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    The Original Mels

    3.7 (304 reviews)
    Open 7:00 am - 10:00 pm

    Order The Original Mels Takeout or Delivery

    The Original Mels Photos

    Business Info

    THE ORIGINAL MELS ATMOSPHERE

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

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    Recommended Reviews - The Original Mels

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    Jukebox
    Kristina M.

    This is a must stop restaurant when you are in Placerville because it is really cute inside and the customer service is good. I enjoy the memorabilia, taking you down decades while listening to good music. The lighting is really good in here along with all the signs. The lady who served us was extremely nice. There was also a manager on duty, checking in on all the tables at least once which was nice. The food was made fresh to order and tasted great. Highly recommend that you've check this place out.

    Tom L.

    We made a quick stop to Mel's in Placerville on our way to the Lake Tahoe. Everyone was welcoming and helpful. Kids enjoyed the food and the cars they come in. The kids love looking at all the memorabilia that's around the restaurant.

    Chicken Bacon Melburger
    Kannica O.

    We took a trip up to lake tahoe and on the way back we stopped at this mels location. We have been to many mels but THIS location was top tier. Arrived to mels around 8pm and there was absolutely no customers. We were a party of 6 and we got greeted and seated immediately. Our server (excuse the misspelling), pricilla! Was absolutely a m a z i n g. She was friendly, professional, outgoing, and attentive. She made sure we had refills She made sure we had ranch for the fries without even asking! She made sure my partner who doesn't eat red meat knew the gravy contained sausage ! She absolutely went above and beyond for us. Side note. Hot coco!! ACTUALLY TASTED GOOD. Most mels we go to the coco is WATERED DOWN. She even allowed us to receive hot coco REFILLS . The entire time we were there our service and food was something to return to (if we didn't live 2 hours away)!! She also made our desserts. She made the bananas split with a generous amount ! And the presentation 10/10.

    TUNA MELT ON RYE
    Curt E.

    The service was great. We were greeted and seated quickly. The waitress was super efficient and friendly. The potato salad was made there and delicious. I usually always make potato salad as the side. The best potato salad I've ever had.‼.......and I'm 79‼

    Marlane R.

    This place is pretty consistent on the good food quality. The deserts are some of the best in town. Especially the Sundays. They serve mimosas and other beer choices, tho I don't drink. I appreciate a place that has options for friends from out of town! The waitresses are always nice and attentive, and fast service for the food and drink delivery. They always give my daughter something extra, to make her feel special.

    Shelli H.

    Mels diner! We came for the milkshakes! Visiting the kids again, patiently awaiting the arrival of my grandson and milkshakes were on my mind. Many many moons ago I worked at a Mel's diner and I know how good the shakes are. Also, the tin with the extra excites me, it's like 2 1/2 milkshakes! The kids shared one and the friendly and efficient waitress split it for them so they didn't get a tin. I felt like had they gotten the tin they would have gotten more, so if your sharing don't have them split it. We also ordered the sampler starter thing. It was good. The food is chain restaurant food. Still good. Go for the shakes! They also have malts. A personal favorite.

    california benedict
    Julianne C.

    the food is typical diner food, my california benedict with hashbrowns was nothing to particularly write home about but it was decently good. i did try some friends' shakes/malts and they were quite yummy. the service was very friendly - our server was extremely helpful and nice! the restaurant is decorated very cutely and has strong diner vibes. i wouldn't personally go out of my way to come here again, but if i was stopping by placerville again, i would stop by. all day breakfast is also a plus!!

    Inside
    Lex H.

    Accessible seating is available and the service was good. Stopped by to grab some lunch and it was great. The portions are just enough to fill you up and the food was great. They are very versatile with modifications to the food and I appreciate that. It's a diner, so that alone makes it fun to eat at. The interior is dope and if you've never been to Mel's then check it out.

    Menu 9/2021
    Lillian W.

    This "Original Mels" restaurant is right on Main Street in Placerville, CA. It's not THE original but one out of 22 in the chain. This location has been open since 1997. The food is ok. It's all American basic classic diner fare served up in a 1950s themed decor. The decor is replica of the 1950s diner. They even have a jukebox. The seating is booth, table, and counter; all in colorful vinyl covering. There are signed black n white photos from the cast of the American Graffiti movie and Happy Days tv show hanging on the back walls. I drop into this Mels a few times a year. This time I came in a party of 11. They had several larger tables to accommodate us. The waitress even said she could do split checks but we didn't. The place got busy so we didn't see her much after getting our drinks and food. No refills for our table. Darn. But we did all 11 meals relatively at the same time and got. Good kitchen coordination. The menu prices have increased, in the past year, like every place. That's inflation for ya. The prices are on par to the other restaurants in the area. Other folks at the table ordered hamburgers. No complaints. This is what they are known for... burgers n fries and shakes. There are 10 hamburgers, four chicken burgers, and a veggie burger menu options. Mels food tip: hamburger patties are never frozen, all USDA choice Angus. The patty is served on French style buns lightly butter grilled. One person ordered the 5 piece jumbo shrimp n chips that came with fries and coleslaw. $14.99. The shrimp were truly jumbo, not shrimpy shrimp. The batter crust was crisp, golden delicious looking and fried perfectly. Yummy crisp coating, moist jumbo shrimp. I ordered the fried chicken plate. I center though my plate came out last out of the 11 orders, the food was hot. It came with 4 pieces of chicken, cornbread and your choice of two sides. I chose mashed potatoes and a side salad. $17.99. The chicken pieces were two thighs, a wing and a drumstick. It had a dark fried batter coating. Parts of the coating were hard, a bit over fried. The wing and drumstick was not moist, but the thighs were still a bit moist n juicy. I'll pass on this in the future. The potatoes tasted like a box mix, it was thick and solid. It didn't really have a taste even with the gravy on it. The cornbread was delicious. Yum. The green salad was fresh tasting. The blue cheese dressing was delicious, it had lots of hearty chunks of cheese. If you're looking for "basic no frills" diner fare in a kitschy 1950s themed restaurant, come on into Mels in Placerville, CA. It's right on Main Street in Old Town Placerville.

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    1 year ago

    We come here for my birthday every year food is GREAT get Oreo milkshake so good nice employees

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    Food was good, got water purred on me though but I think the lady was just really tired she was cool tho it's yummy food

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    2 years ago

    The food is good for a very reasonable price. Has a juke box. Happy days style. Nice friendly staff.

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    Page 1 of 8

    Ask the Community - The Original Mels

    Buttercup Pantry Restaurant

    Buttercup Pantry Restaurant

    3.7
    (614 reviews)
    0.0 mi
    $$

    Buttercup Pantry serves a breakfast burrito that's pure comfort on a plate…read more Packed with fluffy eggs and flavorful sausage, wrapped in a perfectly grilled tortilla, and covered in rich enchilada sauce, every bite is warm, hearty, and satisfying. The melted cheese, fresh tomatoes, black olives, green onions, and sour cream add the perfect mix of freshness and bold flavor. This dish feels homemade in the best way possible! Generous portion, great flavor, and the kind of breakfast that keeps you thinking about it long after the meal is over. If you're looking for a filling and flavorful breakfast, Buttercup Pantry's smothered breakfast burrito is definitely worth ordering.

    The restaurant has dirty walls, the chairs are uncomfortable and the service was lack luster…read moreconsidering she had just begun her shift on late Saturday afternoon. The three of us ordered the "rib eye" chicken fried steak senior lunch meal with mashed potatoes and salad. The only thing good was the salad and our drink order. The steak was tough, rubbery & had too much gristle for my MNL to even finish eating it. I asked for gravy on the side and my lunch arrived with gravy smothered on everything; so it went back. When the server was told the lunch was actually disgusting, she didn't apologize for the cooks not doing their job nor asked if we wanted to speak to the manager. When my husband went to pay the check, the manager was doing the cash register and my husband conveyed to him that the food (except for the salad) was not up to par and we wouldn't be back. That manager couldn't care less...didn't offer a discount on the ticket nor to comp the meals for something else to redeem themselves for a return visit! Save a trip and go directly to Mel's Diner across the street for a much better food experience and server cheerfulness. Afterwards, we went to McD's for an ice cream cone to cleanse our palates and got something else for dinner. If I could give a zero rating, I would!!! Very disappointing!!!

    Photos
    Old phone booth
    Old phone booth
    Buttercup Pantry Restaurant
    Inside

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    Inside
    Franny's Farm Table

    Franny's Farm Table

    3.9
    (227 reviews)
    0.1 mi
    $$
    Gluten-free friendly
    Takes reservations

    Yay! Our new favorite lunch place on Main Street!…read more We just stopped by last weekend, we've been wanting to try this place out but it just hadn't happened.... Last Monday we decided to have lunch there, one of our regular places is closed Mondays and this place was open so we checked it out...and we're SO SO glad we did! Atmosphere was nice and server was very friendly from the moment we walked in. First thing I noticed; $5 mimosas!! I asked if they did anything other than orange juice and yes, they had several other options so I had the cranberry version. Delicious! I went with their mac and cheese, my partner got the basic hamburger. Mac and Cheese -- definitely very bacon forward, much more than I prefer. That being said, I still liked it, it also had sour cream and green onion on top. Bacon lovers will LOOOVE this version, there is LOTS of it and every bite you can taste it. Normally I prefer my mac & cheese with no bacon or just a bit here and there, I prefer to taste more of the cheeses.....again, it still tasted good, its a good serving and I ate half and had enough to save for the next day at work. Creamy and well made, again I just prefer to taste more cheese than bacon. I wouldn't order this again but like I said, a bacon lover will LOVE this version. Now, my partner's burger was Incredible. We are PICKY with our burgers, and we both thought this one was fantastic. Big, and great ratio to the bun. He ordered it medium and asked for "a little char" and they made it perfectly. I took a bite and yeah, I'd order that for sure. The fries were great, too. Overall we were super happy with our lunch, I thought it was priced fairly as well. We will definitely be back!!

    I'll give 2* because the food (when it came) was great…read more We've been to Franny's a couple times before and had O.K. service and good food. The pitfalls of the restaurant seem to be entirely the service. Most recently we went to Franny's on Mother's Day. We had reservations and walked in, on time. We were initially sat in a nice booth in the front of the restaurant. It was my wife and I plus our 2 kids, the table size seemed appropriate. After being sat, we sat without talking to a server for 10+ minutes, not even getting waters. Eventually, when someone did come, it was a waitress/hostess telling us that there had been a mix up, and we needed to move. We weren't excited on the idea, as we were happy where we were, but we moved to the back of the restaurant. This time we sat for 15 minutes without being acknowledged by any wait staff. At this point it is 9:25 and we've been seated for 25 minutes without even water. Finally a waitress comes, and takes our drink order, and our food order as we'd definitely had ample time to look over the menu. About 9:50 the food arrives. My wife and kids' food comes and is great. My food comes and looks off, and the waitress tells me that the kitchen accidentally made me a "veggie" scramble instead of the chorizo that I had ordered, but that she'd get me some bacon and all was well. I asked what was in the veggie scramble and was told it has mushrooms, which is a hard pass for me. She told me she could have what I had actually ordered made but it would "take a long time". I said O.K. - what else was I going to do? Finally it comes, and my wife is done eating, and the kids are close, so, I asked for it to be "boxed up". The waitress rolled her eyes and set to the task. I'm not a restaurant snob - but I really expected an apology or something to be "comp'd" due to the rough experience, but nope, full bill and no apology. Regrettably, despite Franny's being a local joint and having good food, we won't be back.

    Photos
    Bacon & Blue Burger
    Bacon & Blue Burger
    Franny's Farm Table
    Franny's Farm Table

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    The Independent Restaurant and Bar

    The Independent Restaurant and Bar

    4.0
    (691 reviews)
    0.5 mi
    $$

    The service is very good. The fresh grilled salmon was honestly the best I've had…read more. And yelp..Ditch telling the customers that they have to have at least 83 characters to post a review

    The food is very good. But consistency and quality control is key to high end dining…read more The key to good service is 1. Offering timely and attentive service and 2. Making sure that issues are handled. The restaurant was busy and the drinks took about 20 minutes to come out. When we ordered we were informed that the prime rib special was sold out. Ok. I get it. So the $66 dollar Rib Eye over the $51 Prime Rib. But then the steaks came out. The others in our group got perfectly cooked rib eyes that were 40-60% cap. They were cooked perfectly to temp. My steak was much smaller, thicker, and entirely lacked the cap. So it was just a NY Strip. The temperature was way over. I was never asked if the dish was ok. Our server was busy and never returned to check on us. The busser came by and asked very quickly if everything was "still" ok. We ate our meal while it was still warm. The busser returned and started to clear the plates, including taking a side dish before we were done with it. When I informed the server of my issue he didn't seem to agree with me. He claimed he came and asked us. Later the manager came and told me he took 20% off the steak. $52 for an overcooked 14 oz NY Steak isn't terrible, but that isn't what I was looking for.

    Photos
    August 28, 2024 - Comfortable Interior
    August 28, 2024 - Comfortable Interior
    Filet with turnip fries
    Filet with turnip fries
    Naked and famous (Mezcal drink with aperol)

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    Naked and famous (Mezcal drink with aperol)
    Brick's

    Brick's

    4.1
    (733 reviews)
    0.2 mi
    $$

    Since my first review several years ago I have been back well over 100 times. This is not an…read moreexaggeration; I go most Saturdays for the wings, which are excellent. The staff are, to a person, friendly and professional, and I always feel welcome and appreciated. That one experience long ago must have been a fluke.

    Hubs and I are in town visiting and decided on Brick's for dinner tonight. We called ahead to ask…read moreif they take reservations. They do not, however they do something called a "fast pass" which basically means they put your name down and if you arrive while there's a wait, you get seated before anyone else who is waiting and does not have a fast pass. Kind of a different approach. I was glad that when we arrived, there wasn't anyone else waiting and there were tables available. Service was very attentive and friendly. He took our drink orders and allowed us some time to decide what to eat. Hubs and I both debated between multiple options- a lot sounded so good- but we both decided on the filet mignon. On the menu, it indicated that the dish comes with a béarnaise sauce; my husband really doesn't care for tarragon so he requested a substitution of their mushroom rosemary sauce instead (which is offered with their ribeye), and they happily obliged. The meal also included Yukon mashed potatoes and veggies. Our food was delivered soon after and I was pleasantly surprised that not only were our steaks still very warm but that they were cooked a perfect medium rare. The quality of the steaks was great, they were nice and thick. The veggies were, for the most part, overdone and a bit soggy, but that's not something that bothers me too much. The potatoes had good flavor but could have used much more milk/cream as they were pretty dry and firm. The experience was a good one and I would definitely return if we lived closer. I liked that their menu had a lot to offer- this is a good place for a family who has various tastes. Shout out to our server, Carver, who was great and provided very good service.

    Photos
    Cool paintings in here
    Cool paintings in here
    Grilled cheese and fried green tomato with a side salad
    Grilled cheese and fried green tomato with a side salad
    Delicious bloody mary

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    Delicious bloody mary

    The Original Mels - tradamerican - Updated June 2026

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