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Categories: Breakfast & Brunch, Sandwiches
Neighborhood: NorthsideMon-Thu. 11:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 11:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Sun. 11:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
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Mediterranean plate....yum yum.
Spent a week in Cinci and this was by far the best place I ate. I live in a little left wing hippie town in Nor Cal and Melt made me feel right at home. The pesto pita was delicious!! - the hummus just spicy enough, olive tapanaude - YES! and the tabbouleh was more about the cucumber than the lemon (too much lemon is not so good for my tum tum).
The only thing I regretted was not ordering a side of the Rainbow Slaw - what is that? Sounds delightful :)
My wife and I got in off a red eye from San Diego and headed straight for this place. We're both vegan and addicted to caffeine so finding Melt and Sidewinder 100 feet apart was heaven.
Everything positive said about Melt is true. The people are friendly and the food is excellent. I had the vegan melt with slaw. The homemade vegan smoky cheddar has a kick to it and the whole thing melted in my mouth.
It sucks that this place is 2000 miles from California. Everyone thinks of California as a health food paradise, but I think it's quantity over quality out here. I'm continually amazed at how good the vegan food is in places like Cincinnati, Louisville and Atlanta. Melt was no exception. We returned for Sunday brunch and that ruled too! Highly recommended!
Yesterday evening I stopped by Melt for a light dinner and left very satisfied. I had checked out Yelp before hand and saw recommendations for the Joan of Arc, so I ordered on for myself. It came out as their take on a Philly cheesesteak, and I very much enjoyed it. Additionally, it came with a mixed greens salad instead of the usual chips or fries.
Be sure to sit in the back patio during nice weather. Street parking wasn't much of an issue. Support your local community by eating at Melt instead of Panera, and you'll get much better quality!
The food here is excellent...I have never been disappointed. And the staff is always super friendly. When crowded, it can get a bit cramped but I've only had this problem once.
So good! Went for the Joan of Arc after all the reviews and it did not disappoint. Very yummy. Loved the sweet peppers on it.
Loved the back patio and the service was great. Even though you order on the way in it's pretty much full service after that and I found it to make things go much quicker.
Parking is not an issue and the design has this really cool eclectic feel to it. Enjoy!
Located in an interesting area, some stores show a revival of Northside, but it still has a long way to go. Went for late breakfast/early lunch after a wedding on Friday night. At first, food seemed a little pricy, but wow, was it worth it. I think all that organic nonsense is crap, but this food was so tasty and filling! I went with the JOan of Arc (roast beef) which was excellent. Gypsy veggie soup was awesome. Highly recommend, worth the $10 - $15 per person.
It's one of my cincinnati favorites. I could eat the vegan penné & cheese everyday of the week.
Melt has gone WAY up hill since the last time I was there. First time I came here I got a Philly cheesesteak that was utter bullshit, it was just a seitan patty on a roll, not very good, that was 3-4 years ago. Since then they seem to have updated things, I didn't have the cheesesteak when I went again but I was told that it actually resembles a cheesesteak. Had the Yeehaw BBQ with tempeh and soy cheese and it was out of this world. baked goods could be a little better but it was still pretty good. I am a bit bugged that their menu is not exclusively vegetarian/vegan but I can get over it. As for brunch I'd rather go down the street to Honey and get a "GLT", not to say it's bad but the GLT is that good and they could offer more cool breakfast items.
All the cutest girls in town work here. Hi ladies :)
This is a neat, cozy little place with a lot of charm and character. It is conveniently located next to Northside Tavern.
They have a surprisingly large selection of vegan options including brownies. Their concept is refreshing:
1. Provide a tasty variety of nutritious foods in simple, convenient, environmentally-friendly packaging
2. Offer an alternative to corporate junk food by using whole unprocessed ingredients
3. Create significant value for our community by trading and re-investing in the local economy whenever possible.
4. Fill bellies up with happiness.
They did a great job of handling our group of 15. The food was tasty. The prices are all right around $7.50 regardless of what you get. There were plenty of options that I would like to return to try. The food is presented in a comfort food style but are slightly upscale in taste and concept.
My friend's roommate talked up this place so much when I came to visit that one afternoon we HAD to stop by, and its not really on the way.
Not being from town, I asked the waitress what was good and she offered the veggie chili, and although it was good, it was anything but chili. Half way through, i bit into a whole garlic glove that made my mouth taste horrible for the rest of the day. I mentioned to the waitress that this had happened, and all she said was, "Oh?!" I was a bit confused myself.
The chocolate cake I got to go was amazing, but not really worth the half hour drive.
last weekend the stars aligned and i finally got my wish for brunch at melt! i met up with jeff (who has a blog but it is anonymous so i do not know if i am allowed to link to it here) to celebrate him moving to my hood and us being awesome blogger buddies and we talked all things cincinnati and ate delicious brunch. yay!
melt, if you have not been there, has an awesome vibe. jeff said, "i don't know if i am cool enough to be here." as for me, i am pretty much not cool enough to be anywhere so i don't let that bother me. i just nerd it up wherever i happen to be. melt is in northside and has lots of fun local art, chalkboards all over announcing specials and regular items, big windows letting in lots of light, plants, etc.
jeff had: Vegan Southern Sausage Melt $8.75 - One big fluffy vegan biscuit sandwich with a vegan sausage patty, smokey "cheeze" & chives
i had: Lover's Fiesta in a Basket $8.75 - One poached free-range egg with fresh spinach, tomatoes, onion, jalapenos, cilantro, & white cheddar in a multigrain toast "basket"
both were delicious. well i think his was... he devoured it before i could even think to demand a taste. you also get a side with it. he got fruit (grapes, pineapple, i can't remember what else) and i got roasted potatoes. it was a huge serving and they were perfectly roasted... dark brown and almost caramelized on the outside, while soft and hot on the inside, with lots of rosemary. mmmm. i also got a huge as many refills as you want coffee, which is required if i am going to be even slightly coherent through a late morning/early afternoon weekend meal.
note to vegetarians: melt is ridiculously veggie friendly. they have all kinds of fake meat. probably one of your best bets in the city.
as if a fun atmosphere, great service, and tasty food were not enough, melt serves brunch on both saturday and sunday! what more can you ask for? well, i guess really awesome meals at times other than brunch. oh wait, they have that too! ok, i'll stop. but only if you promise to go eat at melt.
Melt reminded me of a Noe Valley type San Francisco restaurant translated through space to Cincinnati. It had a very eclectic crowd and staff.
I tried a great melt with artichoke, spinach and cheese with fresh tomatoes on focaccia, served like pizza slices. Very tasty! Also I tried a turkey melt with olive tapenade and pesto and cheese. Melt has a nice combination of tasty vegan and choices with meat. Really, it's some of the more interesting food I've had in Cincinnati. I'm not vegan, but the vegan dishes here are worth trying even if you're not. The chips and greens are good as are the interesting natural drinks. The orange honey passion in the bottle was quite tasty.
When I'm in Cincinnati, Melt is definitely ON my list of places to eat.
I am not going to waste your time with another raving review since this place has enough as it is. But why I am writing is because this place has the best grilled cheese, now you ask yourself: grilled cheese? really? the best? Yes, it is the best. It has to be the cheese blend they use but if I want a grilled cheese (and yeah it does happen) I will be heading to Melt to get my cooked calicum carbo fix.
We had a hard time finding this little neighborhood tucked away, but don't give up. It's well worth the navigating! We hit this place for lunch at 1:00, and it was packed. The options are wide and varied, something for everybody, especially vegetarians. After we ordered, we were warned that the kitchen was slammed and it would take 15-20 minutes to get our order. That was the longest 20 minutes ever! But well worth the wait.
You have to get a melty sandwich. We had the Rachel (Turkey Reuben delish) and the Joan of Arc (roast beef and roasted red peppers). Definitely will be back, especially to do more exploring of the funky, diverse neighborhood.
My bf and went to Melt for lunch today and all I can say is... I...love....this....place!
the food was phenomenal. Fresh, local food, generous portions, healthful vegetarian & vegan options, also plenty of options for non-veggies. I had the "halve-sies", as they call it, half a house salad and half the Artichoke Melt. The Artichoke Melt is made with artichoke-spinach spread, sliced tomatoes and white cheddar melted open-faced on focaccia. It was rich, creamy and downright heavenly.
My bf had the Joan of Arc. Tender roast beef and roasted red peppers, roasted garlic, blue cheese, caramelized onion and provolone melted on focaccia. We we both very pleased. Sat outside in the back and enjoyed the great weather. I loved being able to walk by the kitchen and catch a glimpse of their prep work. Saw a huge bowl of broccoli, wondered if it'll end up being soup or some other delicious concoction? A large bookshelf near the kitchen holds many cookbooks including a favorite of my bf & mine: Moosewood Restaurant Low Fat Favorites. I was totally in love with the restaurant by the time we left. the atmosphere, the art, the people, everything is lovely at Melt. Can't wait to go back.
Melt is amazing. I always want to try something new, but I can't help but get the three cheese melt. It's so delicious. Vegan chili is also really really good.
Melt is a fantastic restaurant that specializes in sandwiches and the like, with a healthy twist. Melt states on their website that their mission is "to provide a tasty variety of nutritious foods in simple, convenient, environmentally-friendly packaging as much as possible." Following a general trend in Northside of trying to do things healthy and environmentally minded, Melt does a wonderful job of living up to the standards they've set for themselves.
As far as the food goes, I ordered the fantastic Lingo sandwich with pesto and goat cheese melted over baby spinach and roasted red peppers. It was a really great sandwich, even if it was a little on the small side. The storefront is quaint and the dining area is very welcoming.
Oh, and another bullet point of their mission statement?
"To fill bellies up with happiness! "
Mission accomplished.
Melt is probably my favorite place to eat in Northside. I'm hopefully a future vegetarian and the seiton they use is like a training wheel to me. Everything I've ordered has been fabulous and simple in a way I wouldn't expect from the ingredients. I suppose that's my way of saying they don't overpower the food with too many flavors, it speaks
for itself. My favorites are the veggie cheesesteak and the house salad which in-itself is amazing because I usually avoid salads.
If they are slow enough you can have your food delivered next door at the Tavern. Plan to wait a little bit if they are busy but it's a pleasant wait.
Melt specializes in vegetarian and vegan dishes, but they have a great variety of items for all food lovers. Don't struggle to find it, look for ShakeIt Records, The Northside Tavern, and Dana's Tattoo Studio -- it will be right there!
Be warned though, if you hit the rush at the right time, or at the beginning of a holiday weekend (like I did this last time), you may wait an extended amount of time to get your food. You may choose another restaurant for your hour long lunch, but my office has been there four times in the last three weeks!
Worth the wait; great rich food; try Melt in Northside!
Nestled next to the Northside Tavern, Melt is a true Cincinnati gem. This soup and sandwich spot receives my highest lunch recommendation when visiting Shake It Records on your next vinyl gathering expedition to Cincy. The staff was wonderful friendly and the food was excellent!
This is a great place to grab lunch. The inside's a little stuffy, though. Go on a nice day so you can sit outside on the patio.
Thank you, Yelpers. Without your help, I may have never tasted the delights found at Melt. How I wish there were more places like this!
I had difficulty choosing what to order, since everything sounded so tasty. I finally selected the YeeHaw BBQ, which is made with chicken breast, roma tomatoes, red onions, hot banana peppers, and mozzarella cheese, then topped with zesty BBQ sauce and placed on a hoagie roll. The sandwich was by far one of the best I've had in a very long time.
As a side I chose the salad with ginger hoisin dressing. The homemade Asian dressing was fabulous, and next time I think I will purchase some to-go (all dressing can be purchased for $4.50).
My boyfriend had the Tuscan chicken, which he thoroughly enjoyed. His side item, roasted potatoes, were covered in curry powder and rosemary and served with tangy ketchup. Very lovely.
Without hesitation, I will drive from the Kentucky burbs to Northside very frequently now that I know about Melt.
I've dined here a few times and absolutely love coming here for a lunch or dinner sandwich.
The store caters to vegetarians, vegans, meat eaters, and whatever else you might identify as. The main feature of their menu is of course melt sandwiches. I've enjoyed eating the Rachel, the Tuscan chicken, and the tuna melt. The Rachel features a ruby kraut which is to die for! The rest of their menu has various deli sandwiches, pasta salads, potato salads, and green leaf salads as well as many extras. The food is just so unique and tasty.
I also enjoy that they carry good for you drinks as well. I always enjoy getting the Izze drinks as they are carbonated water with real fruit juice. Much healthier than a soda any day.
You'll be transported out of Cincinnati when you visit this store. It has such a different cultural feel to it. It's so "hip"
Definitely a place for the meat free eater, people who love meat but want to give vegetarian/vegan a try, this place is highly recommended by...me!
Brunch is from 11-2, and usually around 12, it gets busy. I've only been a couple of times, and of the fews times, twice I had the Buckwheat Waffles. I highly recommend this super sweet treat. It's perfectly topped with the right amount of apples and cinnamon, with some whip cream. Although I must add, too sweet can be too much. I was disappointed when they no longer had my Faux Sausage Biscuits and Gravy because it was so damn good. You won't know the difference that it wasn't real meat! Gosh, I hope they bring it back.
Northside is very art eclectic, so the vibe from the majority of the places you visit, offers art from local artists, and hip lounge scene. This is a great place for coffee and some vegan sweets!
It's all been said - it's great
great food!
Wow. If Northside had the kind of restaurants 15 years ago that it has today, I never would have moved. I mean Melt, really. I had just a moment when I was sure I was in Wicker Park in Chicago or Belltown in Seattle. Except the price is very Cincinnati. The fine combination of fresh and some local ingredients, with a profound knowledge of things cheesy, melty, and crunchy, made for a profund sandwiching experience. The ginger jewel slaw, a deceptively simple recipe, is the best thing to happen to cole slaw since mayonnnaise.
One star off for lack of space and unsecured bulkheads.
Definitely one of the best sandwiches I have had in Cincinnati and a great patio in back. Order at the front counter and they'll bring your meal to your table.
In from out of town and tried this place based on some of the reviews on Yelp. We weren't disappointed.
The decor was interesting with cool scissor-cut art for sale on the walls. The walls were fun shades of purple and red.
The service was really great as was the food. Melt does a nice job providing something tasty for everyone from the vegans to meat eaters. Our sandwiches were well prepared and quite tasty.
Dessert was a blueberry spice cupcake from Take the Cake, which is just down the street (and was unfortunately closed). It was out of this world and far above and beyond the usually crap baked goods at restaurants.
To peeps from out of town: this is definitely a transitional neighborhood. We'll definitely return to Melt on our next trip to Cincinnati.
This place is as good as it gets. I live in Oakland now and I have yet to find my Melt replacement. You cannot beat the Yee Haw Bbq and the side salad with Hoisen (sp?) dressing on it. The staff here has always been beyond friendly and inviting. I even brought some not so hip people from work over here once and they were treated like real people and that is amazing for Northside! This place is also great because you can order it to go and sit outside at Northside Tavern's patio.
Almost forgot the vegetarian coney dog blows away Skyline!
Melt is quickly becoming one of Cincinnati's most popular moderately priced restaurants. Quite an achievement for a place that specializes in vegan food! They have plenty of items for omnivores, but their veggie-friendIy dishes really stand out. A lot of reviewers have commented on how busy the place gets, and it often does, especially for Sunday brunch, but it's well worth waiting for. If you're in a rush, they offer a to-go cooler up by the counter where you can grab one of their tasty sandwiches or salads. Perfect fare for a picnic at one of the nearby parks. The restaurant has also started stocking a cooler at Park+Vine, a eco-minded store in downtown Cincinnati.
Healthy food, desserts from Take the Cake, great prices, eclectic decor - this is definitely a Northside Gem.
The tangy tuna melt is a crowd pleaser, and I always get the mango lemonade w/fresh mint. The Hamilton is surprisingly good for a veggie sandwich, with some well chosen greens (no iceberg lettuce in this one!) and a little spicy mustard for extra kick.
These guys also use biodegradable, corn-based utensils, cups and bags, which is reason enough to go there!
I'm so lucky that Melt is just a few blocks down the street from my office. Otherwise I'd have to drive like crazy all over town trying to get there before they close. Delicious vegan, vegetarian, and meat salads, sandwiches, and melts. I must admit, the soup I've had there wasn't that great, and my friend's pasta wasn't the greatest, but everything else I've had there is DELICIOUS. Their Greek salad is the most amazing salad I've ever had. Seriously. And I'm a hippie salad eater from California - where rabbit food is plentiful.
Thanks, Yelpers! My brother was in Cincinnati for work and I decided to drive down from Cleveland to visit. I found this place on here and we tried it out on a Sunday. We love food, so we are accustomed to disappointment, but we were very, very impressed. We had a hard time choosing from all of the options; unfortunately, we couldn't get one of everything. We settled on the Vegan Melt and the Artichoke Melt, with rosemary potatoes and mixed greens salad with garlic dill dressing. We took our coffees to the back room, which was quite cozy. We enjoyed the friendly atmosphere while we waited for our food. The decor is comfy, yet interesting. The food looked and smelled great, and we were hungry, so we dove in. We happily ate until we could eat no more! Well, at least until the food was gone, anyway. And to top it all off, our coffee mugs were never empty. The only negative is that it is 4 hours away!
Summary:
Ambience: pretty good, a little crowded/cozy, but they use every square inch they have
Food: outstanding
Service: great
Value: very high- we were extremely happy with the portion sizes and the quality of the ingredients for the price
Food:
I could gush about Melt all day. It is my favorite restaurant in the city for brunch, lunch, and dinner. In general, there are few restaurants that offer healthy items on their menus; most dishes are loaded up with salt, sugar, and fat. Melt on the other-hand is all about healthy tasty meals. I love the style of this sandwich shop. They display local artist's work for sale. The tables, chairs, and dishes look like great finds from thrift stores. Another fabulous detail about this place is that they are environmentally conscious and use to go boxes that are made from recycled cardboard. The muffaletta sandwich is one of my favorites and after any meal I'm always tempted to buy one of the chocolate coconut cupcakes that are made by a neighboring bakery. During Sunday brunch hours between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. you must try the pumpkin waffle with candied pecans and creamy whipped cream.
I rarely eat at the same restaurant two days in a row, but Melt brought me right back. The menu has wide variety of great sandwiches, from roast beef to the artichoke melt, as well as soups like vegan chili and split pea curry. The friendly, patient, and helpful staff helped me make up my mind both times. The food was excellent. My neighborhood could use a place like this!
Was just here for a quick lunch, had a roast beef with blue cheese, super tasty
Sandwiches, soups and salads, any of it can be made vegetarian or maybe vegan...salads and sandwiches at least. Yesterday my boyfriend and I went there and got half-sies of sandwiches and soups. I had the three cheese sandwich with white asparagus soup. My boyfriend has the Veggie cheese steak with vegan chili. We both loved our food! They have sodas that use cane sugar in their fridge cases and yummy deserts. Lots of seating including a patio. The selection is wonderful! I recommend to anyone!
"The Nicest Between Two Slices"
Restaurants are blowing up all over Northside. There's fine dining, a couple of greasy spoons and we're on the verge of our second pizza place. And then there's Melt, defying all classification.
I have eaten at Melt a half dozen times and tried almost as many different menu items. The sandwiches are the standouts, my favorites include the Tuscan Chicken, the Artichoke Melt, and the unusual but tasty P.L.T. (crispy baked provolone served on toast with lettuce and tomatoes.) Sandwiches come paired with House Slaw, Sun Chips, or green salad with dressing. My advice is to opt for the salad as it comes with one of Melt's tasty homemade dressings. I am partial to the cool and delicious curry yogurt dressing, but also enjoy the ginger hoison. Team it up with a nice mango-mint lemonade and you're golden.
Melt also offers soups and veggie chili along with locally produced baked goods and some interesting artisan ice cream flavors which I have yet to sample, but intend to.
My hat is off to Melt for bringing a unique, healthy and delicious food option to Cincinnati and especially for bringing it to Northside.
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