The Melting Pot

Came here to try the 4 course dinner, which was an exceptional experience. The restaurant interior is very nice with private booths accompanied by low lights, creating a romantic aura.

You're first greeted with a choice of cheese fondue. We chose the Gruyère cheese which was fantastic with the fruits that were provided with it.

Next we got a choice of 2 salads and one of which we chose was a Caesar salad. This salad had a twist compared to the typical Caesar with sweetened nuts on top which I absolutely loved.

Then you get the main entree and a choice of cooking style. We chose the oil cooking style so all our meats would be fried. There was a variety of meats including seafood, beef, and chicken. You are also given some pasta and vegetables. There is also a selection of sauces ranging from yogurt curry to teriyaki and a dipping for before you fry. My personal favorite of the meat was the teriyaki beef. I wasn't a fan of the dipping sauce with the shrimp tempura flakes and a couple of the meats on this tray tasted average like the salmon and shrimp.

Lastly you are delighted with some chocolate fondue of choice of which we chose flaming turtle. This also came with an assortment of pastries and fruit.

The service here was great, our waiter was very informative about the options we have for the course and stopped by often to see if we needed anything. I would say that this course does take a while to get through, specifically when you are cooking the main entree. So do be prepared to be cooking and keeping track of cooking times yourself. This definitely isn't the option for you if you're looking for a quick or easy dinner as we spent a total of 3 hours here. Overall I think this was a great place for the 4 course experience.

My friend Taco Behl had recommended me this place so I decided to check it out with a friend. As we entered the restaurant we were surprised by the aesthetics interior of the room. The lights were dimmed to fit the theme but not to dimmed to where we can still see. There were a lot of interesting decoroation.

We made a reservation ahead of time so we were promptly seated. The service was exceptional. Our waiter Bret helped us through our dining experience as it was our first time. Since we were new he was also very patient. If we every needed extra fruits or bread he was prompt in bringing them to us. He definitely improved our experience.

We got the big night out dinner for two. For cheese we got classic alpine. It was as a unique cheese as it had a bit of a sweet taste to it which we really liked. It went really well with the grapes and apples. For salads we got the Cesear and Melting Pot House. I am not a fan of salad but the Cesear was amazing. The sweet nuts went really well with salad and cheese. The melting pot house wasn't that good. We ended up not even eating most of it. As for entree we got the big night out with Bourguignonne. The entree was such an experience. Cooking all the meats was very entertaining. However overtime it started to get a little annoying and towards the end turned into a hassle. My favorite meat was definitely the teriyaki steak. As for dessert we got the flaming turtle. This was probably my favorite part. The melting chocolate with the snacks they gave was BANGERR. It was especially good with the cake.

Overall I give this place an 8/10. I didn't think the quality of the food was that good. But I felt we came here not for the quality but for the experience. The experience was for sure a unique one. We actually ended up eating here for 3 hours!!! Just cause it took awhile. But that made it more worth. The place is expensive but I do think this place is worth the expensive cost because of the experience. On top of that the service was exceptional. I recommend asking for Bret, he was the homie!!!I may come back here to try a different entree or dessert that they have.

This is a fun place with very good food.  Yes, you cook the food yourself, but their kitchen definitely does serious prep work and the friendly, knowledgeable staff is helpful throughout the meal.  I enjoyed the choice of broth options -- we aren't cheese fondue fans so we skipped that -- and I very much enjoyed the Coq au Vin broth that we ordered.  (I initially worried that the Coq au Vin broth would be overly specific or too light a broth compared to what I grew up eating frequently, but it worked well for everything.)  The meats are wonderfully prepped and seasoned for cooking, and each piece turned out perfectly with the provided cooking-time guidance.  You're provided with a good quantity of food -- we definitely didn't leave hungry.  (The salads were 'okay.')    

For dessert, I'd never eaten chocolate fondue before and I thought this was fantastic, with a variety of things to dip.  The highlight for me was the chocolate-crusted marshmallows -- they'll keep bringing out dippers, and I'm glad my sanity kicked in eventually because I wanted to keep eating these!

I'll note that even for dessert, there are plentiful and clearly-marked gluten-free options.

The booth seating was comfortable, but be aware that the seats do slide as people on either side stand up.  The restaurant is a relaxed, quiet environment, a little on the fancy side, with pretty art on the walls and red, white, and black coloring throughout.

COST: Is it worth the very high cost?  Not to me.  I very much enjoyed it -- and knew what I was getting into, cost-wise -- but I feel like the prices could be as much as half of what they are.  The cost is -the- reason for my 3-star review, instead of 4.

4/5, November 2021. We visited here with another couple and were happy with our experience. Despite a bit of a rough start, mostly of our own making, the staff was able to work with us to take care of everything and allow us to have a good time. They were understanding of our issues and went out of their way to make our night pleasant. The only negative is that the experience is fairly expensive but that is understandable given the amount of time required per party to complete a meal. If you are looking for a good experience type meal that will allow for an extended conversation this is a good option.

My friends and I go to this restaurant every holiday season after our gift exchange. This year, we were served by Denzel, who was an absolute pleasure. He answered all of our questions and was a joy to talk to the entire evening. Throughout the evening, he put up with our inane chatter and somewhat out-there conversation topics. He was also very on top of which cheeses we wanted on which burners--he even brought us more jalapeño for our Fiesta! The Melting Pot is a great place to go with family and friends alike, and if you're served by Denzel, you will be well taken care of.

Our of our favorite date spots! The price has increased over the years but it's still a great experience and they have improved a lot. We always get the four course experience and everything is delicious. Service is also great!

They have good covid procedures in place. All staff wears gloves and masks. We cook the food ourselves so no changes there. Tables are sectioned off to maintain distancing. Honestly not much is different than precovid experience, I would say it's even better. The bill is paid with a portable reader so no need to wait around for them to take your card away.

The meat portion comes with a small sheet that tells you the cooking times as well as a description of all the sauces, which is extremely helpful.

Don't be afraid to ask for more veggies, they are unlimited and complimentary. We love getting extra broccoli and mushrooms as they soak up the broth flavor. They now have the small white potatoes instead of the big ones so it cooks much faster and absorbs flavor.

Same goes for the chocolate fondue, ask for more if you want extra! Bananas are our favorite to dip.

Absolutely recommend.

Haven't been to a melting pot in years but I'm so glad I finally went to one! This is a TON of food and you will get super full. My only complaint was the slow service.
The spinach artichoke fondue was great and less heavy than some of the other cheese fondues. However it did congeal kinda quickly. The house salad was small and tbh sometimes you just need a good iceberg salad and the ranch was really good. I liked the added egg. Did the create your own with coq au vin - great sauce for meats btw! The chicken takes forever to cook but it's so tender. The steak (teriyaki sirloin) was so good. I def overcooked a couple of pieces but it was delicious! My fave was by far the mushroom pouch pastas. They annoyingly always fell off my spear but they were so delicious, flavorful and tasty. I would have gotten just a plate of that. Hope to come back and try the chocolate!

I don't know if people are coming to this spot and expecting high end food or service....because this is not the spot for mind blowing - never had anything like this....kind of food.

realistic expectations - I've been here several times & I'm generally pleased every time I leave, because at the end of the night, if I'm so full from chocolate, I want to vomit chocolate, that's a win-win in my book. but to expect anything else from this place would be hilarious. but that's just me.

I was recently here with my girlfriends for BFFF (best friends fondue forever) on a Wednesday night. for about $40 a person, you get the cheese fondue, salad, entree & dessert. without an entree, it would be $30 which makes no sense to me.

we got the:
alpine cheese fondue - not bad, but I'm not a huge cheese person. I ended up just snacking on the fruit and bread
salad - always get the caesar salad for the candied pine nuts. yumm.
entree - mojo with steak, teriyaki steak, chicken and shrimp - get the mojo! I drank some of it before we started dipping & oh god. better than the other bases I've tasted. comes with broccoli, mushrooms and potatos (that were salted lightly & crisped).
dessert - got the yin and yang with milk and dark chocolate - opted for an upgraded dessert (sweet additions) plate of caramel cheesecake, macarons & cream puffs. the cream puffs were so worth it - dipped in chocolate omgosh! yes. the cream was cold & the chocolate was nice & warm....mhmmmm....I'd go back just for that.

by the end of it, we were still kind of hungry since the entree isn't much. but the chocolate kind of filled that hole for me. our waitress was pretty attentive in the beginning, but I think they placed us in a weird spot. we were her only table in this one spot in the corner & everyone else around us had the same waitress. we're sure she eventually got busy on her other side and kind of forgot about us, but it happens when your waitress is on the other side of the restaurant.

but if anything, go for the chocolate. don't expect much - keep expectations low & I think you'll have a great time!

If you're reading this and wondering if you should go here, listen to me and choose another restaurant.

If we could give this place zero stars, we would. My friend & I ordered the $90 meal-for-two and expected a meal that would blow us away. It indeed blew us away when we discovered VEINED SHRIMP (you know, poop inside intestines still attached) on our plate! I understand that this is a Make Your Own Meal place but now we have to DEVEIN OUR SHRIMP TOO?!?!

But this isn't where the fiasco ends.

The manager Emily & our waiter Jose tried to convince us that it wasn't a big deal and it was "normal for restaurants to serve food like this" & "it isn't a big deal." EXCUSE ME?! Serving me disgusting food & then undermining the atrocity we're paying $90 for!?! We both work in the food industry and we do NOT mean to be Karens but are you f-ing kidding me? Then they tried to offer us their cheap desserts in place of the $20-something meal. If we didn't keep complaining they would have charged us $90!!!! Thankfully, we were only charged for our cheese fondue & salads, but eating the leftover meat didn't matter to us because we had already lost our appetite from this disgusting place and left immediately.

Anyways, come to The Melting Pot in Reston if you like actual sh-t in your food!

Fondue is always a great treat. We had great service here. Great place for a relaxed dinner with great conversations.