Mel's Drive-in - San Francisco

UPDATE: We went back a couple nights later and had a much better experience so we must have caught them on an off night the first time. The French dip sandwich and fries were delish and so was the strawberry milkshake. ORIGINAL: We tried this restaurant because it was attached to our hotel. Overall the food was good but the service had plenty of room for improvement. Our server wasn 't very friendly at all and gave off a vibe like she was either annoyed with us eatingthere or she was having a bad day, I 'm not sure which. Either way, it was uncomfortable. Also, we found it weird that they discontinued their discount for hotel guests due to covid. Seems like they would want to encourage people to eatin their restaurant, considering all the other options that are nearby. The burger was pretty good but the fries had a bit too much black pepper on them which is not what one expects when ordering a burger and fries.

The food was good, but a bit pricey—perhaps I'm just not accustomed to the San Francisco cost of living. The shake came with nearly a second full glass in the tin, which was a nice touch. The service was friendly, but somewhat lacking; it seems they might be understaffed.

First impression: Is it a bar? A diner? A restaurant? I don 't know what they 're going for. There were some umbrella bags at the door. The place was nearly empty which made sense because it was 3:50 PM. I had to wait for a while for someone to see my vaccination card and ID and give me a menu. The person was also doubling as a waitress and bartender. I didn 't like my seat, so I moved to a different one up a few steps. The person stated I don 't serve up there. Why are thereseats there in the first place then? I moved back down. I wasn 't very hungry, so I wanted to order a kids grilled cheese with tomato soup. I found out that it 's restricted to people under 12. I feel like that should 've been put on themenu. I settled with the 6oz steak with hash browns and three eggs and iced tea as a drink. I had my eggs scrambled. The steak definitely needed more salt. Luckily, there was a salt shaker. The steak sauce was a bit too sour for me. Thehash brown was wonderful?crispy, held together well, and didn 't need any help but the ketchup was welcome. There were also two slices of toast with some softened butter and Smucker 's jelly. The iced tea wasn 't sweetened which was fine forme. After eating and paying, I went to the restroom. It was very clean. However, the paper towels being right next to the urinal, like really right next, made it very awkward to dry my hands while another guy was peeing. The urinal wasattached to the wall. The man was standing in front of the urinal. The paper towel dispenser was placed right behind him on the wall to his right. Good thing I discovered that there was also a hand dryer available on the other side of therestroom. Overall, it was just okay. The service could 've been better. The food could 've been better. Everything could 've been better, but it wasn 't a horrible experience. Solid three stars. Originally reviewed on Dec 13th, 2021. Edits onFeb 17, 2022: Fixed spelling.

During our visit to San Francisco, we were in search of a great breakfast spot. We discovered Mel's Kitchen on our first morning and enjoyed it so much that we returned every day of our five-day stay. The food was fantastic! The staff was incredibly friendly and provided exceptional service. I can't wait to return the next time I'm in San Francisco!

I spent the evening with my wife and our two youngest kids, who recently moved to the city for school. The service could use some improvement in communication and attentiveness. Aside from that, the food was good but not exceptional for my daughters. However, I thoroughly enjoyed the nachos with ribs. The chips were freshly made, the avocado was fresh, and the portion of meat and toppings was just right.