We tossed up between 4 renowned soul food places in Harlem and finally settled on Melba. Boy are we glad we did. Food was delicious and plentiful. Loved the fried chicken and ribs the garlic mash and collard greens. And not to forget the sweet potato pie. Exceptional!
Bobbie
Was VERY disappointed. Had to remind waiter of items not served. No cornbread ( if there is a next time, I'll ask if I can bring my own bread). I love collard greens with bread. Mac and cheese was sent back because it was overloaded with cheese. We had been warned by guest sitting next to us about the cheese overload. Overall, not a good experience.
Our 1st visiting Melba's. The atmosphere, music, food and staff were all wonderful. We enjoyed the smothered chicken with macaroni n cheese and the catfish with greens and the famous yams.
LawrenceS
Great service, wonderful soul food! We really enjoyed the generous side dishes (collard greens, grits, macaroni and cheese) that accompanied our delicious fried chicken. The waitress was very sweet, and she kindly delivered a complimentary slice of red velvet birthday cake to top off our yummy brunch.
Ashley
I recently dined at your establishment and enjoyed the food. However, I wanted to bring to your attention an issue with the hot sauce bottle. The opening is quite large, which caused the sauce to pour out too quickly. As a result, I had to request a new serving of collard greens. It may be helpful to consider redesigning the bottle for better portion control.
Lalita
I don't often go out for soul food. I usually prefer to cook it at home. My attempts at other soul food restaurants were a fail. This experience changed my mind. I thoroughly enjoyed the chicken and waffles. My husband said the Mac and cheese was too good. The other highlight is the diversity of restaurant guests. Melba's makes soul food not just for the cultures that originated it, but they make it for ALL people that love good, comforting, food.
Irene
My overall experience after dining at Melba's for the first time was enjoyable. I thought it was much larger establishment . I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was a cozy space suitable for my date night. The food was good, tasty and portioned perfectly. I tried the Salmon with mashed potatoes & spinach. My date enjoyed his chicken & fried. The evening was amazing. I would definitely go back and highly recommend.
Taliyah
The food was good but the service was terrible. We had a reservation and waited for 20 minutes before someone came to greet us. I asked a lady if she was the host and was ignored. When we were asked if we were ready to order, I began ordering, and the server cut me off to ask my guest what they wanted. It was my guests first time dining here so she didnt realize where the sides were, the server smacked her hand down on the menu to show my guest where the sides were. My guest ordered one thing and was given something completely different from what she ordered. We felt unwanted, so when we got our food, we asked for the check and waited 5 minutes for the server to come back for us to pay.
Tina
Everything on point, as usual! Don't sleep on the mac and cheese, oxtails or the pineapple coconut cake - delicious. Service was excellent from the moment you step inside. So happy I was able to visit again and bring new friends with me for the experience. This Marylander will be back every time I return to NYC.
C
Frequent customer, food was delicious. Unusual matter, waited about 10--15 minutes for three slices of Red Velvet cake to go. When they arrived, they were brought out in a knotted black plastic bag. Were they special delivery from you lol. Will definitely be back again.
Definitely one of the better if not best soul food sit down restaurants in Harlem and Manhattan overall. Just be aware there's a 20% automatic gratuity. The greens are not bitter and not salty, some of the better I've tasted. Yams aren't too sweet to the point you can't eat them. The Mac is delicious and again not salty. Cat fish and chicken are great!!!! Desserts are great!!! Only reason I'm not giving a because I didn't expect the auto gratuity. I just didn't see it on the menu so I was surprised. The price point is fair, portions are great and I had no issues with staff. It's a very inviting environment. Will definitely be back.
Danielle
It was my first time visiting Melba's , and I truly enjoyed it. We started off with the catfish fingers, paired with their signature cocktails. Melba's version of a Long Island Ice Tea didn't disappoint. The BBQ braised short ribs were tender, and they fell off the bone! My out of town guest had the spring rolls and Mac and cheese. The cheese was rich and flavorful. My only turnoff was the tight seating for the two-tops. The waitress was gracious when reaching over me to pass food to a corner table - a slight inconvenience for all parties. Other than that, I was very pleased, and I will return.
Charlotte
We sat outside so we did not experience the very loud noise inside the restaurant. Our waiter was ok but not great! The food was delicious especially the fried chicken and yams! The outdoor setting is not elegant at all; rather basic so it was not as much fun as I thought it would be. Overall, a good experience especially the food!
Dr. Thomas
Run --- don't walk---- to Melba's!!! The food was extraordinary, the service was impecaable, and the hospitality was beyond our expectations!!! Our server Brian is an absolute value-add to this business His kindness and warmth was palpable and will not soon be forgotten! He made the experience a 20 out of 10 for us, as visitors to NYC from out of town. I also want to comend the manager Wanda for her extraordinary kindness and hospitality! Melba's ---we salute you and we will definitely be back!!!
Tricia
I hadn't eaten here in almost a decade but I remember how the food was good & it used to be a quaint spot with nice low lit lights & great ambiance. I was excited to take my friend here. Boy was I disappointed. I'm all for expansion but now it's like most generic restaurants with loud music, poor service, & poor ambiance - like a Applebees. We had reservations but us and about 3 other parties waited about 20 mins before the hostess even acknowledged us. Then the food came out in about 5 mins which made us question how it was prepared. I had catfish, spinach & rice. Nothing to rave about. Our food tasted as if it was microwaved. Catfish had no crispiness or freshness to it. I've had better at small local fish places. My friend had meatloaf & it looked like a square dried patty - like it was prepackaged & just heated up. It did not look appetizing & was blah to say the least. I ordered the strawberry Hennessy margarita that was recommended by the waitress & I did not like it. It taste like sweet syrupy juice. The service continued to decline. Our waitress never checked on us & we had to get the male hostess to bring us our bill. She finally showed up when we were ready to pay & didn't even address the fact she was MIA all that time. Definitely won't be returning.
We tossed up between 4 renowned soul food places in Harlem and finally settled on Melba. Boy are we glad we did. Food was delicious and plentiful. Loved the fried chicken and ribs the garlic mash and collard greens. And not to forget the sweet potato pie. Exceptional!
Was VERY disappointed. Had to remind waiter of items not served. No cornbread ( if there is a next time, I'll ask if I can bring my own bread). I love collard greens with bread. Mac and cheese was sent back because it was overloaded with cheese. We had been warned by guest sitting next to us about the cheese overload. Overall, not a good experience.
Our 1st visiting Melba's. The atmosphere, music, food and staff were all wonderful. We enjoyed the smothered chicken with macaroni n cheese and the catfish with greens and the famous yams.
Great service, wonderful soul food! We really enjoyed the generous side dishes (collard greens, grits, macaroni and cheese) that accompanied our delicious fried chicken. The waitress was very sweet, and she kindly delivered a complimentary slice of red velvet birthday cake to top off our yummy brunch.
I recently dined at your establishment and enjoyed the food. However, I wanted to bring to your attention an issue with the hot sauce bottle. The opening is quite large, which caused the sauce to pour out too quickly. As a result, I had to request a new serving of collard greens. It may be helpful to consider redesigning the bottle for better portion control.
I don't often go out for soul food. I usually prefer to cook it at home. My attempts at other soul food restaurants were a fail. This experience changed my mind. I thoroughly enjoyed the chicken and waffles. My husband said the Mac and cheese was too good. The other highlight is the diversity of restaurant guests. Melba's makes soul food not just for the cultures that originated it, but they make it for ALL people that love good, comforting, food.
My overall experience after dining at Melba's for the first time was enjoyable. I thought it was much larger establishment . I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was a cozy space suitable for my date night. The food was good, tasty and portioned perfectly. I tried the Salmon with mashed potatoes & spinach. My date enjoyed his chicken & fried. The evening was amazing. I would definitely go back and highly recommend.
The food was good but the service was terrible. We had a reservation and waited for 20 minutes before someone came to greet us. I asked a lady if she was the host and was ignored. When we were asked if we were ready to order, I began ordering, and the server cut me off to ask my guest what they wanted. It was my guests first time dining here so she didnt realize where the sides were, the server smacked her hand down on the menu to show my guest where the sides were. My guest ordered one thing and was given something completely different from what she ordered. We felt unwanted, so when we got our food, we asked for the check and waited 5 minutes for the server to come back for us to pay.
Everything on point, as usual! Don't sleep on the mac and cheese, oxtails or the pineapple coconut cake - delicious. Service was excellent from the moment you step inside. So happy I was able to visit again and bring new friends with me for the experience. This Marylander will be back every time I return to NYC.
Frequent customer, food was delicious. Unusual matter, waited about 10--15 minutes for three slices of Red Velvet cake to go. When they arrived, they were brought out in a knotted black plastic bag. Were they special delivery from you lol. Will definitely be back again.
Restaurantji Recommends
Definitely one of the better if not best soul food sit down restaurants in Harlem and Manhattan overall. Just be aware there's a 20% automatic gratuity. The greens are not bitter and not salty, some of the better I've tasted. Yams aren't too sweet to the point you can't eat them. The Mac is delicious and again not salty. Cat fish and chicken are great!!!! Desserts are great!!! Only reason I'm not giving a because I didn't expect the auto gratuity. I just didn't see it on the menu so I was surprised. The price point is fair, portions are great and I had no issues with staff. It's a very inviting environment. Will definitely be back.
It was my first time visiting Melba's , and I truly enjoyed it. We started off with the catfish fingers, paired with their signature cocktails. Melba's version of a Long Island Ice Tea didn't disappoint. The BBQ braised short ribs were tender, and they fell off the bone! My out of town guest had the spring rolls and Mac and cheese. The cheese was rich and flavorful. My only turnoff was the tight seating for the two-tops. The waitress was gracious when reaching over me to pass food to a corner table - a slight inconvenience for all parties. Other than that, I was very pleased, and I will return.
We sat outside so we did not experience the very loud noise inside the restaurant. Our waiter was ok but not great! The food was delicious especially the fried chicken and yams! The outdoor setting is not elegant at all; rather basic so it was not as much fun as I thought it would be. Overall, a good experience especially the food!
Run --- don't walk---- to Melba's!!! The food was extraordinary, the service was impecaable, and the hospitality was beyond our expectations!!! Our server Brian is an absolute value-add to this business His kindness and warmth was palpable and will not soon be forgotten! He made the experience a 20 out of 10 for us, as visitors to NYC from out of town. I also want to comend the manager Wanda for her extraordinary kindness and hospitality! Melba's ---we salute you and we will definitely be back!!!
I hadn't eaten here in almost a decade but I remember how the food was good & it used to be a quaint spot with nice low lit lights & great ambiance. I was excited to take my friend here. Boy was I disappointed. I'm all for expansion but now it's like most generic restaurants with loud music, poor service, & poor ambiance - like a Applebees. We had reservations but us and about 3 other parties waited about 20 mins before the hostess even acknowledged us. Then the food came out in about 5 mins which made us question how it was prepared. I had catfish, spinach & rice. Nothing to rave about. Our food tasted as if it was microwaved. Catfish had no crispiness or freshness to it. I've had better at small local fish places. My friend had meatloaf & it looked like a square dried patty - like it was prepackaged & just heated up. It did not look appetizing & was blah to say the least. I ordered the strawberry Hennessy margarita that was recommended by the waitress & I did not like it. It taste like sweet syrupy juice. The service continued to decline. Our waitress never checked on us & we had to get the male hostess to bring us our bill. She finally showed up when we were ready to pay & didn't even address the fact she was MIA all that time. Definitely won't be returning.
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