future. read more

Been to Mel's for breakfast twice over the past month and I used to visit almost every month when I lived closer to it. Their new cinnamon roll pancakes are AMAZING and if you're looking to get some savoury flavour for breakfast, you can get any one of their entrées and top it off with some sweet pancakes :D read more

Came for a late night dinner after an exhausting exam on Sunday. I got my usual, the fish and chips, but today the dough on the fish was a bit soggy and the fish was just not as good. It just didn't taste right. The sweet potato fries on the other hand was awesome tho, especially when it's dipped in the special sauce that they give you. This place is good when there are not as many ppl, but when it's crowded the quality drops slightly. Come try this place when it's not as busy. read more

Great food and atmosphere. Waitresses were extremely friendly. Service is really slow though

Mel's is a place where I have a love-hate relationship. I like the food but the service just frustrates me at times. The ambiance has its charm. It feels like a time capsule back to the '50s. Posters from movies of that era are plastered on the wall. Tunes blasting Elvis, Little Richard & Buddy Holly from the jukebox serves as entertainment during your meal. The service on the other hand is a mixed bag. It appears Mel's is chronically understaffed. There are times where I would get immediately seated and other times where I wasn't acknowledged while I was waiting to be seated. Placing an order is usually swift and efficient. Expect a 15 to 20 minute wait for your order. My go to meal is the All Day Breakfast ($4 before 11 am). A decent plate with choice of meat, 2 eggs, fries and 2 pieces of toast. There is also an extensive menu filled diner standards. At the end of your meal, you get a piece of Hubba Bubba. Pretty nice if you ask me! read more

Great service. The Good Morning Burger was delicious, especially that I couldn't make up my mind between fried eggs or a burger, this has both!!! Also the french fries are awesome. We also got a Double Bubble with the bill :) read more

Great service, reasonable prices, nice old-timey diner feel. Went there for a coffee and a Belgian waffle and was not disappointed in the slightest. read more

Great little diner. Good prices. Their breakfast specials are very tasty.

Went there with my friend for lunch. Taken to be seated then completely be forgotten. People after us were served already but we weren't even given the menu. Left the restaurant with huge disappointment. Another nice server came after and apologized for that and offered free meals but I refused that. Thought I would give only 1 star but two for that nice server! Thumb up! read more

Food was amazing as usual. Portions are good depending on the price you pay. However, the last time I visited, I asked for an orange juice but it didn't come with a straw, when my friends had straws for their drinks. I had asked the waitress for a straw and waited just enough that the food had come out, which took 20ish minutes, and when I got the straw I said finally to my friends. The waitress overheard me and said "did you just say finally" I responded with yes I did. She then replied and said we'll you could've gotten it yourself. I work in the hospitality industry and that is no way to treat a customer. A worker should never talk back like that to a customer. I think her name is Amanda and I don't think she should be serving people with such attitude. Even if a customer makes a comment an employee should never act out in such way because it ruins the reputation of the establishment. read more

Came here and ordered a pancake breakfast along with a burger. The service was pretty slow. On top of that, they screwed up the scrambled eggs. From the way the scrambled eggs looked, it looks like they poured the eggs in the pan, and forgot to scramble it. Then they just took the disk of cooked eggs out of the pan and cut it into rectangles. Everything else we ordered was fine. However a restaurant that specializes in breakfast should not be messing up scrambled eggs that bad - I do not see myself ever coming back. read more

Okay, let me start off by saying that when Mel's FIRST opened up a few years back, it was honestly really good. However, in recent years (specifically 2015-2016)... their service especially has gone downhill. The waitresses always seem annoyed/are rude because they clearly don't care, and they take forever to seat you, even if there are seats available. Also, every time I have gotten a burger, it's been REALLY burnt (like completely black). I will no longer be coming to Mel's unless they get their ISH together. read more

We had breakfast in Mel's Diner. The food is good and the waitress is nice, but it takes almost an hour for us to get the food. The restaurant was very busy but still, one hour is a long time. I would suggest you to go if you're not in a hurry, but if you are, don't go. read more

Took 45 min to get food. Food was burnt and fries were terrible. Avoid at all costs if you are interested in getting half decent food and service. read more

I try to avoid Mels on Saturday & Sunday mornings as it has become the go-to spot for hungover brunch. However no line/wait time will keep me away from their $4 burger specials. On Mondays, a basic burger (bun + patty + lettuce + tomato + onions + pickles) is only 4$. You can pay for additional toppings such as cheese, bacon, guacamole etc. Fries are another $1.99. Thus for about $6 after tax & tip, you can enjoy a delicious juicy burger! read more

Average diner food, nothing on the menu stands out particularly. Service is good though and is extremely busy on weekends around breakfast and brunch time. read more

honestly one of the worst places in the plaza imo after going here on several occasions in the past couple years, i can definitely say that they haven't fixed their problems one bit. for food that is surprisingly not half bad, it's everything else about the place that brings it down to a 1.5 or 2. -waitresses literally forget about your existence -waitresses are also pretty bitchy -prices are on the higher end for plaza food -service is slow af, one time they waited 15 minutes before letting us know they ran out of that dish -food is decent, portion size is ok read more

The place is either hit or miss. Either the food is cold and service is horrible or the food is mediocre and the service is good. I had a piece of hair in one of my sandwiches once and the server would not even reimburse me for my meal. read more

Pretty standard diner food with unique interior design and layout.

This place is super popular among students... but honestly don't het the hype. The Pancakes are amazing but honestly the only thing that's worth it. Its always packed so the service is quite slow. Today we ordered the hungry mel and it came at a reasonable time. Three of us shared that and Florentine benedict, it was quite a lot of food that came to less than $30 for three people. After we finished the hungry mel, the florentine took quite a while to arrive at our table though we ordered all the food at once. On top of that, they brought the wrong order out. Fixing the order took only a couple minutes tho read more

I was glad that they rebuilt this restaurant and I am just as glad that it is as good if not better than before. I had the Eggs Benedict without cheese for 9.99, which is 2 English muffins each with grilled ham, poached egg and hollandaise sauce. It came with a generous amount of home fries. It was very good and I recommend it to those who have not tried it. I saw my friend's Shepherd's pie and saw that it was beef not lamb, but that's normal in restaurant's these days. I think that looked decent. However on a whole the food served here is above par and I heard there burgers are also worth a try. Service is quick and friendly and atmosphere is fun and interesting. Prices are mostly reasonable, and definitely worth it. read more

Great food (in terms of taste and cost) and atmosphere, but the service is almost nonexistent. The waitresses would rather chat with each other than serve their customers. read more

Awesome place to spend the Saturday morning with friends! classic brunch place I'd say, nothing too special but just the way it should be.