Melrose Diner?

An aquaintence recommended the Melrose Diner for a good meal. Since I haven%26#39;t heard about it here, I was wondering if anyone has anything to share about it. I%26#39;m looking forward to my Philly trip, I leave early Sat. morning!

Thanks

Melrose Diner?

';A good meal'; is an individual thing...

The Melrose is a Philadelphia institution. The food is good, but not great. Mainly it%26#39;s reliable. If you are a diner fan, then it is a definite stop. If you are in search of a true (South) Philadelphia experience, it is a definite stop. Here are a few things to know:

The waitress will call you ';hon';. Don%26#39;t take it personally.

The waitresses have been there forever, even the young ones. They%26#39;ve heard it all, so don%26#39;t get cute. They get a knife and fork badge after 5 years, I think. The water is filtered. The place is clean. Really clean. The garbage is refrigerated for sanitation and aesthetic purposes. The booths are all shared (except for one at either end of the diner which seats 3), so if you want more privacy, eat at the counter. You don%26#39;t have to wait in line for the counter, unless it, too, is filled. Usually, there is no hosting- it%26#39;s mosty on the honor system, but trust me, you don%26#39;t want to jump ahead of anyone.

Somehow, and I don%26#39;t know how they do this, the coffee is really, really hot. I think it%26#39;s over 212 degrees, but I can%26#39;t prove it. It%26#39;s really good, too. If you go (and this is actually a reason to go), get the hot apple pie with vanilla sauce. Don%26#39;t let this stop you, but the apple pie mixture is mixed by hand-literally. Well, actually by arm.

DO NOT WEAR ANY NON-PHILLY TEAM SPORTS OUTFITS!!!!! Especially anything from Texas, Washington, New York, or Boston.

You wuz warned.

Oh, here are some key phrases:

Wutchizhavenhon? = What would you like to order?

Beritewitchez = I%26#39;ll be there in a minute or two or three...

Yizdun? = Are you finished?

Don%26#39;t ask more than two questions about the menu. And DON%26#39;T ask what scrapple is. Just have some. Don%26#39;t move to another seat once you sit. When you get coffee, the FIRST thing you do is lift up the cup and place a napkin on the saucer to sop up the spilled coffee (see coffee is hot, above)

Once you go in, you can%26#39;t get out without waiting in line at the cashier. Oh, pay with cash. If you park on the street, feed the meter before you go in. Our slogan: ';Welcome to Philadelphia. Bring Quarters.';

Enjoy.

Melrose Diner?

That has to be the funniest and most accurate description of the Melrose I have ever seen. LOL!!!

Lynn

Owlyn,

VERY well said!!!!

Suzanne

Lynn %26amp; Suzanne,

Thanks. I try to be accurate and humorous when possible :)

Owlyn,

What a great reply! All of it is valuable information. I will be sure to leave all the Cowboys stuff at home. (I%26#39;m actually mad at them this season, anyway). I hope I can remember all your suggestions.

Tonight, someone told me not to talk like a Texan while I%26#39;m there, I told them if I did I would have to just keep my mouth shut the whole time. My husband got real excited about that until I told him I didn%26#39;t have to speak to be able to shop.

Thanks again for wonderful adivce!

Allison

Enjoyed owlyn%26#39;s post immensely. It was amusing and accurate. I%26#39;ve been going to the Melrose Diner since I was three -- which was 1950! (It was in a different location a couple of blocks away then.) I ate there often from childhood through graduation from South Philly High School, which is located about two blocks away.

It%26#39;s very reliable for basic diner food, especially breakfast fare.

I haven%26#39;t lived in Philly since 1966, but I often eat at Melrose (as the regulars call it) when I visit the city.

I think the only thing not included in these wonderful responses is the location of the Melrose. Sounds like a great place for a solo traveler like me. Is it a 24/7 kind of diner or more of a breakfast and lunch place?

It%26#39;s VERY MUCH a 24/7 place. There are always customers there, even in the middle of the night -- cops and shift-workers (there are a lot of hospitals nearby) on weeknights, post-party-goers on weekends.

As FoodWallah said, it is definitely a 24/7 place. The food isn%26#39;t great, but it is good, and reliable. BUT- It%26#39;s under new ownership now, and I haven%26#39;t been there since he took over, so I can%26#39;t say that things are still the same. The new owner has ruined every diner he%26#39;s taken over (Country Club Diner in the Northeast, for example), but he claimed to not be making any changes at The Melrose. If you go at night, drive there, otherwise you can take the Broad Street Subway to Snyder Ave. 1 block walk from there.

Yes, please post your experience. I haven%26#39;t eaten there since the owners took over, I%26#39;m hoping they didn%26#39;t butcher the place like they have others (that said, at least they kept it open, the other possible buyer was going to turn it into a YAS (yet another starbucks)