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    The Melt

    4.3 (1.5k reviews)
    Open 10:00 am - 2:00 AM (Next day)
    Updated a few days ago

    The Melt Photos

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    THE MELT ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Outdoor seating
    Good for kids

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    THREE CHEESE CLASSIC
    Marcos B.

    Feeling hungry late at night around the University area? This place is open late!! Ordered a Three Cheese Classic grilled cheese sandwich; so delicious. Alyssa was super friendly and greeted me with a sincere heartfelt smile!!! Making me feel super welcomed. Chill vibes that definitely wake you up!!

    Burgers, chicken and Mac and cheese
    Jessica C.

    Great spot for delicious burgers and chicken. Lots of flavor. Quick and easy to order but kinda pricey. Not too busy but not a big shop and in a busy location.

    CLASSIC CRISPY CHICKEN
    Madeline B.

    Always untidy looking with trash on the floor. A regular sweep would make the place more presentable. This is my second or third visit and the floor always has the same untidy look. Sorry but I have to keep it real. Staff were friendly and helpful. They cut the crispy chicken in half as requested with no complaints. That was nice of them. I didn't notice the flavoring on the sweet potato fries first visit but this time we did. You might want to confirm what they sprinkle in case of allergies or taste preferences. I'm calling it out because we recommended them last visit. Tastes good - but they are not plain so make sure to ask. My partner was craving their food after our last visit and he left happy this weekend too. I've upped to 4 stars based on his feedback. Melts are not for me. The patty melt is way too greasy for my liking. Photos attached.

    Craft Sodas
    Eid F.

    The Crispy Chicken Sandwich was delicious and pretty large but the sandwich completely fell apart quickly. More sauce was on the outside of the bun and wrapper than in the sandwich. I would pass on the Garlic Parm fries, they were a little greasy. Plain fries may have been better. The place was busy. One of the few spots in this area that stays open late (2am or 3am most days). They need to work on their cleanliness. The dining area was pretty messy, dirty tables, floors had food and napkins, bench I almost sat at was dirty. Took my food to-go. parking in this lot during the day sucks but if you go late then there are plenty of spaces.

    THREE CHEESE CLASSIC
    Elizabeth M.

    Came here last min for a quick bite, and this one place turned out to be pretty good. The service was quick, and the food came out quick. My grilled cheese sandwich was good, and the tomato soup was delish. My boyfriend ordered the spicy chicken sandwich and he said the chicken was okay -- just a little bland. The chicken was big, and the fries were great which was what made it good. If you want a quick bite, I would recommend this place

    Receipt
    Clarissa B.

    Hair in food. My husband and I flew into San Diego and checked into our hotel late night & was starving- so ordered Door Dash- only to spend $46 on watery Mac & cheese and a hair in my burger- which in midbite- was entangled in the meat as I pulled the strand out of my mouth. I did write feedback on the Door Dash order- and to The Melt main web site- no response so far.... total crickets. Thanks for the absence of customer service.

    SPICY MISSION CHICKEN
    Eliseo R.

    We were trying to find a good brunch area for a Sunday afternoon in the La Jolla area.. It turned out to be very tough with average wait times in other places being 2 hours long!!! We gave up and decided to drive back from the shores to this plaza as we remembered coming here in thd past. No regrets!!! Ordering was easy through the kiosk provided upon entering and seating was available to be chosen from. I like that there's extra chairs piled up on the side so if you need an extra chair, you can grab one. They come with a beeper after you order so it makes it easier when you need to pickup your food. There was a wait but I think the food was made fresh in house so there was nothing wrong with that. My girlfriend and I both enjoyed our experience here again because the classic grilled cheese was DELICIOUS and toasted perfectly. We shared that between the two of us while I got the Crispy Classic and the Sweet Potato fries (amazing, best sweet potato fries I've ever had. My girlfriend got the Meltburger and she enjoyed every single bite too. It was flavorful and had good sauce to keep it juicy. We were done with our meal and needless to say, such a big worth it meal for our time and when we wanted/needed food asap!!! I DO wish they fix the doorhinges though. Everytime someone walked out the doors, they squeaked extremely sharp and loudly so that made it quite annoying!!! We would've eaten outside because of that but unfortunately all the tables outside were taken so we had to deal with that. Please do fix that!

    AVOCADO BACON MELT
    Catherine M.

    Yum! My avocado bacon melt was really tasty. I loved the amount of avocado and bacon on it. My only complaint is how greasy it was. Make sure to have plenty of napkins for your hands!

    Soda fountain
    Dii T.

    The Melt in La Jolla is a tasty little spot that hits the mark when you're craving something crispy and comforting! I stopped in for a late night bite. The crispy chicken sandwich was golden and satisfying, and the fries were nicely seasoned with a good crunch--definitely comfort food material. That said, there was a bit of a weird bitter aftertaste, maybe from the oil? Noticeable enough to mention. Hoping its because something was overpriced and burnt, not because of reused oil... hence, the 4 stars not 5 Now, let's talk about the *real* hidden gem: the soda! So refreshing and full of flavor--I think they said locally made, and if that's the case, kudos to whoever's behind it. Definitely not your average fountain drink. Fun vibe, fast service, and good eats overall. Just a little tweak to that fryer oil and this place would be golden (literally and figuratively)! Might come back?

    Jean-Charles N.

    Good burgers but a bit greasy Maybe it was the one burger I got The place is clean with good service but challenging parking

    Classic grilled chicken sandwich with the ranch dressing on the side and a dill pickle spear.
    John K.

    This might be the first 5 I have ever given for a fast food restaurant. I wanted max protein and healthy as possible so I ordered the Classic Grilled Chicken Sandwich with cheddar cheese and I added tomato and I got the ranch dressing on the side. We used the kiosk to place our order which was easy and intuitive. The only change I would make to the kiosk ordering app is to be able to have the sauce that you want on the side. I had to order without any sauce then I asked for the ranch dressing when I picked up my order. 1. My sandwich had a decent size piece of chicken. 2. The chicken was tender with every bite. 3. Tasty combination of chicken, cheddar cheese, and a butter toasted potato bun. I was thoroughly enjoyed the entire sandwich. They have small cups for water which was perfect for us. I enjoyed the dill pickle spear. It was a nice thick spear that was fresh with great flavor. There was zero trace of food left on my tray. I enjoyed dipping my sandwich into the ranch dressing. It elevates the flavors even more. The dining area was clean and we enjoyed the vibe of the music and of the restaurant.

    Phamhong G.

    Plenty of parking. Casual atmosphere. You order at a kiosk. Sugarcane sodas only. Good burgers, fries, and one of the best cookies n cream milkshakes I've ever had. I had the spicy mission melt burger. It had lots of flavor, was juicy, but barely had any avocado. I'd return if I'm in the area to try other menu items!

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    2 months ago

    Great food with some good portions at a great price. Mac and cheese is great and always hot.

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    Olivia M.

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    9 days ago

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    2 months ago

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    3 months ago

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    4 months ago

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    2 days ago

    Absolutely love the burgers from here. Staff is always super friendly would highly recommend

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    6 months ago

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    8 months ago

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    4 months ago

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    5 months ago

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    2 months ago

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    Charlotte R.

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    16 hours ago

    Super kind and great customer service. Alyssa is super sweet and helpful with the menu!!!

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    27 days ago

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    1 year ago

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    8 months ago

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    Olivia M.

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    17 days ago

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    1 month ago

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    8 months ago

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    8 months ago

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    9 months ago

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    11 months ago

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    Charlotte R.

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    13 days ago

    The food was amazing here, the music was nice, and a big shout out to Blaine he was very nice!

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    Olivia M.

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    16 hours ago

    super kind great customer service. helped me find everything i was hungry. alysa is the best!!

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    1 year ago

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    6 months ago

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    4 months ago

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    1 year ago

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    2 months ago

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    Liz

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    3 months ago

    The burgers were juicy and fresh!! I recommend the Double BBQ Bacon Burger for sure. Fries were yummy too.

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    2 months ago

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    The Melt Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - The Melt

    Hi! My son has food allergy. He is allergic to peanut and tree nuts. Is your menu nuts free?

    Hi Sally, Thank you for your inquiry. The only item we carry with nuts is a cookie (not baked in-store), and our fryers use canola oil. Although our buns and bread do not use… 

    What time do you deliver?

    Hi Tammy, Thank you for reaching out. Can you please expound on what type of delivery you are inquiring about?… 

    Does anyone know if they're still serving complimentary meals for healthcare workers?

    Yes, they are still proudly serving healthcare workers with the menu attached to Jay F. review.… 

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

    Eat Crispy Burger La Jolla

    Eat Crispy Burger La Jolla

    4.4
    (79 reviews)
    0.9 mi
    $$

    Yum! Perfect post beach day meal…read more After a full day of swimming, snorkeling and missing lunch, we were all starving. Double burger, onion rings and a milkshake! Not an everyday meal, but perfect when you're craving some beefy goodness. We opted for a crispy burger since we hadn't been before. We got the double OG burger and the crispy cowboy western with onion rings, pickled jalapeños and BBQ sauce. Both were really good. The burgers were juicy and flavorful, and the house sauce was super tasty. The sleeper hit was the Oreo milkshake! So good. Lots of crunchy Oreo bits. The chocolate shake tastes like good chocolate not artificial. Onion rings and fries were good too. The onion rings have lots of crispy bits and the fries are basically like McDonald's fries. You order at a kiosk and they call your name when it's ready. Bathroom is outside around the corner. Ill be back.

    Amazing restaurant! Easily some of the best smash burgers I've had in a while. The restaurant is…read morevery clean, the food tastes fresh, and the portions and quality are definitely worth the money. The only downside was the self-service ordering machines. They seem pretty outdated and were extremely slow and glitchy. A simple order took me over 10 minutes because the computer kept having issues. I eventually switched to the tablet next to it, but unfortunately had the same problem. Hopefully they upgrade their ordering system soon because it would make the experience much smoother. Other than that small issue, everything else was great. The food definitely made up for it, and I'd absolutely come back again!

    Photos
    Eat Crispy Burger La Jolla
    Impossible crispy burger
    Impossible crispy burger
    Parking

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    Parking
    Mendocino Farms

    Mendocino Farms

    4.2
    (967 reviews)
    0.1 mi
    $$

    After my appointment at the Veteran Affairs we passed by here at Mendocino Farm La Jolla…read more Our first time here so we just picked which one looks good and sounds good on the menu board. We picked PERUVIAN STEAK SANDWICH, a seared steak tossed in Spicy aji amarillo sauce, then their CHIMICHURRI STEAK BACON; it's a seared steak and applewood-smoked bacon, and also got their SMOKEY BBQ BRIOCHE SANDWICH , this one is a smoke Pork burnt ends with BBQ sauce. Every sandwich we had tasted good, but i like the most the Chimichurri Steak & Bacon, it's more to my palate, not too sweet or not too spicy. Service was quick our sandwiches were done quickly, plenty of staff go around checking the tables and greeting the customers. Parking is easy, with lots of spaces.

    I like the Mendocino Farms concept and we had a good experience at the first one we visited (it was…read morenot this one) so I was disappointed with our long wait for three to-go sandwiches and a cup of soup. I think I was sitting in the store for at least 30 minutes while a family member waited in our car and watched several people park, get their orders and leave. Two people who ordered after us received their food before we did. I finally stood up and only then did an associate crabbily pack up our order and give it to us. When we first arrived, no one even showed up at the counter for at least five minutes. There was another customer waiting behind us as well. My sandwich (Happy Hippie) was not very good...insubstantial and put together in a blah manner. A family member who had the "not so fried chicken sandwich" said it was too salty. I paid $62 for this order (with a tip, which I had added before the long wait...) It obviously wasn't a good value, This is a beautiful and clean store but a general lack of enthusiasm from the associates, inconsistent customer service, high prices, and mediocre quality food will dissuade me from making any future visits to this location.

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    Mendocino Farms
    Mendocino Farms
    Mendocino Farms

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    Swagyu Burger

    Swagyu Burger

    3.8
    (60 reviews)
    1.3 mi

    I tried their $25 burger. I don't know why it's $25…read more I don't know why wagyu is cooked well done. I don't know why it was that spicy. I don't know if I will come back here again..

    I don't enjoy writing reviews for mediocre experiences. It's difficult to really pinpoint if I…read morewasn't pleased with the food, or the service. Allow me to explain... Tucked into the back corner of the food court, it's not the most noticeable of offerings, but I saw the sign and decided to give it a try. I ordered the OG 1/2 lb double smash burger. It looked delicious, and exactly what I'd expect... two smashed patties, some grilled onions and melted cheese between two buns. Done. Should have been a home run right there. I ordered at the kiosk; burger and fries. I saw the cook at the grill top make -- what turned out to be -- my burger instantly, and then place it into a bag. Then, I stood around for over 10 minutes before someone else came out, and put the fries in the bag too. Then, it was another few minutes before that guy decided to call out the order number. It's not like it was busy.. in the whole time I stood there, one other customer placed an order at the kiosk. So in the end, I enjoyed relatively fresh and hot fries (which were actually really good), but a lukewarm and somewhat dry burger. So it's hard to tell if the burger really lacked flavor, or if it had just dried out from sitting around for 15 minutes before being eaten. All-in-all, I think the potential was there for me to probably give it another try at some point. But, definitely not the experience I was hoping for.

    Photos
    Japanese Wagyu OG Smash
    Japanese Wagyu OG Smash
    Swagyu Burger
    Swagyu Burger

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    Dirty Birds

    Dirty Birds

    3.8
    (64 reviews)
    0.8 mi
    $$

    Went here for lunch on a friend's recommendation. I got 10 wings with a side of dirty ranch…read more The wings were excellent! I could tell they're cooked to order; they're really tender on the inside and crispy on the outside. Flavors were really good and not too drenched. I got mango habanero and the Seoul flavor. They were relatively mild, which I was surprised by since mango habanero is usually pretty hot. The dirty ranch is a must! Inside was super casual, you order at a counter and bus your own table. Overall, I highly recommend this place for its wings!

    So I can't speak for the entire menu, but I have to shout out the Dirty Chicken Fries Tots --…read morethey're absolutely amazing. I love the whole concept: crispy tots, seasoned chicken, ranch, and all the good stuff loaded together. It's messy, flavorful, and exactly what I crave when I want comfort food. I'd give those fries an easy 8.5/10, and honestly, they're the main reason I keep coming back. Now for the rest of the experience: I first visited Dirty Birds back in 2022 and tried their wings. I think they're often listed as a local favorite, but they just weren't it for me. Maybe it was the flavor I chose or just an off day -- not sure. Unless someone else gets them and I try a bite, I probably wouldn't go for them myself. Customer service was just okay. Not rude, just kind of... meh. The workers were young and It didn't feel like anyone was especially engaged or welcoming. On the bright side, the signs around the place are actually pretty funny (especially the water one), and there's plenty of seating, which is a big plus. One thing I didn't love was the shared restroom setup. Even though the door closes, I personally didn't feel super comfortable using it. If you're into sports, this is probably your vibe -- they had games playing and a group fully tuned in when I was there. Prices are fair, and I'd still be open to exploring more of the menu in the future. Bottom line: If you're gonna try anything here, make it the Dirty Chicken Fries Tots -- they're 100% the star of the show.

    Photos
    Dirty Birds
    Dirty Birds
    Dirty Birds

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    The Melt - sandwiches - Updated August 2026

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