Melrose Diner
1501 Snyder Ave
Philadelphia, PA 19145
Philadelphia, PA 19145
I have a long history with this place. Mom used to bring me here when I was a kid. So I have memories here from back in the 80's. I always ordered the same thing too. Chicken cutlet, mashed potatoes with brown gravy, and corn... I think it was called the MP1. It was a classic there for many years. On occasion, my mom would actually get me a buttercream cake from here for my birthday. Mom liked to get cakes from the Melrose Diner for special occasions. Just a thing in my family. Heck, I think I still have one of the old napkins saved in a case that used to have the jingle printed on them. I got a long history here.
Yesterday, I felt the need to sit at the counter here and have a slice of my buttercream cake. And really, the important thing in my mind is that this cake has never changed. It's still got a lot of real butter in the icing. The wife had the chocolate layer cake, and called it some of the best she ever had. I tasted that too, and of course that never changed either. I had that cake as a kid to, and it's got a chocolately goodness that's not too sweet. It's, for lack of a better term, perfect!
So I also grabbed some diner food here. Since the management changed here, the food isn't the same. I don't think I can still get my old special anymore, and that makes me sad. But a basic plate of eggs and hash browns with toast for $3.99 still hit the spot. The wife's order of chicken fingers was highly overpriced at $6.99 for three of them. Really, management ought to be a little ashamed there. However, they actually tasted pretty decent for what they were.
I'm just thankful they haven't changed the bakery. That will keep this place on my radar forever. In talking with Lucille, the waitress who's been there 21 years, she assured me the same guys are running the bakery as they always have. So they got that going for them. And as a result, if you ever get a chance to grab a bag of any of their cookies, they are simply the most fantastic cookies in South Philadelphia. If you don't know about them, find out for yourself.
Everything else that has happened to this place to take away what made me love it here keeps it my heart. But the bakery saves this place. If that ever changes, the Melrose and I will be no more.
