Time-Traveling to Mel’s Drive-In

Yokomo was supposed to write about Mel’s Drive-In originally, but she was taking too long so I decide to just combine some of the pictures from her first visit and my last visit. Mel’s originated in San Francisco and was established in 1985. This is a 1950s drive-in diner, similar to those you see in the movie “Grease”. I’ve never been to the the original restaurant, but it’s located on 2165 Lombard Street in San Francisco, California. Since then, Mel’s Diner has expanded down to the southern parts of California and into one of their newer locations, Seal Beach.

This particular trip was my third one to Mel’s. I’m not a huge “American Cuisine” type of person. Aside from the occasional “steak and potatoes” and “Maine Lobster”, I don’t crave it much. However, this particular visit was for breakfast, and who doesn’t like breakfast, right?

El Rancho…they didn’t skimp on the Chorizo

I decided to skip the “steak and eggs” this morning, even though it was under $6. The last time I had “steak and eggs” here, the steak was a little too “medium”, so medium it was “well-done”. I am scared to think of what “well-done” would taste like. In any case, I went with “El Rancho” which consisted of a flour tortilla with 3 scrambled eggs, chorizo and cheddar, then topped with green salsa (a breakfast burrito in other words…truly American indeed). To wash that down, I ordered myself a glass of Mimosa, which was only .95 cents. It wasn’t a huge glass obviously, but just enough to get my Saturday morning dose of alcohol. My drink and meal was part of their special “Saturday/Sunday Brunch” which can only be ordered between 9am and 3pm. We also ordered a chocolate milkshake, which is not only good, but also huge. I would advise splitting it into two glasses. Overall, I did enjoy my “Rancho” breakfast burrito because they were generous with the chorizo. I didn’t care too much for the potatoes, I probably should have gone with the hash browns instead…live and learn.

Tiny Price…Tiny Mimosa. Don’t forget to split the milkshake

The Wifey ordered the “Denver” Omelet which had ham, green peppers, onions, and mushrooms. No complaints there.

The Denver: Big city, big omelet

Yokomo had the “Yuppie” which was scrambled eggs, spinach and mushrooms (i believe). No complaints here either.

The Yuppie: What yuppies eat for breakfast

Yokomo’s hubby got the “Eggs Benedict” which, I must admit, looked pretty darn good. I heard a “very good” from him, so I’ll take his word for it.

So much Hollandaise you can’t even see the eggs…looking tasty nonetheless

My little niece pigged out with a plate of pasta, a hamburger and a hot dog….Not really! The reason why she got all that food was because for every adult that orders $8 or more, you get a free kids meal. So we just ordered extra food for her pretty much. Of course, us adults munched on most of it. Again, she chowed down some of her pasta and had some fries like a good girl. Haahaa.

Kids’ Meal: Simple and to the point…now where’s that hot dog?

Scrambled Omelet and French Toast. Dishes from a previous visit

Mel’s has a rather nostalgic ambiance, like a trip down memory lane, expect I wasn’t born in the 50s. The walls are covered with black and white photographs of Mel’s diner, some famous people sitting or dining the original diner, etc… In certain booths, you get your own personal jukebox (coins required) which was pretty neat. Unfortunately, you can’t park curb-side and have a server on roller-skates serve you while you sit in your car. That’s just fine with me (even though it would be a neat experience) since I don’t eat in my car anyway. The prices at Mel’s are reasonable, the food was good (not great) and the service was friendly. Definitely worth a repeat visit in the future.

Jam 50s style with your personal booth jukebox…check out the old school photos around the restaurant

Mel’s Drive-In
12241 Seal Beach Boulevard
Seal Beach, CA 90740

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Good Food, a step above Denny’s, but not earth-shattering
Friendly Service
Priced reasonably
Nostalgic Ambiance
Not a bad place to go if you’re itching for old-school American grub