I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this experience! I was expecting typical diner food... You know satisfying but nothing really great. Boy I was wrong. First of all, absolutely love the Americana theme. The place is cheerfully decorated with all sorts of 1950s relics. Super cute little coin operated jukebox on the table. Unfortunately, our jukebox ate most of my coins, and only played two songs, but I told my server about it and he was really nice and even gave us the money back that we put into it. Speaking of our server, his name was Kye, the guy is awesome. He took the time to explain different menu items very patiently. My mom is super picky and has a lot of questions. He knew that menu up and down. He was fast, attentive without being too much and seemed like he had a whole bunch of tables, but I never felt like he was rushed or we weren't being taken care of. I ordered the blackened salmon salad. I didn't take a picture of it because I was starving when it came and I instantly attacked it. They make their own ranch dressing in house, which is a big thing for me being from the south. The salmon was beautifully cooked, I couldn't believe it. I would've never expected to get a piece of salmon like that in a diner. The salad was OK, mostly iceberg lettuce with a few little pieces of arugula, but the tomatoes had a really good flavor. My mom's dish was the star of the show. I would absolutely go back for that. She got the open face to turkey sandwich, which was huge. The gravy was delicious and the freshly cut veggies were super tasty too. The mashed potatoes were kind of just there to me. I see myself returning to that diner on a chilly day for that beautiful comfort meal. read more

The Original Mels - My cute little Ma and her open faced TURKEY SANDWICH - Diners Near Me - Sacramento, California

I'm a huge Mel's fan, I grew up going to Mel's in SF. This location is mid. It feels on par with a Denny's. Food is just mid. Ambiance is probably better if you go in the daytime instead of going at night and getting the drunks after the club. Service was mid. I won't be coming back to this location. read more

The food is always on point and well served, very polite and courteous, Always ask if everything was fine. Excellent server. No complaints here will come back to visit always every time I do come to visit the same gentleman is so polite and nice along with the other staff.. I will send photos after my next visit Thank you so much for the hospitality and great service and food, my sister says excellent customer service! read more

Diner ambiance was cute and they had a jukebox with some classic songs if you have coins (we did not :( ). Food was mid and the place was kinda pricey. One soda was like $6?? And we wanted a shake, but a regular one is $8. We came for lunch on a weekend and the place was pretty empty. Server was nice, but food still took a while for some reason. Overall nothing horrible, but pretty forgettable. Wouldn't come back and wouldn't recommend. read more

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Stumbled across this place while visiting Sac, it was a very retro 90's style diner. I thought the place looked really cool and really puts you back in time. The chicken parm sandwich was decently good, the fries were okay, like the flavor slowly disappears the more you eat. That tater tots were nice and crunchy but a little too greasy for me. Oh, also the portions are big here. The banana milkshake was probably the best item out of them all if I'm being honest. The service was normal for a diner or sit down, nothing that really stood out. Looking to come back in the morning for some mimosas or their breakfast. read more

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We stopped by Mels on a busy Saturday and were promptly sat at a very clean table. In fact, the whole restaurant is incredibly clean! Our server was attentive and took very good care of our table. We had a variety of delicious food options. I got an egg sandwich, no meat, add avocado. It was so filling I could only eat one half! So delicious though. I still think about it. My husband got the chicken fried steak with two sunny side up eggs. He said he really enjoyed his meal. My father got a blue cheese burger and made it buffalo hot! He really liked this burger. All of our food was super good and very filling. I would highly recommend Mel's for a delicious breakfast/ brunch. I can't wait to come back and try some of their other dishes and even the lunch menu! read more

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Classic spot to eat at!! We always take our friends and family here whenever they're in town (they don't have mel's at their hometowns). They got lots of variety breakfast and burgers/sandwhiches. My santa fe chicken burger was actually juicy! and the chili burger is always a go-to. The servers are friendly and accommodating, and they made great chats with us. The 50-60's vibe is fun inside, the restaurant has lot of charm. read more

The Original Mels - SANTA FE CHICKEN MELBURGER - Diners Near Me - Sacramento, California

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Sorry no pictures, we only stopped by to use the bathroom.. but ended up having a few milk shakes, fries, soda water. Great service. Clean restaurant, considering it was built in 1947. We had already eatin, hence using the bathroom, but the food looked delicious, employees were happy and helpful . If we are back in the area we will visit again! read more

Music was a absolute positive vibe, the service and waiters were real chill and funny and were fast with our food. We didnt have to wait too long and they had everything ready to go for us when we would ask. read more

The Original Mels - Front menu - Diners Near Me - Sacramento, California

We wanted something within a walking distance from Sutter Hospital so we came here. I ordered the turkey club sandwich with curly fries. My sister ordered spaghetti with meatballs. Portion was huge for both. Club sandwich was good. Curly fries needed a bit more seasoning as it was a bit bland. Spaghetti meatballs were a bit salty. Our server was nice but service was a bit slow overall. read more

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First timer at this location and I was not disappointed. My server was incredibly friendly, even arriving 15 minutes before an early afternoon closing time. He didn't rush me, which I thought was great. I got the Denver Omlette with egg whites & added mushrooms. It came out fast, hot and as ordered. The Mel's Potatoes were grilled perfectly. Inside was clean & pleasant. read more

The Original Mels - Denver Omelette and Mels Potatoes - Diners Near Me - Sacramento, California

This place was sooo cool and the food was delicious! We went to Sacramento to watch the California Airshow and visit some family. My family took us to have a late dinner at this place. It kind of reminded me of a diner we went to dinner at in read more

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Great server. Can't remember his name but he was awesome. Took care of my family and in-laws

It was delicious, cooked very quickly, I really liked the design of the restaurant, but when I made an order, I asked the waiter to come over later, she realized that my English was bad, and ignored me for a very long time read more

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Don't go to this Mel's location. Portion sizes are small. Also, the place smells like dog and poop. This was a take out order but the guy taking our order was nice. He's the only reason why there are any stars in this review. Again, don't go to this location. Go to a different Mel's. read more

The Original Mels - Chorizo Skillet - small portion - Diners Near Me - Sacramento, California

Service was good but the food was scrappy the salad had orange on the lettuce and was not fresh. The fish was not thoughly cooked the bread was not good. I will not be back. read more

The wait staff is great, especially Leah.....but the new owner apparently is very cheap. I had a Club sandwich and it was 90% bread, lettuce and mayo. It's supposed to layer Turkey, bacon, tomato and lettuce , so your "bite" is flavorful. The turkey was only in the tip of the quarter cut sandwich on 1 layer, the bacon, in total, was about half of 1 piece. The sandwich was all bread, mayo and a little lettuce for $16.99. just ridiculous! I've been going there for over 30 years, back when it was Lyons. I'll go around the corner to the Limelight and get a decent meal! read more

This place seems like a hidden gem in Sacramento. We happened across Mels and happy we did because the place was clean and the food was delicious. The kicker are the little jukeboxes on the tables that actually play music for .25. The servers were attentive and nice. I would recommend this place for food and a nostalgic atmosphere. I will be returning. read more

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Great place for breakfast. Vibe, service, food are fantastic. Easy access downtown Sacramento. I highly recommend. read more

The new owner is doing a great job with the place. Everyone is very nice and professional, foods always on point. Now my favorite one to go to. read more

Corned beef and hash is one of my favorite meals unfortunately I was sadly disappointed at the Mel's on j st my hash browns were soggy the tops of my sunny side up eggs were completely raw gelatinas the corned beef was a little spicy and cold but OK the coffee was good and service was mediocre I don't think I'll be eating here again read more

Came in on a Thursday around 9pm. We were looking for somewhere to do take out. This was one of the places still open at this time/day Ordered the bleu burger and classic appetizer combo to go. The restaurant was bright and clean. Marcus our server was friendly and helpful. We sat at the bar while waiting for our order. read more

The Original Mels - Bleu Melburger- Make it HOT or Not - Diners Near Me - Sacramento, California

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I haven't been here in 10 years since I interviewed for my current job. The place looks the same with 50's diner decor. The server was very friendly. My corned beef hash and eggs plate was one of the best I've had in Sacramento. I look forward to coming back and trying some pancakes and maybe a milkshake. read more

The Original Mels - Inside - Diners Near Me - Sacramento, California

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My husband and I have been on a Mels kick lately. We've gone to a couple of locations (Roseville) and this Sacramento one being the closest one to us. We have attended during breakfast and dinner. All of our visits at this location were good. I enjoyed the service from our servers. I enjoyed my meals and drinks. The restaurant is clean inside. There's plenty of parking in the lot and there's two access points, one on J street and one on 30th. If you want a nostalgic feel and good bites to eat, check out The Original Mels. read more

The Original Mels - Egg-White Omelette - Diners Near Me - Sacramento, California

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The food here was good standard diner food. The French dip was good. On a Sunday night there were another 10 tables being served. They appeared short staffed but everyone was friendly. I did have to ask if someone could talenour order after waiting for about 10 min. Our food came out promptly and hot. My wife had the cheese and bacon Melburger. It was very juicy and good. This is a good place to have good food and decent price. read more

The Original Mels - French Dip - Diners Near Me - Sacramento, California

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My 5 year old Grandson really wanted some chocolate chip pancakes. We also ordered chicken strips which came in a little Ford Fairlane model paper car. Really cute. Pancakes (3) good sized, golden brown and tasty. . He was excited and ate most everything. Usually he doesn't. I ordered fish and chips. Pancakes and Chicken Strips fantastic for kids. I've had breakfast here before, I would recommend eggs, hash browns, bacon toast. read more

The Original Mels - Paper model car that comes with chicken strips. Dinosaur not included. - Diners Near Me - Sacramento, California

Surprising good breakfast, great server, except he went on break and no one checked to get more coffee. 10 minute wait for coffee?! oh no! Steak and eggs were a nice portion size, hot and very good. Saturday morning, no wait, good size parking lot. (They have signs parking only for them). I had gotten my hair cut next door and this place had all the parking. The server was very nice, polite, attentive. Next time I get my haircut I'll have a meal here. read more

The Original Mels - Ribeye Steak & 2 Eggs - Diners Near Me - Sacramento, California

Such nice people work here. The decor was outstanding- real classic diner. Large menu. I got a salad and poached eggs to be healthy but the pastries looked really good. read more

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Hungry? Why are you still reading this? Go now have your breakfast lunch or dinner. There's a lot of of selection for breakfast lunch brunch dinner or whatever you wanna call it from omelettes to pancakes to chicken strips and hamburgers and potatoes and hashbrowns and rye bread and it's delicious. Don't forget the shakes, was too early for me to have some but you gotta get it OK. Service it's good. It's so clean and it is so nostalgic. Ok put down the phone and head down to Mel's. read more

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My wife and I have been dining at this location for a few years, love the staff and the new owner has made some great upgrades, but the best upgrade is the longer hours. That really saved us. Recently, the cheese sticks changed. This is a menu item I order 2-3 times, a week. They didn't need to be changed. The new flavor is not the same and for the first time in years, I actually left one in the basket. What the heck? I'd love to have the old ones back. Shout out to Ryan, Kai, Kai and Miranda. Great service folks. read more

This is my second visit to Mel's, and I tried their Strawberry Belgian Waffles this time! They were delicious, I ate it up. This spot is perfect for grabbing a meal and hanging out with friends. The retro aesthetic adds to the vibe, and you can even play a song on the jukebox with some quarters! I've included pictures of what my friends ordered: * The Regular Mel * Chicken Mel Burger * Hash browns with corned beef * Chicken & waffles. I looked up, and my friend who got the Chicken Mel Burger had already finished, that boy cleared the plate! My other friend usually gets the chicken & waffle and loves it, a classic! My friend that got the Regular Mel said it was a decent burger. The one that got the hash browns with corned beef said they were not too bad. Workers are nice! Overall, I'd definitely recommend coming here with friends to catch up and trying their strawberry waffles or french toast! :) read more

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First impressions make a big impact. The restaurant is so cute from the outside with its decorative black and white checkered tiles and neon sign! There is plenty of parking in their lot and on the street. The diner looks clean both inside and out. I was greeted within seconds by not one, but two friendly servers. The excellent customer service continued throughout my meal. I ordered the mushroom Swiss burger. It was cooked to perfection. The burger was the perfect density. The Swiss cheese was stringy in that good way where you take a bite and pull away with a cheese trail. The first were crispy and tasty. I saw several shakes being made and they were gorgeous. I was envious! None for me this time. Gotta catch a flight. Until next time... read more

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I came in twice at night and my food was so delicious. I usually get skillets , mozzarella sticks & French toast. The service at night is excellent as well. I came in today for lunch to get the French toast again & it was horrible so was the service. Very eggy, no flavor and I sent them back. They remade them and they were still horrible. read more

The Original Mels - Horrible - Diners Near Me - Sacramento, California

Came here for dinner. Customer service was great. The location and vibes were good. Ordered chicken and waffles. Which was good. The chicken tenders were above average. While also being nice and crispy. The waffles were really good. read more

Very good very clean service is very good every time we go there. They seem to be able to keep the rift raft out.

We had a party of 9 on Saturday at 10 am, the staff was very kind and helpful. The food was delicious, the staff helps each other out. Jose was on it. Thank you Norma for the great customer service read more

Great service and good. We had cod dinner and my picky friend said it was delicious, my husband got steak and shrimp dinner. He said we have to come more often. Clam chowder was really good. I got French dip with extra meat. It was yummy. I substituted salad and the blue cheese dressing was yummy. Salad was a little wilted, but the cucumbers, cherry tomatoes and croutons more than made up for it. Everything was reasonably priced. I have the pineapple milkshake and it was a surprise. Fresh pineapple and yummy ice cream. Give them a try. read more

I made the decision to split the chocolate chip pancakes and the breakfast burrito with my sister, and let me say absolutely no regrets. I got both my sweet and savory fixes! Hot chocolate was good as well! Also the place is such a fun atmosphere, feels like I time traveled read more

The Original Mels - Chocolate Chip Hotcakes - Diners Near Me - Sacramento, California

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Second visit to a Mel's Diner. Earlier this year, I visited Folsom location. Both great. Parking at each was just enough. I loved the service at Folsom, but they took care of us fine at J Street today. Too bad my diagnostic work went a little long and I missed the steak and eggs special price by a few minutes. NY steak (6 oz) and eggs comes with potatoes or hashed browns and bread, $15.99. M-F from opening (7:00) to 11:00 is $11.99. It's fantastic. My friend enjoyed his plate, "Wolfman." I tried the pancakes and they were great. I'm a little creeped out by gloves being worn by some employees. In my experience, people wearing gloves have worse habits than those with ungloved hands. For instance, one employee grabbed trash on the floor with the gloves on. But I doubt the hands were washed (like that'd work with blue surgical gloves anyhow) nor gloves replaced. However, the person's plate/glass handling was good, at least. Please nix the gloves. Otherwise, keep up the good work and thanks for the delicious steak! read more

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Amazing. The Breakfast choices are wonderful. THE place for family and friends to share a happy meal together. You can expect these: Parking. Affordable. Clean. Decor. Menu. Hospitable. Dependable. Unpretentious. GO. read more