The Melting Pot

This place is great, there was one by me back in MASS, so I was hoping for a great experience here in Syracuse. I love hot pot, it’s much more common among asian restaurants. The service was great, the food was great, exactly what I expected, just like the one from back home. I loved that they had a groupon since dinner can be so expensive there. One tiny note: our server was great, but he forgot to mention that the cheese or chocolate gets hotter the closer you get to the bottom of the bowl, something the servers back in MASS always reminded us about and should be noted here, because my fiancé burnt his tongue unexpectedly. Overall, great service, very friendly and inviting.

In the same pot of boiling broth we were to cook salmon, sesame tuna, duck, chicken, and ravioli. This was without a doubt the worst meal we have ever had. Everything was boiled. We ordered a nice red wine that came in a very small white wine glass. Are you kidding me??? Hospital food at it’s worst!

I love the idea of a fondue restaurant. I knew that I was going to have to pay for great food and ambiance. The cost was about what I expected, around 60 dollars a person.
Unfortunately, our experience did not match what it cost us.
There was an odd rancid smell lingering in the bar area, so I was glad we were seated in the back room. The first course was palatable, the salad was terrible. I ate two bites and gave up on it. Then, the main course was a confusing mismatch of weak flavors. I was told that dessert was delicious, but I already had lost my appetite.
Ambiance? A smartphone at the table next to us cranked out youtube videos at full volume. A server spilled a tray of food, and then four empty-​handed servers stepped over the pile of food on the floor, ignoring it, and on the floor it sat for about 15 minutes. The «Mojo» pot for cooking meat was something like chicken broth. At least I know now, with certitude, that steak is not best prepared by boiling it in chicken soup. Melting Pot needs to rescue this location. They can’t all be this bad.

My partner and I decided to dine at the Melting Pot on a slow Thursday night.
Service: Chris, a younger person with a friendly face, was our server. We couldn’t have asked for better service and it really made our dining experience worth while. That’s coming from a prior restaurant manager who is very particular about service. He was attentive, friendly, relaxed and informative. It felt like we had been dining with him for years. He also paid special attention to the fact that I am pregnant, what I could and could not eat, my likes and dislikes. The Hostess was very friendly as well. Actually, I’m not sure if she was the hostess or manager.
Ambiance: you wouldn’t think that restaurants in the mall could create a soothing, relaxed or romantic environment but the booths inside the Melting Pot will prove you wrong. It seems kid friendly for the patio area.
Beverage: No beer on tap but they have a pretty good bottle selection. My partner ordered Ommegang (sp?) Amber Ale and loved it. I didn’t drink so I skipped reviewing the wine and cocktail menu. I ordered earl grey tea to sip on and it was very good.
Food — we each ordered the four course which seems to be their most popular.
Cheese Fondue (1^st course): We started with the shared spinach and artichoke fondue. My partner liked it, but it was a little too rich and garlicky for me.
Salad (2^nd course): He ordered the California salad and thought it was «awesome.» I ordered the house with the sweet and tangy dressing. It was just ok, but I was having difficulty choosing something that wouldn’t upset the food aversions I’ve developed due to the pregnancy.
Main course: We both ordered the surf and turf accompanied by the classic vegetable broth. It came with a good portion of broccoli, mushrooms and potatoes on the side. There were five varieties of dipping sauces on the side as well most of which I really enjoyed. The lobster, filet and shrimp were of good quality and obviously my favorite part of the meal. The did offer a really good vegetarian option.
Dessert: we ordered the turtle which was one of their specialities. It’s chocolate, caramel and pecans melted together in the pot. For dipping, we received, rice crispy treats, marshmallows, blondie brownies, chocolate brownies, pound cake, bananas, strawberries and pineapple. This was a large portion and very good. We definitely were not able to finish it. My favorite was the pound cake and strawberries.
$$$: I’d say the price was fair. In total we spent $ 134.00 which included the 20% tip we left our server.
If we went again, I’d probably skip the cheese fondue and salad and just go straight for the entrée and dessert. They do have individual portions so you don’t have to spring for the four course meal. Overall, the service made our dining experience and the reason I gave five stars. Thanks Chris.

Pasting my review from the «old» location. Incidentally, while the restaurant itself hasn’t moved, the reviews for this new page are much more positive than the previous one. Someone got a reboot.
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My wife and I sampled a 3-​course here because we received a generous gift card for Xmas. But man, what a weird place. It tries so hard to be upscale on the outside, but 5 minutes in you realize the food is, at best, some sort of everyday salad-​bar alchemy. We sat at the bar and unlike many reviewers’ experiences here, we found the service to be helpful, friendly, and responsive. So much effort was put into narrating the assembled fondue, in fact, that we felt bad for our bartender who had to go through this pretentious charade mixing prepackaged shredded cheese. Likewise, the dipping ingredients included stale bread, mushy apples, and dried out veggies (celery, really?). The wedge salad was redeeming, but when our server handed us a plastic shaker to dress it with their dollar-​store seasoning, we were just confused. Chocolate-​PB pot was the highlight but too many sweets on the side made us throw in the towel and walk it off.

I have been to this location on 2 occasions. The first visit was ok. They messed up our reservation so we waited a very, very long time. I would have just left but everyone else in my party had never been to a Melting Pot and wanted to check it out.
The second time here our server was horrible. He tried busting my balls like we where buds. Our water glasses had been empty for almost an hour. The same hour in between our small crappy salads and our main course. But, instead of filling them he came over and started ranting about his stance on politics for 5 minutes and then walked away. Who the Hell does that? If it was just my wife and I, I would have given him a piece of my mind right then and there. He then messed up our desserts too and then told us «that is what we ordered». There was 6 of us and we know what we ordered and even if all 6 of us where wrong we are the customer. It is not very tasteful for a waiter to have piercings on the back of his neck at an «upscale» restaurant. One last thing, we sat down at 6:00 and we left at 9:40. Yep. I gave this lost drummer for Nine Inch Nails looking piece of work a dollar tip out of pity because he said he had a daughter. Poor girl.
As for The Melting Pot itself, it is a nice change of pace. I do like the food although it is over priced for what you get. It is a good place for a special occasion once a year. I will not be back at this location at Destiny. The location is FUBAR.

It’s a fun place to go, especially with a group of friends to hang out, have a quality conversation and enjoy a tasty 3 – 4 course meal. Staff are super nice and they’ll explain everything to you.
everything was fresh and tasty and they’ll keep coming.
We started with cheese fondue, then we had a salad, continued with beef, chicken and shrimp fondue, and for dessert, we had chocolate and banana foster fondue.
it was lots of food and all of them delicious.
They might be pricey but look at $$$ on their Unilocal page before going there. I’ve been there for a Unilocal event, but I’ll definitely go back there with right group of people, cause you can have a fun night here.

Melting pot is always a fun dining experience. I’ve gone twice– once on a date night and my most recent visit with with the Unilocal Elite squad. For both experiences whether it was with Elite or just me and my fiancé, I felt that the service, food quality, and overall experience were very enjoyable. My favorite cheese dip is the spinach artichoke, with a Granny Smith Apple as a dipper. I love the Caesar salad but I just tried the house salad with both sweet and spicy sauce and peppercorn ranch and all 3 salad variations were delicious! There is a variety of entrée options but it’s always a safe bet to go with land and sea– some chicken, shrimp, and steak. They’re each seasoned well with 5 complementary sauces. I would highly recommend the green goddess on literally everything. It’s a mix of Gorgonzola cheese with herbs and spices. SO GOOD.
Prior to the recent Unilocal visit, I’ve always gotten the regular milk chocolate fondue. Classic, delicious, and always a hit. However, I tried the chocolate and peanut butter with nuts and it was so great. What beat both of these fondues was the bananas foster which is flambéed with Bacardi 151 and flavored with cinnamon. I don’t think I could ever go back to plain milk chocolate.
We had wine flight pairings with each of the courses which complemented each dish perfectly. We also tried the love martini which had Malibu, peach schnapps, and cranberry. It tasted like a jolly rancher and snuck up on you in a great way.
The overall experience lasts between 2 – 3 hours so it’s a perfect way to spend a date night or night out with friends. You’ll definitely need those hours to really indulge and enjoy the 4 courses. I would highly recommend to anyone and plan on returning!

What a great time I had at the melting pot! Come hungry, come with friends and be prepared to stay a few hours to savor every last bit of food.
The cheese fondue first course comes with breads and vegetables. You can choose which cheeses you would like, but the spinach artichoke was my favorite fondue. It was a great beginning to the night. The salads were also spectacular. I had a Caesar, which actually had pine nuts that were encrusted with Parmesan cheese. You just can’t get enough cheese. I ordered the land and sea, which contained filet mignon, chicken, large white shrimp, vegetables and potatoes. We were provided pots of broth in which to cook the food. Along with the main course were a number of dipping sauces, all fantastic. As if that wasn’t enough, we had to forge our way through the desert course. I tried the original fondue which is chocolate and peanut butter as well as the bananas foster fondue, which was lit on fire at the table. This was served with such a variety of treats for dipping that it is an entire meal in itself.
Our waitress Lauren, was fantastic. She is a true professional server and walked us through the entire dinner.
The drinks are great, and you can order a beer flight or a wine flight so that you can have a different drinks served with each course. I will definitely return as I had a great time.

After last nights Unilocal Elite event at the Melting Pot located in the Canyon of Destiny, I truly understand what it is to be a crocodile. We started the evening with signature Martinis followed by cheese fondu, which was, very much cheese. I loved the bread and the apples. Both were fresh. Vegetables were provided but I had my eyes on the prize and didn’t want to take up valuable room. We were reminded often by our fondu coach Lauren that we were running a «marathon». The main course consisted of fat shrimp, lean filet and seasoned chicken. Everything was so nicely prepped and ready to be quickly cooked in the steaming pots of broth. This is were it’s a nice reminder that we are here for the experience. This is a nice long meal to share with friends, laugh, drink and be merry. You may be cooking, but someone has prepped, and the waitstaff whisks away plates, replaces utensils and fills your glass before you notice you need it! Dessert was really good. Cheesecake cubes? Hello. Sign me up. Who doesn’t love a pot of chocolate or bananas foster? So here we are over 24hrs later and I’ve yet to feel a hunger pang. Crocodile. I won’t be able to eat for a week after that feast! I’m planning a night out with friends to fondu it up again soon!

I really enjoyed my experience at the Melting Pot. Our waiter was hilarious and explained the whole meal to us. It is a bit pricey, and you can choose from a series of course selections, but you get to cook your own meat, choose your own cheese dippings, and your series of desserts. The full 5 (or 6?) course meal is way too much food, but the cheese and chocolate is not to be missed. I can’t say the bread or fruits/​veggies felt very fresh, but if you go to a fondue restaurant in a mall, this is about what you’d expect. I had a lot of fun — and the cocktail menu is extensive and thought out — and would go again with a group of friends.

I’ve visited the melting pot when traveling and thought it’s ok. Went one in Destiny usa and won’t be going back, service was terrible food was ok, but we both left wishing we went some where else

Awesome place to bring a date. The slow meal enables good conversation while enhancing the overall experience. And it’s just expensive enough to be affordable and not have to be bothered with the cries of children.