Sweet Melissa

Wonderful atmosphere/​vibe! Love the fried Brussel sprouts! Salads were delicious! Deserts look fabulous but haven’t tried yet.

This was my second time visiting and had a decent experience. Our service was rather slow, but the food was phenomenal! From the fruit and scone small plate dropped off before our meal, to the steak and eggs for brunch; I couldn’t ask for a better prepared and delivered meal; bravo to the chefs.
But when service is slow, the best thing that comes out of it is more time to converse, face to face, With the people you came with. So put the phones away, order the pineapple mimosa that you will not regret, and order anything off of this basic brunch menus, yet tasty on every bite.
Helpful tip: the restrooms are in the back left directly after the server station

Still have the best breakfast potato around! I will also add that this place is more child friendly than most I’ve tried. The kids meals are well priced and with large portions, and automatically come with fruit too, which is nice because then your kid can’t opt out and might end up eating a few bites.

The food was amazing, the service could have been better.
My wife got the delicious ABC omelet which had Apples, Bacon and white Cheddar. The apples had a sweet crunch and really compliments the smokiness of the bacon.
I got the crab and eggs that were listed under the favorites section. Over easy eggs on top of crab cakes and fried green tomatoes, covered in a chipotle aioli!
Each meal came with a chocolate chip scone and some fruit in a little dish, which made for a nice little appetizer. Also with our eggs were crispy red skin potatoes with I think some sort of sour cream sauce, which was an awesome compliment to the eggs!
The coffee was really good too.
I would highly recommend it and we will come back again.

Brunch. Biscuits and gravy. Biscuits were nice but the gravy had the taste and consistency of chicken paprikash. It tasted fine, but not how it was intended or advertised. Potatoes are the real star of the show and eggs were vast and well done. The scone and fruit are excellent.

I went to Sweet Melissa’s with my husband and three friends we were getting to know from church. We did like the food, and our server was pretty attentive, but the atmosphere was quite noisy. We went on a Sunday early afternoon (which would typically be lunch or brunch time) so it was rather busy. It was very loud and very difficult for us to talk and hear one another. The wait was only about 15 minutes or so which wasn’t terrible for how busy it was. Some people from our party ordered breakfast, but I ordered the blackened shrimp salad, which I have to say was very delicious. I really liked it and have been making a copycat version at home ever since. I would highly recommend it. We also had the chocolate chip scones they were serving that day, which were pretty good. Not the best I’ve ever had but they were decent. My husband did not really care for his food. He ordered a breakfast combo w/​eggs, sausage, and these potato ball things. They brought him bacon instead of sausage, but he didn’t complain since we were with a group. He said it wasn’t bad, but it just wasn’t that good. All in all it’s not the typical atmosphere that I prefer when dining out, however I would not be opposed to trying it again, hopefully on a less busy day.

Ordered chicken tacos, they put that fancy lettuce on their trying to be hip and cool. Well guess what, that lettuce tastes like shit! The chicken and beans are enough to differentiate. Go with Romaine or Iceberg instead. Tsk tsk

We waited 20 minutes to be seated (which, being a Saturday night, was expected). Another 5 minutes for drinks, at which the server/​bartender rushed off to make. No problems there! Drinks were fantastic (I got the bellini-​delish, although small). Waited another 15 minutes to get our order taken. ok, again, it’s Saturday night! Waited for food… appetizer of calamari came out lukewarm and disappointing. Salad was EXCELLENT, but then, it’s damn near impossible to mess up a salad. Dinner arrived 5 minutes after to long awaited appetizers, and again, lukewarm. I sent back the calamari and my chicken carbonara and enjoyed my salad and my drink… I didn’t want to risk waiting for a disappointing replacement. Ended up at Fridays! My food was hot there.

I love love love Sweet Melissa. I cannot say enough good things about this restaurant. I have been there for brunch, and it is delicious. I have been there for dinner, and it is delicious. They have the best dessert (try the lemon cake). My favorite thing about Sweet Melissa it’s happy. 3 to 9, in the bar only. $ 4 wine, and $ 3 and $ 2 beer with an array of appetizers for $ 2, $ 3, $ 4 and $ 5. My boyfriend and I will go, sit at the bar, and just order a bunch of different appetizers and split them all. There is a limit of 3 appetizers per drink you order, but that is not a big deal. You can get full on 6 appetizers, or you can just order more drinks! Try the brussel sprouts though (my boyfriend was not a fan of brussel sprouts, and he loves the ones at Sweet Melissa), and the spinach/​artichoke dip is delicious.

Four stars because the food is really good, even though service can be quite slow at times.
Atmosphere: This spot had a nice, large dining room, and large front windows. Honestly that’s all I remember but it is very open and inviting.
Service: Hit or miss here. Sometimes the food can take a really long time to come out. I have always had good experiences with servers, but on my most recent visit the food did take a significantly long time from when we ordered.
Food: I really enjoy the food here. On this particular visit we came for the happy hour menu. I ordered the buffalo tofu dip and sweet potato hummus and opted for gluten free crostini. The tofu dip is on point. It had the tiniest kick to it, but keep in mind I don’t do spicy, so it may not seem like a kick at all to most. The sweet potato hummus was also on point, with just the right blend of sweet potato. For dessert, I indulged in peanut butter chocolate cheesecake. It was good, not excellent, but it hit the spot.
I really want to check out the brunch here on my next visit. Make sure to check out their dinner menu as well, and order the Brussels sprouts

The food is not the issue with Sweet Melissa… Everything I’ve had on the menu is amazing and their desserts are to die for. It is so noisy in the actual restaurant. My husband and I could not talk to each other without screaming across the table. The service was slow and servers were inattentive each time I’ve been there. But the food is so dang good I don’t think I can stay away… Just is not the kind of atmosphere I prefer.

We brought my mother to Sweet Melissa specifically for happy hour. The two tables that were designated for the happy hour menu were occupied, so we were seated elsewhere. When we asked for the happy hour menu, we were told it was only available at the bar (which was not a possibility because of my mother’s back pain) or the two «happy hour tables», which had no real distinction from the rest of the restaurant aside from being next to the bar. When we asked if an exception could be made given the circumstances, we were refused.
While the salads we ordered were adequate, this arbitrary business practice left a bad taste in my mouth. If you plan on offering a happy hour menu, creating a distinction of who can and can’t order from it — especially if someone’s disability makes them unable to sit in the appropriate section — is unprofessional, at best. We will not be returning.

First visit for brunch/​lunch with a friend. We will definitely be back! I had the Shrimp and Grits — so yummy! The accompanying potatoes were very good, and I enjoyed the fruit, but agree with others about the mini scone being dense, dry and a little chalky. My friend devoured her wrap & fries, which is a good sign. Coffee was good, too and I appreciated the larger mug size. I was there to catch up with a friend, so I appreciated that the staff wasn’t on us every 5 minutes. Service was courteous and we had no issues. My request to sub scrambled eggs for the prescribed fried eggs was happily accommodated.
With the unseasonably warm & sunny weather, everyone was out and about, so parking took some effort, but I enjoyed the walk.

Cleveland’s brunch game is on point so to shine you have to be better than just good. Sweet Melissa’s delivered a brunch that was disappointing at best. There are certainly brunch places in Cleveland that run a much smoother operation.
There was no host at the door when we first walked in and it took him a couple of minutes to get over to us. When he did, without any welcome, he informed us there was a 30 minute wait (it was around 11am on Sunday).
While we waited we decided to get a drink at the bar. The bar seats were completely full, but the bartender wasn’t actively busy when we approached. Still his pace at making one Bellini and three Bloody Mary’s was very slow. I did enjoy my Spicy House Bloody however, which is altered from the traditional non-​spicy House Bloody with a few drops of Tabasco ($ 7).
Once seated, the slow place continued to be evident. The waitress at the table was slow at all points of service and the kitchen was slow in sending out our entrees. The waitress did not demonstrate competency of the menu items and had to check with the someone to confirm the answer to nearly every ingredient question she was asked which further delayed the process.
All brunch entrees came out with fruit and a mini scone. I was impressed by the fruit — it was all edible and ripened to the correct point. The mini scone however was about the size of a golf ball and the texture was wrong. It was appropriately dry, but tasted very… chalky. Honestly, the scone was so small Sweet Melissa would be better skipping it all together instead of presenting what they did.
For my main I got the crab ‘n eggs. The eggs were supposed to be over easy eggs. Mine were, but my friend who got the same entrée had eggs that were over hard with no liquid yolk to speak of. A kitchen should be embarrassed to not have a quality or consistency check so as to allow two identical entrees that look completely different to go out. For how fast an over easy egg cooks, that entrée should have been redone. Eggs aside, the crab cakes were decent and the chipotle aioli flavor was good. Of the two fried green tomatoes I was served however, one of mine was thick and hard and not as enjoyable as the other.
If faced with a brunch decision again I don’t think I would pick this place. I want to say I’d return for the crab ‘n eggs again, but if I got the crab ‘n eggs my friend was served I would be sorely disappointed. I certainly wouldn’t wait 30 minutes for it.

Came here for breakfast and was pleasantly surprised by this joint in Rocky River.
Portions are a good size. You won’t be stuffed to the brim when you walk out. I had the Greek omelette. It was good, but could have used more of the olives and artichokes and what not. Also, most breakfast dishes are served with a ramekin of fresh fruit with a tiny little chocolate scone on top, yum.

My family and I went on a Sunday morning around 10:30 and were seated immediately. Browsing the menu they had so many great looking options! I got the French Toast which was the perfect mix of egg and bread covered in powdered sugar and fruit. All meals also come with a mini scone and small side of fruit that come out while waiting for your meal. All of it was delicious! I couldn’t have asked for anything better. I also got a bite of the Heather bagel sandwich which was amazing. Would highly recomme

Very cute place! Really great food and amazing bloody marys! I had the kendra bagel and it was great! Their potatoes are probably the best part of their breakfasts! Service was great and didnt even have to wait on a saturday morning! Definitely recommend for a great brunch! I really want to try a mimosa next time!

Delicious and appreciate the menu as a vegetarian in the Cleveland area. Enjoyed the veggie pad thai. Simple, clean environment, appears to be an old store front shop converted into a restaurant, but the stars are mostly attributed to the food.

I’m not sure if we came on an off day or why but our food wasn’t very good at all and me both my boyfriend and I very sick after we left. Besides that, the staff wasn’t very friendly and the food we got was over cooked. I don’t think I’ll be back again after we got the bill. We were s not satisfied with the food and service.

The place itself: 4.5
Personnel and service: 5
Coffee: 2.5, bitter and watery
Bloody Mary: 3, nothing special at all
Food: 3 to 4, good looking but not very tasty
Inconsistent on food and coffee across the table of six.

Great food but every time I go there the service is consistently awful! Every time I see a friend or family member they say the same thing. Waters & refills always take forever if you even get one. My most recent visit was having to ask that my meal be taken off my bill after the bottom of my pint glass completely fell off and my Diet Coke went all over my flat bread. Of course my server didn’t notice or come over so I had to go get someone to give us more napkins to clean it up. I don’t understand why the service has never improved over the years here.

I really need to start going here more often. The B&B Bloody Mary is handsdown my favorite bloody mary in the cleveland area. I cant seem to get past their corned beef hash. I literally get it every time, even when i tell my self im going to order something different, i still end up getting the hash. However, Everyone else i go with seems to enjoy their meals too. I have yet to hear something complain about their food. Always a great experience at the Melissa. Service is always on par.
Ps. I put their homemade ranch on everything. (by everything i really mean their potatoes)

I’ve been here many times, but my rating is based on the average of my visits. Overall, the food is good and I love the location. I definitely understand the two and three star ratings because I’ve had those experiences here as well.
Most recently I came here for weekend brunch. We didn’t have any problem getting a table at 10 which was a nice surprise. The menu had so many great options. Some items were combinations I haven’t seen at other restaurants which is cool. It took me awhile to pick a breakfast spot since there was going to be a baby in our party and this ended up being a good spot for a baby. Many other people had babies and small children the morning we were there. The atmosphere is lively inside which helps cover excited baby coos.
Breakfast starts with a small fruit dish and mini scone. It isn’t huge, but I like that they bring something before the meal. Why don’t more places serve breakfast appetizers? Great idea.
I had the Shrimp & Grits which was delicious. There were plenty of grits and a nice portion of shrimp. The sauce on the dish had the nice kick I expected from the southern dish. On the side were fried eggs and breakfast potatoes which helped blend the dish into a breakfast dish.
My husband had Biscuits N Gravy which was a twist on the usual since it was made with chorizo. The chorizo was really good and a twist that worked well. There was a plentiful portion of gravy with fresh baked bisuits. It was nice that the dish was served with eggs and potatoes as well.
One of the perks of this spot is that they are good at accommodating food allergies. This is always at the top of my list when dining with a friend that has special dietary restrictions. The menu highlights items that are gluten free and the staff is good at answering questions about other concerns.
The service is definitely hit or miss. This is the only thing that I would change if I could. I’d like to see them have consistently good service.

Used to love this place. It’s gotten terrible. First nobody said hello for 5 minutes though multiple employees saw us. The hostess finally sat us, rolling her eyes and the whole time. Our waitress forgot our drinks and never brought them. We ordered right away and never saw her again until we flagged her down wondering what’s going on. The silverware was dirty. Not like a little. It was disgusting. Again couldn’t find our waitress until after 15 minutes she came through the kitchen doors EATING.
I’ve been a customer for 4 years. I will never be back. The quality of food has declined with the quality of staff. Sweet Melissa is anything but sweet anymore and leaves a bitter impression.

We stopped for a drink and lunch before a show.. Chips and 4 dips for appetizer. .tasty! We had to order a second cup of chips so as to not leave any of the delicious dips.
My husband had fish tacos… A little strong on the onions. I had the wild mushroom fritatta. Would have enjoyed more wild mushroom to ricotta ratio. A bit bland.
Great beer choices!
Gary, our waiter, was awesome!

I still enjoy this restaurant but I wouldn’t go there for brunch again. The brunch options are not great. The pancakes are good but it’s hard to scree that up. I had a breakfast burrito that was bland and dry. Wish they had more unique options. Still enjoy this place for lunch and dinner. It’s not as amazing as a Tremont restaurant but better than hitting up a chain restaurant.

I don’t just give out fives. I’m not a democrat! Vote Bernie! Anywho this place is sweet!!! Pun intended. The biggest «fleh» oops, sorry, «flaw», lil mispronounced there, anyway, is there is not much to comment on. Great. What am I gonna talk About? The weather?
Anyway I came here w a dime piece which I highly recommend! Pretty good food here too :)))))
Unilocal.

My son, fiancé and I stopped up at Sweet Melissa’s for a celebration breakfast (I proposed the night before!) a few weeks ago on a Saturday morning. We like the small business feel of Rocky River and my fiancé recommended this place for a nice breakfast. The interior was very pretty with a rustic, homey kind of feel. The display case of treats in the restaurant had our mouths watering before we sat down.
The brunch menu was clean and fresh and it was nice to see that they had multiple options but we settled for breakfast items. Our server was a younger female who was friendly but not over bearing, which was a relief. My fiancé ordered the corned beef hash, my son had the pancakes and bacon and I went with the biscuits and gravy with a side of bacon.
The mini appetizer or fresh fruit and a mini scone was a refreshing start the to the meal that we all enjoyed. My fiancé was very impressed with her meal as was I (and I’m not a huge corned beef). My meal of the biscuits and gravy kind of threw me off. I was expecting white gravy (not specified on the menu) but it came with more of a southwestern spicy gravy, which was awesome! The «biscuits» was actually one LARGE biscuit (which was a little dry) in a bowl covered the tasty gravy. I happen to hate eggs which happened to come with my meal but I was pleasantly surprised that I ate more than a few bites (the best eggs I have ever had to be honest). The star of the plate weirdly enough was the redskin potatoes that had a warm white drizzle that was out of this world. The bacon was crispy and my son loved his pancakes as he always does (3 year olds are easy).
Sweet Melissa made a very good breakfast for us and although it’s a little on the pricy side ($ 55 for 2 adults and 1 toddler) we will definitely be coming back. Next time I will probably give the French Toast a try since the pancakes were so good! Bravo!

Suggestion: change your name from «sweet» Melissa to «old, chewy, flavorless» Melissa to better reflect the quality of food you serve up.
I live around the corner and would love to come here more but the quality of food is some of the lowest I’ve ever had outside of fast food.
My latest mistake: not 20 minutes ago ordered some Denise’s Pulled Chicken Tacos. Chicken, if it was even cooked this week, was definitely cooked, refrigerated, and re-​animated on a flat top grill. And unless water is a marinade, this chicken is not flavored at all. The fresh cream looked curdled, I’m almost inclined to alert the Rocky River health department. Beans and corn salsa looked old and brown. The only bright spot was the guacamole. And as per usual, greasy stale chips served on the side.
I’m so pissed that I contributed to the ever lowering standards of The Cleveland dining scene. Honestly management should be ashamed or quit and try new careers, because it’s so clear no one there GAF about the quality of food. Why should I have to get all huffy and demand my money back, they’ll never change, they’re determined to run this dump into the ground.

I waited to write my review for Sweet Melissa’s because I came here for dinner with my friend and was very disappointed. We both didn’t like our meals as they were flavorless. Then I was told they have a really great breakfast menu and to try that out before I ruled them out. I did come here for breakfast and have to say I was still unsatisfied with the food and service. The service was so slow and we had to wait forever just to get our waters. By time the waitress greeted us we were ready to order.
I had the veggie omelette which was nothing to rave about. The toast was also bad. For $ 10 it wasn’t a very large portion either. On top of that, my boyfriend found a hair in his food. He picked it out and wasn’t going to say anything but then he found a second one. So gross! This is the main reason for the low rating. I know those things happen but having 2 hairs in your food is just nasty. The only thing I enjoyed was sitting outside and the little fruit tray and scone they bring you before your meal. I definitely don’t think I’ll be returning.

I’m surprised to see Sweet Melissa’s only has a 3.5 star rating. I’ve always enjoyed their food; especially the risotto (yum!).
The wait times can get a bit long and service is kind of slow (I don’t suggest this place for a timed lunch break) but I still enjoy it. The prices are fair, sizes are decent and the food itself has always been great.

As Max’s Deli’s replacement, I had incredibly high expectations for Sweet Melissa’s. Let me first off mention that my experience today started off on the wrong foot with a hostess who seemed aloof and inexperienced when dealing with customers. For a Sunday afternoon it was fairly busy, but the hostess seemed inattentive and absent throughout my wait. It became increasingly frustrating when she did not notice that people were cutting others thus resulting in another customer bringing it to her attention. Unfortunately, two groups of people who came in after several us were STILL seated prior to the rest of the already waiting customers. As for our waiter, he was attentive and pleasant.
The food and my waiter is what saved me from giving a lower rating. My guest and I started off with the battered artichoke hearts which were divine! The mustard aioli sauce that came with them really elevated the flavors. I then ordered the matzo ball soup and pulled chicken tacos both which were mouth watering. The pulled chicken tacos had the perfect amount of guacamole on it which didn’t overpower the deliciously seasoned chicken.
I was so full that this was probably my first time I didn’t order a dessert, but I 100% recommend it to all! Everything from their chocolate dipped pretzels to their tarts to the flavorful cupcakes makes for a good treat for those of you who have a sweet tooth.

Cute restaurant– nice vegetarian & vegan selections. Good friendly service. The fried brussel sprouts were great– come with sweet chili dipping sauce. The vegetarian lulu sandwich was good but bland came with homemade chips.
Got the chocolate mousse bomb for dessert which was excellent.

Our visit to Sweet Melissa was actually not planned. We were driving around the west side, looking for somewhere to eat and not being able to agree on something (as usual) when, lo and behold, we came across this little gem. From it’s name you’d probably think they are all about desserts. Well, my friends, don’t be fooled. There’s more to this neighborhood eatery than meets the eye.
First off, the front of the restaurant is actually in the back. I know, it’s one of those places. Sure, you can park on Detroit out front, er, back and walk through the doors and make your way all the way to the back, I mean, front to the hostess station, but it’s probably just easier to park in the back, dammit, I mean front and skip the hassle.
The place isn’t all that big, but it does feel nice and open. Big windows, lots of light and a large central dining area all add up to a comfortable and uncrowded experience. There’s a bar, tables and chairs and a few booths along the walls, and, yes, a dessert case full of goodies you’ll wanna nosh. I really like the atmosphere and our seats, up by the windows were nice and secluded.
Our server was excellent. He didn’t try to oversell anything, didn’t harp on the gluten-​free side of their business and was quick to take our orders and fill our waters. Sure, the place was practically empty during our visit — it was somewhere around 5:30pm on a Tuesday — but I have a feeling this guy was just good at his job.
We started with the deviled eggs. I know, who wouldn’t? Three whole eggs, halved and filled with creamy, dijon-​laced cream. Crispy applewood smoked bacon and scallons on top. Delicious. I especially liked the heat from the spice sprinkled on the plate.
For salads we each picked a different one:
Butternut Squash: Overall, not a bad salad. Mixed greens, cubes of cooked butternut squash, red onion, candied pecans, goat cheese, dried cranberries, and bacon. This salad combination isn’t anything new and is still one of my favorites. I really liked the combo of the acidic dressing with the slightly sweet squash. The dressing, a brown butter vinaigrette, wasn’t all that flavorful and could have been more plentiful
Warm Goat Cheese: Field greens, cherry tomatoes, pine nuts, dried cranberries, slice of Gala apple, balsamic vinaigrette and served with a crostini. Fresh and tasty and a play on sweet and sour, this salad was quite delicious. I would have liked another goat cheese medallion and would have preferred that the apple had been diced, but overall a good offering.
My wife kept it soup and salad with the lobster bisque. A delicious and buttery smooth soup with small, tender pieces of lobster. A delicious rendition of this classic.
I had wanted the meatloaf sandwich but was told they were out of meatloaf. Calling an audible I opted for the much healthier Brooks’s Blackened fish tacos. The tacos, served with house chips, were OK. The fish was cooked nicely, tender and juicy, but I found the combo of the horseradish sauce and mango jicama slaw to be a bit too wet. I would have also liked more heat.
Of course we got dessert. How could we not? And we went big. A triple-​layered German chocolate cake. Three layers of densely chocolate cake topped with chocolate ganache and coconut, pecan caramel frosting. I love this classic and this version didn’t let us down. In a word, yum.

Wandered into Sweet Melissa one evening just looking for a sweet treat to take home… yeah what really happened was me buying enough food for the rest of the week! Nice atmosphere, not a lot of people inside since it was close to closing time, but the staff quickly greeted me with friendly smiles and they were very informative when I asked about their menu. The food really sounded great, and I did get a bunch of stuff to sample, however the main negatives would be that they seem a bit pricey on some items and the manager repeatedly told me about how they serve Gluten Free items even after I told him I don’t care about that. I’m not part of the 2% diagnosed by a medical professional to have a problem with Gluten so stop trying to sell me the latest trend. Now on to the food:
–Pumpkin Tart: Meh, tasted like pumpkin, but nothing special and too dry for me.
–Chocolate Mousse Cup: Awesome treat for your taste buds. Little pricey at $ 4 though for the small size.
–Carrot Cake Cupcake: Eh, good but nothing special.
–Butternut Squash Salad: Nice and tasty mix of goat cheese, warm bacon dressing, and veggies.
–Lobster Shrimp Risotto Balls: Deliciousness. Loved soaking up the broth with the risotto balls.
–Fried Green Tomatoes: Tasty and the apple relish was a nice touch, however it could have used some sauce. Perhaps they forgot?
Overall I would definitely check out Sweet Melissa again.