Melbas Reviews

Food is amazing!! The wait to be seated and the wait for food is too dang long. Waited 30 mins to get my food.

Food was amazing! Howver the outdoor dining iwas a mess. It was too cold to be sitting outside and there's no heaters or tent

Unsure why this place has 4.4 rating. One star for waitress was nice. One star for the one piece of fried chicken I ate was 7/10. However, 17.95 for one piece of fried chicken (dark meat) and barely any grits is too much $$. I was expecting 2 or 3 pieces. And it took 20 minutes after placing order? Music too loud. Won't repeat ever. Price doesn't justify. Also, pet peeve, but napkins tear easily = cheap napkin.

This used to be a hidden jewel but has gathered popularity with it's appearance on Phantom Gourmet. This is hard core southern comfort food with a bit of a gourmet taste. The fried chicken is the best I've ever, ever had! Melba herself makes the rounds to welcome you and on certain nights there is love R&B or Jazz music to add a little fun to your night out

Melba s is hands down the most delicious southern comfort food in Harlem. The atmosphere, the service and the food are all excellent. If you get the pleasure of meeting Melba herself you ll see where all of these wonderful attributes stem from!!!!! We will be back. Great for a date!

First time at Melba's and probably the last. Music blaring in the dining room so loud that it was distracting. Food was long in coming out and average in taste. Overly priced for average food, atmosphere and service.

My 2nd choice (after Amy Ruth's) for chicken n waffles. Pretty small venue but I believe they are expanding. Certainly worth a try.

Awesome food. Fun environment. Did i say awesome food?

It started at 6:30... we were finally seated by 7:30 after they almost gave our table away but I intervened. We put our orders in right away but the food did not arrive to our table until 9pm! The food was served in a to go like way (possible due to covid? unclear...). The food was was subpar at best... definitely over priced. Do better Melba s.

My mac & cheese was full of cheese and very little noodles

Nice ambiance. Delicious food (good sizeable portions). Nice and attentive wait staff.

8/21/18-Today is my Birthday we went to Row House but I was not pleased with their menu so I told my party"I have a place we can go and have great food. Cause I have been there before. What I did not know was they had live "entertainment" and that I would have the best birthday ever!!! The food is always great, drinks are great but the entertainment was on the money, they inter acted with the entire restaurant guest as well as staff it was great. Thanks Melba's for a great Birthday.

Sharon Bronson.

Kind of far to get to, but the food is worth the trip !

Great catfish mac n cheese and the drinks was poppin mixologist rich was on point with the drinks..had me lit by the time I left.

I had their fried chicken, which was delicious but the amount of food it gives you for the price is not worth it. That probably the only draw back for their chicken. White meat is +1$ which gives you a breast.

super delicious brunch place with pro and nice foods, fried chicken waffle is so classic

Melba's food does not deserve a review. Melba's deserves a love letter. Melba's deserves a sonnet and a Noble Peace Prize because somedays knowing that I was going to make Melba's Happy Hour was the only thing that kept me sane. I bring everyone of my friends and family here because it should be a Harlem landmark. The Catfish, the soulfood rolls with Collard Greens, Mac n Cheese, and Blackeye peas. All the food is spectacular. High calorie but seriously worth the extra pound, and Melba's Happy Hour is THE BEST IN NEW YORK. Try a Sugar Honey Ice Tea while you wait to be served by the kindest waiters in NYC.

Today was my mother s birthday 10/27. We called prior to coming because we were traveling from Brooklyn, NY. I understand due to Covid things are different but the hostess sat us down at a table for two. Every other person dining was at a table for four whether it was four people or not. He said NO I m saving the table for customers coming. We sat and waited for 10 mins and we were never acknowledged. When a waitress finally came to the front she went to a table that came in way after us. She wasn t attentive and seemed very annoyed. The customer service was horrible. While walking out none of the employees stopped to ask why we were leaving. There were only four tables being occupied so the service should ve been prompt and friendly. This was an awful experience especially from someone driving from a different borough on their birthday.

I respect a business owner who works from the bottom up to offer a customer the best experience. Unfortunately, as a longtime Harlem Resident of 30 years, I was truly disappointed in the experiences I ve had over the last two and today s final visit to Melba s.

Ms. Melba, you have fallen short of who you and your restaurant used to be. I would be embarrassed to greet patrons knowing that things are still not together even after having your flaws pointed out to you on public television.

I just walked out having paid for drinks instead of a meal order exactly two hours ago. Chicken and waffles doesn t take 2 hours. The staff is clearly being stretched beyond their limits.

Instead of being the concierge, you may want to work on the supply s chain system which is missing a few links. It was a great disappointment. Stay away from the establishment on Sunday. Either way NO food should take 2 hours.

The food is fresh and consistent. Great service. Favorites to try are Mac and cheese, the soul spring rolls, fried chicken and fried catfish, sweet potato pie and lemonade. This is one of the places where I take my family from the south south to eat.

Food was great,good vibes, went for date night service was a tad slow considering... Its a good cool place In Harlem to eat with pretty good music....

Good atmosphere, great service. The chicken & waffles and Mac n cheese are delicious. Beer selection is minimal, cocktail menu is the way to go

DO NOT GO HERE IF YOU WANT GOOD SERVICE. Service was non existent, staff didnt even acknowledge you. If you order online do not expect your food to be ready when you get there or even started at that. I was waiting for 1 hour after already placing the order online. I ended up cancelling my order. The manager has no clue what he is doing. Waiter has his friends running in and out with no MASK IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAMN CORONAVIRUS. Good luck but would spend my money elsewhere

Food is awesome. Love the collar green spring rolls.

Love Melbas. The food is always so comforting. Also, Melba is usually there when I go and it's great to chat with her.

Yesterday was my second visit, I must say I enjoyed my first time the best. Catfish was delicious,seasoned and fried perfectly. Did not care for the Short ribs of beef. Wait staff are attentive and nice. I'll give it one more try.

Great food, great atmosphere, and excellent service.

When you hear about someone beating Chef Bobby Flay in a Throwdown, you must think yourself that it must be good. So when visiting Harlem you have to stop by Melba s. This quaint little restaurant sitting on the corner of West 114th and Franklin Douglas Boulevard There s a place not to be messed. Walking into a little brick wall bar, tables on Either side, dimly lit accents of lighting with real candles on the table. We were warmly greeted at the door and sat at the table of our choosing; bar side in the corner.

Now for the food. Well you all know that we re definitely getting the chicken and waffles because that s what she slayed Bobby Flay with. So we started with the catfish app. SO GOOD, light and crispy on the outside soft and cooked perfectly fish.

Fried Chicken and waffle was plate one. The waffle was airy and was a perfect accompaniment to the chicken resting on top. Drizzled with the house syrup, a wonderful match of flavor, sweet, salty and savory.

Just a little chill outside. But my server named Brian made it very pleasant. And warm with his hospitality.

The food was great. Service also. Drink prices much too high...cost as much as a meal!

I love, love, love Melba's food the ambiance the staff ... it is a small intimate setting with recent expansion so it is roomy enough to accommodate the crowd but intimate enough to not think you are not going to be attended to. The food is always well made I love the tres mac and cheese and the fried chicken their collards are great perfectly seasoned ... only reason four did not reach five in the eating category is because the to go food when and order is placed never quite taste like the dine in the quality is lacking a bit as if it's older food that is designated for to go ...

The catfish is exceptional. Have to try the chicken and waffles next visit, looked magnificent! Thank you!

This place has great food for brunch (fried chicken is phenomenal). Wish they had espresso drinks, the coffee was disappointing.

I have been here several times and ordered oxtails i decided to place an order through Uber eats and when my order came it was cold and I had only 5 oxtails 1 big one and 4 little tiny bones I called Melba's and spoken with the manager Brian who tells me I have to place another order spend more money to correct an issue that was not my fault this is unexceptable!!!!!!

The food was delicious small inside I want you inside you feel rushed to eat other than that I would have gave them about a five star but still food is delicious prices can come down maybe a tidbit

Beautiful Restaurant that have excellent Food! One of the Best SoulFood spots in the city! The food is worth the price. I definitely will go back again.

This place of business published they were open until 10. However they are not! They turned my business away as I was trying to make an order to take out. When they are serving parties of 50 that are of the Caucasian race, They will not serve, anyone else as per the older African American woman with the light to brown hair. She specifically stated, they will not serve anyone else in this instance, . I would never frequent this extablishment. Especially when they feel as if I should understand their anguish because I Am the same race as them.

My 1st time here yesterday and it was delicious!! My man kept telling me the mac & cheese is better than Sylvia's...well it was!! Love the ambiance and the staff, even when was soo busy (Sunday 7pm) they make sure we had a great experience. The salmon, the mashed potato and of course the mac & cheese was on point. Definitely coming back to try everything on the menu.

Had the best cheese grits that I have ever tasted! !!!

Extremely disappointing while the customer service was wonderful the chicken was dry and the food simply was satisfactory not as good as Five Loaves in Chicago

The FOOD was amazing....definitely coming back , and the service was great...waitress knew everything on the menu and she continued to check up on us with every dish. I loved the ambiance. Hidden Gem

Amazing service from Brian, he was very attentive! Food was very tasty, we ll definitely be back!

Great dining experience. Met Melba my first visit and she is a sweetheart. Much continued success.

Food was precooked bad smothered chicken mashed potatoes wasn't season

Great ambience, good service and the candy yams are so good it makes you wanna slap your mama!! I give it 5 stars but they can give better portion sizes! One piece of catfish is not enough. Generally most places give 3 pieces of fish! Other than that I enjoyed my time at Melba s and will return for those delicious candy yams!!

Amazing food and the live music(Tuesday nights 8pm)

Good and they have very big portions. The fried chicken on waffle with eggnog is amazing

Catfish, greens, yams and mac and cheese, is off the hook...

Very nice spot in Harlem. I had one of their waffles with eggs. Service is nice and you can tell that crew wants to make sure you enjoy your meal. the atmosphere is nice and it's in a nice location. No complaints, I will definitely be back for brunch sometime soon! I definitely recommend.
You're welcome. :)

Excellent southern style food, try the chicken & waffles, you won't be disappointed.

Authentic southern flavors that are lighter and healthier tasting than some other competitors.

Delicious food! Great place to chat and chill with friends.

The atmosphere is cozy and relaxing. Service is great. Very polite staff. The food is incredible, fresh and delicious......

Stumbled upon this spot with my girlfriend one night. Amazing food and amazing service. Once went with some friends and it was really busy, if you have a group make a reservation. The food never disappoints.

I very much loved their dishes and customer service, great location very close to my house. The staff members are always friendly. Would recommend to others.

The atmosphere and the staff was awesome.they treated my family good. And I had my grandkids too. The food and drinks was very good.

Poor service. After two hours, they could not even bring all orders together. Half of the party finished their food and the other half we're still waiting for their food.

Great soul food. I had a take out order, the food barely made it home.

The food took about an hour and half to arrive. Arrived in plastic containers with plastic cutlery and the service was pretty bad. The food arrived in a big paper bag and when we asked the waitress what each plate is, she told us it's on the receipt and we can figure it out.

The food was awesome. The service great. I would highly recommend to make reservations. This place was crowded. But since we made reservations we were seated right away.

Shrimp is crispy, and fresh, mac is cheesy, and hot, there wings are really good, there burgers taste like off the grill

Food was ok. The ambiance was great. But very loud.

Wow, the food here is unbelievably great! The fried chicken was some of the best I've had since my grandma used to make it as a kid. The pancakes where that perfect southern styles that, definitely not out of a box. The home fries, mouth watering they where so soft and tasty. The service was also great, our waitress was really friendly and on top of her game. Would definitely recommend this to anyone for brunch or any meal because I bet the rest of their food is great aswell

The best food service I have ever received. Food was very tasty, environment felt like home, and the staff made sure we were satisfied and if we weren't they we re quick to make any adjustments. Definitely recommending to my peers I loved it here.

Amazing soul food with a twist. Best in the area. Live music some nights and friendly staff. Really good drinks.

Delicious chicken and waffles! I recommend the smothered fried chicken; it's the fried chicken food with gravy. They also have great coffee

The chicken and eggnog waffles tho.....amazing! Def going back

Great ambiance, great menu, great place. Space can be tight at times, if you have a large group. Recently expanded their space but they still could use more space. Service usually good.

Aside from the greens being a bit too salty the food hear was quite good and service was on point.

This is my first time ordering from Melba's and was very disappointed with my order.
I ordered the fried chicken wings with peas and rice with yams. Chicken wings were huge, yams were cold and the rice smelled funny.
Won't be ordering again.

I say they are extremely good and I enjoy there food. However the down/bad part is that they are excessively cheap with there food/portion. I've also ordered out for pick up such as tonight and they actually served me less than when I ate in. Amy Ruth's gives you enough for two, and they are extremely good. For example at Amy's they give you 4 pieces of catfish and prices are cheaper, not that I mind cause I love to eat. At Melbas your getting 1 medium size. So Melba's need to up there portions big time. Price is never a problem.