Melbas Reviews

The wait is very long ! But the food is so worth the wait !!! Just Delicious !!!

The food is very expensive but not up to the price. The catfish was salty and not crisp except for the edges.. The drinks were small with tall prices. The Tres Macaroni and Cheese was more like stove top and the serving was the amount of half a cooking spoon. The potato sakad tasted like Shop Rite supermarket brand. As for dessert the Coconut Cake had little to none Coconut Flakes little filling between layers not worth the price. My friends ordered the alleged Homemade Chocolate Ice ... Tasted like store brought. Instead of Talapia they could have offered Whiting (most soulfood restaurants do) Definitely not impressed wasny worth the 195.00 price tag for 3. The noise level was too high to enjoy dinner or any conversation at our table but we coukd hear everyone else's

Good southern comfort food. Great restaurant to bring a date, meal with family, hangout with a friend or group of friends.

Best soul food restaurant in New York City right now.. point blank period.

100% Recommend This Place If Your Looking For A Nice Place To Eat. There's Never A Wait To Be Seated. The Waiters Are Really Nice and Great At Their Job. The Food Is AMAZING. Their Collard Greens Are Hands Down The Best The Drinks Are Great. It's Definitely Worth The Price.

It s kind of a secret, but Melba s has the best soul food around. This tiny and friendly place serves awesome Chicken & Waffles, Mac n Cheese and Candied Yams.

What a gem!!!!
The food,service and ambience was excellent.Portion sizes are good,and the desserts are heavenly.We were a party of 3 and we all ordered different entrees and sides everything and I mean everything was delicious.
The hostess was welcoming,our server was attentive and helpful.
A definite must eat destination.

I had an amazing dinner experience
Brian, was absolutely outstanding
Very attentive and welcoming
He worked extremely well under pressure.
I will definitely be back just because of his service.
His hospitality was unmatched.

The food is flavorful and well prepared. The waffles are A1 I have never had waffles with so much flavor great job

Great authentic soul food and black American owned unlike Amy ruth whom I believe is Asian owned now and the quality of food has been bad for years

Love me some Melba's!! That Mac and Cheese hit the spot

Great food and great atmosphere. Never disappoints.

The food was ok. But, the service... o.m.g. The male "host" had the door open, as I was approaching. He walked away and closed the door in my face! Then, the lady that I am, I had to open the door for myself. There he was standing at the entrance with 2 menus. So... He slammed the door in my face, in the rain, to go run and get me menus? Ah... no.

The food & atmosphere was great! The temperature inside was a little too warm & uncomfortable.

I love Melba's. I usually come here for brunch so this was my first time ordering off of the dinner menu. If you get there right at 5pm during the week, you shouldn't have a problem getting a table. But it does fill up quick so get there early if you can. I ordered the catfish, collard greens, and rice and peas. My husband and I split a side of the mac and cheese. The fish is always seasoned to perfection. No hot sauce needed, trust. The greens were good. I'm always a little biased toward my husband's greens because I need that extra bite. But overall, they're pretty flavorful. I wasn't as impressed with the rice and peas. I wanted to taste more of the coconut milk, but the rice had a decent amount of flavor. I wish it had come with jerk sauce to make the rice a little more moist. But the mac and cheese was truly the star of my meal. Finally, a soul food restaurant that understands that mac and cheese must be seasoned. Absolutely delicious and so creamy. The icing on the cake was Melba's peach cobbler. Do yourself a favor and get it a la mode. All I can say is OMG. You want to really treat yourself? Go to Melba's.

I chose Melba's to celebrate my parents' 50th Wedding Anniversary. The staff was gracious, kind and attentive. They even held and bought out the cake for us, sang an original "anniversary" song and made the evening fun. The food was great. The drinks were excellent. It was a except optional evening and I truly thank all the staff for making this evening one to remember!

My Pastor, Assist Pastor and First Ladies met there for brunch, I got there a little late, after everyone had already ordered. However, all the food came out at the same time but, my food was the only order that was cold. Although, I said it was ok and I'll make due, I felt the waiter should've insisted to make sure my food was hot. He had to have given me an order that was ether sent back or canceled. Bad Business! If you wonder why I Did Not Insist on making sure my food was hot, it's because I Do Not Trust sending my food back, by someone who seem to have been upset by me mentioning it.

I recently was a customer at Melba s and I will never return. I was asked to move tables so that a white party could be seated. When asked to speak to the manager he was unapologetic and unwilling to address the issue. I do support black owned business and love Harlem but I will never return to this establishment.

Pleasant atmosphere that manages to be upscale, suitable for date night, but also approachable and unpretentious. Friendly staff, especially the bartenders. We stopped in for appetizers and some wine, but we'll definitely be returning for dinner. Those spring rolls were terrific, and I appreciated the moderate acoustics that permitted conversation.

The music what GREAT the atmosphere was WONDERFUL the staff was AWESOME and the food was YUMMY even the portions were great

Chicken and eggnog waffles was delicious. So was their whiskey waterfall.

Melba's was absolutely fabulous. The food was great, the music was great. Would do it again anyday.

Its a really tiny spot and the wait can be long however the food was good! Mac and cheese and catfish was on point!

Horrible service/ over priced / food was ok/ for the price . Portion is small/

Band was great rakiem walker project gloria ryann on leads

The food at Melba's is good. I go specifically for the egg nog eagle and cat fish. The only down side is that the main dining room is small, so it can get pretty loud at times. The service is usually good.

Very nice atmosphere..very good food. Generous servings..

I live a few blocks from this restaurant and have eaten here twice. The first time I had the catfish /Mac and cheese/ yams . Food was good. Last month , I went there for brunch. I had the grits and Spinach egg omelet which was good , my husband had chicken and French toast which he said was okay , my son had the chicken and waffles which is what they are famous for and my daughter had a burger . The food is good here , a bit pricey but so is everything else in this area . Portions are decent . Overall the food was good, nothing to rave about but it s a decent spot . The staff was nice and the seating area isn t too crowded.

Typical restaurant for the Afro-American cuisine, where you can enjoy a typical brunch after gospel mass. Know that digestion will be your next goal, but it deserves.

You can't go wrong with anything on the menu. The spiked fruit punch is a must. The spinach and collards are amazing. If you like sticky yams, skip the ones at Melba's....they're well cooked, but not saucy and sticky. The short ribs fall off the bone. The chicken and waffles will keep you going back. The catfish portion is small. Get there when they open, otherwise, get ready to wait......a long time. The line stretched outside the door the evening I went.

I visited Melba s tonight for Take out dinner. I didn t really eat today because I didn t want to spoil my appetite. The food came out quick which was exciting and I was hungry so I decided to start eating in the car. What a sad experience, I am so disappointed in the Mac and cheese it was so dry, bland and the cheese was hard. It s hard to explain. It was really really bad. I have been here a few times and I always get the Mac and cheese. And it has always been good. I ordered the catfish dinner. When I got home I tasted it and it was good and so were the greens. You can t charge someone $27.00 for a meal and 50% of it is garbage worthy. I ordered 2 sides of Mac and cheese because of my love of it. I drove from manhattan beach Brooklyn to Harlem for this Mac and cheese, and I live in New Jersey. So clearly I was expecting a good dinner. The only reason Melba is still around is because of the name because had she been a new restaurant I don t think it would work. Melba your staff needs to do better. $16.00 worth of Mac and cheese in the trash. I took pictures I am going to try and upload them so you can get an idea. I doubt I ll be going back. Honestly if it wasn t so far and out of my way I would bring back the food but it s just not worth it.

Nice soul food restaurant. Outside eating only right now. I had southern fried chicken, Mac and cheese, and collard greens. An alternative to Sylvia's on W 125th.

I was so happy when i left there... Belly full and all...

Worth the wait. Perfectly seasoned. Lightly fried. One of Harlem's best!

Great, relaxed atmosphere, wait staff was excellent, attentive waiter, Brian, made our meal very pleasant. The food was good, a tad greasy, but if you're looking for comfort food that's the point!

Love love love nothing else to say , coming here is a must. Food is everything you desire

Bustling spot in Harlem. The best oxtails, great drinks. A great place for great conversation with great people.

I really liked the variety on the menu. Food is good, and the staff is very friendly.

Went to celebrate my brother's birthday with our father and had a great time....Food was hot, fresh and finger licking good. Definitely going back for the catfish strips, fried chicken and egg not waffles.

Food Is Delicious A Bit Pricey For Soul Food But Once You Eat You Will Forget About The Price Gr8t Job Melba,s

Food was great, the portion sizes were large, the staff were attentive and friendly.

Over one hour waiting time to sit (on a Saturday night) and no reservations accepted. The ambiance was festive, multicultural and comforting. Lighting too dark over the food/ table area. Despite things I had a good time. Nice customers: everyone friendly.

The food was great. The service was excellent. The host Michael was the best! I'd definitely go again. I realized after I left that Melba was there. Next time I'll get a pic!

So great. Great food and atmosphere. Family, friendly a must visit

Food was OK could've been more tastier and warmer. Appetizers were good, eating space a little tight but wasn't bad for a place it's size, furniture needs updating. Energy and atmosphere was good. The worst was the constant interruptions from the busboys asking if you were done with your plates with partial to little food still on the plates which made you feel rushed and unable to enjoy the food and your company/family. Overall food was OK to good and would likely return for another experience different time of day just to see if it's a hit or miss.

Great staple in Harlem with a pretty varied menu, but the collard greens are to sweet.

Ordered the Chili Onion rings tonight and was super excited to have them! *first time ordering from this place* while I never leave these type of reviews I thought it was appropriate after paying $10 for 2 onion rings that were delivered extremely DRY, chili LESS, and coated in so much bread crumbs I could barely eat one. Never will I order from this place again! After reading through such an exciting menu I am so disappointed.

The food was amazing the first time but the second time there were issues with the food

Simply the best food I've tasted ever. No exaggeration. I ordered a second plate to go because it was that good.

Use to be a long time customer. Now they are to busy to even be nice. I'm so disappointed that this once humble establishment cannot be nice or service the black harlem community like they use too. Staff is extremely rude. So sad....loved the food.

Great portions, and is worth the money spent there.

I finally made it here after two whole months of attempting to come. Thought I would spend some quality time with my son and take him to get some good soul food in Harlem. His first choice was the chicken and waffles but I convinced him to try something different so he ordered the oxtails, mac and yams. I ordered the wine braised ribs mac and yams. My ribs were salty, very dry and very tough and accompanied with a lot of salty gravy/sauce which gave me heartburn- inedible. The mac was fine and the yams were sweet but ok. The same with the oxtails, heavily salted however, tender and edible. My son was nice enough to swap proteins with me to make happy and I regretted convincing him to change from the chicken and waffles. I was very disappointed as we drove from Jersey during the weekday traffic to get there and wasted $60 on food that wasn't worth it. Should I mention the lady who supposed to seat you but doesn't even acknowledge you while you are standing there until she feels like it? uggh. I can't imagine that Chef Samuels is aware of this. At least I hope not. My server Edward was nice and so was the sweet tea. Will not return.

I tried to make a reservation online for my birthday (I called 2 days in advance) last week and when I called, the person I spoke to said they accepted walk-ins. When I got there, they said they were closed for a private event. If they knew they had an event, they should have said that. Completely unacceptable! The food is good, but I have no intentions of going back.

Ordered takeout and although the flavor was excellent, the portions were pretty small for the price.

This is my Hubby's and my favorite go-to place for comfort food! I usually get the same thing every meal, mixing up the vegetables perhaps. I love every morsel!

We were first for lunch. The food took long but well worth the wait. Short beef sliders, collards and mashed potatoes YUMMY!

The real rating is a 3.5 the food was good but it wasn't great. My partner and I ordered online and picked up. The service was great overall a tad bit pricey. However, Mac and cheese could have been better but the catfish was good, mashed was good, yams were okay, onion rings were dope, whatever the butter is for the waffles was amazing waffles good too best hot and fresh and the chocolate cake was worth it and catfish tacos were no longer on the menu so they called and asked if we wanted to change the order so we did they offered and extra piece of fried catfish instead and that was worth it. Overall good eats go check it out if you're in the area.

Brunch is better than dinner. Food is very heavy. Great service.

The food was pretty good. No parking in area though

Will return! The food and the environment were the best.

The restaurant was great. The meal was good, tasty and served in a timely manner. I highly recommend this restaurant to anyone who is looking for a great place to eat.

Food was good ! Enjoyed the cat fish bites. Nice atmosphere good eating music

Elegant and affordable. The staff waa personable and I would love to go back tomorrow.

Amazing soul food, nothing left on our plates when we were done, great service & read the history behind it.

Oxtails are good. The ice tea or lemonade can be is sweet sweet, but good. The workers work. Had a catered event there and a meet up another time.