Mel & Faye’s Diner: A Taste of New American Comfort Food

Mel's is a delightful gem nestled in a small town, offering a unique and welcoming atmosphere that feels like a home away from home. The customer service is exceptional, with staff that treat you like family, making every visit a pleasure. One of the standout features is the dog-friendly policy, allowing you to enjoy your meal outdoors alongside your furry friends. This creates a relaxed and enjoyable dining experience for pet owners. Additionally, Mel's has embraced modern conveniences by adding Tesla charging stations, making it a perfect stop for electric vehicle owners. This thoughtful touch reflects their commitment to customer satisfaction and a forward-thinking approach. Overall, Mel's combines great food, friendly service, and a welcoming environment for both humans and their canine companions, making it a must-visit destination in the area.

Had a fantastic meal here on a Tuesday night, while the special was a 1/2 rack of ribs, which my whole party individually ordered. The food was great. My ribs were meaty and tender. They were saucy and settled atop a mound of crispy french fries. Alongside, a cup of flavorful beans and coleslaw. I opted to substitute my slaw for a side salad, with a small upcharge. The salad was robust and the dressing was great. The price was shockingly low: $14.99!! Our service was prompt, friendly and attentive. The diner is attached, though fully sectioned off by means of both interior and exterior doors, to a bar that offers a full selection, juke box, pool table and a great selection of pin ball machines. 10/10 will be back.

Updating my review. Apparently it's been over 7 years since my last review and that was when the place was called Mel & Faye’s. I've been dining here plenty of times since then. Not sure what's the story on why Faye's name is no longer on the building's signage. But the food and service is the same. Yummy American diner fare served up by a welcoming well synched wait team in Jackson, CA. Also this place is NOT a franchise Mel’s Diner, the 1950s kitschy diner with jukeboxes. It’s a poplar place. The dining room gets loud and crowded at peak time. And it's not particularly large. There are booths along the walls and the rest are tables in the center. The neighboring tables were in arms reach of each other. Hubs and I sat at a table at the end, so wait staff and customers buzzed to the right and left of us. Distracting for sure. Hubs hated that. I didn't mind it as much as him, but that's only because I was focused on my meal. Zoning out the world as I ate. So we vowed not to dine there being peak times and avoid that table. My favorite menu items are the fried chicken, hamburgers, Chef salad, and the prime rib. The fried chicken plate is 4 pieces of fried chicken with cole slaw, fries, and Texas toast $17.50. The chicken is fried to a crisp crunch exterior, moist interior. Delicious. The Texas toast is buttery divine. They have a pretty large burger selection. Classic diner burgers and fries done right. You can substitute other sides for the fries. The coleslaw and potato salad do not particularly wow me though. Now let's talk about the prime rib. $36.95. It's only served on Friday and Saturday after 4 pm. It's not the best ever prime rib but way better than several of the steakhouses in El Dorado Hills. It's served with a salad, baked potato, vegetables, and a roll. The salad was served chilled cold, the bowl and contents. Great on a hot day. The roll I got on my last recent visit was a pretzel roll. Mmm. The prime rib was a nice substantial size. They seasoned the sides giving it a crust. Flavorful. The meat was tender. But unlikely to be a prime cut so probably a choice or select. Nothing wrong with that especially if it's cooked right which they do. It was served with au jus, horseradish and sour cream. The au jus was flavorful. Another tidbits: +They have Tesla chargers in the parking lot. +Mel’s has a separate bar area.

A huge group of us came here as a wedding party on top of the restaurant being completely busy they handled us quite well. The service was extraordinary and the food was so good every single one of us really enjoyed what we got. I don’t quite remember what pricing was like but no matter what it was. It was probably worth it. I highly recommend coming here for any meal or just a drink seems like a lot of people come here to enjoy themselves at night. If I’m ever in the area, I will be back.

Mel's is always a great diner choice. It feels classic in all the best ways. I absolutely recommend stopping in for a casual comfort meal. The service is fantastic and always friendly.

Food was tasty. Just wish portions were a little larger. Price was really good. 2 meals, cup of coffee plus tip was under $40.

From the moment we walked in, we were greeted and seated quite quickly. We ordered the bacon and egg breakfast plate and the miner’s omelette. Both plates came out piping hot and the omelette would be the star of our visit. Just watching how everything in the restaurant was run was amazing from cleaning the tables and taking care of the diners everyone working there worked like clockwork. Everyone working in Sync and to me that was amazing as tables were bussed quickly which allowed for new customers to be seated quickly. But the food was good and our servers were very kind as well as friendly. The feel and the ambiance of the diner as a whole was very warming, it just took me back to other diners I’ve been to during my time in Texas. Overall I enjoyed the food and the service; I will be back again and highly recommend this place. The burgers there looked good too; so it will be something I will try when I’m passing through next time. I will say there’s a Dennys down the road, if you’re not sure on where to go for breakfast but I’d pick Mel’s Diner over Denny’s if I were in the area again.

Fun place with lots of memorabilia on the walls. Friendly staff, generous portions, and yummy food. I had never been here before. I drove 80 miles that morning for breakfast at Mel's. Well worth it. As a bonus for EVers, there are Tesla superchargers (non-Tesla ok) in the parking lot.