It's always difficult to review when you experience an 'aspect' of a business and typically that may be cause for a complaint but it is what it is - I don't need to eat my way through the entire menu nor waste a heap of money to procure a better service in order to judge better.
Melt is becoming known for good pizza in Adelaide and Henley is it's latest addition, now totaling 3 restaurants. But...they have very large shoes to fill. They have taken over the former Evida location which had become somewhat of an institution at Henley Beach. Sure, people complained about Evida as well, especially when busy, but their service was great and they were very accommodating - to everyone.
What went right on our visit? Melt looks great. It's white and wood, fresh and lovely, ropes and pavers, sun and suntanned people. Long open bar/counter, spacious tables, great décor, good inside and outside space. You want to go in!
What didn't...? Young energetic staff but lacking personality and friendliness, although our waitress was better than the rest of the crew. A friend recently beat me to it and remarked a level of snobbery had been added with Melt and I thought the same. Shame. Our group was a large cycling club, always a challenge for newbies, but certainly one to consider carefully - we have money to spend, we drink a lot of coffee and we talk a lot. The male waiter who initially greeted us informed us they were "not a caffe" but a "restaurant" and I wish I had heard the entire conversation as to why that explanation was necessary. Perhaps because when asked about the smaller generally consumed items like muffins and croissants and eggs/bacon rolls he explained none were available. He also advised bikes could not be parked against the building anywhere making our visit even more difficult. It was obvious they never considered cyclists would be dropping in which, given their location and likely windfall, is certainly a shame. He also informed us the bill could not be split but the waitress went against that and advised we could in fact pay separately after taking our coffee orders. No one ordered food as there was nothing on the menu that would be considered a snack and a breakfast pizza seemed a little much at the time. Two small bottles of warm water were brought out with enough glasses for all but not replenished when quickly emptied. It's the little things I guess - it's summer, bring us some cool water. An order for a large iced coffee was accepted, with an explanation it would be in a tall glass, but a small one came out, with a further explanation they only do one size (?).
It wasn't a warm welcome and it wasn't a warm service. We felt our mere presence at Melt whilst a number of cyclists passed by and looked at us was unfair, because we were bringing future customers to Melt, and because those same cyclists would be disappointed. read more