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Melt!
Categories: Restaurants Fondue Food Coffee & Tea Nightlife Bars Wine Bars Fondue, Coffee & Tea, Wine Bars [Edit]
700 Columbus AveSan Francisco, CA 94133
Neighborhood: North Beach/Telegraph Hill
(415) 392-9290
- Hours:
Mon-Thu, Sun 12 pm - 10 pm
Fri-Sat 12 pm - 12 am
- Delivery:
- No
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- Free
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Music:
- Live
- Best Nights:
- Tue, Fri, Sat
- Happy Hour:
- Yes
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Smoking:
- Outdoor Area/ Patio Only
- Coat Check:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Good For Dancing:
- No
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
Chela R. said: "It's always a thrilling and exciting event when I go to the Melting Pot. I feel like a kid in a candy store when I am there, always "ooh-ing" and "aah-ing" at everything. First and foremost, the location is awesome. One of my favorite…" read more »
251 reviews for Melt!
Review Highlights
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"Welsh Rarebit is great as is Croque Monsieur." In 45 reviews -
"Extra Sharp Cheddar, scrumpy (a type of cider from Cornwall..." In 8 reviews -
"Here take this cheese keychain and follow the red line." In 4 reviews
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251 reviews in English
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Review from Rahil P.
5/22/2012
I came here for a comedy night, and the show was great. I can't say anything about the food though.
This place is surprisingly small to host local shows, but that's what makes it "intimate", "quaint", and "charming", right? Sort of. It was nice being close to the entertainers and becoming somewhat familiar with everyone inside. It may be too small for some though; I saw some people with an intention to come in but passed by. Luckily I found a place to stand. I wasn't bothered or pressured to order anything. Then again, I wasn't sitting at a table. I happily watched the show, tipped the comedians, and left.
I think it's a swell place to catch some local entertainment without the sleaziness of North Beach. -
Review from Pam S.
5/17/2012
Looking to spend a few hours together, my friend and I decided to go here for some fondue.
I'm all about live music and support local artists. This place is that, which is great. But if you're like us who has so much to say to each other, you may want to at least be closer to the "kitchen". Since the place is small, sound is buffered poorly.
We ordered the Melt Salad ($9) and that was tasty. Good portion to share for two. Then we got the Dessert Fondue ($20), that I wasn't really impress with. It was just SO ordinary. And our order came after almost 30 minutes of waiting. What's up with that? We saw how the guy made it and it wasn't complicated but for some reason he was taking too much time. He was proud of his creation tho, even took a picture of it.
If I happen to be in the area again, maybe I'll go in and listen to music but I'll get my fondue somewhere else. -
Review from heather w.
San Francisco, CA
4/5/2012
The small cheese fondue was $30, and kinda bland.
also it came out hard on top with a tiny tea candle to heat it up. (which it didn't do the job) I had to ask him to re-heat it and he told me he was busy.
(by the way he wasn't)
service sucked, no ice in the whole place for any beverages, hard bland cheese.
i'm not going back:( -
Review from Rose A.
5/14/2012 1 Check-in Here
We walked in at 1pm on a Saturday afternoon...and we were the only ones there. I should've taken that as a sign. The fondue wasn't anything really special - especially not for $30. All that was served with the cheese fondue was bread, apples & grapes...no veggies. The chocolate fondue looked very gritty when it was served but all it needed was a little stir. Again, nothing spectacular.
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Review from Rayna A.
San Francisco, CA
3/17/2012 1 Check-in Here
Fondue spread and baked onto thick and fresh crusty bread - oh yes I did.
Atmosphere: irregular shaped cafe setting, slightly dark, with mood lighting. straight ahead, there is a wine and beer bar to the left and coffee-deli style counter to the right - small bites prepared in the glass case. On the wall, you'll find a little purple plaque with a free wifi password. I was also happy to find electrical outlet to charge my laptop. Seems like people come here, sit, and just make themselves at home.
Music: a local jazz band played sax, bass, percussion... very nice job. I wore earplugs to get some work done, but the music filtered in and it was good. I felt like I was in the east bay - loved it!
Food: my best friend kept telling me that she wants to try their fancy grilled cheese. My colleague planned to stop by for his birthday and some music, so I studied and considered hanging out after burning out. I ordered what I thought was the fancy grilled cheese. It was more like fondue on toast. Creamy, salty, with a heavy hint of brew - I enjoyed the first slice. By the second slice, I was scraping the fondue from the bread and stacking my mixed green salad on top. I am not a big fan of cheese or fondue without wine, and I really just went here to study, so no wine was involved - this time. In fact, I did not even look to see if they had a wine list but stared at a few decent bottles of beer. Now this isn't my first time here, but the first time I actually sat down to eat and study.
I basically rolled out of here wanting strawberries in chocolate with a big glass of red, but will have to do this next time. I settled for a latte which was ok - they don't do vanilla but dusted it with some coco.
Service: really sweet staff, just let me study relatively un-bothered. looked like they really did a good job catering to couples enjoying fondue and exchanging goo-goo eyes as well. The band was friendly with the customers - neighborhood vibe which is not always the case in my touristy little Italy.
Price: cheap to reasonable. I would not recommend this place for a first date but maybe a fourth or fifth.
Tip: Save some $ on dinner with http://restaurant.com coupon. Jazz on Thursday nights after 6pm. During the week and weekends, they also have a band - but you'll have to check for specifics. -
Review from John C.
Civic Center/Tenderloin, San Francisco, CA
5/10/2012 1 Check-in Here
We wandered into this place after renting bikes and riding the Golden Gate - Sausalito - Tiburon route. It's small, but we were drawn but the Fat Tire sign, and stayed for the live jazz. Didn't try the food, but it looked amazing, and people were clearly enjoying it.
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Review from Rod M.
San Francisco, CA
5/9/2012 1 Check-in Here
Much nicer than Fondu Cowboy and the French Onion Soup sounds great
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Review from Samantha K.
Miami, FL
5/7/2012
The restaurant is very charming. There was a live jazz combo (guitar, bass, drums, and tenor sax). It was really loud considering how tiny the restaurant is, and after sitting down and not ordering yet, one of the musicians came over with a bucket asking for money. We were mid-conversation looked up and smiled, hoping to be able to hear at least 2 songs before we were asked for money, but I guess since we were only 1/3 tables the musician thought it justified to sit and wait for us. He shook his bucket at us and said that they work for tips. No big deal.
The fondue was pretty good, had the scrumpy welsh rabbit for 4 people. The portions were large and came with ample dipping items (bread cubes, apple slices, and grapes). We were very full but got the dessert anyway which was an excellent move. The chocolate was in a small bowl and was lit with a tiny tea candle, and somehow it managed to stay liquid.
After using a $25 http://restaurant.com coupon, our total came to $65. Not too bad for North Beach. Overall I would come back. -
Review from Gökçe Ç.
San Francisco, CA
4/29/2012
If i could give 0 stars i'd definitely give. Food is terrible, service is worse than that. People here are really rude. Place is rubbish, kitchen is trash. Such a big disappointment..
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Review from Dayna V.
San Ramon, CA
4/19/2012
Cute little place. Good wine list. Cheese fondue was good but not great. Chocolate fondue was awesome.
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Review from Allen L.
San Francisco, CA
Had the Dessert Fondue. The chocolate wasn't really heated enough to melt and flow easily. Portions were okay for the price. During our time here on a Saturday night, there was a live band which was pretty cool. Free street parking was non-existant as the streets were already filled with parked cars.
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Review from Shannon L.
San Francisco, CA
2/27/2012
Loved it here! We were walking around the area looking for a place to grab wine and a snack when we found this place. Such a little treasure!
It's small and quaint and perfect for what we were looking for. The fondue was absolutely delicious.. we ordered to larger size and had lots of left overs which was nice. Your get fresh cut up bread and apples and grapes to dip in the cheese which is perfectly mixed. The other tables that ordered the dessert fondue looked delicious as well. The music that started towards the end of our stay was delightful and made our stay all the more enjoyable!
I would definitely recommend stopping in here the next sunny afternoon you have a craving for wine and fondue!! I know I will be back -
Review from Anastasiia G.
San Francisco, CA
4/25/2012
I bought a groupon deal, otherwise I would have probably never visited this place on my own. As soon as I got inside, a strong smell hit my nose - the place smelled very old. And when I went to the bathroom to wash my hands ..OMG, one of the worst ideas ever!
I had a tuna sandwich which was pretty good, and a chocolate fondue, that was fine as well...But I wouldn't pay that much if I didn't have a groupon, sorry. -
Review from Matt V.
Sunnyvale, CA
1/28/2012
God, I love a good fondue, and this is a good fondue.
The restaurant itself is very cozy (which is to say: tiny). There are perhaps a half dozen wooden tables with wooden chairs seated at them, and even despite the relatively small number of tables, they are still packed closely together as the restaurant is quite "cozy."
That said, it's also very comfortable. Paintings hang from the wall, and an American flag hangs in the corner.
Live jazz music is often playing, serenading the entire restaurant.
My girlfriend and I have been here twice, and both times had a very pleasant interaction with the gentleman who took our order from behind the counter. He's very friendly.
Our cheese fondue was really quite good, albeit small. The flavor was quite nice, though.
Overall, Melt! is a great fondue experience! The cozy feel of the restaurant and the nice paintings that set the ambiance are wonderful. Hearing the sounds of jazz music as a live band plays in the corner sets a nice mood. You get very friendly and pleasant people serving you, and when the food comes out, it's savory and tasty. All around, Melt! is just a great experience. -
Review from Kristina S.
San Mateo, CA
4/20/2012
If your looking for a quiet spot in the city to get away and enjoy fondue and some jazz music. I recommend visiting Melt! Its a cozy place to enjoy a slow meal and good conversation. Having visted Melt! for the first time on a brisk evening it was a perfect end to a long week.
Their large fondue easily fed a group of 5 (3 guys and 2 girls). I highly recommend this place if your looking to get away for the evening and enjoy some wine and fondue. -
Review from Gen M.
San Francisco, CA
2/19/2012
I like how it MELT in my mouth. Litterally.
I wasnt familiar with fundue except for the chocolate one like the one at my prom.
My boyfriend had this deal on Groupon deal. We came here about a week ago for dinner. The place was pretty comfy small that fits a couple tables of 4. I assume certain nights and times have live bands come to play, which was pretty nice.
The menu was clear and crisp with either cheese fundue (comes with salad & fruits) or chocolate (cookies and fruits). There was other option like sandwitches and soups - which i should try.
Our first time we had the Welsh Rarebit. Served with salad, basket of diced breed, and fruit slices to dip. Fundue was mostly cheese, and i'm not really a cheese lover, but I gave it a shoot. I liked it. How it just MELTs in your mouth. It was pretty filling when you finish it.
I wanted to try the chocolate fundue - which I am a Chocolate lover after all.
So, matter in fact last night we did. At first I was expecting the same amount like the Welsh Rarebit, but the chocolate dipping was small. I LOVED every minute of it. I'm a chocolate lover, choclate sattisfy me every time. We did drop some pieces in the dipping plater, but it was good overall!
Most likely coming here again. -
Review from emily f.
San Francisco, CA
2/5/2012 1 Check-in Here
Came here after my boyfriend purchased a groupon for this place.
My first tip, do not come if you are starving, or for dinner. After a long day of work, you can imagine I was hungry.
We ordered the Ham sandwich (can't think of the name), and a small fondue.
The sandwich was basically, two SMALL pieces of bread with a couple slices of ham, and some cheese. What caught my eye was that there was cheese on the top of the sandwich. Sure thats cool, but everything was small and easy to make at home. It also came with a salad which was just salad and vinaigrette.
The fondue we got was OK, flavor was OK. Like 3/5 status.
It came with a bunch of bread cubes, some grapes and green apple slices. I mean come on, who wants to eat bread, grapes and apples for dinner?
If you want fondue, go to the Melting Pot, you will def get your moneys worth. -
Review from Daniel S.
San Francisco, CA
2/18/2012
Ive always wanted to try this place, but never got the time to go until I saw a groupon for this place and I HAD to try it.
I came here with my girlfriend the other week. Place is super small. Has about 6-7 tables. The menu is pretty straight forward, they have about 4 fondues and a dessert fondue. They also got other foods like salad, and sandwiches and soups (I hear the french onion soup is good! I gotta try it!)
Anyways we had the Welsh Rarebit. It was pretty good. I liked it a lot. They give you a basket of bread and a plate of fruits to dip in the fondue. It was pretty filling for the 2 of us. Its a bit pricey. $30 for a small fondue that feeds about 1-2 people, but it was quite filling.
We also tried the dessert fondue on our 2nd visit to this place. The dessert fondue was pretty small. They gave a huge plate of goodies to dip into the chocolate but the chocolate was so small. We had lots of extra stuff but nothing to dip it into, and at the price of $20 it wasn't really worth it for dessert.
If you want a cozy fondue joint, this is the place to go!! -
Review from Eeao O.
San Anselmo, CA
4/16/2012
Not impressed with Melt!
I made a reservation yesterday afternoon for 2 of us at 8 pm. Once we got there, first of all, it looks like a deli. Don't go for the atmosphere. Second, we stood by the door waiting for someone to greet us for about 5 minutes. Didn't happen. We went over to the counter to speak to someone, only to have a waitress standing with her back to us for a few minutes.
Once she turned around, we told her we had a reservation, she told us that "she didn't see any reservations on the books" she also said that the man who we spoke to on the phone didn't speak very good English. The restaurant was full, and then she said that "she didn't know what to tell us".
Then she proceeded to say that "if you stayed, you wouldn't receive very good service" because she was busy. What a little B!T€h with the WORST attitude.
We went over to Original Joes. SO much better- great food and wonderful service. -
Review from Molly G.
Oakland, CA
12/20/2011
Two of us went here last Saturday night and had a wonderful time. Tiny, intimate space that is mood-lit to perfection with a live jazz band and singer. Honeycomb tile. This place was so cute, I'd live there.
Food: We got the cheese sandwich and shared bc we were not super hungry but it was delicious, just an open faced cheesy bread with a salad that probably came from heaven. I think If I had 3 or more than a serving of fondue would have been appropriate. I wish they would consider adding a vegetarian soup to have on standby, because most vegetarians know that french onion almost always has beef in it.
Wine: I love a carafe. Oh, Burgundy? YUM! Too stoked to consider trying anything else.
Service: One girl with a full place and she rocked it like Super Girl. I never saw her frazzled and she was really helpful when she was explaining the menu. To you, solo server girl from last Saturday, I salute you.
Next time I'm out the way, " I'll stop the world and Melt! with you ". Oh sorry was that too cheese-y? -
Review from Ryan R.
San Francisco, CA
2/10/2012
This place had some really good food! We went on a Groupon so I was wondering how good it can be. It's a small place which is nice and cozy... tucked away in North Beach.
The first thing we got was the French Onion Soup. It was tasty! For $5 it's worth trying. Next was the Guinness cheese fondue... Which was bomb! It tasted like Guinness! They gave you a lot of bread which was awesome. Make sure you blow the fire out getting close to the end otherwise you'll burn your tongue... Rookie mistake...
Next was the dark chocolate fondue... Yum! You get all kinds of assortments (cookies, ice cream, wafers, etc)
All this came to about $70 (without the groupon) so for two people that's a good price for fondue!
The only thing bad is they have Open Mic night at 8pm and a lot of hippies show up... Kinda weird for a fondue place...??? -
Review from Julie M.
Albany, CA
3/25/2012
Love the authenticity of this place. Great place to cozy up in the rain last night. Relaxing, live jazz, yummy cheese and chocolate fondue... not a high-end place by any means, but that's the charm in it. Will definitely go back.
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Review from Daneca V.
Daly City, CA
1/12/2012 1 Check-in Here
A restaurant almost solely devoted (they have several none fondue items) to big vats of cheese, how my heart swoons. It's a cute little place past the strip clubs and Italian restaurants that line Columbus street. I've been twice and both times ordered their Scrumpy Welsh Rarebit, SOO GOOD. A really sharp, rich, cheddar flavor that's spiked with Guiness and Worsterschire sauce and other yummy spices.
I highly recommend going with a small group (3-6) people and getting their large fondue pot and not making plans for the rest of the day. -
Review from Jackson M.
San Francisco, CA
11/13/2011
Originally, we were excited to try a fondue spot. Ultimately, we grew more excited to leave soon after getting our meal.
( Food ) *
Less-than mediocre fondue. Lukewarm. Clearly just tossed into a bowl with wine, microwaved or the like, and set on the table. Strawberries that were, save the outermost skin, completely white and without flavor.
( Décor ) ***
Cute building, but the interior feels more cafeteria than cafe.
( Service) **
One guy. (Really, one guy). A barback. He took our order after we waited at the counter for five or six minutes, made the fondue, then disappeared. Ultimately, we left the money on the table instead of trying to fish him from the back. -
Review from Coralia C.
Pacifica, CA
1/3/2012
The place is cute and small- but it was not really worth going to. I originally went because they were on groupon and love fondue. My boyfriend and I went for dessert- but we were far from impressed. It was not the worst- but I would have also preferred my Tiramisu in North Beach for 7.50 vs. 20 dollars for the Fondue dessert . I could have melted my own chocolate at home in a microwave and saved my money. =)
Then again, dessert maybe the wrong thing to order there- but anyways- I do not plan on going back. Sorry! Cute place though! -
Review from Josh R.
Sacramento, CA
12/7/2011
This wasn't the best fondue I've ever had but it was a nice concept for the fondue restaurant genre. It wasn't super dark and overly stuffy. It was a cute little corner bistro with a good beer selection (didn't look at the wine list).
The server was very friendly and helpful offering some suggestions of her faves. We went with her choice of the welsh rarebit over the other 4-5 choices. I started with some French Onion which was quite tasty. I could've used some more cheese on top as the crouton only had a little sprinkle of it. I wouldn't have thought a fondue place would skimp on the cheese, but here they did.
The fondue was good. You get a giant bowl of bread with a plate of apples and grapes. I've never done grapes with fondue but I suppose you do wine and cheese so why not? It played well together. I'll have to do that at home. The welsh rarebit was good, very creamy, some good fall flavors. I don't know if I'd feel compelled to order it every time I went in but it was tasty. There were some other things on the menu that sounded great too. The 2 of us split a small and there was plenty left over. I'm glad our server talked us out of the big one. -
Review from Jade W.
10/4/2011 1 Check-in Here
So Melt! We didn't get any food until 9pm and our reservation was at 7:30 made at least 2 weeks in advance through GWU. Our first course was sparse, sausage rolled in phyllo dough & the other cheese & onions in phyllo.
The time between the first course and fondue was so long that people started to eat the dipping bread. When the fondue arrived the only one that was edible was the gruyere and we left the classic and stout alone because there was so much wine & beer that you couldn't even taste the cheese.
Service was slow & the kitchen was even slower. Water was rarely refilled, we had to get up and ask for plates & napkins.
The dessert was very good though but how can you go wrong with sweet things dipped in chocolate.
At the end we were all still hungry & frustrated. I honestly don't feel like I got my money's worth either. All GWU firsts for me. I must note this was my 7th meal through GWU and not at all a reflection of GWU standards because they did send a $15.00 credit my way.
I won't be eating at Melt! anytime soon. -
Review from Alexia A.
10/12/2011
I have been here a bunch of times with my boyfriend. It's not necessarily hear where either one of us lives, but it's worth that MUNI ride. How many other fondue places can you find in this city?
The fruits and the bread are always fresh, and the fountain fondue is warm, smells great.
Overall, you can tell this is a place the locals like. Not just the tourists.
Dear Melt, I hope you get your cheese bathroom key back. -
Review from Monina C.
Daly City, CA
2/16/2012
What a cool place for a light dessert, some drinks, and live music. I loved the atmosphere here. If there would be something to describe "very cafe casual San Francisco" this place would hit it on the dot. Space is limited, and so is parking. Inside looks like its been in there for a while. The owner, who somewhat has a lovely Irish accent will personally serve and chat with you a little, very down to earth person. The chocolate while warm is fantastic, but it can get suuuper hot! The bread and cheese is a yes go, and you can't go wrong with dipping your cream puffs, peanut butter pretzels, marshmallows, and strawberries in some creamy chocolate fondue. A little on the pricey side, but I'd say go for the experience, eat a full meal before you go, have dessert here, and relax.
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Review from Jonathon J.
Foster City, CA
9/29/2011
I must say, when I had a craving for fondue last night I had no idea how much of a wonderful experience I was about to have... Upon arriving at Melt! I was a bit put off by the few people inside and a couple of lone guys who just seemed to be hanging out and having a beer. Then I was greeted by the [owner?] who was friendly, helpful and made us feel immediately at home.
Then the fun started, the salad, sausage roll (sage sausage wrapped in puff pastry) and cider. The best cider I've had since out in the country in France. Soon the fondue arrived and it was really good, made for an excellent evening. BTW it was Wednesday evening, which is open mic night andI HIGHLY recommend checking it out. Lots of good, local talent, tasty food and strong drink. Hard to go wrong with that combo. Check it out when you can, I'll be back for dessert. -
Review from Carrie G.
San Francisco, CA
4/7/2012
Absolutely the cutest date spot ever! They make their own unique cheese blends (welsh rarebit was delicious) and the chocolate fondue comes with a wonderful assortment of sweets and fruits to dip (strawberries, marshmallows, mini cheesecakes, cookies, etc.) It is so cute inside and very intimate. I would recommend to anyone!
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Review from Ryan D.
San Francisco, CA
4/5/2012
Fun atmosphere - quaint little cafe-like spot, but the food was just so-so.
Started with the french onion soup, which was not good. It was a bit burnt and way over-salted, although it had a very deep beef flavor too it (prob a by-product of over-cooking it). It was topped with a piece of bread that covered maybe half the surface area of the bowl, with some par-melted cheese on top. (I'm very particular about my french onion soup, if you couldn't tell.) Of minor point, the onions were quite large - this isn't a deal-breaker by any means, but I do prefer the onions to be quite thin. In all, would not get this again. 2 stars for the soup.
For the main we rolled the Stout Rarebit fondue. I give it maybe 4 stars overall, though my friend did not think so highly of it. First things first, it came hot, and stayed hot. A necessary with fondue. I prefer mine practically boiling, but this was well done. Flavor-wise it was good, however we needed to add quite a bit of salt. Thankfully, this restaurant came FULLY EQUIPPED - salt on every table woohoo. After the salt, it was very good - great depth of flavor with the guinness, cheese was fresh and nice, made me ok with the fact that my dinner was basically a block of cheese with beer. Washed down with beer. Good wednesday, I say. It was served with apple, grapes, and some bread cubes. The bread was perfect, warm and crunchy but soft enough not to splinter, well done. The grapes paired well with the fondue, but the apples not so much. I think the main reason I knock this down to a 4 is because there were only 3 things to dip (I know there's not much you can match with a rarebit, but even a variety of bread product would have been nice).
Service was good, and the prices were reasonable. The beer was well priced, and featured a small but good selection. I'd definitely go back and try a different fondue, but I'd skip the soup. All in all a decent place and a good dinner. -
Review from Katrina M.
Nob Hill, San Francisco, CA
10/12/2011
Cheese fondue was good and fun. We had scrumpy for 4 people. It was enough to eat, and came with a salad. It was a first time for the four of us. I would come here again to try some of the other things they have.
They had a movie playing because it was Tuesday 8pm Movie Night. That was fun to watch while eating some fondue and drinking up! I might go again on movie night!
There was a couple guys and another couple in the restaurant when we were there.
Good vibes.
The fondue takes a little bit of time to melt and make, but enjoying drinks and watching movies with friends made the time go by quicker! -
Review from Stacy H.
San Francisco, CA
5/14/2011
Nope, don't go here.
Really didn't like this place. The crowd was made up of a bunch of dismal looking locals and loud children. The food was not great and the service was horrific from the start. Despite the fact that Melt! is not far from our apartment, my boyfriend and I will not be going back here. I would rather make the trek down to La Fondue in Saratoga if I ever want fondue again, it blows Melt! away in terms of atmosphere, taste and quality of the food, and service. Seriously.
We had to order a ton of food to make it up to the minimum purchase of $45 with our http://Restaurant.com gift certificate so we got the Scrumpy Welsh Rarebit fondue, a sausage roll, a cheese & onion pastie, and the brie with roasted garlic. Initially we ordered just the fondue and brie with some wine, but the waiter insisted that our gift certificate did not cover the wine so we ended up with way more food than we wanted.
Food Review:
The Scrumpy Welsh Rarebit fondue: Meh... not good. I really didn't enjoy it and neither did my boyfriend. The taste of the cheese was very subdued, and you couldn't taste the Worcestershire sauce or the ale either.
Cheese & Onion Pasty: I'm so confused why a Cornwall staple is on the menu at a fondue restaurant. Having previously lived in England with great pasties available all over the place, I was almost excited that we had to order the cheese & onion pasty because I hadn't had a one in so long, but... it was not good. I would absolutely not recommend this to an English person, you will be disappointed. It's not even a pasty, it's more like an overly cooked American style hot pocket.
Sausage Roll: I didn't try this - boyfriend said it was "Ok to pretty good."
***They serve HP sauce with both the pasty and the sausage roll + 1 star for this.
The brie and roasted garlic: It was terrible. The brie looked like it was picked up at Safeway for $1.00, it was hard, rubbery and flavorless.
On to the service. It was a SUPER windy day and they seated us next to the door, which they left wide open. When the server finally brought out our wine, the wind promptly blew over my boyfriend's glass and it spilled all over the table, missing both of us and our phones thank goodness. Did the waiter bring out another glass? Nope, we waited and waited. The server brought out the first two items. Still waiting for a replacement glass of wine... The server brought out the third item. Still no wine. Finally my boyfriend had to get up and ask the server to bring him another glass. The waiter didn't check on us at all after he brought out the fondue, and we waited on the check for probably about 45 minutes after we were done eating, even though there were only a handful of other patrons in the restaurant at this point.
To top off this terrible experience, the gift certificate was apparently only valid for food, meaning the wine we ordered to get our bill to the minimum purchase price was not applicable to the deal. The gift certificate says "Valid for Dinner ONLY" which is pretty misleading - this does not mean it is only good to use during certain times of the day (breakfast, lunch, dinner) this means that it is only valid for food. Typically a restaurant will say "Food only" or "Not applicable for drinks" on their http://Restaurant.com profile. This seemed like a pretty sneaky tactic to me and it really put me off the place even more than I already was.
I should note, I rated Melt! independent of the http://Restaurant.com issue, but added that last part of my review as a head's up for anyone considering using the http://Restaurant.com gift certificate. -
Review from Lesly S.
Melt is the kind of place that would be a great neighborhood drop in spot, but its just too dingy for my taste. We didn't eat, dropping in for the live jazz (which wasn't there) and some wine. I think the owner was our waiter, which was cool--I always like getting help from the person in charge! But the menu he handed us was an random piece of paper in a mangled plastic holder. Call it the marketer in me, but I need better branding--the third star is for the decent service and the fact that old soul music was playing the whole time we were there...
I'm glad I stopped in. We had a ScoutMob deal so our wine was discounted and the varieties and prices were great. In short I don't think it would take much to spruce this spot up, but until that happens I'll spend time and money elsewhere. -
Review from Jason B.
Updated - 7/2/2011
Should change their name to Hummus!
Something was different this time. Could have been the open windows thanks to the warm weather. Or the guy running the place was just extra friendly. Whatever it was, I'm a much bigger fan of the hummus plate at lunch than a cheese filled dinner.
Simple yet perfect. Side of fruit was worth a few extra bucks. Lingering with the charming and ambiance and free wifi comes at no extra charge.
Was nice to see you again Hummus!, er, Melt!1 Previous Review: Show all »
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4/19/2009
Not bad, but nothing that made me feel all the cheese was worth excusing myself from the healthy… Read more »
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Review from carol c.
San Francisco, CA
9/14/2011
Service was really pleasant but the cheese plate was pretty pitiful. the fondue was ok but everything- bread, apples, and grapes all tasted the same. just kinda bland. Seems with all the great smells and food in North Beach they would try a little harder to have fresh ingredients.
as we were leaving a two piece live performer was setting up. -
Review from Kevin M.
San Francisco, CA
12/7/2011
This place has some great cheese. I haven't tried the fondue yet but have eaten the cheese and tuna melt. Both are simple but delicious and are garnished with a small salad. The choice on the menu is small which I think is good. It's a small place and the atmosphere is very homely with a french feel to it. The waitress was very friendly and made us feel at home. The minus on the stars are for price. It is quite steep for what you get but tasty nonetheless. I will be back again for the fondue and to check out the live music which they have at the weekends. BTW we were there on a Tuesday night and they were about to show a movie on their projector screen. Unfortunately we couldn't hang out.
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Review from Kiristen R.
San Francisco, CA
7/4/2011 1 Check-in Here
3.33 stars
Is this North Beach or Telegraph Ave? I love the Berkeley feel. Brings me back to my college days.
Open and airy. Live jazz. Friendly service. Great people watching spot!!!
The chocolate fondue was nice.
Good place to pass time on a lazy day.Listed in: Daily Deal Finds
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Review from Angela L.
5/15/2011
FOOD:
1.) Chocolate dessert fondue = mmm hit the spot. nothing fancy, but it''s jusssst what I needed to satiate Aunt Flo's cravings yumm... just a small tea candle keeping hot a small pot of what tastes more like melted dark chocolate. Dippers were assortment of stawberries, banana, mini mallows, cheesecake, cold cream puffs, pb filled pretzels, choc wafer, dried apricots
SERVICE:
Seems like the owner of the restaurant. She was cool.
ATMOSPHERE:
Not the best, buut tonight had a small live jazz band playing at the piano, so cool. Pretty small place, reminds me of a cafe atmosphere except this was at night with ppl sharing intimate conversations over glasses of wine. In the middle of Little Italy, so the neighborhood has a good live energy for a Saturday night. Definitely willing to come back, good place to chill, eat some cheese or choc fondue, drink wine, cafe alternative for a casual place to catch up with a friend :) oh and plus it closes at 12am, was able to order the choc fondue at like 1030pm or 11pm.. forget but thats whe the kitchen was closing
