Mel's Diner in Kitchener

Great food, great portions, very friendly staff.

Great diner. It has a large menu of traditional fare, very friendly staff, and a good 1950s decor. Well definitely go again. Dietary restrictions: They have the largest gluten-free menu I have ever seen. There are many choices.

Definitely have a milkshake!!!

Great food and service, always go there with my kids for breakfast

Visited with two people who have celiac disease and ordered from the gluten free menu. Both had great experiences and no reaction. Staff are knowledgeable and obviously take care for gluten intolerance.

ordered from uber eats i live 3 minutes away food was so cold if i wanted to eat it I would have had to nuke it, Ordered eggs over easy they were over cooked no liquid yolk at all. Bacon was soft fatty and under cooked. Home fries are bland and were stone cold. Not to mention most hungry man plattets come with 3 eggs and 3 pieces of each meat not just 2 terrible quality and execution. My dog was happy but that expensive dog food

Great place

We are faithful customers of Mels. Love this place! My daughter Vivian ordered a custom hamburger that has pancakes for buns. The chef was kind enough to oblige. I vote that they add the Vivian Burger to the menu!

Fun place. Great food. Great service.

Food is great, quantity went downhill after inflation, food still the same great taste! Was a great place for date night now its just overpriced. Parking: Lots of parking

Always enjoy our breakfast at Mels. Good food and friendly staff have us coming back again and again.

Excellent place. Will be going there more often. Service outstanding. Food marvelous Should have found it sooner. Just like the old days. Missing the old cars outside Dietary restrictions: Gluten free

Vegetarian options: great vegan brunch options Food

Can t complain. Every thing was good

Vegetarian options: Very good vegan/vegetarian menu Food

I eat there every week because I love it

I had a fantastic experience at Mel s Diner! The food was delicious, and the atmosphere was warm and welcoming. Our waitress, Haylee, made the experience even better. She was incredibly attentive, friendly, and made sure we had everything we needed throughout our meal. Its clear that she genuinely cares about her customers, and her upbeat attitude made the dining experience even more enjoyable. If youre in the area, I highly recommend stopping by Mel s Diner great food and outstanding service, especially from Haylee!

Had an amazing meal at Mels Diner today! The food was tasty and the atmosphere was warm and welcoming. Our waitress, Haylee, was outstanding super friendly and made us feel right at home. Great service, and we ll definitely be back!

10/10 would recommend

My young family and I thoroughly enjoy the doors atmosphere, because youre not going to regret t

Classic food at good prices. Staff are lovely

I loved their service

I cant get enough of that lady Haley she is absolutely one of the best servers I ever had hands down EVERY time iv been there..thank you for making me feel special! Thats why I keep coming back!

I love this place. People are friendly, food is great and the wait staff are terrific. Sun September 29/24 Was there this morning for our last Mels experience only because were moving to Barrie. Todays last experience was terrific. It was a great meal, great experience and the wait staff are amazing. My hats off to the kitchen and front staff. Way to go, keep it up. Spread Joy.

Great place with amazing servers and wonderful food. Recommend the avocado on toast, they make it deliciously good here! Omelettes are a big hit for my family too. Clean restaurant and toilets.

The servers there treat you like family....the management not so much they treat you like crap unless you have a big bank account

03 October 2023 Mels served tea with a quality china pot. Wonderful! Tried the blue plate cabbage rolls. Delicious! The cook made them by hand earlier this morning. Top quality! Thanks to our server Hayley! ............ 3 years ago: What really attracts me to keep coming back is the friendly staff. A 50s type diner but also a place for meeting others. Yes the food is good and well presented. The price is fair. There are daily specials. My wife has a special diet. Yes they have a separate gluten-free menu. They will modify the cooking to fit a special dietary requirement. You just have to ask. The staff and cooks go out of their way to provide a meal that is truly tasty and filling. Few places are able to excel at this. Highly recommended.

Really disappointing. I was looking forward to eating here and the service was terrible and the food was terrible. Food tasted stale and I will never come back here again

Great pancakes and just amazing service!

Food and service is fantastic. Cant say enough about the wonderful wait staff. A home like atmosphere

Rustic, great food, lovely menu ! Parking: 20 Kid-friendliness: Kid friendly. Wheelchair accessibility: Yes.

Wonderful retro atmosphere

Awesome staff! Great service, and good food, too.

Still an awesome place. Jazz always loves hearing about life updates & seeing pics. Always an amazing experience. Ive been coming here for years. Awesome place, cozy atmosphere, love the music on the radio, great prices!

Whats to say? Consistently good food and great service!

Amazing

Great place

Fun place. Great breakfasts and great service

Good food and friendly staff !

I had the burger,it was good,but not alot of flavor

Loved the decor! Food was amazing and the dairy free shakes were so good!

Wait staff was awesome, chicken ceasar wrap was very good. Ceasar drink wasnt very spicy or strong. Pickle and juice in the drink wasnt tasteful. All in all though, definitely a return place.

Really awesome experience--great staff, service, and atmosphere. Food is great too, they have an awesome selection. I really like their hashbrowns. My family and i will definitely come back if were in Kitchener

I dropped my review score after I realized they switched to halal. This is Canada. I understand you want to increase the amount of people eating here... but beef that was obtained using methods that are halal is just awful. Sometimes they stun the animal, sometimes they do not before they slit their throat. Your beef being halal also means the beef must be obtained from islamic sources. This means someone who is not a practicing muslim cannot provide the beef unless they hire someone who is willing to slit the animals throat that is muslim. Thats discrimination. Id rather my beef be slaughtered using humane methods that offer equal rights for the employer to higher whomever they like regardless of race or religion. But no, you only buying halal means we will only buy meat that was slaughtered from a person of this particular religion. I can understand halal being an OPTION, but not THE option. There should be 2 options. Modern and Halal. Excluding people based upon their religion to sell a couple burgers? Come on.... I do enjoy the food mostly. Its nothing special. Its just always what you expect which I have appreciated. The waitresses are fine too. They always treat you well. No complaints over the last decade. Just please modernize your source of beef and I will increase my review again.

A great place for a classic breakfast. The staff has been there for a long time and know how to serve you well.

A perfect diner in the heart of the city.

Wheelchair accessibility: Must be improved. Food

Thought it would be better service they forgot we were there food was not good fries were shreds of potatoes never want to go there again except for a coffee maybe.

Sunday July 21, 2024. Substituted a Greek salad (charged extra) for my side with an excellent roast turkey club sandwich on toasted sourdough bread. The Greek salad was made with iceberg lettuce, chopped red and green peppers, red onion, feta and a ton of small, pitted, very bitter (old?) kalmata olives. Not a tomato or cucumber in sight. I love olives but these were inedible. This was not in anyway a Greek salad. How does a restaurant offer a Greek salad without knowing how to make one??

The waitress was so nice, patient, and very efficient. The food was out in 5 minutes and tasted great. The environment is period accurate and very cool.

Food is good service was mediocre went with my family and we constantly had to go up to the front to ask for things because they wouldn t come and check up on us and every time we went they were more busy with talking with each other or on their phones. We didn t get our drinks until 20mins after we were sat down then we have go get the waiter after another 20mins of getting the drinks

Beware of this restaurant, will charge extra even thought toast is clearly shown in picture. Took it upon themselves to charge extra for toast Without asking when using delivery service. Should have called to ask permission Or not sent the toast at all. Bad call Mel s! Lost a customer completely. Cannot say zero stars but that is the rating!!

Great experience, the elvis burger is delicious. And the breakfast sooo good. The service is very good.

Retro 50 style restaurant. Offers gluten free and vegan choices. Fun place to visit

That good

Love this diner. Great food great service great value. Highly recommend!

Great portions, I recommend the pancakes with blueberries cooked into them. They were monstrous fluffy pancakes!

Love this place

The diner-y-est diner in swo

Ive been coming here since high school and now, years later, my husband and I come here very regularly! Wait times are always short, service is always speedy and all of the servers are really friendly. Once we even lost our rewards card with over 30$ on it and one of the servers kept it safe for us until we returned weeks later Meredith B is often our server and we love her! Highly recommend Mels Kitchener!

Good birthday breakfast for my daughter

Crowded but worth the wait Try the meat loaf. You wont be sorry. Atmosphere

Always have a good time at Mel s

I never write reviews even though I m in the restaurant industry myself but wow my whole family was so impressed with our server Jordan on Tuesday. She was so kind and lovely, our food was delicious and our allergies (celiac) were taken care of. It was my mom s birthday and her service blew my mom away. Perfect birthday brunch, thank you Jordan for making our day, your bubbly personality is contagious :)

I enjoy the ambience of a classic dinner. The music, decor and even uniforms add to the 50/60s theme. The servers here work hard but during peak times I find the service can be slow depending on the situation. Otherwise Im happy to come here for old school diner food and enjoy the experience!

Great staff and the food was great as well

Fun place to eat. 50s style diner

Delicious and excellent customer service

Wonderful place. Great food.

There were 4 of us in our party. Everyone we came in contact with (5 people) were extremely competent and helpful. The restaurant was nice and clean. I ordered a mushroom swiss burger and the patty was so over cooked that it fell apart. Vegetarian options: Excellent selection.

Great food. Great service. Had my granddaughters birthday breakfast there. They were amazing

I was there with a couple of friends. Service was very quick and friendly. We each got something different and all of our food was delicious. Someone came to check that were happy with our orders, so they definitely try to make customers happy. My bacon was crispy. It was exactly how I like it. The prices were good. I wish there was a Mels Diner in Kingston, where I live.:)

Love the service, and the staff are always friendly, food is great.

Literal time machine. The best vanilla shakes Ive had in Kitchener.

Fun diner in Kitchener! Lots of variety and the portions are ample. Not the cheapest place out there, but still pretty good value. Lots of kitsch and stuff to look at. Vegetarian options: Good variety of interesting veg options! More if you are there for breakfast.

A wonderful and almost nostalgic diner. Great meal and fun servers. Highly recommended!! Dietary restrictions: Very allergy alert menu Parking: Numerous.

Service was fine, food came out cold.

Just what a diner is supposed to be. Hot coffee that keeps coming; generous portions of an all day breakfast and more; congenial and attentive servers; great value. Have driven past many times and had an opportunity to stop last week. Will be back. FYI - best diner coffee Ive had in a decade or more.

Good food and ambiance

We visit Mel s almost every weekend. The atmosphere and decor is excellent, it leans hard into the classic 50 s style diner and totally nails it. Feels clean and modern while maintaining plenty of retro vibes. Food is decent and priced very reasonably; my upgraded breakfast order is $12.50! Food also comes out extremely fast, we re usually eating within 20 mins of sitting. Eggs are always perfect (never slimy whites, but always runny yolks). Service is extremely competent and very friendly. Everyone was nice (and nice/helpful to each other which is great to see). Our servers are always pleasant, welcoming and attentive. We will continue to return for sure!

The Breaded fried tomatoes are out of this world!!!

Very nice place for having food anytime and food here is great and very good atmosphere. All the people serve here are great. Would visit again.

Came here for brunch and it was over $100 for 2 adults and 2 kids. Kids chicken fingers and fries was $17 and you only get 3. Such a rip off. Food was meh. Service was meh. It was ridiculously expensive. Used to come here with my grandparents less than 10yrs ago and food was great diner fare and affordable. I won t take my kids back here that s for sure.

I love the place. I had the meat loaf and it was so delicious. I will definitely go again.

This is a great little diner in K/W. I recommend it greatly. Today was lunch, but I have had breakfast and dinner there as well Food : 4/5

If your planning on getting pancakes this is the best choice. Parking: Parking in front of the restaurant Kid-friendliness: Food is free for kids on Wednesday

Always great food and service!

Quite busy this morning, a 20-minute wait. But it was worth it!

Cute old-fashioned diner. Very sweet waitress. Food mediocre. Still, we will visit again as prices are good and the atmosphere is fun.

HEPA filters (air purifiers) have been removed.

Retro style diner which delivers excellent Breakfast/ Brunch and delicious Shakes Vegetarian options: Vegan options available

Food is always fresh and delicious. Staff are excellent and attentive, seasoned pros for sure. Prices are incredible for the portions. Have a milkshake for sure!

Food is great - Awesome 50s diner experience. Service was on point and pricing is totally reasonable.

Excellent service with a fantastic menu! Mels Diner offers you a unique one of a kind 50s atmospheric experience. The staff are super friendly! This place has the best breakfast in town with the best prices too!!!

Our server was very nice. It was wonderful to see a separate Vegan menu. Everything was warm instead of hot.

Good nice place

Definitely one of the best milkshake places in Waterloo region. Great food and friendly service. Fantastic combination. Love the menu selection........ Always a great experience.... Vegetarian options: Enough veggie options

Ordered the potato waffles and the cinnamon rolls pancakes and I was not disappointed absolutely delicious

The place looks amazing and the prices are reasonable. We ordered a Burger and a Hungry Mel. Both were good but not special.

Me and my family have been dining at Mel s for over a year, and it s become our favorite place as a family. Helps that they have the best pancakes in town. But I especially want to send my thanks to the staff, most notably Hannah, who made my daughters experience today on Eid a special one. I know you guys were low on staff today Hannah, but your efforts to show that you cared about our experience was felt. Thank you, again!

Always a good experience and great meals

Excellent service and a great menu..they are also quite educated on gluten intolerance, which is a great thing for those with a gluten sensitivity. Kudos for that!!! Vegetarian options: A lot of options Dietary restrictions: Excellent with gluten free choices and vegetarian choices

Great service and the hash brown waffle was awesome!

The food was delicious! The service was great. Our server did a great ratio of checking in and keeping our coffees topped up without being intrusive.

I love this place!!

The breakfast poutine was incredible!

Love the place... the only problem is the 2.50 for real canadian maple syrup.. you should be embarrassed, and it should be law to have REAL MAPLE SYRUP IN CANADA! . keep up the good food, I do love the place

Best ever I never had such good onion rings, mac$cheese Bacon toast, fries,tacos coffee

We loved the diner vibe, but the food was very bland.

Went there on family day so was expecting the crowd. They were very accommodating especially with two small kids. Food was really nice. Service really awesome.

I really like new restaurant with the retro look and feel.

This place makes you wonder if the owner only cares about hiring pretty girls instead of serving good food. We ordered onion rings which were burned and I wanted a meat lovers skillet but apparently it was perhaps frozen because they couldnt separate the home fries that came with it. Not only that but we waited a while to get served I actually had to ask if they could take our order and one of the girls said to us oh let me find out whos your server only to come back to tell us that it was her. I guess if you like pretty girls you must go there, otherwise the food isnt worth it. Dietary restrictions: Gluten free

The servers are very friendly and welcoming, the chef doesnt know how to cook! Dont recommend the breakfast.. at allll!

Went with a large group. all was well.

Had a nice lunch here .Nice 50s decor Good food and service Food

Got a buffalo poutine and a milkshake for 30 bucks. Serving sizes are kinda small for the price. Service and atmosphere was mid

Saw the posting on Facebook of the lobster egg Benedict and wanted to try it. Awesome !!!

Always a good experience at this location.

Great food, great service, reasonable prices.

Our waitress was awesome but the food was alittle bland

My partner and I dined in here recently. When you dine in this place is great. The staff were super friendly and inviting, food was delicious. Everything was great. I decided to get a breakfast poutine and a milkshake for takeout today, and the experience was not great. I called to place my order, the person said one moment and then left me on the line for 5 minutes. I ended up hanging up. I then tried calling again and it took me another 5 minutes to get through to someone again and they seemed annoyed when I told them I was left on the line by the previous staff. When I got there the person who greeted me and the person who took my payment seemed annoyed (not sure if they were the two people who took my call) and were not very friendly towards me at all. The takeout was extremely disappointing. The milkshake was small compared to what you get in person with no whipped cream - not worth the price! I asked for my eggs to be soft and runny and then were hard boiled which I cant eat. There were no green onions and the potatoes tasted stale with very little bacon in the dish. Very bad takeout experience.

Incredible! This is the first time I went to a Mels location other than the one near the University of Waterloo, and it was a blast! Food was cooked exactly as requested, everything tasted great, and the staff were really nice. Highly recommend you try this Mels! Vegetarian options: Extremely vegetarian friendly, easy to tell what is and isnt vegetarian with their menu graphics. Very accommodating too, just ask for anything you like to be cooked without the meat if there isnt a good textural substitute. Dietary restrictions: My friend has Celiacs, and Mels has a separate gluten free menu you can ask for in-person to be extra safe. Thats fantastic of them!

Good prices for breakfasts. Love the feeling of stepping back in time with the music and decor. Favorite place for many years.

Love the decor. Best Burger! Staff is awesome.

3 of us ate here. My meal was OK, but you cant really mess up fish & chips. Another member of our group said the Reuben they ordered was so salty they couldnt eat it. They ordered the side mushroom soup, and it had no taste. Dirty mushroom water was how they described it. The third at the table ordered a skillet. He said it wasnt anything exciting. The music was great except that the volume was inconsistent. One song was too loud and the next it was barely audible. Service was decent but Ive had better. Its been 20 since we ate at Mels. It will be 20 more before we go back.

They care about allergies! What a fantastic environment and they were careful about ingredients and equipment cross- contamination. I have Wheat, Oat, Barley, malt, and rye allergies and our hostess took it very seriously. Great food with great staff! Felt 100% comfortable. Dietary restrictions: Allergies

Lots of and food good

Great food and service

A good place to bring kids, family, or a very casual hangout.

Ordered a shake (seated) and a wrap to go. Great food, service, and quality. Ample parking, thoughtful atmosphere and decor. Zero complaints. Returned for a late breakfast, fantastic service despite it being very busy!

Friendly environment, delicious food, amazing staff and servers. If you love that old-time diner, feel I highly recommend this place. (Regular customer) Food

Food, service and atmosphere were all great. Its a clean & bright restaurant.

Went for breakfast on Nee Years Day. Was extremely happy with the service. Everyone was in such a good mood and very attentive. Our waitress I believe was Christy and she was amazing. Huge plentiful breakfast.

Cool place! My go to when I visit kitchener

Gluten free menu was great for our grandson who is allergic to milk and wheat. He really liked the vegan gluten free shake. Our grilled chicken wrap and Reuben were delicious as was the potato and bacon soup.

Dietary restrictions: Oat milk for my go-go-juice! ThatHotBeanWaterStuff! Food

The good ambience and friendly service. Good for family breakfast Food

The daily deals are great value, and the food is very good. Had fish & chips on my 1st visit; large fish, great batter, great fries. Had Mels tacos on the 2nd visit; great portion, a bit heavy on the onions, and somewhat difficult to wrangle, but great taste. Dietary restrictions: Celiac menu available.

Had the fish and chips, hamburger w. onion rings and classic benny. Only the onion rings were good. Batter on the fish was rubbery, tartar sauce was not good and the sauce on the benny was awful as well. I definitely will not be returning.

The cinnamon roll pancakes were enormous but absolutely delicious. Just one is big enough as a meal. Two keep me full for the rest of the day. I hesitate to imagine what a full stack of three would do to me! Dietary restrictions: Separate gluten free menu, safe for celiacs.

Food is way overpriced you can get it cheaper at fireside deli. The service is very slow too. I will not come back here again.

Just a really great experience, our grandchildren loved it as much as we did

I recommend the huevos rancheros and the omelette

Classic dine in great and covid take out was top notch as well.