Mel's Drive-In

Mel's used to be a great spot to grab a burger--not so much these days. Burgers and sandwiches are lackluster and boring; most dishes have a distinctly assembly-line feel and the sides (fries, onion rings) are greasy and limp. Salads generally composed of about 1/2 fresh lettuce and 1/2 wilted and browning. Prices are a bit high for the quality of the food. On the plus side, the service is fast and efficient. Overall, an OK place if nothing else is open--just don't expect to be thrilled with the food. Pros: Abundant parking; open late-night; great service Cons: Dull, lackluster food more

This West Coast chain is a nice place to bring little kids. They get to have their meals served in paper convertible cars. Their malts and shakes (one of a few places to make coffee shakes, and now they have espresso malts/shakes) are really good, topped with whipped cream and a maraschino cherry. The Caesar salad was soggy and practically 1/3 of the bowl was full of croutons, not lettuce. The dressing was too tangy for a Caesar. The vegetable soup of the day was good, spicy from the peppers. The jalapeno pepper grilled chicken was good. If you like cheeseburgers, they're pretty good here. The fries are ok. Tried the fried onion blossom in the past and it was horrible. Full of nauseating oil, practically inedible. The booths are fun and you can play old time music for 25 cents a play. This restaurant has been here for a long time now and the booths are wearing thin with tiny rips in the seats. Still a fun place to bring children. Pros: Large place for kids' birthday parties, booths & music, parking, good malts and shakes Cons: average food more

I love Mel's. They have a huge variety of food. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner is served all day. The food comes in huge portions and the price is more than reasonable. I love their giant ceasar salads and the appetizer plate with chicken strips, onion rings, and mozeralla sticks. It's a meal in itself. And with this location you can eat outside. It's great for families and adults who want to sing to the juke box. Pros: Huge food selection, affordable prices, breakfast served all day Cons: Can get crowded more

Save your time and money, go somewhere else. The waitstaff was friendly, but the food left me desiring something better. What a shame. more

The ""Sunset"" burger at Mel's on Geary, cooked a perfect ""RARE"" everytime, is consistantly, the BEST burger I've had on the West Coast!!!!!!!!!!!! What more can I say!!!???? I needs nothing more! JJ Pros: Great Food, Great Service, Affordable more

I dont know how this place survives in a city with such great food. I guess the only draw is the late night service, but with a little effort you can find much better late night food in hidden diners around town. more

Mouth-watering chocolate shakes - ask about the ""Trenton Special."" By the way, the bacon bit fixins will keep you coming back for more. However, I don't like the spacious tables - too crowded for the two of you. Would be more intimate with slightly more space. The crowd can be a bit dodgy at times. Pros: Inspired, Old World comfort, Precocious Cons: dodgy crowd, boisterous more

If you want that old fashion shake with comfy food, then Mel's is the place for you. We have had the shepard's pie, meatloaf dinner and sandwhiches there a few times. It definitley is not the place for anyone on a diet. Their apple pie is absoultely terrific...nice juicy sweet apples with a little firmness and a flaky crust with a huge heaping scoop of vanilla ice cream to cool it down. The mixture of cinnamon and sugar in the pie is just the right combination. Also, since they have a parking lot, it makes parking a breeze. Sometimes, the service can be a hit or miss, but overall, highly recommend it. Pros: Parking, Pie, food Cons: Service more

Basic good American fare, ambiance & service good, open 24hours and if you like oldies music, this is your place. Pros: Food good, clean, good for kids, oldies music jukebox Cons: Noisy, crowded, no bar more

Mel's is a classic tourist restaurant. I like the quirky servers, but the food is overpriced considering it's not fantastic. Last time I ate at Mel's for breakfast, I discovered that the small orange juice is the same size as the large orange juice, and being fresh-squeezed, it was quite pricey. The server explained that they when they serve the small orange juice, they are not supposed to fill it up all the way but they usually do anyway. If that is the case, they should just stick to the policy or only charge for the price of the small. I am always a little disappointed with the quality of the food at Mel's Pros: Quirky servers, Atmosphere, Open Late Cons: Food more

Went for late night food, got the ""fish and chips"", little frozen things that tasted nothing like fish with soggy fries. The malt was good, though, but overall overpriced and bad food. Pros: Late Night, Malts Cons: Bad Food more

I've been going to Mel's on Geary since I was 8-years-old and it still has that 50s diner atmosphere. The city has more than one Mel's Drive In but the one on Geary still rocks. This is a great place to show out of towners what the old drive in diners really looked like and felt. It's also a must for kids. Try out a mushroom burger and pineapple shake--ain't nothin' like them found anywhere else. Pros: Inexpensive, Friendly service, Cool jukeboxes Cons: Difficult parking more

Mel's Drive-In is a nice place to grab a bite to eat, especially late at night when most of the other restaurants have closed for the night. As one can imagine, the restaurant's atmosphere has that 1950's feel with the jukeboxes playing the oldies and American Graffiti movie memorabilia almost everywhere. The service can be very slow during the late hours and wait for a booth can be long. (The wait for a regular table or a seat at the counter is usually shorter.) The menu is basically diner food, like burgers, sandwiches, milkshakes, etc.. Nothing really special. But it is a good place to hang out with friends at night after a long day. more

Plenty of varieties for food, open late, and the after spot for most nightclubs. Thats the way to go for me if I go out at night. One down side... sometimes the wait is LONG.... more