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Melville Tavern

4.1 (567 reviews)
Closed • 10:00 am - 8:00 pm
Updated 2 months ago

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MELVILLE TAVERN ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Dogs allowed
Happy hour specials
Outdoor seating

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Recommended Reviews - Melville Tavern

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Hamburger Fries
Breanna S.

One of our favorite go-to spots during Monterey Car Week! This time we opted for a regular hamburger and a grilled chicken sandwich both of which were super good and we couldn't recommend it enough. This tavern has everything for all platters, and is a great option for whenever you're visiting! The service was fast and attentive, we got in and out at an efficient time, and our server was really wonderful, thank you for making our visit fun. Additionally, I adore the ambiance of this restaurant, it's a cool vibe dedicated to, you name it, Herman Melville. Overall wonderful place, and we can't wait to be back.

Blackened Shrimp Salad
Samantha

I love it here! Food/drink, service, quality and location are ALL ON POINT. Lily my server was attentive and helpful in making suggestions. My blackened shrimp salad was refreshing, fresh and satisfying. A great spot for any occasion.

Faux vodka or rum beverage - delicious, but no real liquor onsite
Judie H.

I've eaten here many times over the past 9 years with mixed results. Price & menu items are always consistent. Parking is okay with a mix of street & lot availability, but one might need to walk a street or 2 if there's a nearby event happening. Who cares? We can all use more time walking & Monterey is a beautiful town with great weather. Dining is available at the bar, inside the restaurant, outside - near the street or tucked in the footpath to other offices. Service has always been friendly. Bathrooms are located in the main building - a bit of a walk & no signage till you're there. Keycode is provide, but there's just one gender-neutral room so there's a wait if it's a busy day. It's clean-ish. This time, I had just a cocktail - faux rum or vodka with some fruit juice. It wasn't sweet (perfect for me) and it was refreshing served in a large mason jar with a fruit salad as garnish. My friend had a too sweet Prosecco. I added dessert - blueberry bread pudding with vanilla ice cream (hold the whipped cream, please!). It doesn't need the whipped cream. Dessert wasn't extremely flavorful, but it was fresh & a good texture. Blueberries were also fresh. On other visits, the food has been inconsistently flavorful-flavorless, not hot, overpriced, and no Apple Pay at the table. This time, was a good experience overall. This is not my fave restaurant, nor one I recommend; but, it was convenient & located away from the event crowd. To the business owner -- invest in new technology for payment, so customers don't have to walk behind the bar to pay with our devices. Apparently, bar is unable to serve real mixed drinks; but no explanation was given. Wine & beer menu were adequate with a good selection of local choices.

Inside
David B.

After walking the farmers market on a Tuesday night, we stopped in for some dinner. There was free street parking available and the Melville has live music on Tuesdays. We were able to get in before 6pm to take advantage of the happy hour from 4-6 for $6 drafts and $7 glasses of wine. Very charming restaurant with good service. Expect to spend between $25-$35 per person for food. We had the meatloaf sandwich and a blackened chicken sandwich of which the meatloaf was the better choice although both were very good. The beers offered rotate and there is a nice long bar that seats like 10-12 people. I would eat here again, nice cozy spot.

Tavern Burger
Olivia B.

I was craving a good burger and found this place! We had our dog with us and asked to be seated outside. They said no problem! We were the only ones outside, which was great. It was a bit chilly, but they turned on the heater for us, which was very nice. I ordered the Tavern Burger with fries, and my fiancé got the Bacon Burger with tater tots. Our waiter asked how we wanted each burger cooked, I asked for medium well and my fiancé asked for medium. Everything was great! My burger was filling and cooked perfectly. My fiancé's was definitely overdone for him, but he didn't mind too much. The bacon and cheese made it good anyway, plus the brioche bun. The best part, though, was the garlic Parmesan tots! I tried some and was jealous I didn't order my own. They were soooo good! Friendly staff and yummy burgers. Bonus points for being dog friendly!

Wings

So to start, the service was okay. The servers were kind but took a bit long to take out order and to check on us for just even a glass of water. My main issue was the food. We paid $30 for a pizza that was not cooked alll the way. As you can see in the pictures, the cheese was entirely unmelted. The other toppings were thick slices of cold tomatoes and thick cold mushrooms and uncooked chunks of sausage. On top of that it took about 20 minutes for our food to even come out when it was pretty much dead there. The wings were delicious though. The ambience was good wouldn't eat here again especially for the price.

Grilled Chicken Sandwich

Food was great and staff were nice. Indoor/outdoor seating. The restrooms are located away from the restaurant and you need a code. A little pricey, but I thought it was high quality food with large portions. Will return!

Tavern Burger
Devin M.

The burger was nothing extraordinary, but it got the job done. It lacked seasoning and didn't stand out in any particular way. That said, the homemade pickles were absolutely amazing, and the patty was cooked perfectly to a medium. Overall, the burger was just okay I'd give it a solid 7.5. Service was fast and efficient, and the venue itself was beautiful. The atmosphere felt like stepping onto an old-school boat unique and nostalgic in the best way.

Pizza and pasta
Monty H.

Prices here are fairly high but everything was excellent, especially the pesto base pizza. Definitely a gastropub type restaurant where they pride themselves on food quality and taste. Craft Beer list was also expansive with plenty of options from IPAs to stouts.

Blackened shrimp salad
Philipp B.

A solid option for casual meals. There's nothing notably exciting about this restaurant, but it's never disappointed me, either. And occasionally it modestly exceeds my expectations, like with a recent blackened shrimp salad I had.

Hamburger

Enjoyed the happy hour appetizer which was nacho chips and chili with queso. Very tasty. Service was excellent and the ambience is great. No complaints at all.

Kathy X.

My friend and I came here for dinner. This spot seemed to have an elevated tavern vibe, as it was festively decorated with high ceilings, and quite spacious. There was a welcoming ambiance to the place. I ordered the Fried Prawn and Ribs, which came with fries, as well as coleslaw. I requested Garlic Parmesan Fries. There were 4 pieces of Shrimp, which were a nice size, delightfully crispy, juicy, and well seasoned. The Ribs were tender, full of boldly flavorful BBQ sauce. Garlic Parmesan Fries were cheesy and satisfyingly crunchy. For dessert, I selected the Chocolate Molten Cake, served with almond biscotti, vanilla ice cream, and whipped cream. This took awhile to arrive, but it was worth the wait. There was a candle in the cake, since I was celebrating my birthday. The cake was delicious... Sweet, decadent, oozing with warm, velvety smooth, rich chocolate filling. The biscotti was a lovely accompaniment, while the ice cream also added to the yumminess. Service was solid. Our waiter was friendly and on top of everything. My friend and I enjoyed our evening here. I would be open to returning to try the Herb Crusted Mahi Mahi or Duck Fettuccine.

Cheesecake
Mickey O.

We went there 45 minutes before closing. Staff was very helpful and didn't rush us. They were very helpful with my wife's Celiac, which means gluten will make her very sick. They had gluten free buns for burgers and the have a fryer that doesn't have anything gluten in it so she was able to have sweet potatoe fries. They have gluten free crust for pizza but it goes in the same wood fire oven so she couldn't eat that. However, Madison said they could probably put a GF pizza on a tray and only in the regular oven if someone wanted to. Anyways, the burgers were good. I liked the chipotle aioli that came on the side. I asked for extra pickles and they understood the assignment I got the garlic parmesan tots which were pretty good and crunchy. Sweet potato fries were very good. I don't think they have any GF desserts but they had 5 with plenty of gluten in them. I got the cheesecake with strawberries, it was pretty good. It has a little bit of lemon in the cheesecake and the crust was nice and thick. Overall, it was a good experience,

Weekend brunch bottomless mimosas

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2 months ago

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3 months ago

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1 year ago

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2 years ago

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2 months ago

Burger was great! Would not recommend the coleslaw. Service was also good and attentive!

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1 year ago

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2 years ago

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2 years ago

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3 months ago

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2 months ago

i don't recall much about the food, but this place has the best bloody mary i've ever had

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6 months ago

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7 months ago

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2 years ago

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1 year ago

Business owner information

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Ian P.

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9 months ago

It's fine but that's all. Friendly folks but unexceptional pub grub. Pleasant room but unlikely to return. Super ordinary.

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3 months ago

Yummy duck sandwich and sweet potato fries. Nice place to watch the World Cup and not feel over crowded. Chill comfy room and the bar.

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1 year ago

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4 months ago

Great customer service, nice ambiance and good was fresh and hot. Made to order just how we like.

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Ask the Community - Melville Tavern

Do they offer free wifi for their customers?

We have free Wi-Fi

Do th?ey serve breakfast

It would be great if they did but unfortunately do not.

Do you have gluten-free bread or buns for your burgers or do you offer sourdough bread for your burgers?

We have gluten-free burger buns in addition to gluten-free pizza crust. We have sliced sourdough. We have many other allergen restrictive items available.

Is there a children's menu?

Yes! They have a coloring/activity menu with quite a few options for kids. I will snap a photo next visit, but off the top of my head I remember they offer full meals like Alfredo pasta, pizza, and chicken tenders, and also sides like fruit cups.

What type of fish do they use in their tacos?

Skuna Bay salmon and CA sea bass. I sell it to them;)

Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

Melville Tavern - tradamerican - Updated October 2026

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