Mel’s Bar And Grill

Have always had a great experience at Mel’s but went to go for dinner on 8÷6÷10− and found the location closed down! For lease signs in the windows and nothing else. Their website is still up but you can’t find them on
— guess that’s why…

Good food good service, that is all there is to say!

Bait and switch.
If you take a coupon to Mel’s, lookout!
There’s a $ 50 minimum but they won’t count cocktails and wine. Ouch!
They say it’s not part of «Dinner» which evidently includes only food.
Worst part: The manager sent over the high school waitress to explain the bad news because he was too busy.
At least she got a full tip. But, the management here gets an «F».

My wife and I have eaten at Mel’s a few times now. Each time we visit we always ask ourselves why we don’t eat there more often.
Pros:
Great food.
5280 menu runs Mon-​Thu, with very generous portions.
Nice wine list.
Cons:
On a couple of occasions my food came out cold, though this was immediately rectified with stellar results.
The ambiance is a bit odd (though not «bad» in any way), but that goes along with being in a strip mall.
I wouldn’t hesitate to invite friends to join me for dinner here, and my wife and I are sure to be back.

Mel’s $ 6 Lunch Special
Monday – Pan Roasted Salmon Cakes
Tuesday – Cobb Salad or House-​Made Reuben Sandwich
Wednesday – Grilled Angus Burger
Thursday – Mel’s Grilled Salmon
Friday – Beer-​Battered Fish and Chips
Saturday – Achiote Braised Kurobuta Pork Tacos
This was my first time visiting Mel’s. I have to admit, at first glance when I walked in I was a bit unsure. The Lunch crowd was a bit older than I had expected and the décor matched it’s patrons. I opted to sit at the empty bar. I ordered Friday’s special — The Fish and Chips, along with a glass of water. Interesting side note, they give you filtered bottled water and you can get sparkling water for free — you just have to ask for it.
The wait for the food seemed a bit long, but I guess the slower service may be more fitting for the clientele. The food was definitely worth the wait. I received a generous potion of crispy fish and seasoned fries. It was really good, not at all soggy on the outside or mushy on the inside. Cooked and seasoned perfectly! The fries were pretty darn good themselves.
The service was very friendly. The chef even came out and my friend asked him about a soup he had made a year ago. Even though they no longer offered that soup, he remembered every detail about it and offered to supply a hard to find ingredient on his next shipment.
I am excited to go back and try some of their other lunch specials. They also have a $ 5 Happy Hour food menu from 4 — 6:30 pm daily. If it’s as good as their lunch then it’s probably worth checking out.

Mel’s has been one of Bryan and I’s favorite restaurants here in Denver for awhile now. We first started going when it was in Cherry Creek, and were super bummed when we heard it was closing. Then, they opened a new location on 6^th street, which was pretty close to us so we were very excited. We went only once to that one, because it was just not that good… the food, ambiance, and service were miles below what it used to be.
Fast forward a couple years to Valentine’s Day 2010. We decided last minute (like the day before) to not head to Blackhawk for V-​day, and needed to find a special place for dinner. Searching the web for places, Mel’s popped into my head, and luckily they still had openings.
The new location is pretty far from us in Lakewood, which is one of the reasons we haven’t gone yet. But after our dinner last night, I’m sure we will be back very soon. It’s located in a strip mall, which was kind of off-​putting at first, but once inside the atmosphere and cute little patio completely transforms it into an elegant eatery.
We opted for the 4-​course Valentine’s Day menu, which was $ 100 a couple, and included complementary champagne. I was a little leery of the price, but in the end decided it was worth every penny. It was THAT good.
For my first course I had the «Breakfast at Dinner»: House-​Cured Kurobuta Pork Belly «Bacon,» Poached Egg, Toasted Coffee Bread, Frisee, Grain Mustard Maple Syrup. It was one of the most inventive and delicious appetizers I’ve ever had… the pork belly was so succulent and amazing.
My second course was the «Porter Braised Beef Short Rib»:
Salsify Purée, Brussels Sprout & Apple Salad. The beef was so tender, it just fell apart, and the Apple salad added a perfect amount of crunch and texture to it. Now this was the first time I’ve ever had a Brussels Sprout… and it was wonderful! Perfectly cooked to my liking, a little crunch and not overly soggy. I think I might really like Brussels Sprout!
The star of the meal, however, was my third course entrée: Grilled Filet Mignon, with Duck Fat French Fries, Broccolini, Bearnaise Sauce. Holy shit that steak was amazing. I ordered mine Medium-​rare, and it was perfectly cooked… just absolutely melted in my mouth. One of the best filets I’ve EVER had. The broccolini was cooked perfectly, and the sauce was the perfect component to tie everything together. I also loved how the duck fat added a hint of sweetness to the french fries, which were crispy and yummy!
When I thought I couldn’t eat another bite, it was time for dessert. I chose the «Strawberry Shortcake»: Meyer Lemon Scented Biscuit, 100 Year Old Grand Marnier Mascerated Strawberries, Vanilla-​Pistachio Ice Cream. OMG. This was the best strawberry shortcake I’ve ever put into my face, which is saying something, because it’s one of my favorite desserts! The biscuit was warm and buttery, and the strawberries were out of this world. I also had a bite (or 3) of my husband’s Molten Chocolate Cake, which was also amazing. The sprinkle of sea salt on top took it to the next level, and left me wanting more (and I’m not a fan of chocolate).
On top of amazing food, Mel’s has an extensive wine list, and the service was superb. Even though the original owner Mel Master doesn’t own this restaurant, the former and current executive chef Chad Clevenger does, he still allowed them keep his name. I think Chef Chad does an amazing job of living up to the high standard that comes along with that name. It’s great to see Mel’s back on top again!

I had dinner there Saturday night. Foire Gras was horrible. mussels were disgusting and bread almost non-​existent. How can a restaurant not offer a simple item like fresh warm bread — they should be embarassed!!! Also, salt and pepper was not on our table nor were we asked for freash ground pepper.
The only redeemable part o fthe night — my husband really enjoyed his chicken dish and the ice cream rolled in chocolate espresso.
I would never go back

This is by far the best restaurant I’ve eaten at South of Denver. My husband had their famous roasted chicken — it was so good I was jealous. I had the kobe beef, it was delicious. The service was great, apps, dessert, etc. delicous. Atmosphere was surprisingly pleasant in spite of a slightly strange location. I think its better than the nice restaurant named for a city with canals in Northern Italy (though it was pretty good) in the same shopping center.
I want to eat there every week to make sure they are successful and don’t go out of business. I get the feeling its a hidden gem — I want it to be discovered.

We had an excellent and enjoyable meal here a few weeks ago. My wife loved the mussels, my son enjoyed the scallops and watermelon soup, and my fish was very good. The waiter was very attentive, and after dessert brought us other desserts to try. Wine was ½ price the day we went, but you should call to see if that promotion is still on, and what day it is.

I had such high expectations after hearing how great this place was from the Gabby Gourmet and Unilocalers. I finally decided to try it last night for dinner. It was a warm summer evening so we sat outside. The patio is nice. Music from the piano player was flowing out onto the patio and my expectations went even higher.
I ordered the special, scallops with quinoa and a papaya vinaigrette. My hubby ordered the Mexican shrimp. We both ordered a glass of wine from the impressive wine menu.
The food came and was plated beautifully but the taste was just not that impressive. The quinoa had a strange flavor that I still cant place… kinda like dirt. The scallops were well cooked but not impressive. We were both disappointed.

One word: WOW. Such a good restaurant! I’m in Denver on business right now, so I was Unilocaling to find a place to have dinner after a pretty late meeting. Between Unilocal and United’s Mileage Plus dining, I discovered this gem of a restaurant. It’s probably visited more on weekends as a date place, but I found that sitting at the bar made for an entertaining evening thanks to a few drunken post-​wedding guests at the other end of the bar.
The bar offered food from both the regular menu and a small-​plates bar menu, which is what I ordered from. I asked for a recommendation: the bartender suggested either the Kobe Sliders or the Kurobuta Pork Shoulder Tacos. I chose the pork and got 3 wonderful spiced soft tacos with juicy pork shoulder topped with Pico de Gallo mixed with a Tomatillo-​Avacado dressing. There weren’t any sides due to the fact that it was a small plate, but it worked out perfectly — I was able to get dessert! I picked a Vanilla Crème Brulee topped with berries; quite good!
They had an extensive wine list (including several dessert wines and ports), so I discovered a new Riesling that I enjoyed with my meal.
The bartender was attentive, but didn’t hover thanks to the other guests at the bar. The food came out quickly and was delicious, even though I arrived a half hour before closing. I would definitely recommend this place; don’t let the strip mall location fool you!

Eons ago I played Mel’s wife, Janey, in «Denver Stories». I’d never heard of Mel’s at the time. The two (and son, Charlie) were SO warm and accepting of my Janey impersonation.
Shortly thereafter I started to go to their restaurant (then located in Cherry Creek). I was as compelled by the fact that this was Mel and Janey’s spot as I was by the SCRUMPTIOUS roasted chicken and generous wine specials.
But I’m allergic to the suburbs, and when the restaurant migrated to its current Greenwood Village location, I stopped giving Mel my business.
Cut to the present:
After trying for Zengo, Duo, ZCuisine, Kevin Taylor’s and a few others– DJ Savior Breath made us Restaurant Week reservations for last night at suburban Mel’s.
As we pulled into the STRIP MALL Mel’s now calls home, I made some assumptions. When, as I asked if Mel was around, I was informed that Mel no longer owned Mel’s, I made another set of assumptions.
And then:
I had one of the best dining experiences I’ve had in quite some time.
The roasted chicken is still golden, buttery and transportative. The flourless chocolate cake gave me uncontrollable grins. Our waiter, James, was 25% tip great. The Malbec he helped us choose was big and spicy and luscious.
If possible to rate in ¹⁄₂ point increments, I’d have docked it .5 for location and the presence of a tv. Though these may be positive attributes to many diners!

What a great place in a spot I didn’t really expect. I’ve lived in the area for several years and have often heard that Mel’s is a nice restaurant.
We decide to head over there on a Friday night since it was close by. I didn’t expect to be able to get right in and although the place was busy, to our surprise we were seated immediately. It’s a smaller upscale restaurant with a nice bar and piano music.
We ordered the crabcakes as an appetizer which were the perfect size fore 2 people and were delicious. For my entrée I had the daily special which was a wonderful red snapper. I’m not a huge fish person, but this dish did not disappoint. I was also able to have some of the roasted chicken which was also fabulous.
Mel’s is on the higher end in regard to price but the quality of the food is worth it. Definitely a great date place.

I’m first? Really? The first thing I should say is that I had never been to any of the other Mel’s. I had been to Ventura Grill, which was the previous restaurant in this location.
This was an enjoyable dining experience. The waiter was very attentive, but not annoyingly attentive. We started with the Kurobata pork belly and the fried calamari. Both were great. The pork belly was very tender and came with a mashed butternut squash. The calamari had a great an Asian slaw to go with it. I also had a butternut squash-​ginger soup. Very tasty and not overpowering. Dinner was steak frittes with truffle fries and a green peppercorn sauce. This was very good. I enjoy truffles, but they’re not my favorite, so the fries were a little overpowering. However, my wife loves truffles and thought they were great. I had a nice Cote du Rhone, and the wine list was pretty good. Finally, for dessert I had the sorbet trio, which I’m always a sucker for. It was tropically themed with passion fruit, guava, and mango. Very refreshing. There was also a great piano player in the bar area playing some awesome dinner music.
If I had to go with a con, I thought there prices were too high. With prices like that, I would expect a nicer restaurant with much higher quality food. This wasn’t a bad place, but the entrees should have been closer to the 16 – 20 range.