I stopped by for lunch and had a good overall experience. The service was great- the waitress was kind, attentive and made sure I had everything I needed. I ordered the chef salad, and although it was just me dining alone, it took about 15 minutes for my food to come out. I arrived around 1:20 p.m., so they may have been busier than usual, which could explain the wait. The salad was nothing special, a bagged salad mix with the usual Chef salad toppings, Overall, the friendly service made for a pleasant visit and I'd be willing to come back again for a quick stop off the freeway. read more

F*ck someone help this place. Worst Mel's I've been to by far. When someone walks in be sure to greet them, even just a little acknowledgement does wonders, like a "hey we'll be with you in a minute" just something. This place wasn't even busy, maybe 8-10 tables that's it. After standing there for 5-10 minutes watching 2 people check out, we were told to just sit wherever. After sitting for another 10 minutes watching the 2 other servers repeatedly pass by I had to get up and go grab our own menus. Only to get a look of astonishment from the lady at the check out area and a lady server. Luckily Jesse finally came and helped us. He told us he had been on break. He was super polite and honestly all you other servers there could take some cues from him. Glad we had him as our server and the only reason I gave this 3 stars and not 1 read more

Oct 5 2025 1:30 pm What a pleasant visit today.. You see. the other day we drove 42 miles round trip to Tender Greens in Berkeley just so I could treat myself to the "Cobb salad" that they offer. What a disappointment of a salad and a hair in my salad to boot. You can check out my other review if you like. Today my wife reminded me that Mel's has a Cobb salad as well and she thinks it is the real deal. Wife enjoyed a BLT and... Oh Boy was it a beautiful salad and tasty and it was half a dollar cheaper and 15 miles closer than my last one. I have shaken the Tender Greens dust off my shoes. Mel's only dropped the ball when I had to twist an arm to get a coffee refill and the cup that was poured tasted burnt. Note to self. Want a great Cob salad? Mel's! read more

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Came in for a quick sundae and left with a fast and fresh experience. Service was great, the ice cream was perfect to share, and I love being able to pick my music with a few quarters. read more

The Original Mels - Ice cream Sunday with banana and marshmallow sauce. - Diners Near Me - Pinole, California

Food was amazing steak cut like butter. My loaded mashed potatoes were fire too. Waitress kept checking on us and the music playlist was nice. read more

The Original Mels - Ribeye with loaded mash potatoes. - Diners Near Me - Pinole, California

Did a takeout order at Original Mel's, when I went my food was ready and the server that got my order was nice, The ambiance was a typical diner and the place does get busy but not the night that I went was not. The music was somewhat loud playing songs from the 50's and 60's. Everytime i order I get the Blue Plate special turkey with mashed potatoes and gravy and sometimes I get a burger. The food is pretty good, I like the old school vibe, makes it feel nostalgic. Got a nice variety on their menu, you can't go wrong. read more

The Original Mels - Diners Near Me - Pinole, California

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It has been years since I dine inside Original Mels. I dine inside with two people and we were seated right away. I had eggs with sausages and hashbrown. The problem was my eggs were sunny side up, not scramble. I did not complain about my order being wrong but I just ate it. When Pinole location open I did not have to go to Berkeley or San Francisco to have Mels. I will admit the service at Mels is OK. The food is good and lot better than dining at The Embers I will return to Original Mels to dine with them. read more

The Lombardi Street Mel's will always be my favorite but unfortunately it burned down. However, the Pinole place is nice and the food was great, as well as the service. The burgers are delicious but I was enjoy a good Rueben when it's available. read more

I came in with my family for breakfast yesterday. I ordered the wolf man jack breakfast plate which was really good. The only problem was my server looked bothered, and took a very long time to see if we needed anything. She was a red headed woman,When she finally came back she looked annoyed that we asked for refills ranch sauce and lemon mind you we would have wanted that sooner . I understand we all have rough days and things going on but her attitude was very unpleasant . I will be coming back hoping to have a better experience. read more

We usually have great service and tasty food at Mel's. Unfortunately, our most recent visit was terrible. I ordered a simple eggs/sausage/hashbrowns order and my wife got a sundae. Her sundae came out in about 15 minutes and my food never came. Over 30 minutes later, waitress finally stops by, but still no food. A few minutes go by and I told her to just take it off the bill and we are ready to leave since it didn't look like my food was going to come out. I don't know what happened, if it was a kitchen mix up or something, but they really need to do better than that. Make me not want to go back. read more

Dropped in around 2p and this place was hopping! Ordered the Bacon (with Chorizo) , Egg & Avocado burrito & the Mel's potatoes! Then got apple pie ala mode (I wanted berry but they were out). Every thing was delicious!! Service was fantastic and who hates the 50s decor?! I just love it, especially with the music! read more

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It's been a little over a year since I last ate here. I wanted breakfast food and was glad that I remembered Mel's. We signed up on the waitlist thinking it would be awhile but was seated less the five minutes. The service was excellent and the ambiance was chill. I the "wolfman" which consisted of two pancakes, bacon, sausage patties, ham and potatoes. Everything was delicious and the coffee was good also. I will definitely return in the future when I want breakfast food close to home. read more

The Original Mels - Diners Near Me - Pinole, California

Love this place! Great customer service the employees are super chill and attentive but their vibe is chill and smooth and relaxing.

Nostalgic diner! The Original Mels is decorated in the old school 50s and 60s diner. It even has Jukebox at each table. For those of us that grew up in the era of American Graffiti this place will bring back memories! The food is the traditional diner comfort food. Don't worry about small portions. I order the double deuce with their famous chili and they had to serve it open face with the lettuce, onion and tomatoes on the side because the bun would have never been able to wrap it's arms around all that burger! Next time? It seems like a milk shake or sundae would be in order. read more

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Best price in town for the ribeye dinner, which I had for lunch! Love that everything on the menu is served all day. Garlic bread was soft on the inside crispy on the outside, not too greasy. Ribeye was bland so had to add salt and pepper, was cooked as I ordered. Bottomless Arnold palmer was just what I needed, not too overly sweet. read more

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Wasn't too hungry but needed to sit down and get some work done. Mel's was right there so I stopped in. I got the chicken strips with fries plus a root beer float. Everything was so delicious. I wasn't expecting much. Just your run of the mill chicken strips. But these strips had flavor! They tasted fresh and juicy. Their ranch dip was tasty too! The ice cream was even creamy and divine. Hands down 10/10. read more

The Original Mels - Diners Near Me - Pinole, California

We usually go there for breakfast and lunch--this time, we decided to Indulge in their frozen desserts. My husband had a chocolate malted whilevI was torn between the sundae and the banana split. I went for the banana split. My husband liked his chelated malted and my neopolitan ice cream was fie, although the chocolate ice cream was just meh... The restaurant had the retro vibe going.. The 2 desserts and coffee ran less than $24. https://youtube.com/shorts/fOCu612DioQ?feature=shared read more

The Original Mels - banana split - Diners Near Me - Pinole, California

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I was craving a French dip sandwich and decided to get one here. It's a fun diner, Mel's has been in existence since 1947. The French dip was everything you would expect it to be - the bread was soft and dipped in au jus, the meat was decent and thinly sliced. Hubby had fish and chips. They are well known here for their desserts and fountain drinks. I was pleased to see they had an orange Creamsicle milkshake which I decided to try. It was quite good and brought back memories of the orange creamsicles I had as a child. This is a good place to go for the all American diner meal. Service was good. read more

The fries are nice and crispy and taste good. It takes long to get your food but they're busy all the time. Food tastes good

When you want the classic burger and fries with a milkshake or are on a groovy milkshake date, this Mels classically delivers good/decent service and is always doing positive things to improve their customer focus in more then a "low-end dinner". My favorite here that's under $9.99 is the 2-gg combo, I recommend getting in scrambled and it includes some dank has browns as well as toast if your choice! - I also like that they have a mini ice cream Sunday if you just don't want all that yumminess! Mels is a gem! read more

The Original Mels - 2 egg combo :) $9.99 - Diners Near Me - Pinole, California

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The food is real good and it's really affordable and the service is really good and nice ive cam to this place for 5 years and its the best breakfast place I've ever been read more

The Original Mels - Nice decoration - Diners Near Me - Pinole, California

Food: 4/5 I tried the eggs Benedict, was delicious. Even as a delivery order, the eggs were still runny. Service: This was a delivery order. Ambiance: This was a delivery order. read more

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Food Service Ambience Food Pretty expected for what they were offering, Nothing they messed up on with the sunny-side up eggs, country potatoes, and ribeye steak. Service Server was incredibly accommodating and genial. She was knowledgeable about the menu, and even had a spare AI steak bottle in her apron pocket! To be honest, I wasn't impressed with the first Mel's I went to on Sunday since they took so long to get me to table and weren't that friendly. I decided to try out the Mel's in Pinole since I was in an exploratory mood since my Los Angeles trip driving there and driving home on Friday and Saturday. At the Pinole location, the employees were quick to find a table for me, answer my questions, and to get my transaction going through. I'll come back if I'm in the area and feeling like eating here again. read more

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Mel's does not let you down for late night eats! Esp after late airport pickups and post-concert bites if you're feeling peckish or hangry they will suffice both cravings. The fried anything: potatoes, onions, cheese sticks, fish & chips, wings and other things are always life altering after nightly ventures. The kids nurse their shakes and the adults w/ an iced caffeinated bevy to wash down all the unsaturated lipids and soak up any remaining ETOH. It's a perfect combo of splendor and depraved. Mel's has a very cool 50's vibe and love the jukebox playing big bands and Motown in the last century. Service is spotty so you will need to hail the servers down for refills and the check but not bad. We always come back, we feel it's better food options and service than Denny's! read more

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Consistently well prepared breakfast, have yet to try anything else... that's just my go to and I cannot complain

Cool place, decent food and service. Good pick for late night when options are limited. Not bad but also not great. I like the old fashioned diner style read more

Tried Mel's out. Great decor old school. Server was super friendly. I got an omelette w/ mushrooms and spinach w/ hash browns and wheat toast. Big portions and tasty! read more

The Original Mels - Diners Near Me - Pinole, California

Always a big success!!! Good,food, ambiance and service are totally outstandingly top quality!!! I would strongly recommend Mel's for a visit at any time of day read more

They have a drive thru which is super convenient. Love the old diner feel! Good for late night and early breakfast craving! Good diner quality food. read more

Perfect place to go for mother's day's! There was no wait when we got there But there was a line when we left. Oh my there hash browns were so crispy yum yum!! Our server was good. The atmosphere is set in the 50 to 60 era. Good old fashione music with juke boxes at the table. Throughly enjoyed my breakfast and Mother's Day there read more

If you are missing your teenagers disrespectful attitude you won't after the service from this place. The service is so bad and our straight menu order with no modifications were still wrong. It took 3 requests to get the sauce that was supposed to come on the burgers. They arrived dry and cold. read more

Can't wait to come back here. After being attended so well by this young person, I had to compliment his hospitality and attention which were impressive. I was so happy I made sure I left a generous tip. The friend who I was with was also pleased with his attention to detail. I will come back here just for the experience he created for us . After working in hospitality this is one place I have not been disappointed by. For reference I went here last week on Friday around 11pm. Thankyou! read more

Came here on a whim. Had the chicken and waffles ... cooked perfectly. Loved the retro restaurant and the jukebox! And service was great. Thanks Jose! read more

We did the drive-thru at 930 pm. After you pay at the window they have you park at designated drive-thru customer parking, then bring the food to you when it's ready. Good service, good classic Melburger w/cheese & garlic fries. Portions were big. I would go back again! read more

The Original Mels - Classic Melburger with cheese & Garlic Melfries - Diners Near Me - Pinole, California

This place is always fun to go to for milkshakes and burgers! I haven't been to Mel's in a while and had no idea they opened up a drive-thru! If it's been there for a long time, I must have been living under a rock. On the weekend, we came to dine-in and were seated very quickly. The restaurant serves what you'd expect at a 50's American diner and have an extensive lunch and breakfast menu. Our order consisted of: The mushroom swiss burger: This came with a choice of salad or fries but I upgraded to a side of onion rings. The onion rings were such a good size and so delicious. My burger was so cheesy and would most likely order this again. Oreo Milkshake: Perfect combination of creamy and crunchy (there were some while Oreo cookies in there) Chili cheese fries: This was a side dish upgrade for the San Francisco burger. Not my favorite, but my sister loved it. San Francisco MelBurger: Instead of a typical bun, it's served with slices of bread. Michelada- Who knew you could get your Sunday Brunch on at Mel's? It's not limited to just Sunday's, but they also serve mimosas! While still waiting for one of our orders, the check was already handed to us. We had to tell them that our entree still hadn't come out. We soon got all of our food, but ever since we were given the check, no one came by our table for boxes, so we had to ask the cashier for them. We were craving Mel's again and went in the next day at 9PM. Although their hours on Google say they're open til 12am, I wanted to call to make sure that meant their dining room. The employee confirmed their dining room is open until midnight. My favorite part is having a juke box on every booth, so our course we brought some quarters to play our favorite songs. read more

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Great service, all servers helped each other out and always checked on us frequently and kept coffee topped off. Food came and very generous in portion and cooked perfectly. I ordered hash and eggs and hubby order a scramble that he really enjoyed. read more

The Original Mels - Corned Beef Hash & Eggs - Diners Near Me - Pinole, California

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I frequent this restaurant kind of often. One thing I've noticed lately is the service. It seems like the staff makes differences in race when seating and taking orders. It really needs to improve. I noticed one customer leaving due to being overlooked by staff, or needing to ask if they can order. read more

The food was okay, not good. The seating inside and outdoor was on a good note. With seating indoors, you have an option to be seated in a booth, tables, or by the kitchen. In a booth comes with your own radio using quarters only, very entertaining to listen to some throwbacks. With seating outdoors, I recommend to sit outside on a warm sunny day. Moving in towards the food, Do Not Order the following plates in my opinion: - the original cheesesteak: meat was cooked but not tasty, the cheese combined was not the cheese you expect it to be. It was nacho cheese damn near. - New York steak & Jumbo Shrimp: Steak wasn't good, it was cooked but too dry to chew and swallow; shrimp was eh alright - Classic Original Mels Sampler: Fries & mozzarella sticks are cooked and good, wings & onion rings have too much batter (Note: I will add more dishes if I had an unpleasant visit again) Below are the pictures I've taken. read more

The Original Mels - 6 oz. New York Steak & Fries - Diners Near Me - Pinole, California

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First time visiting a Mels! The ambiance inside was a cute throwback to the '60s with the jukeboxes and bright colors. All of the fun you could hope for from a diner really. Service was really slow however. Took a while for someone to greet & seat us but they were probably short staffed and busy. Very kind folks tho! What I disliked was the food. Honestly, all of it tasted very bland to me. Ordered eggs over easy, hashbrowns, sausage and waffles. My favorite part of the meal was the frequent coffee refills and the mimosa I ordered. Disappointing since it was so fun looking at everything in there. I think the jukeboxes worked too if you had a coin to spare. Oh well. Least I tried it out! Now I no longer have to wonder what Mels is about. read more

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A classic diner with great shakes and unfortunately, mediocre food. We came to Mel's and was seated quickly. Mel's is a 50's themed diner. Every booth came with their own jukebox, but ours was broken. Bathrooms were not clean. I had the 2 plus two breakfast meal. The hotcakes were very dry, but the sausage & eggs were good. My partner had a salad that didn't look great. The chocolate malt was amazing. I had a good time looking at the retro themed decor, but I wouldn't come back for the food. Price: $50 (for 2 w/ 20% tip) read more

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