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Mels Country Cafe

MY REVIEW: Our lunch today at Mel’s was terrible. We will not be returning.

My chicken fried chicken was dry and bland. The accompanying cream gravy was almost tasteless and reminded me of a packet of inexpensive powdered gravy mix I once purchased at the grocery store. My french fries were obviously frozen (not fresh-cut) and had a disagreeable flavor.

The only decent thing we had to eat was the onion rings – they seemed to be fresh-made and were very good.

The wait staff was quite disorganized: we had to flag down staff members to get drink refills and our check. There was one waitress who screeched a loud “yee-haw!” every time a certain burger was delivered (I guess this was supposed to be a fun thing, but it was actually somewhat disturbing).

The tables were placed too close together and it was practically an elbow-to-elbow experience with our fellow diners. The restaurant was packed with diners, but I do not know why: the food and service was pretty bleak. We will not be returning.

NAME: Mainframe
SUBMITTED: 7/23/2011   LAST VISIT WAS: July 23 2011
FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times

MY REVIEW: My family and I went to Mel's for my birthday this year the same as we did last year. Last year the service absolutely sucked. The waiter couldn't remember anything as in who got what food who got the salad b-4 dinner although only one salad was ordered. No rolls were offered and getting a refill on WATER was a request etc,etc etc. Just a real buzz kill when you step out to have some fun. This year we tried them again since I am familiar with the the FOOD and Service was like about 5 years ago, I was hoping they had worked to resolve what appears to be a lack of GOOD management. I was WRONG! Our waitress was had personality of a DEAD FISH. She didn't appear to be one of the veteran's who work there, but that should no effect on GOOD customer service. When you order an appetizer and it's seems like she forgot it and had to be reminded about it, hard to believe she was actually working on a job where your income is primarily based on the satisfaction of your customers. She never checked on us after the food was served and had to be reminded what go's where and no offers of additional condiments. Mel's is way off the beaten path with a faithful following which makes it not easy to go there for dinner however it only makes seeking this place out worth it if they can make sure EVERYONE on there staff is trained and gives the appearance of liking there job. There are a lot of eateries that do a huge volume of business regularly without sacrificing service and quality. :-(

NAME: Mr. Customer
SUBMITTED: 6/22/2011   LAST VISIT WAS: June/2011
FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times

MY REVIEW: HORRIBLE....The worst experience....Ordered the all you can eat catfish and shrimp with fries and coleslaw. I sent the coleslaw back after one bite...it was so nasty. The fries were those cheap shoestring fries that were soaked in grease. There were 3 others that ordered fries and 2 of them couldn't even eat them. Our service was bad. We had a total of 5 people and the waitress brought out 4 dinners and forgot to turn in the order for the 5th person. How dumb. Also I asked for rolls because you get rolls with your meal and they never brought them. What a wasted 75.00. Never will go back there again...

NAME: cheryl.
SUBMITTED: 5/21/2011   LAST VISIT WAS: 05/2011
FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times

MY REVIEW: I have a heart attack every time I think about making the trip down to Mel's. I only go on Tuesday, that way I can snatch up their amazing fried pickle chips! The atmosphere there is really laid back and easy going. I get the bacon cheeseburger and it's one of the best things I've ever eaten. To finish it up, the blackberry cobbler with ice cream. It's like dying and going to heaven. I may have to go back tomorrow...

NAME: Norah
SUBMITTED: 2/23/2011   LAST VISIT WAS: 2/2011
FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times

MY REVIEW: we always loved this place, all true, chicken fried, onion rings....but now, no.

the last 2 times we've gone, horrible chicken fried steak. the first time it was bad i sent it back and waitress said, "sorry, new cook". the second time, bad, i ate it and lesson learned. called the next week and told them about my experience and they said they never had a new cook, so i guess they are not as good as they use to be. one of the owners promised to take care of us if we go back.

sounds good, except the steak doesn't even look the same, it looks like pre-breaded cutlet, little crust, kind of yellow looking and not crispy.

sad, onion rings still good, but, if u want more ranch dressing than the 1/8c. they bring u, that'll cost u another .50! okay.

NAME: charley512
SUBMITTED: 8/17/2010   LAST VISIT WAS: 8/2010
FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name...

MY REVIEW: So first of all, the food here is good. Sometimes great. Twice before I have gone to Mel's and have not been disappointed. So when my in-laws were in town, we decided Mel's would be a treat, good home-style food. Were we disappointed. We waited for nearly 45 minutes (we showed up at 7 pm on a Friday, so this was not unexpected). We were seated and our drink orders were taken shortly after. Our waiter, however, never appeared. Fifteen minutes later, I notice a couple sat after us was getting their order taken from a young Hispanic man. OK, fine. Then the waiter passes us and says "I'll be right with you" and proceeds to another table of four that was seated after us. Meanwhile, the initial drinks are gone and were never refilled. We had to ask for the complimentary rolls after the other tables were served them. Then, our food was not served until after the two other groups were completely finished with theirs. It was nearly 9 o'clock by this point. We were just about to walk out when he came with the food. No apologies, nothing. It was absolutely appalling. I honestly have never had a restaurant so thoroughly butcher a dining experience. I will never return. My father-in-law made sure to write his thoughts on the receipt. What a shame, since the food is good but not good enough for the wait or the drive. I get better service from a M*cDonald’s drive-thru.

NAME: Lisa H.
SUBMITTED: 8/10/2010   LAST VISIT WAS: 8/6/2010
FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times

MY REVIEW: Like Bubba (see previous review), I have heard of Mel's and always wanted to go. Finally got my chance. Mel's did not disappoint. First of all, like Bubba said, the onion rings are the BEST! An order is $2.50 for a huge platter, an unbelievable deal.

There were 10 of us and can you believe only one ordered CFS? I begged a bite. If it's not the best CFS I have ever had, then it's in the top three. I ordered blackened catfish in a seafood sauce (Veracruz??--not sure) that was surprisingly good. Sides were creamy mashed potatoes and too-peppery cabbage.

I took a bite of a double meat burger. The flavor from the char was pure heaven, but would've prefered it medium rare rather than well done. Still, it was seriously good and I would order it next trip.

Service was great from our young Hispanic waiter (I think his name was Umberto). Very personable, good sense of humor. In fact the entire staff was very friendly, despite the place being packed. Enjoyed the rural setting---had a kind of old timey roadhouse feel. Great country diner serving a bigger variety than I expected.

NAME: Sandy from League City
SUBMITTED: 7/20/2010   LAST VISIT WAS: 7/10
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: Friends have been telling me about this place for several years. OMG! What a find. The onion rings are the best ever. I had the "small" chicken fried steak which is 8 oz and covered the plate. Hint of garlic in the crispy breading. Peach cobbler was hot out of the oven and delicious. Coconut cream pie was so-so. It was a short wait to get in. Very friendly and attentive staff. I will definitely go back. It was worth the drive!

NAME: Bubba in Spring
SUBMITTED: 2/14/2010   LAST VISIT WAS: 2/10
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: I ate breakfast at Mel's it was really good and not expensive I would recommend every one try this place they open for breakfast on the weekends at 7 A.M.

NAME: Roland Court II
SUBMITTED: 1/21/2010   LAST VISIT WAS: 1/2010
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: We go to Mel's 1-2 times a month, and, judging by the last 3 visits, it keeps getting better and better! They now have 99 cent appetizers a couple nights a week....our favorite is a plate of fried pickles on Tuesday nites. The double cheeseburger is still great, as are the chicken fried steak (the only one I will eat in Tomball!) and the chicken fried chicken. Last nite, I was really envious of the man sitting at the table next to me and his mound of pot roast over onion potatoes; it looked amazing! Friendly wait staff and owner seem to really try to please their customers.

NAME: tex-mex girl
SUBMITTED: 1/13/2010   LAST VISIT WAS: 1/10
FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name...

MY REVIEW: good food--they were very busy but the 4 of us got our food in a satisfactory timeframe...the onion rings are gooood---the Christopher fish was great---prices are reasonable.

NAME: CRP
SUBMITTED: 1/11/2010   LAST VISIT WAS: Jan/2010
FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times

MY REVIEW: It kind of freaked me out that the house behind the restaurant has a toilet in the yard ... but we can't pick our family or our neighbors!

Best onion rings EVER. Burgers are good ... the veggies are to die for and the chopped steak is the best in town. It's also super cheap.

Always a line to get in the door. So go early and not if you're starving. You'll be waiting awhile.

NAME: wpm
SUBMITTED: 12/7/2009   LAST VISIT WAS: 11/09
FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name...

MY REVIEW: I just came back from Mel's Country Cafe with my friend from England who didn't know what Chicken Fried Steak was. I hadn't been there and looked around reviews at several places and decided to give Mel's a try. Boy, was I glad we did! The CFS was delicious, as were the onion rings (not the frozen bag kind. HUZZAH!), and the puddings and pies. This place is a little off of the beaten path, but well worth the journey. I will be going back and I might even try the Mega Mel Burger Challenge!

NAME: Robb Zipp
SUBMITTED: 4/17/2009   LAST VISIT WAS: April 17, 2009
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: This is a family favorite. My sons love the burgers and fried mushrooms. The onions rings are amazing. The chicken fried steak is always a good bet. If you prefer chicken, the chicken fried chicken is awesome too. The mashed potatoes and green beans are reason enough to visit. We regularly order lunch delivered to our office. All I can say if YUM!!

NAME: Hayd's Mom
SUBMITTED: 12/3/2008   LAST VISIT WAS: 12/2/2008
FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name...

MY REVIEW: We finally got to try Mels after seeing all the great review. Chicken fried chicken is big and flavorful and that was all we ordered. The sides are OK, my cabbage was salty and the bread and cornbread are store bought and not freshly made there. I don't think that is worth the driving unless we are in the neighborhood.

NAME: JoAnn
SUBMITTED: 11/18/2008   LAST VISIT WAS: 11/15/08
FREQUENCY: Visited once

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