Stayed three nights at the Courtyard Marriott in Springfield, OH. Ate two dinners at Mela Urban Bistro. Service: Betty Jo and Debbie are two of the kindest most attentive wait staff we've encountered in our travels. Pleasant and so accommodating in terms of special requests. The decor is gorgeous. Hand blown huge glass pieces on the beautiful paneling. Chairs are modern and very comfortable. Table tops are a lovely white marble stone. Menu is varied and upscale. Food is Delicious. Filet minion was fresh v frozen and excellent. Chili was very good. Wedge fries-very crispy exterior/soft interior. This place is a treasure. When we come back to visit our collegiate, we'll be back. We highly recommend. Thank you Chef's, Betty Jo, and Debbie!!
Kathleen
We wanted a semi-casual place with interesting food; we were quite happy. The decor was new (w Chihully replicas on the walls). The waitress was by herself but very attentive and knew the menu. But the tornado had hit 2 days Clark Cnty before and the place became crowded with contractors about 7:30p. The poor staff was overwhelmed (we didn't mind, we were grateful to have power back). Still our food was impressive. Recommend the Naan bread and green tomatoes sliders. I had the sesame seared tuna salad and was shocked by how large the tuna steak was. I expected a couple pieces of sashima-sushi type tuna, but this was a whole sliced tuna steak. The spinach ravioli with garlic butter shrimp was LARGE and full of flavor. Next time we go to Mela, we will try the steaks and burgers.
Karl Hagan
Food and service were both great. A hidden gem.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: House Salad, Bacon & Cheddar Burger, Prime Beef & Brie Sliders
Yin Y.
Awesome green tomato sliders and warm kettle chips with blue cheese sauce!! Top that with great service.
Ron Smith
Ehhh not very good at all.
Bill Kelley
Food was terrible never will go back to that place to eat ?
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Betty Jo D.
Best restaurant in town!! Filet mignon is my favorite very clean atmosphere fresh homemade soups made daily also. Delicious
dandj
We like Mela, our waitress was very nice and friendly and attentive. I wish that they had a dress code of sorts , I don't think people should have to wear a suit and evening gowns but I would prefer to not see people in a nice restaurant with t-shirts and cut off jeans. Would like to see a couple of pasta dishes on the menu.
Valerie W.
Ohhhhhhhh, Mela, you're like that nice looking guy/gal that once you get to know 'em, you discover that looks aren't everything... YES, the dining area is nice (I like the artwork/decor) and on a Tuesday at 8pm we were their only diners, but I kept wishing we had more "late night" dining options here in Springfield (or that I had just invited my friends to over to my place for dinner) I think I/we were supposed to be more impressed by the menu than we actually were. My side salad was just a pile of not very fresh-looking iceberg lettuce and some random veggie shreds with TOO MUCH "house made" cucumber dressing. Get the dressing on the side, if you're having the salad... My dining companions both got the NY strip entree, which they both said needed more seasoning (taste?) and they appeared to have to cut half of each of their steaks off, due to the meat just being too fatty. Along with my side salad, I ordered the Indian "style" flat bread (sorry, can't remember the name) from the appetizer/shareable menu. It was good, but (apparently...) not all that memorable. You could do worse than Mela, here in Springfield (or elsewhere) but you should also be able to do MUCH better...
VL Benton
Vegetarian options: The goddess salad was delicious & leafy greens were so fresh. The vegetables were cooked to perfection.Parking: We went on Easter Sunday for the family style buffet. It was excellent! The food was hot & delicious. The servers were patient & courteous. We reserved our time slot and there was no waiting. The staff was very prepared. We definitely will be return customers.Kid-friendliness: It is kid friendly. They were very patient and understanding with our 3 year old.
Fish taco bowls were my absolute favorite & the service was quick and attentive even though the woman working was by herself. She's fast! Happy we came here.
The food was great but the service was very slow and they were struggling to get food and drink orders out and people seated. There was a major event in town and the restaurant was probably busier than they had been in quite some time. We will go back and try it again on a night when there isn't expected to be so many people in town.
vivace21
It started out poorly when the host couldn't find our reservation. The staff seemed confused and overwhelmed. I showed my email and they got us seated. There were only two waiters for a busy night? I understand staffing is hard right now, but why are you promoting your restaurant with special ads on social media before a concert when you have no staff? So we wait, and wait...and wait. Other people had messed up table reservations and just got up and left. I would have been okay with the wait if the food had been good...but sadly the food was terrible. My salmon was not fresh and overcooked, my husband's burger was obviously frozen, again not fresh and not tasty. My mom's steak was the best of the meals but a fatty cut of meat for the price. Even dessert wasn't very good. I won't be back...ever.
Restaurant was great, but the reservation seemed to be not communicated between Open Table and the restaurant. Both myself, and the customers after me had the same problem. I was able to get a table (it was a busy night due a special event in Springfield) but that could have been a disaster.
Terri Gilliam
First time very nice comfortable great food, lovely staff. Will be coming back ?
Stayed three nights at the Courtyard Marriott in Springfield, OH. Ate two dinners at Mela Urban Bistro. Service: Betty Jo and Debbie are two of the kindest most attentive wait staff we've encountered in our travels. Pleasant and so accommodating in terms of special requests. The decor is gorgeous. Hand blown huge glass pieces on the beautiful paneling. Chairs are modern and very comfortable. Table tops are a lovely white marble stone. Menu is varied and upscale. Food is Delicious. Filet minion was fresh v frozen and excellent. Chili was very good. Wedge fries-very crispy exterior/soft interior. This place is a treasure. When we come back to visit our collegiate, we'll be back. We highly recommend. Thank you Chef's, Betty Jo, and Debbie!!
We wanted a semi-casual place with interesting food; we were quite happy. The decor was new (w Chihully replicas on the walls). The waitress was by herself but very attentive and knew the menu. But the tornado had hit 2 days Clark Cnty before and the place became crowded with contractors about 7:30p. The poor staff was overwhelmed (we didn't mind, we were grateful to have power back). Still our food was impressive. Recommend the Naan bread and green tomatoes sliders. I had the sesame seared tuna salad and was shocked by how large the tuna steak was. I expected a couple pieces of sashima-sushi type tuna, but this was a whole sliced tuna steak. The spinach ravioli with garlic butter shrimp was LARGE and full of flavor. Next time we go to Mela, we will try the steaks and burgers.
Food and service were both great. A hidden gem.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: House Salad, Bacon & Cheddar Burger, Prime Beef & Brie Sliders
Awesome green tomato sliders and warm kettle chips with blue cheese sauce!! Top that with great service.
Ehhh not very good at all.
Food was terrible never will go back to that place to eat ?
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Best restaurant in town!! Filet mignon is my favorite very clean atmosphere fresh homemade soups made daily also. Delicious
We like Mela, our waitress was very nice and friendly and attentive. I wish that they had a dress code of sorts , I don't think people should have to wear a suit and evening gowns but I would prefer to not see people in a nice restaurant with t-shirts and cut off jeans. Would like to see a couple of pasta dishes on the menu.
Ohhhhhhhh, Mela, you're like that nice looking guy/gal that once you get to know 'em, you discover that looks aren't everything... YES, the dining area is nice (I like the artwork/decor) and on a Tuesday at 8pm we were their only diners, but I kept wishing we had more "late night" dining options here in Springfield (or that I had just invited my friends to over to my place for dinner) I think I/we were supposed to be more impressed by the menu than we actually were. My side salad was just a pile of not very fresh-looking iceberg lettuce and some random veggie shreds with TOO MUCH "house made" cucumber dressing. Get the dressing on the side, if you're having the salad... My dining companions both got the NY strip entree, which they both said needed more seasoning (taste?) and they appeared to have to cut half of each of their steaks off, due to the meat just being too fatty. Along with my side salad, I ordered the Indian "style" flat bread (sorry, can't remember the name) from the appetizer/shareable menu. It was good, but (apparently...) not all that memorable. You could do worse than Mela, here in Springfield (or elsewhere) but you should also be able to do MUCH better...
Vegetarian options: The goddess salad was delicious & leafy greens were so fresh. The vegetables were cooked to perfection.Parking: We went on Easter Sunday for the family style buffet. It was excellent! The food was hot & delicious. The servers were patient & courteous. We reserved our time slot and there was no waiting. The staff was very prepared. We definitely will be return customers.Kid-friendliness: It is kid friendly. They were very patient and understanding with our 3 year old.
Restaurantji Recommends
Fish taco bowls were my absolute favorite & the service was quick and attentive even though the woman working was by herself. She's fast! Happy we came here.
The food was great but the service was very slow and they were struggling to get food and drink orders out and people seated. There was a major event in town and the restaurant was probably busier than they had been in quite some time. We will go back and try it again on a night when there isn't expected to be so many people in town.
It started out poorly when the host couldn't find our reservation. The staff seemed confused and overwhelmed. I showed my email and they got us seated. There were only two waiters for a busy night? I understand staffing is hard right now, but why are you promoting your restaurant with special ads on social media before a concert when you have no staff? So we wait, and wait...and wait. Other people had messed up table reservations and just got up and left. I would have been okay with the wait if the food had been good...but sadly the food was terrible. My salmon was not fresh and overcooked, my husband's burger was obviously frozen, again not fresh and not tasty. My mom's steak was the best of the meals but a fatty cut of meat for the price. Even dessert wasn't very good. I won't be back...ever.
Restaurant was great, but the reservation seemed to be not communicated between Open Table and the restaurant. Both myself, and the customers after me had the same problem. I was able to get a table (it was a busy night due a special event in Springfield) but that could have been a disaster.
First time very nice comfortable great food, lovely staff. Will be coming back ?