Melbas Reviews

Had a craving for chicken and waffles after a disappointing experience elsewhere, and Melba's delivered. The eggnog waffle reminded me of chinatown egg waffles with the right amount of crunch and sweetness. I opted for the white meat chicken and my only complaint was that I could have gone for two pieces instead of one.

Nice atmosphere. Great service. Food was good and did not take too long to come out. The music was on point. Loved it. Will definitely go back. Make a reservation because the place is small but cozy. We had one and was seated right away

This place is great. I ordered the fried chicken with collard greens and mashed potatoes and all three were excellent. The collards in particular were maybe the best I d ever had. The peach cobbler for dessert was only mediocre, but I still give five stars based on the main course.

Fried chicken wings,pea&rice and sauted spinac paired with a tall cool glass of Melba's Harlem Ice Tea

The service was wonderful & the food was good & tasty

Melba's is a warm and cozy location. The ambiance is wonderful. The food is phenomenal; catfish, sweet potatoes, grilled salmon, smothered chicken, collard greens... all amazing. The owner and staff treat you like family. Can't wait to get back to try the chicken and waffles.

Culinary gem, very friendly and courteous staff...and If you run into Melba herself you will realize that I am underselling this place, while she's a treasure, she treats her guests like they are.

Excellent Jamaican oxtail, cocktails and good service

I had my birthday dinner here. The food was very delicious. What made me give this place a 4 was the service. The waiter we had was rude and pushy. He rushed my guest to order there food instead of saying he will come back he seemed like he had an attitude. He was not attentive. Did not refill our water/drinks another lady did and he just seemed mad. Come to find out gratuity is already included. He received a nice 32 tip for horrible service. My friend mentioned something to him and was even so uncomfortable to order takeout with him she ordered from the bar. He changed his tune a little bit but was still rude. Also I made reservations ahead of time for 8. One extra guest came 9 and they would not accommodate. I guess you have to be very exact but overall great I mean great southern soul food. Enjoy!!

Love this place. One of our favorite soul food spots in NY. Great for dinner and brunch!

I have always loved the hospitality and the service and everytime I visit it gets better and better and I live in the area keep it up

Great food and the staff is amazing very friendly and helpful.

Very tasty the collard greens were actually good I'll visit again but portions need to be up graded for the price

Nice intimate setting with good food. Loved being in Harlem at such a nice restaurant.

The atmosphere is comfy. Small, warm and inviting with good music. I had their Strawberry Henny drink for $14 and their dark meat chicken with eggnog waffles. The waffles were a bit cold and didn t taste anything like eggnog. However, their chicken was hot like it just came off the stove and was the right amount of crisp and seasoning. I love the artwork on the walls and the staff was friendly. I love that they already had the hot sauce and syrup on the table for you.

It was delicious and we got to speak to the owner she made us feel like we were home beautiful personality! You'll enjoy the flavor a d the smiles!

I have to go back again just to make sure it's a 5 * and they are not cheap with the alcohol either. My seabass could have been cooked longer and my food came to me cold.

The food was very light and delicious to be a soul food joint. I had catfish and waffle

There food is all that . I recommend if ur in Brooklyn NY go it's worth it , and y'all be back trust me

The service was impeccable and the food was great. Especially the sping rolls

This food is overhyped. The price is not worth the taste. The first time I ordered, the Belgian waffles were good but the wings tasted like they were seasoned with the ramen noodle chicken flavor packet. My second time ordering here I asked for plain fries and got stale and dry waffle fries. The Mac and cheese is very oily and did not taste good at all. The buffalo wings were overcooked as well. Very disappointed for food I payed $30 for. Second and last time ordering food from here.

Great lil cozy spot. Love the food but let good for extra large groups.

Came in here for brunch one Sunday. I knew the food would be amazing as soon as I tried the coffee. See, good coffee in most restaurants is a detail, something usually done kind of half-assed. Since they handle that detail so well, I expected other details to be done right and I was not disappointed. Definitely worth a visit or five.

Good food.. shrimp and grits were to die for.. also order some rum punch... that was delicious

The service was great. And so was the food .It's a bit small and cramped. And the drinks are powerful. Enjoy

Food was good n the fact that they a comadate with outdoor dinning .

I've been wanting to make my first stop here for several months. When I finally made the time it was well worth. Southern staples in a kinda upscale environment, but still cozy and comfortable. I walked out the door full and happy.

This reminds me... I need to stop by again soon. :)

If you like hot sauce on your Melba's , they got pretty much every basic restaurant hot sauce imaginable for you to add that extra kick. They provide to-go boxes or containers for you at the self service area. The staff was friendly and the decor was hip. If you are in the mood for Melba's n cheese, with the customization, should satisfy that craving

Love the food and vibes.Fish and chips are my favorite. Also the oxtails was good.

Visited my daughter in New York and had dinner for the 4th time at Melba's. Never disappointed! Food, service, and atmosphere the best. If you visit New York have a meal there !!

One of my favorite restaurants in New York. If you're looking for some great soul food and comfort food, Melba's is your place.

Okay so first suggestion in one word "Reservation" which needs to be done by noon Saturday. This spot for Sunday Brunch......busy, but worth the wait. So this is my first time and it stood up to the hype my friend and I had the chicken and waffles.......#Delish a side of sausage and eggs and my other girlfriend who's been before had the fried catfish and waffles.......and I dare to say the catfish was fried to perfection to rival Amy Ruth's. And anyone who knows and my reviews drinks I like and their white sangria to die for......and I'm usually not a sangria gal......theirs Awesome!

And I only gave 3 stars to due to the wait and slight disorganization, but I must say the staff and manager was on top of things. This is on the revisit list......

Went to brunch get there very early had reservation seated quickly, long wait on food 45 minutes Place very small, chair was woobly. Ordered Shrimp n Grits flavor were good a lil over priced for plate. The shrimps are seasoned medium sized but overcooked and not enough grits which were creamy but very loose so it spreads on long plate to make look like its a lot given. Paid xtra for cheese in grits. look need lil renovation.

We love this place, they are very consistent serving great food and the best drinks!!!

If your talking soulfood in Harlem Melba's is it, top 3 hands down. I highly recommend this spot

I've been living in the neighborhood for six years and ever since Melbas addition opened the service went downhill. Was told it would be a 20 minute wait and an hour later we find out that they had been sitting people that came in after us. There were plenty of seats open so not sure what the problem was. Miss the food but definitely dont walk in.

Also, was told we would be called every time we asked and as we got dinner across the street watched them look for us without calling. We never got our call.

The food here is really good and this place has a nice vibe.

staff and management treat work like it's a Love & Hip Hop type of show. The food while is great of course it's only because the cooks behind the kitchen are great at cooking if only the management could be the same way I'm really not knocking this place for its food the atmosphere or the overall feeling you get when you're there eating I'm trying to knock the management and how they treat their workers especially how they pay their workers.

Good food great service. The Egg-Nog waffle is off the chain. OMGOSH it actually made the meal for me. The chicken wasn't bad but baby that waffle . Now the Mac and Cheese i was not a fan of. It had some type of smoked cheddar in it and it kind of throw off the taste but it wasn't really bad but not something I would order again. The greens where not bad a little tuff but overall not bad. The spring rolls where excellent, I really really enjoyed them. I don't know if I would spend almost 10 dollars on 2 spring rolls ever again but they were truly tasty. Worth trying. Melba's was a very nice night I had the rum punch it was a little weak for $14 but the Margarita wasn't bad at all. I would visit again if only for the chix and waffles. Go try and let me know what you think... Oh sorry I did not take a pic before I ate, I was starving this was my first meal of the day so here is the remainder of my meal. The meal comes in a take out container when sitting outside

Food was pretty good and modestly priced BUT... the waitress was not very attentive with refilling the drinks for a large party, the appetizers came at the same time as the main food, and I'm still having trouble trying to figure out how a place that sells mixed drinks doesn't have toothpicks.

This southerner will make a beeline to Melba's every chance I get. Best soul food in New York City bar none! The fried chicken and mac and cheese are unbelievable!!

I came here with my cousin and LOVED it. My chicken was delicious. The sides were large and tasty. They sure don't skimp on portions. Tables are close together but we weren't crammed. Service was on point. Host was friendly. Close to public transit. I'll return! Highly recommend

Very small restaurant in Harlem. Friendly service. Our meals were served promptly but we waited more than half hour for drinks. I loved the entire restaurant singing Happy Birthday (Stevie Wonder style) to the celebrant.
The food was fresh, plated nicely, well prepared, and tasty. Everyone enjoyed their meal - Catfish, Rice n Peas, Spinach, Seabass, Potato Salad; Collards, Fried Shrimp, Fried Chicken, Salmon. Portions were not large but reasonable.
Dessert was scrumptious - Chocolate Layer Cake and Pound Cake was served warm. So Yummy!
My complaints are far outnumbered by everything right with my experience at Melba's Restaurant.

Very Good Food and potion sizes. Loud at times ; good for large parties of people.. Great location & close to buses & trains..

The food is great as always...that's ALL that keeps me going back (when I do on average once a year). The service (staff) seem quite disinterested in providing decent service...its like they actually make it their mission to let you know that to ever expect "accommodating" or "attention to detail" or even "friendly" is a crime in Harlem. My son and I felt like we were inconveniencing THEM by coming in for Sunday brunch!

Also, in reference to paying attention to detail, the staff is not cognizent of seating order of customers and serving them in that order. A couple that was seated right next us about 10 minutes AFTER we arrived was given water and had their orders taken. Was it because we were simply sitting up against the wall, therefore unreachable in some way? My son (who is 19 yrs old) brought up the idea that it was because they were "mixed race" (a white male and a mixed race female)..however I am inclined to assume that it was more of an honest negligence..I will leave that be.
Even after we eventually received our orders slid in front of us, we never saw our waitress again (no checking in to see if stuff was OK etc.)...then I had to "street call" someone to give me my check so that we could leave as soon as possible.

Cool place to have a drink. I did not eat here. Our bartender Curtis was on point!

Nice looking little spot. Went for drinks really, but had the catfish strips appetizer.....ver good. The bartender (Kishona) was very pleasant!

Melba's is the place to visit for good comfort food ,lovely service and not expensive. Had a party of 10 for my mom's birthday and even though the server had to get extra help she didn't bust a sweat. I absolutely

Outstanding southern style cooking with southern hospitality to match, and great live music. If you don't have a reservation you can get a seat at the bar.

This restaurant has some good food as well as bad, but their service is AWFUL. They are slower than a snail that is old and has had no food for the past 2 weeks.

Customer Service is AMAZING, I ALWAYS request for Brian is AMAZING . I LOVE THEIR SMOTHERED CHICKEN, BASICALLY I LOVE THEIR FOOD & THEIR CUSTOMER SERVICE. THE MANAGER IS AMAZING AS WELCOME. THIS IS THE PLACE TO BE AT IN HARLEM FOR DINNING.

Food was very flavorful and only one drink needed. Great experience! Oh don't skip dessert, it's not pictured because it didn't last long enough, but I had the pound cake.

Best waffles I've ever eaten. Great service, lovely experience.

I found this place just walking by and didn't know I discovered this gem. Food was amazing - very creative and staff / service super nice! No wonder it has all 5 star reviews on yelp!!

Good food and nice atmosphere. Live music on Thursdays. Service can be a bit on the slow side, but it's worth it if you have the time.

I love the staff that work there the food is great and the atmosphere is fantastic

Melba's serves Louisiana style food in an elegant but relaxed venue. Service was friendly and the food was tasty. The peach cobbler was a particular favourite.

I remember seeing the Food Network episode where she beat Iron Chef Bobby Flay almost a decade ago, and now I know why she won. Absolutely amazing Chicken & Waffles! Definitely going back again, for the culture!

I love the atmosphere, the food is good. I took my mom and my little girls there for dinner. The staff was very helpful and patient with us. I wouldn't suggest taking small children though. It's definitely a grown up restaurant.

Called 6 times to make a reservation. Finally picked up on the 4th. Lady couldn't hear me so she let me know she was hanging up and to call back. Called back immediately, lady made it sound like she was putting me on hold to check for availabilities for dinner. Waited 10 minutes, call ended.

Called back again, no answer.

Will be stopping by with my friends to try and get a table in person as we had planned. If I get in I will edit this review and discuss the food. However at this point I will not be upset if I need to choose a different restaurant that night.

Update: We got a reservation right before they closed for the day. Will update on the actual food shortly.

Despite arriving early: We got our table 20 min later than our reservation time. However this restaurant is quite fast with ordering dinner! The chicken and waffles were really good. I personally thought the waffle part of the dish stood out more and the strawberry butter was great. My friend's mac and cheese was pretty amazing.

The family from Nashville next to us felt their food was great, but not as good as back home. I'd give 4-5 stars for the food, but it gets bumped down to a 3 due to my phone debacle and the amount of time to get a table with reservation. My suggestion to friends will be go to sweet chick when they feel like spending more on southern food in nyc, and to try amy ruth's if they feel like spending less (this restaurant seems to be more in between).

Atmosphere can get loud during evening rush but overall great service and amazing Soul Food!