Melbas Reviews

Good food good drinks very good service and good entertainment on Tuesday nights

Big portions. Delicious biscuits. Worth the wait if there is a line out the door.

The food was great I had catfish eggnog waffles and cheese grits. I enjoyed it. Definitely will go back

Food was amazing. I had the oxtails, mac & cheese and collared greens. Everything was tasty, favorable and hearty. I took home left overs. But maybe that was because I had the calamari appetizer which was also delish.

Food was ok but after a super long wait the food was cold. We waited a really long time. I would have enjoyed the food much more if it was hot or at least warm. It was really really cold, sort of unbelievable The atmosphere is cool.

Best mac and cheese in the game. Real hard to get a reso but if you do count yourself lucky and make sure to go there hungry because they are going to stuff youblike a holiday turkey

Easily some of the best soul food in the city. Not only does Melba's have great food and service, but it is owned and operated by a member of the local community and it is a great place to eat to support a small family owned establishment.

Delicious, mouth-watering short ribs sliders; oxtails cooked to perfection.

As a long time customer Melba's has changed, and not for the good. I used to love coming in and having a good talk with the bartender and staff but everyone is new now. The staff had given me a happy hour menu at 5 pm but then charged me twice the price even though I repeatedly asked. A meal that was supposed to add up to 80 dollars came close to 200. The editor had to find the manager as he was outside having a conversation multiple times. He never once came over to fix this situation but was so quick to tell me I couldn't come back as soon as I stepped foot outside. I can understand if I was making up prices, I was simply going off the menu that was given to me.

Delicious food & nice portions......great fast & friendly staff

First of all their food is ok, but for the price they give you small portions...DO NOT ORDER THE HAMBURGER....they need to put the hamburger on the childrens menu...ijs

Consistently amazing!! 5 years if delicious food!!!

Wanted to like this place but the service was terrible. Almost nonexistent.

Bummed.

Brunch was underwhelming.

But seriously, the service was terrible. So slow. And the place wasn't even packed.

Everything was absolutely amazing!! Reminded me of my auntie's cooking (old school soul food), may she rest in peace.

I came with my party of six and Melba made us feel right at home. Unlike lots of the well known NYC restaurants, Melba warmly welcomed me with my family (including two kids) saying we were all kids once when we apologized for being a party of 6. Melba worked her magic, patrolling the place and doling out hugs to nearly everyone she saw. The food? Wonderful and soul filling. I d love to try everything on the menu. I m sure it s just as good as the chicken and waffles, greens, and Mac and cheese I tried.
It s a special spot, and one I would frequent on the regular if I had the blessing of living here. Surely a must see treasure.

Yummy All The Foid is Excellent I give it a Thumbs up

This is my 4th time coming here and the food is always bomb! I had catfish with collard greens and Mac & cheese this time. No complaints!! Black owned with dine in seating and beautiful artwork!

Food was very tasty, nice atmosphere, big portions(had to take food home). Service was very good as well

My boyfriend and I had a great meal and drink to go. The food was really good and the portions was perfect! I will be back

It was good but the oxtail is it just a little bit salty. Everything else was great. But you got to watch a bill the way to that I had added another dollar to my bill or to his tip I did appreciate that

The food was everything, and then some! Cat fish, potato salad, and collard greens

Very nice , had good amount of food and the service was very good. I liked my French toast,grits , spinach omelette, beef sausage and OJ.

Melba's was great, I had the meatloaf dinner, my friends had chicken and waffles, everyone enjoyed their food and drinks, the waitress was excellent as well and fair prices

Cool and friendly atmosphere. Services are superb and food is super tasty.

Omg what can I say?, this is the best soul food restaurant in the whole wide world. Nothing beats their fried Chicken and back Mac and cheese, not even your grandmother cooking lol. Love you Melba's.

The food is fantastic and the service is marvelous!

Service and food was excellent. Definitely a big fan of Melba's. Will be a repeat costumer often.

Brunch on Sunday. I ordered egg whites...good but they were cooked in too much butter . Waffles was good. We sat down at 1130am the restaurant became very busy quickly. I will return.

So I returned on 9/3/20 and the service the best!

I m from Mississippi. The food here is HIGHLY overrated. Sorely disappointed, because of the popularity. Service was so so, to be expected, but the food was a huge disappointment.

The fried chicken was greasy not well crispy also tasted like shrimp. The only thing good was the potato salad. Yams i didn t like. N the Mac n cheese did not like. Very disappointed. Very.

Delicious Chicken and Waffle
The strawberry butter just adds the right amount of flavor. The chicken was perfectly seasoned and cooked to perfection. You also must have the Mango Mimosa. I had three, need I say more!

Awesome Food and enjoyed my time with Melba and her staff!!! Great service!!!

Love Melbas the food is excellent! And its Black owned in Harlem. I vist frequently for business lunch and dinner.

I think it's over priced, but honey that mac & cheese and those drinks will keep you coming.

Just had brunch here and it was not a great experience. Order was not taking correctly twice, the ran out of food but told us after we had been waiting. The staff was pleasant. Kitchen just had a bad day causing our experience not to be so great. The manager did take care of us by giving us free mimosa and I could tell that she was some what embarrassed because of it. I m all in for supporting black business, manage a major restaurant brand owned by my son here in NY and he wanted to show me and his mother the NY culture. However today was not for Melba s... maybe next time.

Thr food was amazing and the fun environment would cause me to go back there again and again, and Melba and her staff were so so welcoming

Excellent food and service. A must do if you go to Harlem.

It was my first time eating there. I was visiting the area with family. I loved the chicken and waffles . Everyone enjoyed their meals. I would enjoy eating there again .

I came here for the first time to meet with some friends and it enjoyed it nice atmosphere loved the food and the music loved the spring roll that the host recommended i will definitely be coming back

Great food most of the time. Last time I was there the food was really salty

The people are really nice. But the food was half and half. The macaroni and cheese is watery and the spinach tasted like it's from the can. The sea bass had the skin on it and it tasted like it had scales on it. Hopefully better next time. I been there two times before this time and the food wasn't bad at all. Its seem like a hit or miss.
The spring rolls are excellent FYI!!

Relaxed, chilled, atmosphere. Food is good with just the right portion.

The food is so delicious. Good vibes. Excellent service.

I enjoyed the fries along with the mac and cheese and collard greens.

Everything about my experience at Melba s was incredible - from the service to the food to the Blackness of the whole place. They treated me to the best piece of red velvet I ve had in my life for my birthday and sung happy birthday (Stevie Wonder style of course). I cant wait to go back!

Loved, loved, loved this spot! Service was outstanding, the food wonderful.

Never disappointed when I go there. The food and drinks are Awesome.

The catfish was oily / greasy and soggy. The greens were OK. The mac & cheese was decent.

The Food was Absolutely Delicious!!! Warm and Cozy Atmosphere!!! We had the Egg Nog Waffle, Fried Chicken and Catfish. Out of this world!!! Had the chance to meet Mrs. Melba (the Mastermind behind all this Delicious Food)!!! What a Beautiful Person!!! We enjoyed conversing with her. It was like hanging out with family. That's how she made us feel, Like Family!!! Thank you Mrs. Melba. If your in NYC , make your way Uptown (Harlem) and stop on by Melba's. You Will Not be disappointed!!!

Landmark best friend chkn I have ever ate. Have tried Roscoe's in Cali this was better great food and experience

Good food. Good drinks
Good crowd. Good prices

Really disappointed that there s no alternative cooking preparation for people with a shellfish allergy. I don t expect special treatment but I ve been to plenty of restaurants where the chicken is fried in different oil than the seafood. This review is not meant to bash the establishment but raise awareness on a very serious allergy that can be fatal if this info is not shared.

Place was. Very cold
.

We were so excited to visit Melba's for a graduation celebration and a 3:30 reservation. We even contacted them by email to confirm our big day.I preface my comment with the fact that we are a highly educated family from Maryland. The weather was terrible, but we were determined to take the trek from the Bronx to Melba's-all 14 of us!

We called to let them know we were on our way and were told there was no reservation, despite the rude staff person saying our last name.

He offered little understanding or interest in serving us. We told him that a female took the reservation, but he implied that we were lying. It was a belittling experience.

We decided that Melba's could not offer the celebratory atmosphere we were seeking and chose instead to dine at the Row House. That was an awesome celebratory atmosphere with good food and music!

Melba's is Pumkin Escobar's favorite soul food spot in Harlem. It's got a cozy quaintness that gives the restaurant a real home-y feel and that extends to the food. It fits and represents the community perfectly. In fact, on any given evening you can catch a Harlem icon like Dapper Dan in the house having chicken & waffles (with strawberry butter which is pretty excellent, btw). You might even catch yours truly in my red hoodie, so if you see me, say whassup

I love it here I go every Sunday for brunch,great food and friendly staff

Nothing to be amazed about. Fried chicken, Oxtail and catfish were par.

I would recommend Red Rooster or even Amy Ruth's (cheaper).

I say skip on this over rated restaurant.

Delicious food. A little pricey, but definitely worth it. Awesome service!! I came in with a few dietary restrictions and my server, Ole, was super patient and helpful.

Melba's was so delicious. Everything was perfect even the drinks! We had two
the catfish and egg nog waffles, fish n chips, southern fried chicken, and sliders. The greens are so good n mac n cheese too! Love this place! Can't wait to come back when I visit NYC again!!

Thoroughly enjoyed my visit. The service was great. Food and drinks....AMAZING!!! Can't wait to go back.

Melba's food and staff were GREAT!!! Will be back soon.

If you're reading this Goooo! Their fried chicken, mac and cheese, and greens left me speechless. So delicious

Great food! Great crowd! Great food! Great service! Melba herself is amazing and so welcoming. Felt like we were at home

I love Melba's. The food is amazing and the ambiance is great. The staff are professional, courteous, knowledgeable, informative, attentive and patient. Melba is amazing too.

The food is excellent! No complaints there. I gave it a 4 star only because well they have 2 sides 1 side has lots of ceiling fans and great a.c. BUT! When i went we sat on the side with little to no a.c. and no ceiling fans it was hella hot.one should not sit down have several drinks in this summer heat with. No a.c. they need better a.c. on that other side it was a large group of us and we all were dripping with sweat the entire time!