Easily my favorite spot in Yakima. Great service and good food, I always order breakfast in one form or another and its always made fast. Steak tips and eggs, country fried steak whatever... Its all good. There are other "breakfast" spots in this town but top to bottom mels is the best. Never had a bad experience here in over twenty visits in the last 6 months. Make that 50 visits in the past 15 months. read more

Mel's Diner - Nice place - Diners Near Me - Yakima, Washington

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Decor is replica 1950's which was way cool. The carpets were filthy and/or worn. Our food came out rather quickly. The dinner salad was a bowl of lettuce, condiments were "cheap" or generic, not quality. I was disappointed in the pastrami sandwich. The pastrami was an obvious formed meat and was tough and dry. read more

Great food loved the chicken fried steak. Can't believe the soup came in a bowl instead of cup. Big portions great for the value.

The table was dirty as well as everything else like menus, condiments, walls, chairs, etc were grimy. The food was edible and good I guess but nothing great. I haven't gone back since that first time. Maybe they were just having a bad day. But I won't be back. read more

Great little place to go. I have been many times, now, and everything has been really good, no matter what I order. So many great comfort foods. The staff is always friendly and cheerful. And I just love the old-school decor and vibe. Extra kudos for the biscuits and gravy, btw. And they let me mix the chocolate and cherry in a milkshake, one time... Totally, just like chocolate covered cherries! read more

This was/still is one of my favorite local haunts when I used to live in Yakima. When I think of back home, Mel's Diner is on my mind. Seattle's Lucky's Diner reminded me of Mel's. When visiting Yakima, this is the place to come for some good diner food. Sorry, Five Point Cafe' (in Seattle), but Mel's is better by a long shot when it comes to food and service. Take it from me, a former Yakima resident. Ate at Mel's for many years. read more

Don't let the bad reviews turn you away from this place. They were fast and prompt, always attentive to our table and we almost passed this place up for Backwoods but they wouldn't seat us and then helped the family after us first so we came to Mel's. No regrets! Barebones breakfast just like most 50's diners but it was delicious and filling. Had the steak tips and eggs and I'm pretty sure I got more steak than their 9oz. read more

This place obviously uses the cheapest ingredients available and while at first look you might like the fun decor, a closer look reveals a very dirty and grimy restaurant. Bathrooms were sickeningly gross. Not sure if the floors have ever been mopped. Waitress was nice but the first words out of her mouth was criticizing the lady who sat us. "She's new," because she didn't instantly bring us water.will never ever return here. read more

We were passing thru Yakima Wa on a Friday at lunchtime...the better half suggested Mel's Diner, coming South on hwy 82 take exit 31b to 314 1st street, pass up red lobster, keep going it's on the right...and bring your appetite with ya! Service is great, ask for Marion...food is cooked the way You like it, it's hot and there's plenty of it! You'll enjoy the 50s decor too! I had the rare beef tips w/sauted mushrooms, a baker, buttery corn he had 3 piece fried chicken, crispy outside and moist and done to the bone! them mashed taters are whipped up perfect and smothered in the tastiest gravy, the side salad was fresh and crisp but not to much! We could hear others around us complain how full they were and how zdelicious their food was....the food came quick so don't doddle on the soup or salad...they serve coke products but don't hold that against'em! We shared a piece of coconut cream pie which is made special by a 3rd party just for Mels... read more

Mel's Diner - Beef Tips w/Baked Potato and corn - Diners Near Me - Yakima, Washington

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The bathrooms were nasty and the ladies room needed a lot of attention. We were seated and the man was not friendly at all. A snail had more personality then this gentleman. Our server was wonderful but the restaurant needed a general cleaning including cleaning the carpet. It looks good on the outside but a different story on the inside. I had heard how wonderful this restaurant was I had just picked up my Sister from the airport and she wanted a hamburger and heard this place was the place for an out of the world hamburger. The hamburger was the driest hamburger in the world and the next. If you want to dine in a place that uses duct tape to hold their tables together by all means eat here. I checked out and told the gentleman to have a good day. He had his head down and said nothing. If I want to be abused I will go back. NOT! Not if the place was the last one to eat in. read more

The diner was clean and waitress was very friendly. Enjoyed the ambience of the diner but was disappointed in the food. I was not very hungry and ordered a small dinner salad which consisted of iceberg lettuce, afew thin shavings of carrots, and a bunch of croutons. It had no taste to it. read more

I would give 5 stars but just ate there for the first time in over a year and the steak tips and eggs suck now. The steak is tough and just not good. But I will continue to support this place even though they ruined my all time favorite breakfast. read more

Great restaurant, food is tops and price is good. Highly recommend the steak tips, pancakes are light and fluffy, waffles are just right, great service too. read more

perhaps the breakfasts and shakes are good? But if you are driving through and are looking for a half way decent meal this isn't the place to go.... read more

We visited this restaurant from a great review we read on YELP. Unfortunately the review wasn't as accurate as our tastes. The service was S...L...O...W and there was an annoying customer who kept yelling at her children and no one seemed to care. No one asked her to lower her voice, her children were running all over and even leaning over booths and bothering customers. The management failed to calm the customer down and ask her for politeness to the other customers. I had a french dip sandwich which I asked for extra swiss cheese on. The sandwich came with no swiss cheese and when I asked for some cheese, she went back and the cook put a slice of processed swiss on the sandwich. It wasn't reheated or melted at all. The atmosphere was old and dreary. There were regulars who the servers tended to quicker than other guests. During the visit we had a cup of coffee and it was never refilled. I would more than likely not go to this restaurant again. read more

Mel's Diner - Diners Near Me - Yakima, Washington

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Wife and I stopped in this morning to have breakfast. Was seated quickly and given a glass of water with menu. It took almost 20 more min. before our waitress took our order. We ordered eggs Benedict with hash browns extra crispy. When we got our order the hash browns were crispy on the outside but almost raw in the middle. The eggs Benedict was mainly a boiled egg and the hollandaise sauce was more like wall paper paste. This was definetly NOT your traditional Eggs Benedict. Was very displeased with the food, definitely will eat at other places from now on. read more

Back on October 5th, my wife and I went to meals for diner. We went because it was my birthday, and meals advertises free steak for your birthday. That is why we went there. I have ate the before and food and service was good. But on this day it was very disappointing. We arrived and was seated right away, got water and menus. But after that we totally ignored we waited for over 20 mins and not help. I justered to two waitresses but still ignored. So we got up and left. What seen when I was being ignored, all waitresses standing a round and talking to people at counter. All tables had there food. There was five tables with customers and three people at counter. Two of them were leaving and the other was only having coffee. It was 4:00 in afternoon not that busy. Very disappointed in service. Had to somewhere else for dinner. read more

I was there on weekday night, when it clearly said on the door that last order was at 10:30 and the restaurant closed at 11. I was there at 10:14 and the doors were closed and no one would open the door. If you don't want to abide by your posted hours, don't post hours in the first place!!! read more

Do NOT order the country fried steak!! Horrible, horrible, horrible. Our waitress was great though

The service and food is great, the prices are decent. It's a fun atmosphere and a large variety on the kids menu-perfect for a finicky toddler. The prices are a bit much for some things like soda, but the food is decent priced, cooked great and good portions. read more

Went here late on a Sunday morning, it wasn't nearly as crowded as I would have expected. The food was decent but our server left an impression on me that the establishment can never mitigate. So admittedly my bf and I may be slightly nerdy and took a board game to play while passing the time. Regardless the waitress was mean, never smiled and made it clear she was displeased (probably with life in general). She was so intimidating the people seated next to us a few minutes later waited to see who their waitress was before opening their menu and we all joked about how lucky they were when they got someone else. I had ordered hash browns with my meal and she brought the ketchup and Tabasco but never the hash browns, she was so intimidating I was scared to ask for them!!! We ended up speaking to the manger, something I have never done in a negative way.... So the food is good and all the other servers seemed really nice so don't write the place off....just hope you don't get the old battle axe read more

Not a bad place. Love stopping here for a club sandwich when I drive through Yakima. The bathrooms, however, are ultra-nasty. Do yourself a favor and just dook in your pants. It's not as gross that way. read more

We had like 18 people coming but they handled it! Our food came out quick. Service was awesome.

Pretty typical greasy spoon. I've had better and I've had worse. Not particularly familiar with good breakfast spots in Yakima.

This is my favorite breakfast restaurant in Yakima, and I come here often. Their country gravy is homemade and delicious, as are their hashbrowns. Definitely not the pre-packaged garbage that you get at denny's. It can be on the pricier side for breakfast, but well worth it in my opinion. Give it a try for breakfast, you won't be disappointed! read more

This was one of the two breakfast places recommended to us by our hotel. It's a small neighborhood cafe with friendly waitstaff. I had the belgium waffle breakfast with eggs and bacon. the waffle and bacon were great. the egg was a little overcooked. Nothing about this diner really stood out but it seems to be a great place to get a good breakfast at a reasonable price. The service was quick , even on a busy morning so that was a plus. I recommend Mel;s for breakfast in Yakima. read more

Has the air of that classic diner, with the food to match. I had the sausage gravy with biscuits, eggs, and hashbrowns. The quality and quantity are well worth the visit, and the price is what you would expect from any good diner. The sausage gravy and biscuits were fantastic; the biscuits smothered with a sausage gravy that had a complex , but well balanced flavor with just a hint of a bite. The hashbowns were equally good when mixed with over medium eggs. All in all well worth the visit. read more

The restaurant is quaint and reminiscent of diners in the 1950s. The food above average and so is the service, both could use improvements. I would recommend this restaurant without reservation. read more

Stopped in for breakfast, undercooked eggs and browns only cooked on one side and greasy and raw potatoes. Not worth the time. read more

My hubby and I finished shopping so late that this was all that was left beside the standard chain restaurants so we landed at Mel's one of our favorite Sunday places to dine. You can always count on good diner food at Mel's and some really great people. This week we ordered onion rings for our appetizer and they were just dandy, some of the best that I have had. For our main course my hubby had breakfast (toast, ham, hashbrowns & eggs), I tried a bite of everything on his plate. It was all good, again GREAT diner food. I had a bacon burger, the bacon was crispy just the way I like it but the blond, pushy waitress was too worried about the way I wanted it. Dry, DRY, I like my burgers dry, ok? Pickles and a little mustard then eat the tomatoes on the side, it wasn't dry at all. I was served a great burger, the meat was not too thick, I am heart healthy and want a burger but NOT a bunch of fat especially if I am going to add bacon - it wasn't greasy and it wasn't too thick. My fries were crispy and hot - delightful. The ketchup is the HUGE downer. What the heck is MONARCH ketchup? It's icky. It is made with high fructose corn syrup and tastes just nasty so I took my fries home, the only smart thing I could do. Overall, we had great food and service and finished the night with blueberry pie ala'mode, the pie was good and the ice cream was standard. We had fun at Mel's for our 1st anniversary, I enjoy looking at the whole diner scene presented here and the 50's feel and music plus I love the collectible items. Great place to be if it's late, yet you still want the full meal deal with a nice selection. Of course, I will be back maybe on Sunday even. They serve some of the best aromatic coffee in town. read more

Something happened at Mel's Dinner! Chicken fried steak was horrible. It was like steak was taken out of the box and soaked in grease. Went to go pay and I could see employees preparing food chewing Gum. Totally unprofessional. Poor GMP'S! read more

A favorite of mine for some time. I love the attentive service and the food is exactly what one would expect from a diner. I would recommend this place based on the service and speed with which everything is attended. The place is well kept read more

Good food friendly staff, great environment would recommend it to anybody looking for a nice hearty breakfast.

I have been back to mel's 3 times since the previous post and I have to say they have gone WAAAAAAAY down hill, I will not be eating here again! (no substitutions for anything???...uh, talk about shooting yourself in the foot) I am utterly disappointed with Mel's read more

Great home cooked food! We had a party of 13. Service was impressive! They were fast attentive and sweet! We will be back for sure!! Highly recommend!!! read more

A new low. The biscuit was tiny and the consistency of a dinner roll. Chicken fried steak was thin n burnt. Gravy salty n tasted like a mix. It's Saturday morning. You should have your best out today. From now on if I'm stuck coming here with a group, I'll stick with pancakes. They do pancakes well. I'm over this place. read more

My partner and I came for breakfast. Service was fast and efficient if not abrupt and impersonal. And everything came out on separate dishes not together. But was filling. We came for food and that's what we got. :) read more

I'm not a huge fan of these "50's themed " diners.....and now I'm SURE of it. Ick.....I would have turned around at the door, which was all faded and nasty and looked like it hadn't been cleaned in 50 years, but we were on a motorcycle road trip and were REALLY hungry. We were seated promptly by a waitress who also looked like she hadn't been dusted in 50 years... In fact all the staff looked like they had been working there WAY too long, and couldn't care less. The food was decent, but a big part of a restaurant is the service, and between the dull staff, garish shiny interior, and sketchy looking customers, I would avoid this place if you have any taste at all! read more

I just had the grilled ham and cheese, it was delicious. Mind you, anything grilled tends to be on the delicious side. I can't speak for the rest of the menu but if you want to see the friendliest waitresses in Yakima, go to Mel's. read more

Definitely eat here! I love the biscuits and gravy. I love the chicken fried steak. The wait staff and chef are very polite and quick. You will never regret how much you spend here for a sit down dinner! This place has a classic 50's theme and is open when other places close for extra holidays. The restrooms are clean. There is a ton of parking available. It is great to have a meal without being rushed! read more