Mel’s International

Above average Italian… neon 1960s feel. And Mel greets diners looking like Frank Sinatra. The Ping Pong with seafood in a creamy lobster sauce over angel hair is one of the best dishes I’ve ever had. Tried going a few months ago and it was undergoing renovation. Cant get through on the phone now. May be closed. Oh NO!!!

Great food
Go for the special Milan Salad! It is the best!
Every time I go there it is a mystery!
New décor is excellent! Wait staff super… We asked for fresher bread and in two seconds it was there!

How is this place still in business? A group of 6 of us went on a Saturday night for dinner. When we got there at 7:15 we were the only folks in the place. A few more stragglers showed up, but no more than 3 other tables were in the restaurant.
The chef was standing out front of the restaurant smoking a cigarette. This was the first clue this place was going to blow.
We sat at the bar and had a drink which is a strange experience. Music from the 1980s was playing. They have 2 TVs, one of which had a ball game on and the second was playing tbs for the staff to watch a movie. The bar tender claimed she made the best old fashioned, but this was farrrrrr from the the truth.
We sat down in the restaurant, which has not been remodeled since 1980 either and could work well in a dated Michael Mann movie. I’m pretty sure that the food as well was from 1980. I ate some pasta and chicken. I was to, d they ran out of red sauce and had to substitute meat sauce on the chicken parm… What? I was the the only table in there… run out of red sauce? You did not make the sauce. The rest of the food on the table as was just as bland, uninteresting, and poorly prepared.
The wait staff is odd to say the least. I don’t need to go further here.
Go anywhere else. There are old places with charm. There are new places. There is a local pizza place. There is McDonald’s. Just not here. I needed an excorcism after going there.

Yes! Mel’s speaks the language of my heart… a hidden gem with a true italian soul… Went with a large work group and ate and drank until the place closed. I will dream of the amazing food! Can’t wait to go back!

visiting from California seeing our daughter who goes to school in Philadelphia. We were referred to Mel’s by a former employee. What a gem, tucked away in a residential neighborhood in Bala Cynwood. Excellent service with delicious food at reasonable prices, what more can anyone ask for when going out for dinner. Mel’s hot pepper pizza is to die for if you like some heat on your pizza. All our entrees were home made, the sauces fanastic. This is definitely a place that will will go back to.

This is a locals place. People have been coming weekly for many many years and always sit in the same place. The seafood is amazing as is the steak. The deserts are great and you couldnt pay enough for tue atmosphere. All the staff is professional make sure to ask for adam.

It is a old school place with all kinds of local characters on there. The food was amazing the ziti with asparagus and vodka sauce was one of the best things I’ve ever had in my life. The bartender Lana was amazingly clever with her chocolate martini and also suggested a amazing white wine with dinner. The owner introduced himself and asked about the meal. I’ve found my new favorite dining place

Love Mel’s…love it. I think the chef does a very good job with making authentic Italian fare. The veal is sublime and the seafood items are always fresh. The wine selection is also nice. Wait staff can be slightly indifferent, but not overly so. I do think the décor could use some sprucing.

My wife and I went here for Sunday dinner with a gift card. Even with the $ 25 discount the meal was not worth it. We arrived early (5:30) and were the only patrons in the restaurant. During our entire meal of about one hour only one other party came in to dine. Clearly, people vote with their feet.
We started with the caesar salad which was ok, although we were charged $ 11.99 even though it said $ 7.99 on the menu. An honest mistake I suppose.
My wife had a veal entrée. The meat was tough and chewy and had little flavor. I got the lobster scampi which was more like a soup, the sauce was so watery. Again, no flavor other than a whole lot of garlic.
With so many great restaurants in Philly, Main Line, Manayunk, etc., don’t bother with Mel’s International.

Having recently moved to the neighborhood I must say that I was excited to fall in love with this neighborhood haunt. Went there once and I would say that it was pretty good. The second time I went there I brought a few friends and it was a total disaster. Besides the fact that the record stopped when we entered as a few of the regular bar-​flys gave dirty looks but the story gets worse. It was towards the later side and our waiter who billed himself as the son in law definitely wanted us out of there. We were ready to speed it up as it was nearly 9:30 but everytime we needed something he was outside grabbing a smoke. So he came back to the table stinking like cigs and actually complained that we cut his smoke break short. He was a total dirtball and any owner should not have this guy working for them. To top it off when we ordered dessert and the cheesecake came he made a disgusting comment that he actually produced the whip cream himself from below the belt and he promised that while it may be a little warm that it was not too salty? Really??? This guy is joking around about jacking off on our cheesecake? Classy with a K! This place is from a bygone era where the surrounding neighborhood could fully support the establishment and they did not need or want any outsiders. Well times have changed and the place is definitely suffering. To top it off, my friend asked to take his spaghetti and remaining meatballs (2 left) to go. When he went to reheat the leftovers the next day he found that the meatballs were not there? They stole the meatballs back? I will not go back under current ownership and would bet that this place is on its last legs. What a dirt-​ball establishment.

Isaac and I went to Mels for date night last week… Yes, we still have date night… let it go. I was excited (for many reasons, but that’s for a different kind of site). Anyway, it had been several years since my last trek over the river and up the hill. I remember Mels being a gaudy, grease ball hangout. You know… guys who watch The Godfather, Donnie Brasco, or Scarface EVERY NIGHT! To my surprise when we walked in the place was looking kind of good. It is now furnished in what I would call contemporary style. Although, they do still have the mirror wall, reminiscent of a South Philly row home whose owner wants to make the living room seem expansive (or should that be expensive, either way).
As soon as we sat down an older gentleman, pinky ring and all, approached the table. He was a nice guy, but really pushy. The type of server that wants to sell you the overpriced specials, the bottle of wine, the add-​on lobster tail. Anything to increase the check, in hope of increasing the tip. We did end up ordering a bottle of wine, for fear that if we hadn’t we might end up «sleepin’ wit the fishes».
Seriously, Mels has a fairly decent wine list. They carry a nice variety… Actually, they advertise a nice variety, whether or not the bottle is in house, well that is a different story. We struck out on our first two bottles, but we hit a home run on our third choice. It was a nice Argentinian Melbec. The price was just right, only $ 27!!! The prices on the bottles of wine might be the best thing Mels has going, very reasonable. However, what you save on the bottle they make up in glass pours.
It took me forever to decide what I wanted, it just one of those night, where nothing sounded good. I didn’t get the stuffed chicken special that the server was force feeding me. I settled on chicken Italiano. Not much to say, it was completely bland. Isaac had shrimp scampi… again not much to say. I commented about how bland and flavorless everything was, and then I looked around the room putting two and two together… it looked like a night trip out for the Sunny-​Dale Geriatric Ward. Seems to me like they have that demographic nailed.
At the end of the night, I would have rather have spent my money on another bottle or two of wine.

We’ve been going to Mel’s for 16 years… it was one of our first dates and even now… all these years later ~ fabulous! Feels like I’m back with my old Italian family. Giustino was our waiter last visit and he is a darling :)

Reservations required on slow weeknights, «International» cuisine consisting of mainly Italian dishes, and a bizarre interior all make for an… odd experience.
The menu length was eclipsed by the nightly specials list, all recited without prices, of course, which rattled on and on and dwarfed the actual laminated menu. The farthest from pasta the International cuisine drifted towards was coconut tilapia and a pork chop with Thai dipping sauce. There was a small but solid selection of actual Italian food, reasonably priced. The wine selection is not bad at all, and very reasonable.
The interior is a polar opposite of what you might expect– a mirrored wall next to booths, neon and icicle style Christmas lights along the top of the wall, TVs flanking each side of the bar situated past a smoked glass window, all décor in white with subdued lighting (except for the neon, of course). It reminded me of a upscale diner you might come across, whose brother is in the neon business.
Dinner was expensive, with Chicken Marsala, splitting an appetizer, and a glass of wine coming close to $ 40 for myself alone. Stick to the pasta and a glass of wine, which is actually very good, and avoid appetizers, salads, soups, etc.
All in all, it strikes me as a restaurant with no real soul, trying very hard to be something but it doesn’t exactly quite know what. The interior was strange, waitstaff stranger, and the menu strangest of all. The party of four I was with, despite all living literally within blocks of Mel’s, decided to never set foot in the place again. A pity, since it could be a really nice neighborhood bar and restaurant to hang out in.

Had dinner here last night with some colleagues. First off, this place is an old school Italian neighborhood restaurant where the owner, Mel, is always hanging around and everyone knows him. I was with several people that go here a lot and before we left to head over we were called by someone already there and told we need to bring some pens (schwag from the business) for the waiter with a pen fetish. We grabbed a bunch and headed over. The minute we sat down and made it known we had a bunch of pens all the waiters started hovering and checking them out — Mel came over too. We handed him a bunch of stuff, pens, ice scrapers, SD Card reader… he was psyched. He disappears and comes back with two really high quality white baseball caps for us. What a nice guy. He wound up giving me a second cap for a friend of mine.
So, on to the food… very well made Cosmo — not too much cranberry and nice big wedge of lime. Phenomenal stuffed veal chop the size of my forearm. It was pan seared and then roasted, stuffed with prosciutto, spinach and great mozzerella. Then it was covered with a delicious mushroom wine sauce. Out of this world and tender as could be. A nice side of homemade rigatoni with marinara and bada boom bada bing… fahgeddaboutit.
I think perhaps the best thing is that I didn’t have to pay for this meal, but I would’ve happily parted with the dough after a meal like this.
The atmosphere was between fine-​dining and pub — not too casual, not too fancy. I felt very comfortable in jeans, but others were suited up. They have valet service, a bar and it seemed like they were very busy last night.
If you’re in Philly, check out Mel’s