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Mel's Drive In

3.1 (1.2k reviews)
Open • 7:00 am - 11:00 pm

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Mel's Drive In American Restaurant Photos

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MEL'S DRIVE IN ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Touristy
Casual
Moderate noise
Happy hour specials

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Recommended Reviews - Mel's Drive In

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Alex R.

Service took awhile, given there weren't many people in the diner at the time of our visit. Food was exactly what you'd expect at a diner. Setup was pretty cool though. We liked the vintage touches and retro feel.

Corned beef hash, eggs florentine and curly fries
Jason L.

Came here after seeing this place on Addie Bowley's video and decided to give it a try, considering the historic value. The first thing I noticed was the retro looking outside of the diner. I liked the complementary valet service as well, as the area doesn't have alot of private lots. The interior was also extremely retro and the jukeboxes on each booth only added to the cool experience. The food was not bad, not the best diner food I have ever had but definitely solid. The curly fries were really good though, I would say it definitely might be one of the better ones out there. The jukebox on our booth was either broken or the number system was broken or something. We just wanted our Christmas in May but we had to settle for the beach boys. Overall, great experience!

Take us back to
Wendolyn M.

I wish I cud say something better... But all was well.. until i trusted the young lady "any shake can be vegan" I should have questioned her more as there is only one in the menu from "Arnold's protein shake" that says chocolate plant based..... to say the least.... She ruined my trip.... She was not honest and I am lactose tolerant and no NOT ALL shakes can be made lactose free.... The only reason why I even changed it to a shake was because the Dr Pepper we order were flat and not much flavor.... The burgers we all liked. Will not go back..... is a no to me. The restaurant is connected to the Hollywood Museum... I thought that was pretty cool.

Carol R.

We were in the area doing some sightseeing and my friend, who lives in LA, wanted to try the iconic diner. I think the parking area next to the eatery is complimentary, but I am not sure because we parked in a lot that allowed us a few hours to stroll the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The restaurant definitely has the diner feel, decor, jukebox, and menu. Our three entrees included the tuna salad on a bed of lettuce, the French dip, and the Southern fried chicken. The accompanying fries were thin and crispy and addictive. Everything else was mediocre. The chicken was well seasoned but left a weird taste in my mouth. There was a herb I couldn't pinpoint that was not pleasing to my palate. The service was excellent. Prices are steep. My chicken meal was almost $30. The other meals were close to $20 each. With tax and tip, the bill was almost $90.

Creole Fried Chicken Sandwhich
Jessika S.

Ambiance was fine, service seemed fake-friendly. The food was to be expected. Just ok and overpriced. Didn't feel the magic this time at all.

Kim H.

Iconic Diner! Been here multiple times for the aesthetic and for the collabs that they have. Vegan Lana del Rey shake is my go to! Okay so food: It is your typical diner food, nothing too special just think local burgers, fries, etc. In terms of price, I think it is way to expensive for what it is but you are paying for the name brand rather than the product. Lots of seating and the times I have gone it is open seating. Service is fast and pretty friendly. I believe they are opened 24/7 so if you go late pls tip well! Some of the waiters look very tired. Rating: 8/10

SM Orange Juice
Adrian F.

Mel's is the Hollywood Walk of Fame for people who actually eat. The only place where your hangover, your breakfast, and your movie dreams can all sit at the same table. If Hollywood had a diner, this would be it -- and it does, it's Mel's. Neon lights, chrome stools, and the ghosts of every tourist who's ever ordered a milkshake here still hovering by the jukebox. I came in for breakfast, but let's be honest -- you don't come to Mel's Drive-In for eggs and toast. You come because this place is iconic. The moment you step in, it's like time travel -- 1950s aesthetics, movie magic, and a vibe so unapologetically American it should come with a side of Elvis. The coffee? Jet fuel. The pancakes? Pillow-soft perfection. The bacon? Crispy enough to resurrect your faith in breakfast. I've had brunches in Beverly Hills that charged triple and tasted half as good. The Service: friendly, fast, and with just the right amount of Hollywood chaos. My waitress moved like she'd done this before Sinatra could drive, and still managed to smile while dealing with a table of influencers trying to film their omelets. Respect. Mel's has been feeding L.A. since 1947, when cars were steel, burgers were sacred, and selfies weren't a thing. The Highland location is a cinematic landmark -- right down the street from the Hollywood Bowl, where you can practically smell movie history with your hash browns. American Graffiti helped immortalize it, and the neon sign still hums with nostalgia and grease. Coffee so strong it could jumpstart a Tesla. You come for the food, stay for the people-watching, and leave questioning your life choices in a good way. Mel's Drive-In is a slice of old-school L.A. that refuses to die -- and thank God for that. It's loud, it's shiny, it's gloriously tacky, and the food hits harder than a Marvel reboot. You don't just eat here -- you time travel. If diners had Oscars, Mel's would sweep every category.

Bomb Breakfast Burrito
Stevo O.

This completes my venture to all the Mel's Drive In restaurants in Los Angeles County. I have to say, this location seems to be the most iconic, as there's a Hollywood Museum right next door and double doors leading to the museum through Mel's! The parking is pay parking, but is validated by the restaurant. Because I was doing takeout, I was able to park for free. The food is always good at all of the locations and the service for takeout excellent. A special incentive for Santa Monica and Sherman Oaks locations is earning flight points through United and possibly other Dining Club members. I've only had breakfast at the locations, but would bet Dinner is busier and probably more savory and exotic entrees available.

Strawberry Milkshake
Michelle M.

If you're visiting Hollywood you should definitely check out this historic diner. One that transports you to the past to Americas classic era of milkshakes, burgers, and jukeboxes. You instantly feel surrounded by the 50s era with the staff wearing full diner uniforms. I recommend trying a classic burger and milkshake with fries.

Mimosa me PLEASE
Spring G.

Mimosa five dollars in the heart of Hollywood . Parking in back and in area ! Vibe is mellow and touristy ! Fries are akinny and seasoned YUM

Only took a picture of the Short Rib Nachos
Liza C.

Mel's is just an iconic restaurant you have to try, but when you do- You don't ever need to again. We came for a late night dinner m. We were seated immediately. Server was attentive and friendly. Food is mediocre at best. The meats have no flavoring. A few of the meals we had were the jalapeño burger, short rib nachos, patty melt and chili cheese fries. Everything lacked flavor, but the portions were pretty generous.

Sarah S.

I'm a Mel's Drive In fan and this location is also awesome. The neon sign outside? Iconic. This location is right off Hollywood Blvd and I haven't ever had a wait. So if you need somewhere way better than fast food to dine while in the area, it's a good option. And it's good diner vibes for days! Some people played Otis Redding and I was bopping Sitting on the Dock of the Bay while chowing down. One of the best songs of all time playing while I munched away was heaven. Total diner vibes. Plus they have a parking lot, a rarity in Hollyweird for sure. Staff was kinda slow but it's a diner so you shouldn't come here to rush. They were very friendly though and incredibly attentive, hellos, goodbyes and friendly banter. Now the food is great at Mel's! It's pretty consistent across locations and the menu is huge. I'm not going to say I was sober here and the options were so plentiful that I was having a hard time deciding. But, I went with breakfast for dinner and had an amazing omelette which I'll recommend called "Steven's Favorite"...I hope it's some Steven I like. It had ham, avocado, cheese and a bit of sour cream on top with hash browns, really tasty and ended up making 3 meals for me. It was a huge portion but I like Steven's style and would get it again. My friend loved his chicken & waffles, as well. I'm always out and about around Hollywood so I'm glad to know this is a viable, no wait option for dinner. I'll obviously be back --- but when the adjoining Hollywood Museum is open!

Veggie Omlette
Tika D.

Mel's has a classic diner vibe with counter seating and booths. Service for breakfast was great. Coffee cup kept filled throughout the meal and food arrived quickly. I ordered the veggie omelette with hash browns. The portion size was perfect, the omelette was packed with mushrooms, zucchini, squash and red bell pepper.

Inside glimpse of the diner area

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15 days ago

Such great food and our waitress Kimberly was wonderful! Lots of options for everyone, including some vegan ones super awesome place

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Mel's Drive In Reviews in Other Languages

Ask the Community - Mel's Drive In

Looking to see if there's anything vegan?

Besides a couple of the salads and probably a few sides, i did not see any thing much that are vegan. However, they do offer vegetarian options or you can sans the cheese if you want to go that route.

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Clark Street Diner - blueberry pancake, 7-20-2023

Clark Street Diner

4.0(391 reviews)
0.9 mi•Hollywood Hills
•$$

Food: fantastic Ambiance: true OG Hollywood because…read more.. Service: the OG's servers are phenomenal! Hit it hard with tons of people and a big menu. All the greatness of the hallowed space they now occupy!! Killer coffee and the bread is great. Thanks Clark street for taking care of the neighbors and neighborhood. A special shout out to Ebony who has been amazing for almost 13-14 years of great service ! Thank you! Glad Clark street is here!

First of all let me start off by saying I have been to Cafe 101 several times over the years. Now…read moreit's the Clark Street diner. First thing I look at is cleanliness. Check that box off here. Very clean. So far so good. Menu was a tad limited. Not a lot of choices. Waitress suggested a secret menu item " The Patty Melt" Wife requested it be cooked medium. Me, I ordered Medium rare. Patty Melts showed up. Well, Well, Well done. Patty melt had onions and special sauce. Was a surprise to me. You would think that with a limited menu the cook would be really good at making a hamburger. And yes I certainly could have done a better job. Was a cook at a high volume restaurant for years and neither of these burgers would have gone out of our kitchen. Had actual pride in what we put out. Very disappointing visit. The 101 was pretty good. Clark Street not so much. Won't be returning here. Overpriced, Overcooked and just plain old disappointing. BTW- It was not busy at all. This was my experience on our visit. Your may be different.

Photos
Clark Street Diner - The Counter

The Counter

Clark Street Diner - Challah bread French Toast, Thick bacon (3pcs) and Breakfast Sausage (2pcs).

Challah bread French Toast, Thick bacon (3pcs) and Breakfast Sausage (2pcs).

Clark Street Diner - Perfect coffee!

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Perfect coffee!

Pann's Restaurant - Chicken 2 piece dark meat and waffle

Pann's Restaurant

4.2(1.9k reviews)
8.7 mi•Westchester
•$$

I heard about Pann's Restaurant from a You Tube video I saw with Charles Phoenix. To visit Pann's…read moreis like stepping back in time. Take the time to admire the architecture, inside and out, to truly capture the experience. The staff here is warm and welcoming and we were given a booth to the side where we can see everyone coming and going. It is obvious that the customers return to Pann's for more than just the food. The come for the experience. We ordered mimosas, salmon croquettes, chicken fried steak, omelettes, and biscuits. Everything in our order was first rate. I really became full on the nostalgia down to the vintage clock and tiles on the wall. To me, almost everyone dining here looked like a film star. Perhaps it was because they were made to feel special and they glowed. Enjoy your visit!

This is one of the best breakfast and brunch spots in the city. Like the chicken is amazing, as…read morewell as the waffles. The waffles has this butterscotch type of flavor. I mean yum yum, no cap. The chicken was juicy and succulent. A must try. Moving along with the service. The ambiance is great. Every time I go I always have a good experience. One time I meet the owner and he was very down to earth and cool. Overall I approve this joint. If you're in the city you have to stop by and get some of this good food.

Photos
Pann's Restaurant - View from the counter

View from the counter

Pann's Restaurant - French toast Combo FrenchToast (2)

French toast Combo FrenchToast (2)

Pann's Restaurant - Front of diner

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Front of diner

Swingers Diner - This was $10 lol. I wish I had seen this before leaving.

Swingers Diner

3.7(1.4k reviews)
2.3 mi•Beverly Grove
•$$

Tl;dr; this is a vibe restaurant. This is a late night restaurant. This is a rare gem at the right…read moretime in the morning.... This is the type of place you go because you live nearby, you like retro decor, or it's really late at night. I've been living here for about four months and I just found out that this place is open till 3 AM... there's only a couple other places open that late around here, norms, and Mel's with our I honestly find quite confusing. The waitress on the morning I was in, had an excellent alternative Gothic vibe; I could tell she knew things, I could tell she's seen things... and as a literal fire truck sirens screams by in the intersection next to where I'm at; I am reminded this is the city... I live really close to here so I'm going to be back. Not necessarily because the food blew me away, but because I live walking distance. The sausage and eggs were on point. The pancakes were a bit doughy, but ask for me next time I'll just try the French toast... and maybe I'll put on a record; Tarantino get your heart out... three stars on the food, extra star for the wait staff and the service...

Interesting cafe, definitely one of those places you need to visit once or multiple times in your…read morelifetime. It's street parking, so it can be a short journey to the restaurant. The menu is packed full of choices to select from. The turkey club is packed full of goodness and served with fries, onion rings, or mac salad. The onion rings are the premier choice though. The staff is constantly hustling taking care of hungry diners and clearing tables for the next round of diners. You can go wrong visiting this restaurant.

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Swingers Diner - Cool diner vibe. No problem getting a table on a Tuesday at noonish.

Cool diner vibe. No problem getting a table on a Tuesday at noonish.

Swingers Diner - ALMOND MILK LATTE

ALMOND MILK LATTE

Swingers Diner - Menu as of September 2025 (p. 5)

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Menu as of September 2025 (p. 5)

Teddy's Cafe - Steak and eggs

Teddy's Cafe

4.1(552 reviews)
8.1 mi•Sawtelle
•$$

Casual attire, casual dining. I absolutely loved this…read moreplace! It brings you back in time to that inviting, comfortable, cozy feel. It was busy but the service is still fast (so be ready to order, etc., they dont play around! Lol) the staff are very quick and accommodating. Seems like this is a family owned business, loved everyone we interacted with. Warm & welcoming. Say "yes" to the coffee they serve when you first sit down. Brought me back the days with my grandparents and parents. It was good ole fashion coffee. Yumm. The food was delicious!! From now on, this will definitely be a regular "go to" spot when we are in the area. So happy we stumbled across this place, ended our Valentine's weekend so perfectly. Simple & Sweet.

I didn't realize that I had never posted a review of Teddy's! We don't go often, but we have been…read moregoing to Teddy's on occasion when we travel to the west side to go to Santa Monica College, for years. We've gone twice in the last few weeks, and it's as good as ever. Teddy's is an old school home style cafe/diner on Bundy and Pico. It actually is a community landmark where locals congregate and hang out. The other plus is that they are Spanish-language friendly. Ambiance is cozy, friendly and homey and service is great! Menu includes standard diner fare, comfort food. We've recently had the open faced hot turkey sandwich with gravy and mashed potatoes, which was good, and we enjoyed it. The next time JJ had a bowl of split pea soup, which was excellent! He also had the tuna sandwich, which he enjoyed as well, but said it was a little on the dry side. I ended up deciding on breakfast at 5 pm in the afternoon--- combo with pancakes, eggs over easy and sausages. It was so good! I thoroughly enjoyed it. The pancakes were steaming hot and fluffy and the sausages were really plump and juicy. Excellent. Recommended, if you're in the area---give Teddy's a try. Cash only, but there is an ATM inside. Parking lot always has plenty of parking.

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Teddy's Cafe - Inside

Inside

Teddy's Cafe - Up close and personal with the inside of a piece of fried Fish

Up close and personal with the inside of a piece of fried Fish

Teddy's Cafe

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House of Pies - Delicious strawberry cream pie - only $12.95!

House of Pies

3.5(2.3k reviews)
2.7 mi•Los Feliz
•$$

Their desserts are always fabulous. I had the Dutch apple pie à la mode and my friend had the…read morestrawberry cream pie. She finished it before I thought of taking a photo of it. She enjoyed her shrimp fry, tomato soup, and salad. The chicken fettuccine pesto pasta was very flavorful and the clam chowder is one of the best I've had. I had not been here in a while, and I'm glad the food remains as good as ever. Thank you to Javier our server for being so attentive and courteous. Your recommendations were on point.

Went to House of Pies on Vermont for the first time after craving a slice of pie, and unfortunately…read moreit was a huge disappointment. My husband and I arrived just before 9 PM on a Wednesday night. The parking lot was almost full, which we took as a good sign. We were told to seat ourselves, given menus, and a busboy kindly brought us water. After that, we were completely ignored for about 10-15 minutes. No server came by to take our order until we had to flag someone down ourselves. It became clear that the two servers had both assumed the other person was taking care of our table. We ordered a slice of the Bavarian Chocolate Banana Cream pie and a slice of pecan pie. Surprisingly, it took quite a while for just two slices of pie to come out. When the pecan pie finally arrived, it was extremely hot, almost as if it had been microwaved too long. It had practically melted onto the plate, and the pecans had a rubbery texture that made it seem reheated. Once it cooled enough to eat without burning your mouth, the flavor itself was mediocre at best. The Bavarian Chocolate Banana Cream pie was somehow even worse. It tasted old, like it had been sitting refrigerated for days. The whipped cream around the edges was overly firm and bordering on dry. The only hint of "chocolate" was the faint beige-brown tint of the filling. On top of that, it had enormous chunks of banana that left literal holes in the filling when removed. Even the crust felt like an afterthought. We took a few bites, asked for the check, and left. For a place called House of Pies, this being our first impression, they may want to consider rebranding to just "House."

Photos
House of Pies - Strawberry Belgium Waffle is my absolute favorite! Sweet Strawberries, perfectly cooked waffle, and the BEST whipped cream'

Strawberry Belgium Waffle is my absolute favorite! Sweet Strawberries, perfectly cooked waffle, and the BEST whipped cream'

House of Pies - Cheesecake pecan pie

Cheesecake pecan pie

House of Pies - Finishing my twosome with a Veggie Omelette + wheat toasts. Hehe. I got hungry. ;) (shoulder shrug) #afternoondelight #humpday

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Finishing my twosome with a Veggie Omelette + wheat toasts. Hehe. I got hungry. ;) (shoulder shrug) #afternoondelight #humpday

Nick's Cafe - Sunrise Breakfast

Nick's Cafe

4.1(1.4k reviews)
6.5 mi•Chinatown
•$$

People told me about this place long time ago and I don't know why i haven't tried it…read moreService is just like any other diner, not the greatest not the worst Ambience is just perfect and casual Food is amazing it taste simple but with a lots of flavor, definitely going back again and have more

Came here on Sunday morning for some classic diner breakfast. The wait time when we got there was…read morearound 20-30 minutes, which wasn't too bad. The staff there was hustling and moving non stop but were very friendly and accomodating. Nick's has a great classic diner ambiance. We got seated inside which was all bar seating. The lively atmosphere inside makes you feel like you're part of the kitchen, which I liked. They also had all these great vintage photos, art and merch hanging on their walls which really added some personality. They also have outside seating and tables that face spring street and the side of LA historic park. Now on to the food. We ordered the Eggs and Steak with a side of hashbrowns and toast, 1st Street Omelette with a side of hash browns and a biscuit, a grilled blueberry muffin and some coffee. Everything was pretty good, especially that grilled muffin. Also, make sure you ask for some house made blueberry jam for your toast or biscuit. You're welcome. They also have some great hot sauces to choose from. The only complaint we had was that the steak was over seasoned with salt that we had to scrape off the top. Other than that, the food was delicious, comforting, and hit the spot. We would definitely come back to try more of their popular menu items.

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Nick's Cafe - Daily specials that'd I'd try out next time

Daily specials that'd I'd try out next time

Nick's Cafe - Sunrise Breakfast

Sunrise Breakfast

Nick's Cafe - Outside dining

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Outside dining

Mel's Drive In - tradamerican - Updated May 2026

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