Melt Bar & Grilled

Welp, I started reviewing all these Melts here on BeerAdvocate because of their love of craft beer, and I might as well keep doing it as they continue to expand in the Ohio market and I keep bumping into them in the most unexpected of places.

By no means is this one of their newer locations, but for all intents and purposes it has the same exact vibe with a fairly clean, modern feel for a low-lit grilled cheese beer bar. My first time at this location in particular was earlier this year, and I went away just as happy as any of the others.

The sandwiches have consistently impressed over the years, never wavering in quality, and with very unique combinations that just happen to work, (and leave you with a huge doggy bag at the end of it all).

The beer selection is also impressive, making it obvious how the staff loves the American craft scene, as well as the European originals. They usually have a nice balanced selection of both.

 

Well I started out with the plan of eating at Willoughby Brewing Company for the Nut Smasher release. I was thwarted by the immense crowd and a starving and bitchy driver/girlfriend. After enduring a half hour of her incessant whining about being hungry I decided to check out Melt as I knew it was down the road and have been wanting to try one.

We entered to a sparse crowd at around 1pm on a Sunday. We bellied up to the bar. Our server explained the menu as this was our first trip to a Melt. My girlfriend immediately ordered the fried mac 'n' cheese appetizer while I tried a couple of the craft beers on tap. The appetizer was good. Then we ordered sandwiches. I got a custom grilled cheese which was huge and delicious. My girlfriend also loved her sandwich.

Our server was very friendly and helpful. As we were cashing out a couple came in and ordered bloody Marys. One was served with a steaming meatball while the other had pork belly and a hard boiled egg as a garnishment. They looked both appetizing and hangover curing. We really enjoyed our visit and will be going back to a location as soon as we return to the greater Cleveland area.

Gumballhead on tap. Awesome sandwiches. A slice of heaven in a strip mall.

If you go here, you are going for the food first and foremost, which is amazing. The beer selection is definitely above average with a few nice taps, but you won't find anything on tap that will blow you away.

The Mentor Melt is a bit more spacious than their other restaurants, and because of that, the line to get in is much shorter.

The menu is expensive for sandwiches, but they are exceptionally creative sandwiches. The portions are absurdly large too so you can take home half and eat it later.

The beer selection is as diverse as the sandwiches. The have a long list of taps with many varieties represented.

Get yourself to a Melt restaurant if you find yourself in this area (the other ones in Lakewood, Cleveland Hts., Columbus, etc. should all be representative of the small chain).