Have been going to the Melting Pot in Durham for many years. The last two visits have been terrible. Slow service, really hard bread Ilike rock), no cherry tomatoes or chips. Really sad that's its gone downhill as this is one of our favorite restaurants.
AvisB
It was my child's first experience and he gave it a 9/10. Why they didn't receive a 10 because chicken was plain but overall he enjoyed it. I am a regular one of my favorite places.
Greg Thompson
Fondue restaurant. Am I supposed to know when the oil is the proper temperature and how to adjust things so it stays at the right temperature? Put food in oil, coatings start to look burned almost right away. Steak is burnt very quickly. New pot of oil comes out but now it's 15 minutes before food even starts to cook. They are open until 10. At 8:30 we're told they threw out the sweet and unsweet tea, which is what half our party is drinking. Wait staff was very pleasant but went way too long between each check in. They used to describe things as they went, tell you what's being added to the cheese fondue for example or just what each of the "signature sauces" is. We got none of that without asking. Half of our entre was wasted. Not comfortable eating chicken or shrimp (or steak plated next to chicken) if I can't be sure it's cooked. Bourbon steak seemed bathed in salt. Over priced, takes way to long to get through a meal and entree (and Caesar salad) were average at best. If you go. Plan for 90 to 120 minutes and just go with cheese fondue then chocolate. Entire meal will be three hours.
Just loved this place Soo much...The desserts always a go to here because of the amazing food and options they give ❤️
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Amberp
Horrible experience. Took over 3 hours to get all of our food. The cheese and chocolate were burnt before we got the dippers and most of the broth was gone before our meat arrived. This was by far the worst experience we have ever had there.
I had a wonderful time there. It was my first time but most definitely won't be my last. Our server Jewel was a delight and so knowledgeable! I would request her section again just for the great service she provided.
QUENTIN LOPEZ
Loved Kat?Da Waitress.
Parking: Durham
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: The Melting Pot, Caesar Salad
We loved our 5-course experience. The food was good overall...we actually thought the meat of the teriyaki steak was superior to the filet mignon! Loved the mocktail lemonage with the sage as well. Our only downside to the experience was how loud it was being sat by a larger party who had their children roaming around. A lot of that the restaurant can't really help, but after the group left we relaxed and enjoyed ourselves!
Melanie Mahoney
We visited this week for a special date night and weren't very impressed. Right after we placed our order, we learned that this was also restaurant week and there was a special deal going on. We realized that our order matched the restaurant week special except for one salad and one entree selection. When we got the cheese fondue, we asked our server if we could switch the order so that we could do the restaurant week special. He said he'd check with a manager but came back and said that wasn't possible. I felt that was ridiculous that the order couldn't be changed so early in the process and it really felt like a money grab. Additionally, our service was incredibly slow and we had to flag people down several times to ask just for water refills. The smores chocolate fondue had a VERY strong alcohol taste that we didn't really like. Otherwise, the food we got was fine.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 1
Issela Castro
Hi, I'm looking for a job. I have 2 years of experience in cooking.
We had reservations for 7:30, we waited until past 8 just to get our bread and cheese fondue. Everything tasted amazing but the service was so slow. We didn't leave until 9:40. Salads came out fast and entree but as we were eating our entree they took it away from us without asking first and preceded to say they he assumed we were done after it was gone. We finally got our dessert we had asked for macaroons and we never got them but he brought the check out fast. We paid in cash and waited over 10 mins to get it back when he brought it back I didn't even get all my change back . Food tasted amazing but the service was so bad and we got forgotten about a lot that i rather not come back again. It was our first time experience there and for how much you are paying better service would be more appreciated because i did not want to stay there for over 2 hours because of us waiting around for him, it was a slow night so im not sure why we waited that long.
monte webb
I couldn't have asked for a better place to spend my birthday and New Years Eve. Great food, fun and atmosphere. Our waiter Terry was the best
Wheelchair accessibility: I'm in a wheelchair and found it to be very accessible for me and my electric wheelchair
Agree with other comments that this chain is over priced. Also agree that it’s an alright time for cheese and desserts. Those are the only ones that are kinda fun and tasty. The main meals can be a pain depending on which you get. The one I got i don’t remember the name but we were just basically deep frying at the table and it was a lil scary- the heat may have been too high to start. Our server was helping us out a little and giving some tips, as my friend with me had not been to one before (and it’d been a few years for me). I think the burner might’ve been a lil too high- some instructions on lowering the heat (although it’s fairly intuitive) would’ve been nice- my guest was a lil hesitant. A lil more forward help from the wait staff to make it less weird would’ve helped. The food was alright (no issue, I realize it’s a chain so idk how much flexibility they have in that anyway) Some was blandish. The dessert really ought to have more fruits or nicer stuff to dip (something nicer than a marshmallow and rice crispy lol). We did the flaming turtle thing and is a lil corny/gimmicky. Maybe the staff could use some training to come off more confident and to make it a look lil more elegant - but mine seemed a bit nervous which made me nervous lol. As for atmosphere this place needs some renovation, idk how old this restaurant is but some of the booths really ought to be closed off, ours was super sunk in and the plastic was super cracked. Cracks and smudges on walls, etc, this place just needs a lil love, it really is looking kinda old and run down.
Kid-friendliness: Wouldn’t consider this a kid friendly place- a hot pot of oil on the table is probably not ideal for small kids. I was working hard not to burn myself and I’m an adult. But maybe older kids just not small children.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 3
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Green Goddess
SelectiveCaryMom
The service was the best experience I have had dining out. Terry was warm and attentive and a delight. The food was very good,, and the four course meal was fun. We all liked choosing each course and sharing back and forth. Terry made our evening even more enjoyable and celebratory. Thank you for a great time!
angelak
The Melting Pot in Durham is always outstanding. We LOVE the cheese dip. We had Alpine this time, and they serve with 2 kinds of bread cut bite-size, and apples, carrots, celery, broccoli, I believe. The servers & service are amazing. We only seem to go about once a year due to the cost but it is so worth it for the flavor and unique experience. If you've never been, I would recommend the full course experience to try the cheese dip, the entree, and the fondue dessert (and salad, I believe) but we were dieting and did a la carte without the dessert this time. If you are strict vegetarian, you may want to choose to share a pot with another vegetarian. This is the first time I actually decided to share with someone eating beef but I made that decision and couldn't taste the beef. The garden pot had 1 veggie meatball and 1 ravioli, and had a lot of asparagus, some artichoke hearts, onion slices, some green pepper strips, and zucchini. It was plentiful & our meal was served with about 4 mushroom caps, and small potatoes, which all went into the pot and was sooo good. I think last time, I had more than 1 ravioli and polpette, which I would prefer but no complaints. That ravioli was the bomb. Treat yourself or a loved one for a special occasion.
Have been going to the Melting Pot in Durham for many years. The last two visits have been terrible. Slow service, really hard bread Ilike rock), no cherry tomatoes or chips. Really sad that's its gone downhill as this is one of our favorite restaurants.
It was my child's first experience and he gave it a 9/10. Why they didn't receive a 10 because chicken was plain but overall he enjoyed it. I am a regular one of my favorite places.
Fondue restaurant. Am I supposed to know when the oil is the proper temperature and how to adjust things so it stays at the right temperature? Put food in oil, coatings start to look burned almost right away. Steak is burnt very quickly. New pot of oil comes out but now it's 15 minutes before food even starts to cook. They are open until 10. At 8:30 we're told they threw out the sweet and unsweet tea, which is what half our party is drinking. Wait staff was very pleasant but went way too long between each check in. They used to describe things as they went, tell you what's being added to the cheese fondue for example or just what each of the "signature sauces" is. We got none of that without asking. Half of our entre was wasted. Not comfortable eating chicken or shrimp (or steak plated next to chicken) if I can't be sure it's cooked. Bourbon steak seemed bathed in salt. Over priced, takes way to long to get through a meal and entree (and Caesar salad) were average at best. If you go. Plan for 90 to 120 minutes and just go with cheese fondue then chocolate. Entire meal will be three hours.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Loaded Baked Potato Cheese Dip, Ying Yang Chocolate Fondue, Sparkling Chocolate Fondue, Cheese Fondue, Flaming Turtle, Bananas Foster
Just loved this place Soo much...The desserts always a go to here because of the amazing food and options they give ❤️
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Horrible experience. Took over 3 hours to get all of our food. The cheese and chocolate were burnt before we got the dippers and most of the broth was gone before our meat arrived. This was by far the worst experience we have ever had there.
I had a wonderful time there. It was my first time but most definitely won't be my last. Our server Jewel was a delight and so knowledgeable! I would request her section again just for the great service she provided.
Loved Kat?Da Waitress.
Parking: Durham
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: The Melting Pot, Caesar Salad
We loved our 5-course experience. The food was good overall...we actually thought the meat of the teriyaki steak was superior to the filet mignon! Loved the mocktail lemonage with the sage as well. Our only downside to the experience was how loud it was being sat by a larger party who had their children roaming around. A lot of that the restaurant can't really help, but after the group left we relaxed and enjoyed ourselves!
We visited this week for a special date night and weren't very impressed. Right after we placed our order, we learned that this was also restaurant week and there was a special deal going on. We realized that our order matched the restaurant week special except for one salad and one entree selection. When we got the cheese fondue, we asked our server if we could switch the order so that we could do the restaurant week special. He said he'd check with a manager but came back and said that wasn't possible. I felt that was ridiculous that the order couldn't be changed so early in the process and it really felt like a money grab. Additionally, our service was incredibly slow and we had to flag people down several times to ask just for water refills. The smores chocolate fondue had a VERY strong alcohol taste that we didn't really like. Otherwise, the food we got was fine.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 1
Hi, I'm looking for a job. I have 2 years of experience in cooking.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
We had reservations for 7:30, we waited until past 8 just to get our bread and cheese fondue. Everything tasted amazing but the service was so slow. We didn't leave until 9:40. Salads came out fast and entree but as we were eating our entree they took it away from us without asking first and preceded to say they he assumed we were done after it was gone. We finally got our dessert we had asked for macaroons and we never got them but he brought the check out fast. We paid in cash and waited over 10 mins to get it back when he brought it back I didn't even get all my change back . Food tasted amazing but the service was so bad and we got forgotten about a lot that i rather not come back again. It was our first time experience there and for how much you are paying better service would be more appreciated because i did not want to stay there for over 2 hours because of us waiting around for him, it was a slow night so im not sure why we waited that long.
I couldn't have asked for a better place to spend my birthday and New Years Eve. Great food, fun and atmosphere. Our waiter Terry was the best
Wheelchair accessibility: I'm in a wheelchair and found it to be very accessible for me and my electric wheelchair
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Steak Lovers, Cheese Fondue, Seafood, Lobster, Surf and Turf
Agree with other comments that this chain is over priced. Also agree that it’s an alright time for cheese and desserts. Those are the only ones that are kinda fun and tasty. The main meals can be a pain depending on which you get. The one I got i don’t remember the name but we were just basically deep frying at the table and it was a lil scary- the heat may have been too high to start. Our server was helping us out a little and giving some tips, as my friend with me had not been to one before (and it’d been a few years for me). I think the burner might’ve been a lil too high- some instructions on lowering the heat (although it’s fairly intuitive) would’ve been nice- my guest was a lil hesitant. A lil more forward help from the wait staff to make it less weird would’ve helped. The food was alright (no issue, I realize it’s a chain so idk how much flexibility they have in that anyway) Some was blandish. The dessert really ought to have more fruits or nicer stuff to dip (something nicer than a marshmallow and rice crispy lol). We did the flaming turtle thing and is a lil corny/gimmicky. Maybe the staff could use some training to come off more confident and to make it a look lil more elegant - but mine seemed a bit nervous which made me nervous lol. As for atmosphere this place needs some renovation, idk how old this restaurant is but some of the booths really ought to be closed off, ours was super sunk in and the plastic was super cracked. Cracks and smudges on walls, etc, this place just needs a lil love, it really is looking kinda old and run down.
Kid-friendliness: Wouldn’t consider this a kid friendly place- a hot pot of oil on the table is probably not ideal for small kids. I was working hard not to burn myself and I’m an adult. But maybe older kids just not small children.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 3
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Green Goddess
The service was the best experience I have had dining out. Terry was warm and attentive and a delight. The food was very good,, and the four course meal was fun. We all liked choosing each course and sharing back and forth. Terry made our evening even more enjoyable and celebratory. Thank you for a great time!
The Melting Pot in Durham is always outstanding. We LOVE the cheese dip. We had Alpine this time, and they serve with 2 kinds of bread cut bite-size, and apples, carrots, celery, broccoli, I believe. The servers & service are amazing. We only seem to go about once a year due to the cost but it is so worth it for the flavor and unique experience. If you've never been, I would recommend the full course experience to try the cheese dip, the entree, and the fondue dessert (and salad, I believe) but we were dieting and did a la carte without the dessert this time. If you are strict vegetarian, you may want to choose to share a pot with another vegetarian. This is the first time I actually decided to share with someone eating beef but I made that decision and couldn't taste the beef. The garden pot had 1 veggie meatball and 1 ravioli, and had a lot of asparagus, some artichoke hearts, onion slices, some green pepper strips, and zucchini. It was plentiful & our meal was served with about 4 mushroom caps, and small potatoes, which all went into the pot and was sooo good. I think last time, I had more than 1 ravioli and polpette, which I would prefer but no complaints. That ravioli was the bomb. Treat yourself or a loved one for a special occasion.
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