Sweet Mel’s
1 W University Ave, Gainesville, FL, 32601
Sweet Mel’s Menu
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Visit below restaurant in Gainesville for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Gainesville for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Gainesville for healthy meals suggestion.
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Address :
1 W University Ave
Gainesville, FL, 32601 - Phone (352) 240-6644
- Website https://www.sweetmelsbargrill.com
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :11:00 am - 11
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : Yes
Delivery : Yes
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Lunch
Parking : Street
Bike Parking : Yes
Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
Good for Kids : No
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Average
Good For Dancing : No
Alcohol : Full Bar
Happy Hour : Yes
Best Nights : Wed, Thu, Sat
Coat Check : No
Smoking : Outdoor Area/ Patio Only
Outdoor Seating : Yes
Wi-Fi : No
Has TV : Yes
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : No
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Gigi A.
Sweet Mel's is not as sweet as I wanted her to be. The drinks are horrible, and while cheap, they are not drinkable even after a few beers. I tried two different types of martinis and they both made me gag. Their Sweet Mel's drink is not bad though. It's a reddish pinkish concoction of pineapple and god knows what but goes down pretty easy. The food is ok to sub standard. I understand they are trying to be all whimsical and creative but really, the idea of a grilled peanut butter and jelly sandwich with bacon and steak does not appeal to me. The sweet mels burger which is just your typical pub burger with funnel cakes for buns is not too bad. I wouldn't go there just to eat it again but I didn't throw up I suppose. They have a great location, but unforutnately they don't seem to understand the business or value quality food or customer service. Also, one time they forgot to give my phone back to me after I used a Get My Perks deal with them. I understand its my responsibility to get it back, but really, you're a bar. You're accepting someone's personal cell phone to scan when they are much less than sober. Not going back here again!
(2)Enrique C.
This is the absolute worst restaurant I've been to in Gainesville. Problem #1 First the customer service is terrible: we sat ourselves down and no one came so we walked out. Then the lady who calls herself sweet Mel apologized and asked us to come back in. Problem #2 The "homemade" salsa is actually just the regular tostito salsa. A huge let down for all my salsa lovers out there. Problem #3 They charge you an extra dollar to upgrade for a turkey burger. The shock came WHEN THE TURKEY BURGER WAS A FROZEN PATTY. When I confronted her about this processed hockey-putt of a turkey burger she had the audacity to tell me that it was indeed a butterball frozen burger. She smiled with pride, happy to have tricked me. Didn't apologize. Also, their speakers are blown so the music sounds static-y.
(1)Lou G.
How can I give anything less than four stars when the Happy Hour includes $1 well drinks and you can order a burger (including Boca Burger) where funnel cakes or grilled cheese sandwiches serve as the buns? This place is a blast, the owners are fun, the drink specials are great, the menu is wild, with a lot of fun stuff to try. They even have a challenge to eat a foot worth of burgers with two pounds of fries. We decided to make a slight detour on the way home from Tampa and stop in Gainesville for some bar hopping. Now, I have not been in Gainesville for over twenty years, so this was definitely a detour in more than one way! Mel's was the first stop and the perfect start of our excursion. Who says you can't go home again?
(4)Gregg C.
Some of the best burgers in gainesville and alot of fun to drink there at night.
(4)Kelsey S.
Went here on St.Paddy's day for a burger and was surprised that the place was nearly empty! We sat at a table on the far end of the bar but eventually had to move because they were doing sound checks for the live music later that night and we could not hear each other talk. Now the food! We had the onion ring volcano and were slightly disappointed. There were not as many onion rings there as we all expected. For the price I will not get them again unless they increase the size. The burgers though we're amazing! I had the Mountain top burger and loved it. It was so juicy and cooked perfectly. A friend of mine had the classic burger and loved that too. The fries were good but don't expect them to be super crispy. Also there are many drink specials. I ordered the Sweet Mel after the bartender recommended it. It was good just very peachy. I don't think that I would order it again only because I am not a big fan of peach otherwise it was good and I would definitely recommend it! Overall I will definitely go back!
(4)Meggan W.
WORST Service EVER!!! Big Girl Bartender stuffing her face inf ront of customers, waited 1 hour for a freaking Burger!! That Girl should be FIRED.. very short and unpleasant.
(1)Samantha B.
The best burger in Florida. We had the burger of the month......so so delish. They have many kinds of vodka and beer. The staff is super friendly. The green bean fries are to die for. I recommend this place for sure!!
(5)Randy L.
When you are in the Gainesville, Florida area you have to check out Sweet Mel's. They have great food and reasonable prices. My wife and I were there with a large group of family and friends. Everyone in our group was impressed with the huge portions they were served. After making my way through all of the menu items I finally decided on The Philly. The description in the menu was, "Prime Rib or Grilled Chicken with Caramelized Onions, Sautéed Mushrooms, Green Peppers and Melted Swiss Cheese". I selected prime rib. Because I didn't read the menu closely I was expecting it to arrive on a hoagie type roll. It came served in a pita pocket. I was surprised but not disappointed. I enjoyed it more than the hoagie style because there was less bread and more of the stuff that counts. After eating just half of the Philly I realized that I was getting pretty full but I was not going to let that stop me from finishing. I also had breaded green beans and they were fantastic as well. The menu on their website shows only a portion of what they have to offer. Now if we could just convince them to open up a restaurant in the St Louis area.
(5)Bryan S.
Gave this restaurant a lot of money over the past few years. Ordered dinner via Doorstep Delivery, my fiance got a steak, it was ordered Medium Well. Steak arrived blood red completely through. Called to request the food be comped since she couldn't eat it, and Doorstep called the restaurant on our behalf. Kitchen manager rattled off a bunch of bullshit about their "cook temperatures" to avoid giving us our money back. Don't eat here, they will serve you uncooked food and make you pay for it.
(1)Mike N.
I very much enjoyed my meal here. My son and I were looking for a place to just relax and have a few bloody mary's on a Saturday afternoon. As we approached from the street, I had my reservations about going in. It just looked like a typical 'bar fly' type bar. However, to my surprise it was much more than a bar. They had a great menu, beer, and drink selections. My son ordered the Bacon Mac burger (basically fried mac & cheese on a bacon cheese burger) and I had the Rise n Shine burger (basically a fried egg, hash brown patty, bacon, cheese, served on two thick slices of french toast. We ended up having a great time and left over stuffed ;-).
(4)Myrus C.
Took 30 minutes to bring our hamburgers, the waiter never offered to refill our water and the corn on the cob side was definitely the worst I've eaten in my whole life. I vow not to return to this place while I still live here. The only good thing was a $5 discount from the GC app. Oh and the French fries I tried from my friend were forgettable as well.
(2)Annalisa U.
We started going here for trivia night when we first moved to Gainesville a few months ago. Our buddy that went with us said they were famous for their burgers, so we each ordered a burger. My husband and his buddy ordered whatever the burger of the month was at that time, which had two patties and a runny egg, and they loved it. I had the Hawaiian burger, but I didn't like mine too much because it was more sweet and pineapple-y than savory, so I didn't feel like the balance between sweet and savory was achieved. The service we had our first time was pretty good, our server was Johann. We went back again the following week for more trivia and food, and the food was decent and we had more good service from Johann. This time we had two more friends with us and everyone was pretty happy all around (the dessert, btw, is good--we had friend oreos and funnel cake). BUT, when we went back the third week, everything was TERRIBLE. We had a different waiter (some chick) who brought my husband and his friend the wrong beer (twice) and didn't seem to know anything about the many beers available there. Also, our food took FOREVER to come out. I'm talking like an HOUR. There were people who had arrived after we did, ate, and then left before we even got our food. I finally had to get up and ask the waitress what the deal was, and she kept saying it was going to come up next. Fifteen minutes later, our food came out and it was COLD! Seriously, when my husband opened the philly cheesesteak he ordered and felt the meat inside, it was cold to the touch! That was the last time we went to Sweet Mel's. We might have been regular weekly customers because of trivia night, but the service and the amount of time it took for our food to come out really turned us off to this place. If you're gonna get anything here, go for a burger (not the Hawaiian) and the fried oreos, then leave.
(2)Jeff J.
I only come here for wings on Wednesday. They have 45 cent wings. They are pretty good. The service is extremely slow even though the restaurant is always empty. They must only have a single fryer. The restaurant/bar has an old greasy smell. The bar tender and staff are always eating at the bar. The bar/restaurant is definitely a candidate for the TV show Bar Rescue
(2)Lee W.
I cant believe some of the reviews this place has got. These hamburgers are by far the best (of course my opinion) burgers in town. No where else where you can get 2 grilled cheese sandwiches with a burger in the middle of them... So far i have came to sweet Mel's a total of 4 times and EVERY time the meal was fantastic. ( I have only got their burgers)
(5)Grant A.
Don't come to Sweet Mel's unless you feel like waiting over thirty minutes for an overpriced burger.
(2)Kaitlin H.
This place is known for two things: booze and burgers. The former was bountiful, with a full bar and lots of specials. The latter - they "ran out" of hamburgers when we got there, around 8pm. Kinda disappointing, but we decided to wait the 40 minutes or so until they got more meat. They have about 12 to 15 choices of burgers, which was fun. The quality of the actual patty was good, the stuff on top as well as the sides though were mediocre. Bottom line: there are plenty of places that are way better in Gainesville for dinner, try those places first. Come here if you want to drink your liver into oblivion and then eat a heavy meal afterwards.
(3)Thomas B.
Newly opened restaurant & bar on University & Main. Interesting... Family run.....mom, dad, daughters, brother -- doesn't get more family run than that! Stopped to try them out today, had the "The Boss", which is a footlong Bacon Cheeseburger on a hoagie roll. Ordered it well-done and it was cooked perfectly and well seasoned. Very tasty! Menu is pretty basic, but based on the burger, is well done. Clean place with quick & super friendly service! Not quite up to full speed yet, as they're still waiting for their liquor license, which they expect in the next week or so. Once they have it, they'll have live music. Has potential for sure....I'll be back.....
(4)Ryan D.
Very disappointed! Thought we were getting a deal with our Groupon only to end up spending 4 times as much as we'd have normally. Their 2-4-1 long islands were sold in a single glass which they never mentioned until we questioned the bill. The food was mediocre and we had to send the steak back to be cooked to the requested temp. Service was poor despite the fact that we were among few people in the place. We ordered blue cheese and ranch and were brought out just ranch. The wings (which are hard to screw up, I suppose) were good. We definitely won't return, even though we have another Groupon to use. Hopefully this review will save you from a similar experience.
(1)Scott T.
You know this is more of a tip. Sweet Mel's is okay if you happen to live in Gainesville Florida there's an app called Gainesville gift certificates and more.com It gives you lots of discounts for local businesses and it's sweet mels you get five dollars off so that's good for a couple of drinks. You can't beat that. I would download the app if you live in Gainesville or come here very frequently as they have a lot of good discounts on dry-cleaning food and other things in the city.
(2)Guelsy D.
Unlike the other reviews out there, service at Sweet Mel's today was relatively fast, about 15 minutes after we placed our order. Had the famous Bacon Mac, delicious!!!! Cooked to perfection. The sweet potato waffle fries went beyond my expectations. Would definitely come back.
(4)Senthil K.
Amazing food. I had one of the best burgers in town.
(5)Ira R.
Great place to eat. Took sometime to get to us but that's understandable at times. The food was fresh and hot. Will be coming back.
(4)Jenny H.
We decided to give it a try and let me just say, the food was amazing! I ordered a burger with tons of mushrooms and my husband ordered Rajun Cajun. Don't be discouraged by the building's exterior (scary); the food is great and so is the service!
(4)Patricia M.
We stumbled upon Sweet Mel's while looking for another restaurant (that is gone!). We were happy that we did. We're retirees, so didn't quite fit the style and mood of the place - which is aimed at younger folks and students. BUT our waiter - a fun "Dude" from Detroit made us feel comfy, was very attentive and helpful. The food is great! It's hearty and well prepared. The pocket sandwich was delicious and my husband said his burger was perfect.
(5)Johnny L.
The curse of that corner may actually end. Sweet Mel's occupies the corner of Main Street and University Ave that has been a black hole for businesses. I've been in Gainesville about 6 years and several businesses always come and go through that location. Sweet Mel's is the latest and it was decent enough to warrant a visit. The menu is your typical American pub fare but it's got some cool little creations. The place is kinda cool and the bar is set up all along the whole place. Service is iffy and the clientele are a bit sketchy but whatever. We ordered up wings and a burger. Typical American right? Well...the wings we got were Boom Boom wings and the Burger was a Bacon Mac. What the f is that you ask? Boom Boom wings are their crispy chicken wings tossed in this concoction of mayo and spicy garlic sauce. The server described it to me as the same sauce as Bang Bang Shrimp from Bonefish Grill (which are uber popular around town, though I've never tried it). The wings came out piping hot and were very crisp and large. I enjoyed the wings but not the sauce. It tasted as though they were tossed in spicy mayo (like the ones from sushi restaurants). However, I didn't want the sauce to ruin the potential of the wings. I felt as though if I got normal buffalo wings, I'd be singing their praises instead. The Bacon Mac is a sight to behold. Fried mac and cheese, bacon, and melted cheddar all on a 1/2 lb burger. The bun was your normal burger bun but the ground meat was actually perfectly cooked. The burger (ordered medium rare) actually came pink and juicy. The fried mac and cheese is a bit odd but it actually worked. Definitely worth a shot. Sweet Mel's is the next place to try and keep its business going in that corner. I feel like it's a bad luck sort of place but hopefully something stays there. That something could be Sweet Mel's.
(3)Michael W.
This place was recommended by a friend. Food: 3/5 Order the old Chicago burger. Wanted to try it because it was an interesting combo. It tasted pretty good. However, it was kind cold. it seemed like the burger sat there for 10 min while waiting for the other orders for the same table to be ready to server together. The food took too long to come out, over 35 min to cook a burger. I took a peak of the kitchen. Man they had 3 people working in a small ass kitchen. Atmosphere- chill bar and a lot beer selections. 4/5. Service: 3/5 slow for a burger place. Took a peak of their kitchen through their service window. We saw the waiter like 3 times. He did not refill our waters. We had to ask twice. Overall it was an okay place. but it was busy and I feel like they couldn't handle their peak time.
(3)Joshua S.
Don't do it. Waited an hour and a half for 3 burgers. Those burgers were just whatever. Like, it's possible I might end up throwing it up soon. And not just because I'm drinking. I mean yea, I'm drinking, but only because after 40 minutes of waiting I finally said, "fuck it," and decided to order a drink. Which still took a few minutes to flag the server down for me to be able to order. But yea, it might come back up. Not sure yet. 2 stars only because the server was very cute and had a phenomenal butt. 1 for each cheek. #coolbutts
(2)Karin H.
Sweet Mel's is great for unique types of burgers and A LOT of food. After eating at several places in Gainesville, this has become amongst my friends as an after rock-climbing tradition. Most of their burgers are $8, but it comes with seasoned fries. Let you be pre-warned that these are not fancy delicate gourmet burgers, but truly a greasy wonderful delight of a burger. The juices are likely going to run down the side of your hand a couple of times, which is why you should probably ask for napkins. If you are going to try the fried mac and cheese wedges, I suggest adding some salt and Tabasco sauce to add to the flavor. It's not that special, but the idea is intriguing. My personal favorite burger is the Rise and Shine because it combines potatoes, fried eggs, bacon, and a burger. The sweet and salty Carnival burger (with the funnel cake) is good, but the funnel cake is crispy, not soft. The guacamole on the Three Amigos burger makes that a pretty tasty burger. The Boss, which is a 1 foot burger, looks ridiculous, so only try it if you are extremely hungry. The Big Cheese, which has grilled cheese sandwiches instead of buns is good if you enjoy cheese, and want to see the shocked faces of the people next to you as the waitress brings it to your table. Definitely recommend eating all the burgers there and try not saving some for later, because it just doesn't heat up the same. As for the atmosphere, it's a bar, so you can grab beers and other drinks as well. But, as for my friends and I, we come here for the burgers. The waitresses have all been extremely nice and provide excellent service.
(4)Larissa S.
Walked into this place only because the one I planned to go into was not yet open - Darn Gainesville during the summer! Downtown is a freaking ghost town. This place had more people in it than any other in the neighborhood. We went in to have some drinks and kill some time and I was pleasantly surprised. Due to the lack of patrons for anyone in the city, I had the pleasure to meet Mel, the sweet retired elementary school teacher turned restaurant/night club owner. Makes me wonder what Naughty Mel (the night club) is like... but to me, she was just sweet. They have a nice selection on tap - a good 10-15 beers. They include some craft names, but she was honest enough to tell me that Mel's Brew was not brewed by Mel, but purchased from the beer suppliers and she slapped a sticker on it claiming it as her own. She also made a me Bloody Mary... which wasn't half bad. She lacked olives and other supplementary ingredients, but managed to get some hot sauce, horseradish, lemon, lime, salt and pepper to the perfect combination. It didn't seem like Bloody Mary's was their forte, but she definitely made it work. We has their Salsa, and Guacamole - all extremely fresh - which I give them credit being that due to summer, patronage to turn food quickly was little to none. From what I hear her son runs the kitchen and is extremely experimental; trying out new ingredients and recipes whenever he can to keep things interesting. Although I did not have much of their food, it was very visually appealing, and everyone seemed pleased. I'll definitely be by to check how Mel is doing next time I am in Gainesville.
(4)Brad K.
We were brought here by a living social deal Sunday night dinner 6:0 pm not busy only 2 other tables Service was very good and attentive Food 2 stars (see my uploaded pics) $8.00 plates measly portions average taste at best This place is mainly a bar with bar food. Nice bar menu, expected it to be more of a normal restaurant style menu. But it's not, only bar style below average food. Mac & cheese side kraft ! We would not recommend and won't be back much better dining elsewhere for $8 a plate.
(2)Jenn M.
I've lived in Gainesville for a while and been to Sweet Mels over 5 times now and I'd say its above average for most American burger places in town (don't expect healthy or light meals)... Good: - Variety of burgers w/ quality meat - Green been fries are amazing, other sides r average - Strong margaritas - good location & chill atmosphere Bad: - Drinks are average to below average - Limited beer selection & good beers kinda pricy (although cheap options are there) - Consistency not always there but always quality.
(4)Nan T.
Have eaten here 6 or more times in the past year. Each meal was very good, leaving me pleasantly surprised since this is a bar. The burgers are excellent. The chicken planks are also very good, & I seldom like that type of chicken. There are so many menu choices with regard to burgers, so u can return many times and try something new on each visit. Not a beer drinker, but there's plenty of it available. Service has been very good, but in fairness it was not very busy each time I ate there. Would eat here more often if the parking situation were better...and if Groupon didn't limit its Sweet Mels deals to just two:)
(4)Caitlyn L.
The worst experience I have ever had. Rude and extremely unclean. They offered a shot of alcohol in response to our miserable experience, but that was probably worse than the customer service and prices.
(1)Corrine M.
One fantastically great burger. Not typically a burger eater but this was one of the best ever. All the flavors together w/ the portabella mushrooms were lovely. Will definitely return.
(5)Kristina H.
Didnt get a chance to eat here yet but came to the bar/dance area after leaving an overcrowded club. The bartender Terrance? i think? Was great. My drunk friends spilled beer on the bar several times and he still joked and converted with us until it was literally time to kick us out! Met they owners and everyone was very welcoming and friendly inviting us to come again and giving out free beer coupons. which we drank free the entire time we were there anyways. Clean, cool and nice place to just chill. Will come here again soon to try out these burgers everyone is talking about!
(5)Joel C.
Good food, great service! They even have a chicken wing buffet during lunch. I'll be going back soon.
(4)Mr H.
I have went to sweet Mel's quite a few times ... At least 8 times and the fluffy girl bartender is very non sociable and a little bit rude... I tried on occasions to break the ice, but she is still rude. I will never come to sweet Mel's agains because of lack of customers service!
(1)Heather E.
I would like to review on the food but I never got that far. I did however buy the groupon and actually purchasing the14 for 30 deal. After I purchased it the fine print came apparent that the 14 for 30 could only be used on a party of 4. I could not find another couple that would be willing to go out so I called and asked the girl if they were strict on that for I did not have 4. She said that yes they were. I told her that I never heard of her establishment till groupon and thought I would give them a try but would be asking for a refund. Do you think she could had stay well wait let me talk to my manager? Nope she proceeded to laugh and say ok have a nice day. I did email groupon and I know I will get my money back. I see there are many reasons I should not go there anyways. Until they get their customer service under wraps and maybe some phone etiquette this place doesnt have a chance.
(1)Coleen T.
Tried a burger and fries today for take-out, along with some wings. The burger was super yummy, as Thomas mentioned. If a place can't get a burger right, then I don't really bother with other things on the menu, but sweet mel's is doing just fine in my book. The burger was really well seasoned and had a 'secret sauce' which was delicious and intriguing! I kept trying to figure out what was in it, but to no avail! I heard from someone that the fair burger is awesome ( a double patty cheese burger in between two funnel cakes).... sounds a bit intense! I'm relatively new to Gainesville, but I've heard that not many businesses have survived in that location, so I hope Sweet Mel's can stick it out!!
(4)A W.
I had medium expectations after hearing good stuff about this place but was sadly disappointed. Prior to ordering I asked the server exactly what came on a certain burger and he assured me it was only what was listed under the description. To be thorough I stressed that I wanted no lettuce, tomatoes, or pickles on it. He said no problem. When I got the burger it had all those things and when I asked why it had all the ingredients that I specifically asked not to have he offered me a plate to scrape them off onto. I explained that regardless of scraping them off, the pickles at least would leave a lot of flavor and that I didn't mind waiting on a new burger, he said no problem. He took the burger back and brought it back about a minute later, and I checked it as I figured they didn't have one waiting around. Not only was it obvious that the ingredients had simply been scraped off, but there was STILL a pickle on the burger. I don't know if the issue was the server, the cook, or a combination. Either way I think it's fairly bad service to simply offer a customer a plate to wipe ingredients off onto after assuring them they won't be on it. I plan to give them another chance and hope for the best. I ended up not eating anything that night. It was pretty frustrating.
(2)Localdude D.
Fun place. Drinks priced reasonably, and always specials when your wallet's in a bind. Burgers are cooked to order, appetizers hit your table fast. The only item that has ever come out a little on their cool side was their mashed spuds. Tasty, but they came out cool - on two separate visits. Wings are good, plenty of flavors, but make sure you know exactly what is in the sauce as some flavors really go out on a limb. Try one of their spiked gummy worms - it's the candy you love combined with the alcohol you crave. Never made it in to naughty mel's, but I have played trivia which is a hoot. (Did I just say "hoot"?) One problem is they definitely cater to their regulars. You won't get treated like a second class citizen, but you could end up with an empty drink in front of you if the gossip is good. (Was really surprised by the attitude of a female bartender that I learned was the owner's daughter. Hopefully her mom will keep the place so princess can still have a job.) The rest of the staff are a blast, are truly interested in getting your order right, and what you think of it once you've dug in. They lose a star for nepotism and lousy parking.
(3)Adam G.
Basing this solely off 1 visit. Maybe the review gets adjusted after future visits, which there definitely will be. First, the prices for a pint are reasonable. The service was fine, not outstanding, but it was noon and I was damn near the only person in there. I was torn on the interesting choices (no, I don't care about a donut or funnel cake on my burger). The Bacon Mac sounded good, but I just had to go with the Old Chicago. A burger topped with sausage and kraut? It was cooked perfectly, juicy, the sausage was delicious and the 'kraut wasn't overpowering. The fries were nicely seasoned. I'm stuffed and it was well worth the $10. I'd have to say that is one of the better restaurant burgers I've had in town.
(4)Liz L.
Their BBQ wings are really good. They had a lot of meat and I felt I got my money's worth. My boyfriend really enjoyed his burger and the "hell fries" (Spicy Hot french fries). The music was very loud for my taste but it was late at night and it is a bar after all. I have been there a few times and even though the food is really good in my opinion the service can be slow sometimes, specially during the late hours.
(4)Rick S.
You gotta come visit this place. They serve some awesome burger creations. They have a bacon burger on a glazed donut, fried Mac n cheese + bacon burger, a sunrise burger (fried egg, hash browns, bacon burger on French toast). They also have a burger served on a funnel cake bun. They serve moonshine and vodka and tequila infused gummy worms. It's insane. We ate the Mac n cheese and donut burgers and had the hell fries (buffalo sauce infused fries with cheese and jalapeños) all of it was righteous. I've eaten at Twisted Root in Dallas and the Oinkster in Pasadena and this is every bit as good if not better. Completely Triple D worthy. It's a family run business and the owner, waitress and chef are top notch. Will definitely eat here lots.
(5)Carly R.
Came in to Mel's after hearing good things from a friend. It was Friday, so they had their all-you-can-eat wing bar, but I'm not a wing fan, so I opted for the menu. Their burger selection is unique and impressive. I got a burger with cheddar, bacon, and BBQ sauce, and it was fantastic. Cooked perfectly, great flavors. I also got their onion rings. Nothing special, but cooked nicely and very tasty. Their fries were typical too. I'm excited to go back to try their deep fried oreos, though! I will definitely be back to try more things on the menu. Great atmosphere too.
(4)Sean C.
First time impressions were great. Ordered Mac n cheese bacon burger and it was AMAZING! Beer is reasonably priced and service from the bar was great. Wife loved the Philly and the hell fries were really good too. Will DEF return for more!
(5)Dave D.
It's a bar. They have a small selection of beers on tap but they are much cheeper than other places downtown. $2.75 for drafts versers $5.50 at the others. I tried the meatloaf and choked it down. The locals said the burgers were good so stick to that. NIce people running the place and I'm sure they are doing what they can. Stop in have a burger have a beer, that's about it.
(3)Jared S.
After seeing multiple bars/restaurants fail on the corner of Main and University, I didn't hold much hope for Sweet Mel's. However, to my surprise, they have amazing juicy original burgers and lots of drink specials. We have been back several times and it seems every time the place is busier than the last. Got the Aloha burger last time which was delicious and my gf got a turkey burger which was just as tasty. The onion ring volcano comes with three tasty sauces and is more than enough for two people.
(4)Robert H.
Service was excellent! Price isn't bad either.
(5)Mike W.
Typical bar and grill style place that is probably hoping to make a profit by being in a great location in a college town, trouble is, the food and service don't measure up and certainly don't bring anything new to the scene. Why come here when they offer a menu that looks like a scaled-down version of Friday's or Applebee's made from frozen foods purchased probably at Sam's or the like? I'd rather go to the real Friday's, at least, for this experience but would certainly go to Stubbie's or The Top for a drink and some food if downtown. Upstarts like Mel's and Endzone need to take note: there's plenty of places to get a drink and a burger in this down, or wings, so if that's your game make sure you're the very best ever or offer something more original and exciting. An English pub with real pub food or a BBQ place could work in this space, but Sweet Mel's has a ways to go. They're new, perhaps they'll improve but so far they seem pretty standard to the college bar and grill scene at best. Is "standard" bad? Yes, if you're family-run but instead of offering innovation or at least very high quality you mimic the approach of chain places and don't even fully duplicate what they can provide.
(2)Jessica K.
Better than I expected. We went because of a Groupon, which is a pretty sweet deal for them because it only ends up being $4 of a discount but it still got us in the door. I had a mushroom/swiss burger with a veggie patty. Kind of lame they charge $1 for it. I understand, I suppose, but I've never encountered it, so it's kind of a bummer. But the burger was pretty good. Sweet potato waffle fries on the side were a win. Boyfriend had a bacon cheeseburger of some kind and thought it was pretty good. The firmly placed fourth star comes from the 2 for $6 long islands, which were super strong and exactly what we needed before going to a show. Gourmet? No. But they got the job done and done for $3/drink, 24/7. Service was pretty okay. She was super busy at first, tolerably attentive after that. Do want to totally overstep the line with an absolute guess and a total stereotyping of the manager: he seemed like a mega douche. I watched him interacting with customers and staff and he seemed like that manager everyone in the food industry has had at least once: egotistical, condescending, irritating and wildly inefficient and shit at his job. Also, in the midst of our server's running around, he grabbed her and said, "I have to show you something outside." This could be an entirely kind and wonderful thing. Was it flowers? Balloons? Could be. But it doesn't matter, because it could be a box of kittens and it was an entirely inappropriate time to make your server go outside and leave her tables for 5+ minutes. Also, the look on her face when he grabbed her made it look like it was not a box of kittens. Was she being reprimanded? Was it actually very prompt counseling? Still a totally inappropriate time to make your server go outside. Dumb. And proof of the ego thing. And obviously I've had this manager and am extrapolating, but... Yelp is word of mouth via wifi, right? And if I were telling my friend, I'd totally tell them about that douchey manager.
(4)Donald S.
Basic hamburger with hell fries, sorry no photo. Clean plate club, it was delicious! Can't lose if you like really good burgers.
(4)