Exceptional everything. We were a little unfamiliar with the drill, but our friendly server toOK us through the drill. We had steak, chicken, shrimp and of course their Swiss cheese fondue appetizer. And of course, of course the chocolate dessert fondue. It's definitely a "special dinner" place, at least for us. Four course dinner for two with one glass of wine was $120 including gratuity. Would also be a fun place to go just for dessert which would run about $9 a person.
(4)
Kim B.
Pretty disappointed with the wine list. We asked if they had another wine list and we were told yes. But it is really an old list that they don't keep track of the inventory and we could just try a few and see if they had them. Really?
(1)
Lenny E.
Great service, Bashar makes your visit extremely special . Lobster and Filet mignon exceptional. Great place for an intimate dinner!
(5)
Lora H.
I think that this is going to end up being one of my most favorite restaurants. What a wonderful experience. We were greeted at the door quickly and we escorted around some walls back into the area they call "lovers lane" which is really wonderful for when you want a romantic and intimate experience. We were in a small booth perfect for 2 people and really almost completely alone. It was amazing. We looked through the menu and decided to do the 4 courses, which was fun and made the experience even more. You can choose one cheese dish, two salads, two different main courses, and one chocolate dish. We ordered the cheese traditional cheese fondue and were quite pleased to find out that if we wanted more of the "dippers" all we had to do was ask. It was amazing. The salads were small but tasty and adequate as we waited for the entree portion to come. We chose the Coq A Vin cooking method and were extremely pleased with it. It flavored the meats and seafood very well and smelled wonderful while it was cooking. After that we had to decide on the chocolate fondue portion. My husband is not a big milk chocolate fan and I am not a fan of white chocolate, even though both of those selections sounded tempted, but we went with what we knew we both would love and were not disappointed in the least. We chose the Dark and Dulce and it was perfection. The server gave us a choice on how much salt to put in, and we went with medium and it was divine. What a wonderful experience. I would love to go back and highly recommend it. Don't plan on it being a quick service though as it took us 2 hours to get through all 4 courses. It was well worth the time and part of what you pay for is the experience. You won't be disappointed! Go NOW!! Well you may want to make a reservation, but don't hesitate. And I hear that if you are there for a special occasion that they will give you something for dessert for free. I think it was cheesecake but I am not certain. And if you check in on Yelp you get $10 off of $50 so that helps. :)
(5)
Ali H.
My boyfriend and I had dinner at The Melting Pot. The food was excellent. Our server Drew, was extremely helpful, and knowledgable about the menu. As first time "fonduers", it can be quite confusing. The service was outstanding, very quick, but didn't feel rushed. From start to finish everything was perfect. I have no complaints, and we defiantly will be returning to try the other entrees The Melting pot has to offer.
(5)
Liz C.
I don't get it... The first part, the cheese fondue I was really excited about. The cheese dip tasted good, but all they gave us to dip in it was stale, old bread and an extremely small bowl of raw veggies that came from a bag. I think I got three bites before the cheese was gone. This portion cost 8$. The salad was itty bitty itty bitty and had barely any lettuce and was drenched in dressing. Then they gave us some cubes of meat, mushrooms, potatoes and broccoli. The broth was alright. The meat didn't really get any flavor from it. The dipping sauces were really good but I mean, I felt like I was dipping everything ranch dressing or teriyaki sauce like it was a chicken nugget or something. I just felt like it was something I could have made in my sleep. Not flavorful unless you dipped it in the dipping sauce. There wasn't anything really good about it. The waitress was extremely nice, friendly, conversational. The manager came to check on us as well, so the staff made the experience better. I didn't say anything negative bc I was with friends, but I felt for 47-50 per person meal should be a little more....something.
(2)
Tori B.
Had an amazing birthday dinner at the Melting Pot tonight!! We were treated like kings and queens! We got to eat in the wine room which was awesome. The food was delicious as usual and the service was second to none. Had josh again and he never disappoints! So personal and remembers all our faves! Thanks again for an awesome meal :)
I had heard about The Melting Pot, and I was anxious to try it out. I knew it was pricey, and therefore a "special occasion" place. First, everything on the menu sounded awesome, so I let my cousins make most of the decisions. We all agreed that the four course was the way to go, rather than ordering individually. We started off with cheese dip, specifically red pepper gorgonzola and spinach artichoke. Yummers!!! They actually put it together right there at the table. We decided on mojo and coq au vin for the cooking style. Super good Finally...dessert. Oh my. I'm a chocolate fiend,so i was REALLY looking forward to this. We went with the yin and yang (dark & white) and the flaming turtle (milk chocolate with caramel and pecans). The dippers they brought out were awesome. Bananas, pineapple, strawberries, marshmallows covered in oreos & graham crackers, brownies & rice krispie treats. It was pricey, but worth it! I can't wait to go back!!
(5)
Vanessa T.
Love it!!! Especially when your eating and drinking for 1/2 price! They have a ridiculously great late night happy hour...in the bar and surrounding lounge tables, they have $5 specialty drinks, $3/4 beer and wine, and half off cheese and chocolate...these are two things that make me very happy! I have eaten the full meal here and it is a great experience, it is a long meal because every course is brought out and prepared tableside..It is really cool and I would definitely recommend this to anyone who is looking for something different or a special occasion dinner ( it is pretty expensive prob $100 easily per couple)
(5)
Brandie D.
Well deserved five stars for unbelieveble service and fondue cooking experience. The server was very knowledgeable and helpful in describing all of the flavors each fondue had and we left extremely full and more than satisfied.
(5)
Nery V.
This place is like a piece of heaven! SangrÃas were great! We ordered the 4 course meals and it was very filling. The Fiesta cheese fondue was great, although spicier would've been better for my taste, nonetheless still great. Salads are small but very tasty! The mojo cooking style was delicious! I ordered the fondue delight. . Lobster was my favorite! The veggies and dipping sauces were all excellent. By the time dessert came around I was stuffed..but wait the best is still to come! Brownies, banana, strawberries, rice crispy treats n other treats dipped in Chocolate and peanut butter fondue???? A great ending to wonderful dining experience!
(5)
Gregg K.
It was my wife's Birthday and she wanted to go somewhere different. We both haven't been to the Melting pot in over 10 years. I really loved the atmosphere. And the service was awesome thanks Josh. We both had the four course meal. Yes it takes about 2 hours, but with good company and great food you don't even notice. Of course the cheese was fantastic and so was the chocolate,but so was the salads and main course. (Thanks for the suggestions josh). We will be back maybe not for a month or two but definitely not waiting another 10 years.
(4)
Kathy C.
I am a fan of The Melting Pot. With the right expectation, it can be a fun night. And by 'the right expectation', I mean, make sure you don't have any urgent matter or appointment to attend to. Be ready to stay for 3 hours or so for your meal (assuming you are having a full meal). Make sure you have the right company with you... i.e. don't come for the first date as it will be a very awkward three hours staring at each other if you don't 'hit it off' with that person. So we've been to the Melting Pot several times over the years. I am a bit surprised that I never wrote a review on them. Maybe it's because after each visit, I would be in a pretty darn good food coma for a while and by the time I am out of it, I forget to write a review about it? At any rate, last night, my husband and several friends all decided to go in a 'spur of the moment' thing... which in itself, it's kinda funny because The Melting Pot is really not your 'spur of the moment' kinda restaurant. We went for a fairly early dinner. A friend arrived around 5 PM and put her name down. She was told it would be a 45 min wait. No biggie. As our party of five arrived, we all met at the bar area for a cocktail while waiting for the table. When the table was ready, we were seated in a large booth with two fondu 'stoves'. We all ordered the four course experience and got to choose two different types of cheese, broth, and dessert to be shared by the five of us. One of our friends ordered the Ying & Yang martini and I stole a few sip of it. It was delicious. I had the Mangolicious and it was also very yummy. The food was as what I expected, the cheese was yummy, the entree not bad, and the dessert kicked butt. Oh and the blah salad... but it's a salad and I am not a salad person... so blah is the only word I can use to describe it. Going to the Melting Pot is really for the fun and experience. It takes a while to go through the menu, discuss what combinations, get the food, cook the food, try the food, cook some more, then some more, then some more... you get the idea. It's lonnnnng. But we were a bunch of veteran fondu'ers, So we buckled down for the night, had fun trying, testing, tasting, chatting, and overall, had a great time. I am pretty sure we'll go back some time in the future. It is a pricey and long affair, so not my ordinary go-to restaurant. But it definitely can be a lot of fun.
(4)
Kevin P.
This is a great restaurant!! Well worth the price! The service was top shelf, the food exceptional!! My wife loved it! You should come here!!
(5)
Dj S.
Fondue or fondon't? This is my first time fonduing and probably my last. To begin I have to say the service was really good. Server explained everything well and was very attentive. Now on to the main issues: Timing, it literally to us 4 hours to eat our meal, 1 hr between serving. So if your starving when you get here don't expect to get full anytime soon. Portion size, meat is almost nonexistent and a ton of vegetables is what you'll get. They bring a little plate of raw meats less than a cubic inch in size, ten pieces total that your suppose to share. I'm sorry but, this looked like a joke. Price, $80 for two people. A four course meal that consisted of melted sargento cheese and veggies, salad, meat pieces and veggies, and chocolate sauce with junk food to dip in. Oh did I forget mention "veggies" ! I should just went to sweet tomatoes if I would of known better. So in conclusion I rate this place 3 stars. The only reason is because of the service. If service wasn't on point ,this place would of received a much lower score.
(3)
Stephanie S.
App and dessert were great, a little turned off that I had to cook my own food but I guess that's the point of this place. Pretty pricy but food was tasty. Staff was great.
(4)
T D.
Be prepared for a sugar coma! I had a ying and yang martini, which was amazing and I finished it off in a matter of moments. The cheddar fondue was perfect with the vegetables and the spinach artichoke fondue perfect with chips and bread. They had a special Italian salad not on the menu that was really good too. Next I had the Pacific Rim, which has sirloin, duck, pork and chicken potstickers, once again amazing. To finish things off for dessert there was banana fosters fondue and dark chocolate with Bailey's fondue, both were incredible with the many desserts they gave us to dip. Even though my entree tasted really good, next time I will probably stick with just the cheese fondue then chocolate, I just couldn't really get into cooking my dinner.
I love this place! Very friendly service. There was this one guy playing his own music and it was very entertaining. LOVE the dessert fondue... =) I can't wait to go back!
(5)
Mc K.
- Service: DISAPOINTING, our server failed at making our Valentine's Day dinner a romantic evening. Two sets of couples came in after us and were served before us by like 15 minutes. Also our server constantly asked for me to pass her my empty dishes and
(3)
Jeff T.
Jacksonville's Melting Pot is amazing! Great service and great food! :)
(5)
Bill G.
Just took my wife to The Melting Pot for our 29th anniversary, and while we were not sure what to expect, we were so pleasantly surprised. The service was great, the food was outstanding, and the manager even brought us ginger ale in champagne glasses with our dessert (we don't drink alcohol). Our server, Drew, did an excellent job explaining the process to us and kept our water full. Great atmosphere, great food, will be returning for sure. Bill and Anna Gray Atlantic Beach FL
(5)
Drew H.
The Melting Pot is the ultimate date dinner. It's a fabulous 4 course meal with a cheese fondue, salad, entree and chocolate. I always ask my waiter for their personal favorites on each course. (No one else would know better than them!) On the chocolate order the snickers or the bananas fosters! It's not on the menu but our waiter informed us of these delicious secret chocolates that can be made!
(5)
Kyle R.
I had the absolute most amazing experience here from the time I walked through the door till I left. The food was absolutely amazing and the service was even better! Drew was our server and he took exceptional care of us. Very responsive and courteous. His knowledge of the menu helped us through our experience and we enjoyed it very much!!
(5)
Lisa K.
We love Melting pot. We came from Gainesville to check out this location. The staff was very rude especially our waiter Brian. Our water was never refilled plates rarely cleaned off. The wine list was weaker than publix. He literally told me that my Chocolate fondue looked like an std. Insanely disappointed.
(1)
Alex V.
We have been to this location multiple times and in other cities like Nashville and Pittsburgh. Although this location lacks the historic building like many others, it makes up for it with a great serve staff and a great layout (ask for lovers lane for a romantic spot). We have had the same server many times, a young Jax local - I think his name is Luke. He gave great advice on menu options and really great tips on cooking techniques and food combinations that we had never heard of before. He encouraged us to branch out and try some new stuff which we loved! Meat is always top quality and perfectly portioned. I've seen a few reviews saying serving sizes are small. I would challenge anyone to order the 4 course meal and not have to be carried out the door. I also read a few reviews complain about the time it took them to eat. I tend to think this is the best part of the melting pot experience. Taking time to sit down for a 2-3 hour meal with the people you love is an awesome thing. The service is not slow by any means, but the process of the courses and cooking does take time but is wonderful as your experimenting with different meats, cooking styles, and creating your own little recipes. To wrap up, the Melting Pot experience is unlike any other restaurant you will visit. I highly recommend it! Although it is pricy, I have never left feeling like it wasn't worth the money. A more satisfying purchase than many other things. Enjoy!
(5)
Jacquelyn H.
We were in town for the holidays and had a date night at the Melting Pot. My husband has been raving about it for years and since we don't have one in my hometown I had never tried it. He was not kidding! I seriously enjoyed the whole experience. We did the 4 course and had a bottle of wine. All of our courses were soooo gooood but with my insane sweet tooth I was head over heels about our dessert. Snickers fondue...are you kidding me!?!? I've had dreams about this stuff since our visit. Anyway, beautiful atmosphere, killer food and the service was top notch. All around amazing experience. Thank you Melting Pot staff !
(5)
Keely P.
Wow! Yes! Yumm! After much discussion,(and yelp reviews) we finally tried Melting Pot..seriously the best meal ive had in a long time! We started with the swiss cheese fondue, it was so good, went perfect with the bread & apples, had the steak lobster & shrimp with co qu vin, which was also amazing then finished with the smores chocolate..every single bite was delicous.Service was excellent! We will be back!
(5)
Christine I.
An awesome place to go once in a blue moon when you have money to spend and time to kill. The Melting Pot offers a traditional 4 course fondue meal starting with a cheese course and ending with the oh-so delectable chocolate course. I recommend going with an even number of people as most of their choices are priced for 2. This specific location is very festive for the holidays (I went there on new years once and our table was decked out with noisemakers and confetti!). It is also great for dates and has a hallway dubbed "lovers lane" because of its intimate and private tables. The servers are always attentive...they kindof have to be since they make most of the food for you! I went there this past Monday to celebrate my sister's birthday with the family. The server was very attentive, (we had the bartender as our server and you never know what you are going to get when that happens!) and full of recommendations. We started with their classic cheese fondue, got the court boullian broth for cooking and ended with the turtle chocolate fondue (To die for! The chocolate and caramel mix perfectly). The server also brought us additional veggies and fruit free of charge, nice when you have a big party. HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend reservations. It is my understanding that they only schedule servers for the number of people they have reservations for, otherwise you have to wait.
(4)
Zin Z.
Good Place for over-priced fondue and expensive wine. However: Want to celebrate National Cheese Fondue Day on the cheap? The fondue restaurant, The Melting Pot, is offering free cheese fondue April 11 through April 14. There's no purchase necessary to get the deal, but reservations are required and are limited, so plan ahead. The cheese fondue course, which serves two people, is valued around $14, although prices may vary. The Melting Pot, which specializes in cheese, broth and chocolate fondues, operates 142 restaurants in 36 states, including one in Jacksonville at 7860 Gate Parkway. Read more: Free fondue for you | Jacksonville Business Journal
(3)
Amy S.
This is my restaurant of restaurants. If I knew I were having my last meal on Earth, this is where I would be eating. Dining here is not just another meal, it is an experience. Expect to be here for a minimum of 2 hours, longer if you are enjoying good wine and conversation. I highly advise making a reservation in advance. When I step through the doorway into the restaurant, I feel as if I am transported; the lighting, decor, and ambiance take me away. We are always immediately greeted with a smile from the hostess and have never experienced a wait. I always call for a reservation and when we arrive our table is already waiting for us. The walk to our table is lovely as we pass the many tall wine racks holding tightly onto their bottles. This is also the most impeccably clean restaurant I have ever seen. One particular evening we made a late reservation and we were the last couple in the restaurant. I happened to overhear two of the servers discussing they still needed to polish the silverware for the next evening. Impressive! They actually polish the silverware every evening. I also noticed the manager in another part of the restaurant with a small flashlight personally going from table to table checking every inch of the table, chairs, and floor to make sure everything was perfect and nothing had been missed. The servers here are all excellent. We have never had the same server twice and they have all been friendly, helpful, and very knowledgeable. Have no fears if you do not know fondue well or do not know fondue at all; the servers will explain all different options to you as well as cooking times for your entree and they will do so patiently and with a smile on their face. They always seem to know the perfect time to return to our table. It's as if they can read our minds. Many servers either come too often and are annoying or they don't come enough which is another level of annoying. Here they come at the exact, appropriate times. Also, each course is always timed perfectly. The specialty martinis are amazing. My favorite is the love martini. I only indulge in one because we always order a bottle of our favorite wine, Rosa Regale. We've tried several of the cheese fondues and our favorite is the cheddar cheese fondue. The flavors come together so nicely and since we have settled on our favorite, it is now always the one we order. For our entree, we always go with the mojo cooking style. We haven't tried any of the other cooking styles because the mojo is amazing; perhaps one day we'll give one of the other cooking styles a shot. For dessert, our favorite fondue is the original which is milk chocolate with crunchy peanut butter. We've also tried the bananas foster which is white chocolate with bananas and flambeed tableside; neither of us cared for it very much as the banana flavor overpowered the chocolate. Next on my list to try is the chocolate s'mores which I have heard is fabulous, I just have to get myself away from my favorite, the original. :) With all of the fondues, you may always request extra of the "dipping" items at no additional charge. The only one which carries an extra charge is the cheesecake. I always leave here feeling as if I'm on top of the world. I'm sure the martini and wine have a little something to do with it, but it's also a combination of the ambiance, the service, the food, and, of course, the wonderful, loving company of my husband.
(5)
Angela K.
LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS PLACE!! Go there for my birthday every year and it is amazing!! The owners walk aroud and talk to you and the servers and food are to amazing!! Go there you will love it!!!!! I have been at this locations mutiple times and will always go back :)
(5)
Alisa B.
We have loved this place for as long as it has been on Gate Pkwy. Never had even the smallest problem. We had been trying to get a reservation on Valentines for years, but were always told they were booked. This year when I called they had a 10pm open. We are night owls so this was perfect! We were so excited. So we arrive at the restaurant and are taken to the table. We are seated at a table meant for a large party and they have crafted partitions out of what looks like cardboard and table linens so they could create two tops. For this to work my husband and I had to sit shoulder to shoulder facing a wall and an empty booth with the partition on my left. I could have held hands with the diner next to me, not to mention joined in their conversation. Then the waiter tells me that I will have to stand up for him to access the controls for the fondue burner. Having eaten here before, I knew this would happen several times throughout the meal. At this point, I asked my husband if we could leave. On our way out, the employees at the front desk asked if there was a problem and my husband explained our feelings about the seating arrangement. They made no apology and offered no alternatives. We were just shocked! This place seemed to have the customer experience down to a science! But I think they let an opportunity to make a lot of money cloud their judgement. On Valentines night, when people are paying $180 a couple for an experience, this is acceptable customer service? I think not.
(1)
Jackie B.
We ate here as a "just because"/late anniversary dinner, and it was great. The food and the atmosphere were perfect for spending time together. (And if course it was delicious-especially the Flaming Turtle!)
(5)
Carol S.
Amazing dinner. Fantastic service from our waiter, Tyler! The new school martini is wonderful. We had the Big Night out fondue feast (4 course). Could not finish it all, but it was wonderful!
(5)
Andy L.
We went to the Melting Pot for two reasons: (1) my wife has been dying to go since she learned there was one in Jacksonville, and (2) it's in our teal-deal book. For me, the coupon was the only reason I finally agreed to eating here. I don't want you to think I'm anti-fondue; I'm not. It's just that I was not impressed by the Melting Pot and I think it is way too expensive for what you get. We started off with a cheese fondue appetizer, which was good, but I think it would be pretty hard to mess that up. I do like how the waitress mixed together the cheese pot at our table. The main course is that part that surprised me.... and probably made me sick. We got a mix of steak, pork, chicken, and tuna. I had no idea they bring it all out on one plate, RAW, and you cook it in your boiling pot of broth. That immediately seemed unappetizing, but I rolled with the flow. We finished most of the meat, but the whole time I was worried about not cooking the meat long enough and having the raw meat accidentally touch something I was going to eat. Dessert was awesome. Chocolate fondue. I really don't need to say any more. Nothing fancy, just melting chocolate, with a smores flavor. The drive home, the rest of the night, and the next morning, I felt sick. I blame it on the main meat course. Will I go back.... probably, because we have one more coupon. But next time we will only get a cheese fondue and a chocolate fondue. And the price..... way too expensive. Two people, with drinks.... and you're going to charge us about $100 for fondue!?!?!?!?!?
(2)
Monica S.
I think fondue is a lot of fun for date night!! This location is beautifully done up in hardwoods and open spaces. Cooking your own food takes a LOOONNNGGG time and allows for lengthy good conversation with your date of a group of fun friends so the Melting Pot is the perfect atmosphere to do either! This location is newer, clean and the youthful staff is impeccably friendly and attentive. But most importantly the food is really great as well! I particularly like the Coq Au Vin cooking style here which consists of herbs, mushrooms, garlic, spices and burgundy! The only downside here is the cost is pretty significant. This location frequently sends out coupons however in the local coupon saver books around significant holidays. A good time to hit up this location is when you are simply in the mood for dessert and it is just the two of you! It is very sexy to feed chocolate covered ANYTHING to your partner!
(4)
Amanda J.
User Rating: 5 out of 5 stars by Goddess Amanda 04/26/2009 i added some pics of what to expect and if you are looking at this place for a good night out away from the kids or to celebrate a special occasion, or are just wanting to try something new, PLEASE don't pass it up. despite what some tacky people are posting (who probably don't eat out often or shouldn't eat out anyhow) this place is one we frequent and will as long as the doors are open. you can basically expect to not have a seat(ive been denied too but i don't take it personally, as i love this place)when there was a weekend event, a holiday or later in the afternoon. the doors open at 430 pm EST and they close around 11 i think. reservations if you want to eat here are suggested, and i do suggest them!any of the smiling hostesses will be glad to help. the menu as others mentioned, does change not very often like every six months i think. it's worth it if you want a salad, entree and dessert to get the big night out,as they have all items for approx. $70-90 per couple, and this is alot of food.. three courses worth! the specialty martinis are awesome and we show Rob and Sergio much love for their prowess with mixology! the wine list is EXTENSIVE so if you aren't a wine addict, you can choose one with no fear, or ask for suggestions with no fear! We're Club fondue members as we frequent the place and i can safely say EACH and Every single time we leave this place that I'm NEVER disappointed. i mean , it's cheese fondue, a plate of different meats, bowl of veggies, salads, and your choice of chocolate fondue and various dippers. it's a lot of food for the money. the cooking styles are varied, but please don't just go for deep frying your food, try the citrus mojo(moho). the waitstaff is knowledgable, sincere, and sometimes may get busy...but they don't ever act annoyed. perhaps those who were tipping 10% deserved it.
(3)
Mark W.
Great dinner experience; forces you to slow down and experience one another... Be sure to request Matt W as your waiter
(5)
Holly H.
This place was amazing. My husband and I had wanted to try The Melting Pot for years, and we finally got the opportunity to do so on our anniversary this year. The place is very nice, and the way it is designed, you can't really see any other patrons while you are eating. I'll admit that I had a little bit of fear that I'd make a fool of myself since I'd never had fondue, but no one could see me anyway, so it was great! It also gave my husband and I some nice privacy. The place wasn't really loud, so it felt very intimate and nice. Our waitress walked us through the menu, which was very nice. We ended up going for the "Big Night Out" package. When we went it was a French theme. She told us that we could swap out any other foods on the menu, the main part of the Big Night Out was the larger variety of meat that you get for your entree. I honestly can't remember which cheese we got, but it was delicious. It was one of the ones on the Big Night Out, and just like the waitress said, it tasted a lot like a loaded baked potato. She brought a bowl of several types of bread cut into cubes, a bowl of veggies, and a bowl of cut up granny smith apples. I had never had apples and cheese together like that, so I thought it was weird, but when I tried it (because you have to at least give new things a chance before not liking them!) it was delicious! I think the extra tartness of the granny smiths went really well with the cheese. The waitress also told us that if we wanted any more dippers for our cheese she could give them to us (no extra charge). Next was our salad. We picked one from the Big Night Out as well. It was super delicious. Again it was something outside of my comfort zone. I didn't really know what it was from the description, but I gave it a chance and loved it. By now I was getting pretty full and was worried I wouldn't be able to eat all four courses! Next was the entire, the part that I'd heard a lot of negative comments about from other online reviews. Some complained of having to cook their own food, some worried they weren't cooking it long enough, etc, etc. Since we went with the Big Night Out, we received tons of meat. A plate that included lobster tail, duck, chicken, filet mignon, peppered steak, shrimp, and cheese ravioli. There may have been a couple of others, I'm not sure. Our waitress told us how to cook them, 2 minutes for done, 1 minute for medium rare I think on the steak. This was the only part we kind of thought was lacking in the sense that a timer would have been really nice, or we might have ended up with some undercooked and some overcooked. But my husband and I simply whipped out our cell phones and used the timer function. It made us laugh to sit there and use them to time our food. It was fun and the food was delicious. Next was the CHOCOLATE! We chose the Flaming Turtle, but we had the Milk Chocolate switched to Dark Chocolate, so it was Dark chocolate, caramel, and chopped pecans flambeed tableside. It was DELICIOUS! We received strawberries, banana slices, rice krispie treats, marshmallows (two coated in graham cracker crumbs and two coated in chocolate cookie crumbs), pound cake, brownies, and a sliver of cheese cake. Now I will say I was bit surprised by the small size of this selection. The cheese cake piece was pretty tiny. I mean I wasn't expecting Cheesecake Factory size! But I guess I was expecting a normal size piece, and this was maybe an inch tall and the widest part of it was also probably about an inch. The cubes of other deserts were about 3/4-1 inch cubes as well. The strawberries weren't huge, beautiful strawberries, they were smaller ones, but they were still delicious. It was still a GREAT dessert, so I ignored the smaller size, because it worked. We had had so much food already, so it was perfect. Again, we were allowed to order some extra dippers without additional charge as long as it wasn't the cheesecake. I think there were one or two others you had to pay extra for as well, but I'm not sure which. We even had a coupon for a free chocolate fondue, so that was free, and basically made up for the drink we had. I had a Long Island Iced Tea and my husband had a Blue Moon and Gin and Ginger ale. I think I also had one of the fruity menu drinks, but I can't remember. My memory is awful! They also congratulated us on our anniversary and gave us a complimentary glass of champagne. It was very nice and I can't wait to go again!
(5)
Scott O.
This is a great place to treat your significant other to a romantic dinner, the seating is such to where you don't really see the other patrons which is nice. The waiters are always very helpful and courteous, I've never had a bad experience there. The house salad dressing is phenomenal, in fact they sell it so I always get 2 when I'm there. If you like fondue then this is the place to go. I do recommend though that you stay away from getting your food cooked in the oil because it is very heavy and won't sit well with most stomachs. I learned the hard way that getting them cooked in the broth makes a huge difference, it's not the cheapest but it is something that makes for a nice night out, birthday dinner, or anniversary. Just make sure you get the dessert fondue, it is outstanding.
(5)
Minola M.
Very nice place to go out on date with the person of your choice. Its not exactly about good food but the magical interactive experience you and date will share. Very pricey though if you do the full four course meal. Or you can do what me and my friend did, we skipped the first course which is the cheese fondue, the second course which is a shrimp ceviche salad, and third course which is the entree that cost about $100 per couple. So me and my friend order one individual entree to share between the both of us which is about $18 - $25 depending on what you get. Which is good b/c they don't charge extra if you ask for more veggies to dip in the pot and comes with a light plain but good salad so it will be plenty. Dont forget to ask for two plates for the one individual entree the two of you will be sharing. As for dessert we ordered the yin yang chocolate fondue which is white and dark chocolate. That was about $19 and came with a variety of unlimited dippers except the cheesecake. So basically when you include tax and gratuity and drinks besides water your looking at about no more than $50 if you do it the way me and my friend did.
(5)
Mari G.
My friend brought me here for a ladies night. Gonna be honest, if not for my friend saying that I shouldn't judge too harshly because it was an off night for them, they would have gotten two stars. I couldn't believe how absolutely LONG it took for our dinner. 3+ hours! Waiter said he was helping to train a new bartender, but he took so long at one point that the marinade or whatever you call it for the entree was over halfway gone. Plus, the waiter didn't even really get the type of marinade we wanted until we called him on it. The manager came around and gave a us a free round of drinks because we had waited so long that the group near us (seated long after we were) had already received their food. Drinks were delish. Cheese fondue appetizer great, dessert simply spectacular. Entree was eh. Though, to be honest, it's probably my personal preference. I should have gone with all seafood. I just didn't feel like the meat was spice enough when boiled in their marinade. Oh! Whoever wasn't able to get their Yelp offer of three chocolate covered strawberries should have pushed on it or something. They made mine fresh and the manager delivered them. They were divine! I'd probably have given them four stars if not for the waiter experience.
(3)
Shanna P.
WOW. Our server was literally the best server I've ever had. EVER. His name was Brian and he was happy and helpful. I've never been so happy with my service and my meal. We really enjoyed our experience and we will be back. Every suggestion was on point and the chocolate was delicious. We will be back and we hope to have the same server again!
(5)
Tori B.
NEVER EAT AT THE MELTING POT. We thought taking the family to the Melting Pot would be a fun different experience, so we all went for a family celebration. The minute we walked in, it just didn't 'feel' right, but I didn't want to leave and disappoint everyone, as the kids were all looking forward to the interactive dinner. While we still had fun as a family, the restaurant was HORRIBLE and even worse, the management DID NOTHING to make up for the considerable issues we had with our party of 7. In fact, they were smug, greedy, did not take our complaints seriously and obviously needed the $400 our party spent more than repeat business or referrals. PLEASE DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THIS SAD EXCUSE FOR A RESTAURANT.
(1)
Joseph A.
Made a last minute reservation on the 3rd of July and got excellent service from everyone in the place! My wife loves the food, which is very good, but I'm just not a huge fan of cooking my own dinner when I'm paying for it. Even so, it was very delicious, and turned into a fun date night.
(4)
Khaleesi T.
Very nice place, front desk amazing! that would of been a 5 star, but our waiter was a bit to much in our conversation! I am not sure if he was just trying to be friendly, yet it was too much. We've had the Chocolate fondue, as we just came in for dessert and it was AMAZING! We've a had mixture of dark and milk chocolate, I'll definitely come back!
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : No Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Dinner Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Dressy Ambience : Intimate Noise Level : Quiet Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : Yes Wi-Fi : No Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Caters : No
Larry B.
Exceptional everything. We were a little unfamiliar with the drill, but our friendly server toOK us through the drill. We had steak, chicken, shrimp and of course their Swiss cheese fondue appetizer. And of course, of course the chocolate dessert fondue. It's definitely a "special dinner" place, at least for us. Four course dinner for two with one glass of wine was $120 including gratuity. Would also be a fun place to go just for dessert which would run about $9 a person.
(4)Kim B.
Pretty disappointed with the wine list. We asked if they had another wine list and we were told yes. But it is really an old list that they don't keep track of the inventory and we could just try a few and see if they had them. Really?
(1)Lenny E.
Great service, Bashar makes your visit extremely special . Lobster and Filet mignon exceptional. Great place for an intimate dinner!
(5)Lora H.
I think that this is going to end up being one of my most favorite restaurants. What a wonderful experience. We were greeted at the door quickly and we escorted around some walls back into the area they call "lovers lane" which is really wonderful for when you want a romantic and intimate experience. We were in a small booth perfect for 2 people and really almost completely alone. It was amazing. We looked through the menu and decided to do the 4 courses, which was fun and made the experience even more. You can choose one cheese dish, two salads, two different main courses, and one chocolate dish. We ordered the cheese traditional cheese fondue and were quite pleased to find out that if we wanted more of the "dippers" all we had to do was ask. It was amazing. The salads were small but tasty and adequate as we waited for the entree portion to come. We chose the Coq A Vin cooking method and were extremely pleased with it. It flavored the meats and seafood very well and smelled wonderful while it was cooking. After that we had to decide on the chocolate fondue portion. My husband is not a big milk chocolate fan and I am not a fan of white chocolate, even though both of those selections sounded tempted, but we went with what we knew we both would love and were not disappointed in the least. We chose the Dark and Dulce and it was perfection. The server gave us a choice on how much salt to put in, and we went with medium and it was divine. What a wonderful experience. I would love to go back and highly recommend it. Don't plan on it being a quick service though as it took us 2 hours to get through all 4 courses. It was well worth the time and part of what you pay for is the experience. You won't be disappointed! Go NOW!! Well you may want to make a reservation, but don't hesitate. And I hear that if you are there for a special occasion that they will give you something for dessert for free. I think it was cheesecake but I am not certain. And if you check in on Yelp you get $10 off of $50 so that helps. :)
(5)Ali H.
My boyfriend and I had dinner at The Melting Pot. The food was excellent. Our server Drew, was extremely helpful, and knowledgable about the menu. As first time "fonduers", it can be quite confusing. The service was outstanding, very quick, but didn't feel rushed. From start to finish everything was perfect. I have no complaints, and we defiantly will be returning to try the other entrees The Melting pot has to offer.
(5)Liz C.
I don't get it... The first part, the cheese fondue I was really excited about. The cheese dip tasted good, but all they gave us to dip in it was stale, old bread and an extremely small bowl of raw veggies that came from a bag. I think I got three bites before the cheese was gone. This portion cost 8$. The salad was itty bitty itty bitty and had barely any lettuce and was drenched in dressing. Then they gave us some cubes of meat, mushrooms, potatoes and broccoli. The broth was alright. The meat didn't really get any flavor from it. The dipping sauces were really good but I mean, I felt like I was dipping everything ranch dressing or teriyaki sauce like it was a chicken nugget or something. I just felt like it was something I could have made in my sleep. Not flavorful unless you dipped it in the dipping sauce. There wasn't anything really good about it. The waitress was extremely nice, friendly, conversational. The manager came to check on us as well, so the staff made the experience better. I didn't say anything negative bc I was with friends, but I felt for 47-50 per person meal should be a little more....something.
(2)Tori B.
Had an amazing birthday dinner at the Melting Pot tonight!! We were treated like kings and queens! We got to eat in the wine room which was awesome. The food was delicious as usual and the service was second to none. Had josh again and he never disappoints! So personal and remembers all our faves! Thanks again for an awesome meal :)
(5)Shera B.
The melting pot really out did themselves ! The service was exceptional from start to finish. The waiters had so much personality and were trained impeccably ! I LOVED the speciality cocktails with the garnishes and the glassware. The summer sipper with fresh muddled watermelon and cucumber was nice ! Also I enjoyed the wine pours with the carafes to match. The owner was very personable and talked to us from start to finish ! The plating is very beautiful . I love the garnishes This is great for an anniversary, date or special occasion. I love hands on and interactive dining experiences ! Especially table side. The cheese fondue to start and the dessert to finish was my favorite . Can you say white chocolate creme brûlée ? Divine !
(5)Rhonda E.
I had heard about The Melting Pot, and I was anxious to try it out. I knew it was pricey, and therefore a "special occasion" place. First, everything on the menu sounded awesome, so I let my cousins make most of the decisions. We all agreed that the four course was the way to go, rather than ordering individually. We started off with cheese dip, specifically red pepper gorgonzola and spinach artichoke. Yummers!!! They actually put it together right there at the table. We decided on mojo and coq au vin for the cooking style. Super good Finally...dessert. Oh my. I'm a chocolate fiend,so i was REALLY looking forward to this. We went with the yin and yang (dark & white) and the flaming turtle (milk chocolate with caramel and pecans). The dippers they brought out were awesome. Bananas, pineapple, strawberries, marshmallows covered in oreos & graham crackers, brownies & rice krispie treats. It was pricey, but worth it! I can't wait to go back!!
(5)Vanessa T.
Love it!!! Especially when your eating and drinking for 1/2 price! They have a ridiculously great late night happy hour...in the bar and surrounding lounge tables, they have $5 specialty drinks, $3/4 beer and wine, and half off cheese and chocolate...these are two things that make me very happy! I have eaten the full meal here and it is a great experience, it is a long meal because every course is brought out and prepared tableside..It is really cool and I would definitely recommend this to anyone who is looking for something different or a special occasion dinner ( it is pretty expensive prob $100 easily per couple)
(5)Brandie D.
Well deserved five stars for unbelieveble service and fondue cooking experience. The server was very knowledgeable and helpful in describing all of the flavors each fondue had and we left extremely full and more than satisfied.
(5)Nery V.
This place is like a piece of heaven! SangrÃas were great! We ordered the 4 course meals and it was very filling. The Fiesta cheese fondue was great, although spicier would've been better for my taste, nonetheless still great. Salads are small but very tasty! The mojo cooking style was delicious! I ordered the fondue delight. . Lobster was my favorite! The veggies and dipping sauces were all excellent. By the time dessert came around I was stuffed..but wait the best is still to come! Brownies, banana, strawberries, rice crispy treats n other treats dipped in Chocolate and peanut butter fondue???? A great ending to wonderful dining experience!
(5)Gregg K.
It was my wife's Birthday and she wanted to go somewhere different. We both haven't been to the Melting pot in over 10 years. I really loved the atmosphere. And the service was awesome thanks Josh. We both had the four course meal. Yes it takes about 2 hours, but with good company and great food you don't even notice. Of course the cheese was fantastic and so was the chocolate,but so was the salads and main course. (Thanks for the suggestions josh). We will be back maybe not for a month or two but definitely not waiting another 10 years.
(4)Kathy C.
I am a fan of The Melting Pot. With the right expectation, it can be a fun night. And by 'the right expectation', I mean, make sure you don't have any urgent matter or appointment to attend to. Be ready to stay for 3 hours or so for your meal (assuming you are having a full meal). Make sure you have the right company with you... i.e. don't come for the first date as it will be a very awkward three hours staring at each other if you don't 'hit it off' with that person. So we've been to the Melting Pot several times over the years. I am a bit surprised that I never wrote a review on them. Maybe it's because after each visit, I would be in a pretty darn good food coma for a while and by the time I am out of it, I forget to write a review about it? At any rate, last night, my husband and several friends all decided to go in a 'spur of the moment' thing... which in itself, it's kinda funny because The Melting Pot is really not your 'spur of the moment' kinda restaurant. We went for a fairly early dinner. A friend arrived around 5 PM and put her name down. She was told it would be a 45 min wait. No biggie. As our party of five arrived, we all met at the bar area for a cocktail while waiting for the table. When the table was ready, we were seated in a large booth with two fondu 'stoves'. We all ordered the four course experience and got to choose two different types of cheese, broth, and dessert to be shared by the five of us. One of our friends ordered the Ying & Yang martini and I stole a few sip of it. It was delicious. I had the Mangolicious and it was also very yummy. The food was as what I expected, the cheese was yummy, the entree not bad, and the dessert kicked butt. Oh and the blah salad... but it's a salad and I am not a salad person... so blah is the only word I can use to describe it. Going to the Melting Pot is really for the fun and experience. It takes a while to go through the menu, discuss what combinations, get the food, cook the food, try the food, cook some more, then some more, then some more... you get the idea. It's lonnnnng. But we were a bunch of veteran fondu'ers, So we buckled down for the night, had fun trying, testing, tasting, chatting, and overall, had a great time. I am pretty sure we'll go back some time in the future. It is a pricey and long affair, so not my ordinary go-to restaurant. But it definitely can be a lot of fun.
(4)Kevin P.
This is a great restaurant!! Well worth the price! The service was top shelf, the food exceptional!! My wife loved it! You should come here!!
(5)Dj S.
Fondue or fondon't? This is my first time fonduing and probably my last. To begin I have to say the service was really good. Server explained everything well and was very attentive. Now on to the main issues: Timing, it literally to us 4 hours to eat our meal, 1 hr between serving. So if your starving when you get here don't expect to get full anytime soon. Portion size, meat is almost nonexistent and a ton of vegetables is what you'll get. They bring a little plate of raw meats less than a cubic inch in size, ten pieces total that your suppose to share. I'm sorry but, this looked like a joke. Price, $80 for two people. A four course meal that consisted of melted sargento cheese and veggies, salad, meat pieces and veggies, and chocolate sauce with junk food to dip in. Oh did I forget mention "veggies" ! I should just went to sweet tomatoes if I would of known better. So in conclusion I rate this place 3 stars. The only reason is because of the service. If service wasn't on point ,this place would of received a much lower score.
(3)Stephanie S.
App and dessert were great, a little turned off that I had to cook my own food but I guess that's the point of this place. Pretty pricy but food was tasty. Staff was great.
(4)T D.
Be prepared for a sugar coma! I had a ying and yang martini, which was amazing and I finished it off in a matter of moments. The cheddar fondue was perfect with the vegetables and the spinach artichoke fondue perfect with chips and bread. They had a special Italian salad not on the menu that was really good too. Next I had the Pacific Rim, which has sirloin, duck, pork and chicken potstickers, once again amazing. To finish things off for dessert there was banana fosters fondue and dark chocolate with Bailey's fondue, both were incredible with the many desserts they gave us to dip. Even though my entree tasted really good, next time I will probably stick with just the cheese fondue then chocolate, I just couldn't really get into cooking my dinner.
(5)Bingle W.
We recently went to the Melting Post to celebrate the GF's birthday. We ordered the "Big Night Out" special which had a lot of Asian/Polynesian flavorings and, in all honesty, it wasn't all that great. The Feng Shui cheese fondue was heavy on the sake flavor and the salad course was lettuce wraps made with curly-leaf lettuce. This made for a pretty presentation, but difficult eating as curly-leaf lettuce refuses to be wrapped into compact bundles. Let's face it - the only reasons to go to a fondue restaurant are for the cheese and the chocolate. The entrée in between is a tedious, steamy mess which involves either the flavorless travesty of boiling steak or burned-to-a-crisp dough balls surrounding raw chicken. We opted for the boiling. This took forever and that's another issue I have with fondue. I attack dining as if I were conducting a military rescue mission - get in, get what you need, get the hell out. No time for perusing the wine list (which, BTW, was very extensive), no time to discuss preparation with the waiter, no time for conversation. Fondue makes you slow down and actually interact with your dining companion. There's no time for that! The special's dessert course, the Passion Fruit Yin & Yang, with its dark and white chocolate combo didn't appeal to us much so we substituted it with milk chocolate with Bailey's Irish Cream. All the chocolate fondue options are served with brownies, rice crispy treats, strawberries, bananas, marshmallows, and a slice of cheesecake. The atmosphere is very conducive to date night due to deeply recessed isolation booths and lack of lighting. In fact, the table next to us had to borrow a flashlight from their waitress in order to read the menu. The service was very informative and helpful and the GF was wished a happy birthday from the hostess, waiter and the manager. The cheesecake also had a birthday candle on top. That was rather nice of them considering that I only casually mentioned the event when I called for a reservation.
(3)Marjie C.
I love this place! Very friendly service. There was this one guy playing his own music and it was very entertaining. LOVE the dessert fondue... =) I can't wait to go back!
(5)Mc K.
- Service: DISAPOINTING, our server failed at making our Valentine's Day dinner a romantic evening. Two sets of couples came in after us and were served before us by like 15 minutes. Also our server constantly asked for me to pass her my empty dishes and
(3)Jeff T.
Jacksonville's Melting Pot is amazing! Great service and great food! :)
(5)Bill G.
Just took my wife to The Melting Pot for our 29th anniversary, and while we were not sure what to expect, we were so pleasantly surprised. The service was great, the food was outstanding, and the manager even brought us ginger ale in champagne glasses with our dessert (we don't drink alcohol). Our server, Drew, did an excellent job explaining the process to us and kept our water full. Great atmosphere, great food, will be returning for sure. Bill and Anna Gray Atlantic Beach FL
(5)Drew H.
The Melting Pot is the ultimate date dinner. It's a fabulous 4 course meal with a cheese fondue, salad, entree and chocolate. I always ask my waiter for their personal favorites on each course. (No one else would know better than them!) On the chocolate order the snickers or the bananas fosters! It's not on the menu but our waiter informed us of these delicious secret chocolates that can be made!
(5)Kyle R.
I had the absolute most amazing experience here from the time I walked through the door till I left. The food was absolutely amazing and the service was even better! Drew was our server and he took exceptional care of us. Very responsive and courteous. His knowledge of the menu helped us through our experience and we enjoyed it very much!!
(5)Lisa K.
We love Melting pot. We came from Gainesville to check out this location. The staff was very rude especially our waiter Brian. Our water was never refilled plates rarely cleaned off. The wine list was weaker than publix. He literally told me that my Chocolate fondue looked like an std. Insanely disappointed.
(1)Alex V.
We have been to this location multiple times and in other cities like Nashville and Pittsburgh. Although this location lacks the historic building like many others, it makes up for it with a great serve staff and a great layout (ask for lovers lane for a romantic spot). We have had the same server many times, a young Jax local - I think his name is Luke. He gave great advice on menu options and really great tips on cooking techniques and food combinations that we had never heard of before. He encouraged us to branch out and try some new stuff which we loved! Meat is always top quality and perfectly portioned. I've seen a few reviews saying serving sizes are small. I would challenge anyone to order the 4 course meal and not have to be carried out the door. I also read a few reviews complain about the time it took them to eat. I tend to think this is the best part of the melting pot experience. Taking time to sit down for a 2-3 hour meal with the people you love is an awesome thing. The service is not slow by any means, but the process of the courses and cooking does take time but is wonderful as your experimenting with different meats, cooking styles, and creating your own little recipes. To wrap up, the Melting Pot experience is unlike any other restaurant you will visit. I highly recommend it! Although it is pricy, I have never left feeling like it wasn't worth the money. A more satisfying purchase than many other things. Enjoy!
(5)Jacquelyn H.
We were in town for the holidays and had a date night at the Melting Pot. My husband has been raving about it for years and since we don't have one in my hometown I had never tried it. He was not kidding! I seriously enjoyed the whole experience. We did the 4 course and had a bottle of wine. All of our courses were soooo gooood but with my insane sweet tooth I was head over heels about our dessert. Snickers fondue...are you kidding me!?!? I've had dreams about this stuff since our visit. Anyway, beautiful atmosphere, killer food and the service was top notch. All around amazing experience. Thank you Melting Pot staff !
(5)Keely P.
Wow! Yes! Yumm! After much discussion,(and yelp reviews) we finally tried Melting Pot..seriously the best meal ive had in a long time! We started with the swiss cheese fondue, it was so good, went perfect with the bread & apples, had the steak lobster & shrimp with co qu vin, which was also amazing then finished with the smores chocolate..every single bite was delicous.Service was excellent! We will be back!
(5)Christine I.
An awesome place to go once in a blue moon when you have money to spend and time to kill. The Melting Pot offers a traditional 4 course fondue meal starting with a cheese course and ending with the oh-so delectable chocolate course. I recommend going with an even number of people as most of their choices are priced for 2. This specific location is very festive for the holidays (I went there on new years once and our table was decked out with noisemakers and confetti!). It is also great for dates and has a hallway dubbed "lovers lane" because of its intimate and private tables. The servers are always attentive...they kindof have to be since they make most of the food for you! I went there this past Monday to celebrate my sister's birthday with the family. The server was very attentive, (we had the bartender as our server and you never know what you are going to get when that happens!) and full of recommendations. We started with their classic cheese fondue, got the court boullian broth for cooking and ended with the turtle chocolate fondue (To die for! The chocolate and caramel mix perfectly). The server also brought us additional veggies and fruit free of charge, nice when you have a big party. HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend reservations. It is my understanding that they only schedule servers for the number of people they have reservations for, otherwise you have to wait.
(4)Zin Z.
Good Place for over-priced fondue and expensive wine. However: Want to celebrate National Cheese Fondue Day on the cheap? The fondue restaurant, The Melting Pot, is offering free cheese fondue April 11 through April 14. There's no purchase necessary to get the deal, but reservations are required and are limited, so plan ahead. The cheese fondue course, which serves two people, is valued around $14, although prices may vary. The Melting Pot, which specializes in cheese, broth and chocolate fondues, operates 142 restaurants in 36 states, including one in Jacksonville at 7860 Gate Parkway. Read more: Free fondue for you | Jacksonville Business Journal
(3)Amy S.
This is my restaurant of restaurants. If I knew I were having my last meal on Earth, this is where I would be eating. Dining here is not just another meal, it is an experience. Expect to be here for a minimum of 2 hours, longer if you are enjoying good wine and conversation. I highly advise making a reservation in advance. When I step through the doorway into the restaurant, I feel as if I am transported; the lighting, decor, and ambiance take me away. We are always immediately greeted with a smile from the hostess and have never experienced a wait. I always call for a reservation and when we arrive our table is already waiting for us. The walk to our table is lovely as we pass the many tall wine racks holding tightly onto their bottles. This is also the most impeccably clean restaurant I have ever seen. One particular evening we made a late reservation and we were the last couple in the restaurant. I happened to overhear two of the servers discussing they still needed to polish the silverware for the next evening. Impressive! They actually polish the silverware every evening. I also noticed the manager in another part of the restaurant with a small flashlight personally going from table to table checking every inch of the table, chairs, and floor to make sure everything was perfect and nothing had been missed. The servers here are all excellent. We have never had the same server twice and they have all been friendly, helpful, and very knowledgeable. Have no fears if you do not know fondue well or do not know fondue at all; the servers will explain all different options to you as well as cooking times for your entree and they will do so patiently and with a smile on their face. They always seem to know the perfect time to return to our table. It's as if they can read our minds. Many servers either come too often and are annoying or they don't come enough which is another level of annoying. Here they come at the exact, appropriate times. Also, each course is always timed perfectly. The specialty martinis are amazing. My favorite is the love martini. I only indulge in one because we always order a bottle of our favorite wine, Rosa Regale. We've tried several of the cheese fondues and our favorite is the cheddar cheese fondue. The flavors come together so nicely and since we have settled on our favorite, it is now always the one we order. For our entree, we always go with the mojo cooking style. We haven't tried any of the other cooking styles because the mojo is amazing; perhaps one day we'll give one of the other cooking styles a shot. For dessert, our favorite fondue is the original which is milk chocolate with crunchy peanut butter. We've also tried the bananas foster which is white chocolate with bananas and flambeed tableside; neither of us cared for it very much as the banana flavor overpowered the chocolate. Next on my list to try is the chocolate s'mores which I have heard is fabulous, I just have to get myself away from my favorite, the original. :) With all of the fondues, you may always request extra of the "dipping" items at no additional charge. The only one which carries an extra charge is the cheesecake. I always leave here feeling as if I'm on top of the world. I'm sure the martini and wine have a little something to do with it, but it's also a combination of the ambiance, the service, the food, and, of course, the wonderful, loving company of my husband.
(5)Angela K.
LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS PLACE!! Go there for my birthday every year and it is amazing!! The owners walk aroud and talk to you and the servers and food are to amazing!! Go there you will love it!!!!! I have been at this locations mutiple times and will always go back :)
(5)Alisa B.
We have loved this place for as long as it has been on Gate Pkwy. Never had even the smallest problem. We had been trying to get a reservation on Valentines for years, but were always told they were booked. This year when I called they had a 10pm open. We are night owls so this was perfect! We were so excited. So we arrive at the restaurant and are taken to the table. We are seated at a table meant for a large party and they have crafted partitions out of what looks like cardboard and table linens so they could create two tops. For this to work my husband and I had to sit shoulder to shoulder facing a wall and an empty booth with the partition on my left. I could have held hands with the diner next to me, not to mention joined in their conversation. Then the waiter tells me that I will have to stand up for him to access the controls for the fondue burner. Having eaten here before, I knew this would happen several times throughout the meal. At this point, I asked my husband if we could leave. On our way out, the employees at the front desk asked if there was a problem and my husband explained our feelings about the seating arrangement. They made no apology and offered no alternatives. We were just shocked! This place seemed to have the customer experience down to a science! But I think they let an opportunity to make a lot of money cloud their judgement. On Valentines night, when people are paying $180 a couple for an experience, this is acceptable customer service? I think not.
(1)Jackie B.
We ate here as a "just because"/late anniversary dinner, and it was great. The food and the atmosphere were perfect for spending time together. (And if course it was delicious-especially the Flaming Turtle!)
(5)Carol S.
Amazing dinner. Fantastic service from our waiter, Tyler! The new school martini is wonderful. We had the Big Night out fondue feast (4 course). Could not finish it all, but it was wonderful!
(5)Andy L.
We went to the Melting Pot for two reasons: (1) my wife has been dying to go since she learned there was one in Jacksonville, and (2) it's in our teal-deal book. For me, the coupon was the only reason I finally agreed to eating here. I don't want you to think I'm anti-fondue; I'm not. It's just that I was not impressed by the Melting Pot and I think it is way too expensive for what you get. We started off with a cheese fondue appetizer, which was good, but I think it would be pretty hard to mess that up. I do like how the waitress mixed together the cheese pot at our table. The main course is that part that surprised me.... and probably made me sick. We got a mix of steak, pork, chicken, and tuna. I had no idea they bring it all out on one plate, RAW, and you cook it in your boiling pot of broth. That immediately seemed unappetizing, but I rolled with the flow. We finished most of the meat, but the whole time I was worried about not cooking the meat long enough and having the raw meat accidentally touch something I was going to eat. Dessert was awesome. Chocolate fondue. I really don't need to say any more. Nothing fancy, just melting chocolate, with a smores flavor. The drive home, the rest of the night, and the next morning, I felt sick. I blame it on the main meat course. Will I go back.... probably, because we have one more coupon. But next time we will only get a cheese fondue and a chocolate fondue. And the price..... way too expensive. Two people, with drinks.... and you're going to charge us about $100 for fondue!?!?!?!?!?
(2)Monica S.
I think fondue is a lot of fun for date night!! This location is beautifully done up in hardwoods and open spaces. Cooking your own food takes a LOOONNNGGG time and allows for lengthy good conversation with your date of a group of fun friends so the Melting Pot is the perfect atmosphere to do either! This location is newer, clean and the youthful staff is impeccably friendly and attentive. But most importantly the food is really great as well! I particularly like the Coq Au Vin cooking style here which consists of herbs, mushrooms, garlic, spices and burgundy! The only downside here is the cost is pretty significant. This location frequently sends out coupons however in the local coupon saver books around significant holidays. A good time to hit up this location is when you are simply in the mood for dessert and it is just the two of you! It is very sexy to feed chocolate covered ANYTHING to your partner!
(4)Amanda J.
User Rating: 5 out of 5 stars by Goddess Amanda 04/26/2009 i added some pics of what to expect and if you are looking at this place for a good night out away from the kids or to celebrate a special occasion, or are just wanting to try something new, PLEASE don't pass it up. despite what some tacky people are posting (who probably don't eat out often or shouldn't eat out anyhow) this place is one we frequent and will as long as the doors are open. you can basically expect to not have a seat(ive been denied too but i don't take it personally, as i love this place)when there was a weekend event, a holiday or later in the afternoon. the doors open at 430 pm EST and they close around 11 i think. reservations if you want to eat here are suggested, and i do suggest them!any of the smiling hostesses will be glad to help. the menu as others mentioned, does change not very often like every six months i think. it's worth it if you want a salad, entree and dessert to get the big night out,as they have all items for approx. $70-90 per couple, and this is alot of food.. three courses worth! the specialty martinis are awesome and we show Rob and Sergio much love for their prowess with mixology! the wine list is EXTENSIVE so if you aren't a wine addict, you can choose one with no fear, or ask for suggestions with no fear! We're Club fondue members as we frequent the place and i can safely say EACH and Every single time we leave this place that I'm NEVER disappointed. i mean , it's cheese fondue, a plate of different meats, bowl of veggies, salads, and your choice of chocolate fondue and various dippers. it's a lot of food for the money. the cooking styles are varied, but please don't just go for deep frying your food, try the citrus mojo(moho). the waitstaff is knowledgable, sincere, and sometimes may get busy...but they don't ever act annoyed. perhaps those who were tipping 10% deserved it.
(3)Mark W.
Great dinner experience; forces you to slow down and experience one another... Be sure to request Matt W as your waiter
(5)Holly H.
This place was amazing. My husband and I had wanted to try The Melting Pot for years, and we finally got the opportunity to do so on our anniversary this year. The place is very nice, and the way it is designed, you can't really see any other patrons while you are eating. I'll admit that I had a little bit of fear that I'd make a fool of myself since I'd never had fondue, but no one could see me anyway, so it was great! It also gave my husband and I some nice privacy. The place wasn't really loud, so it felt very intimate and nice. Our waitress walked us through the menu, which was very nice. We ended up going for the "Big Night Out" package. When we went it was a French theme. She told us that we could swap out any other foods on the menu, the main part of the Big Night Out was the larger variety of meat that you get for your entree. I honestly can't remember which cheese we got, but it was delicious. It was one of the ones on the Big Night Out, and just like the waitress said, it tasted a lot like a loaded baked potato. She brought a bowl of several types of bread cut into cubes, a bowl of veggies, and a bowl of cut up granny smith apples. I had never had apples and cheese together like that, so I thought it was weird, but when I tried it (because you have to at least give new things a chance before not liking them!) it was delicious! I think the extra tartness of the granny smiths went really well with the cheese. The waitress also told us that if we wanted any more dippers for our cheese she could give them to us (no extra charge). Next was our salad. We picked one from the Big Night Out as well. It was super delicious. Again it was something outside of my comfort zone. I didn't really know what it was from the description, but I gave it a chance and loved it. By now I was getting pretty full and was worried I wouldn't be able to eat all four courses! Next was the entire, the part that I'd heard a lot of negative comments about from other online reviews. Some complained of having to cook their own food, some worried they weren't cooking it long enough, etc, etc. Since we went with the Big Night Out, we received tons of meat. A plate that included lobster tail, duck, chicken, filet mignon, peppered steak, shrimp, and cheese ravioli. There may have been a couple of others, I'm not sure. Our waitress told us how to cook them, 2 minutes for done, 1 minute for medium rare I think on the steak. This was the only part we kind of thought was lacking in the sense that a timer would have been really nice, or we might have ended up with some undercooked and some overcooked. But my husband and I simply whipped out our cell phones and used the timer function. It made us laugh to sit there and use them to time our food. It was fun and the food was delicious. Next was the CHOCOLATE! We chose the Flaming Turtle, but we had the Milk Chocolate switched to Dark Chocolate, so it was Dark chocolate, caramel, and chopped pecans flambeed tableside. It was DELICIOUS! We received strawberries, banana slices, rice krispie treats, marshmallows (two coated in graham cracker crumbs and two coated in chocolate cookie crumbs), pound cake, brownies, and a sliver of cheese cake. Now I will say I was bit surprised by the small size of this selection. The cheese cake piece was pretty tiny. I mean I wasn't expecting Cheesecake Factory size! But I guess I was expecting a normal size piece, and this was maybe an inch tall and the widest part of it was also probably about an inch. The cubes of other deserts were about 3/4-1 inch cubes as well. The strawberries weren't huge, beautiful strawberries, they were smaller ones, but they were still delicious. It was still a GREAT dessert, so I ignored the smaller size, because it worked. We had had so much food already, so it was perfect. Again, we were allowed to order some extra dippers without additional charge as long as it wasn't the cheesecake. I think there were one or two others you had to pay extra for as well, but I'm not sure which. We even had a coupon for a free chocolate fondue, so that was free, and basically made up for the drink we had. I had a Long Island Iced Tea and my husband had a Blue Moon and Gin and Ginger ale. I think I also had one of the fruity menu drinks, but I can't remember. My memory is awful! They also congratulated us on our anniversary and gave us a complimentary glass of champagne. It was very nice and I can't wait to go again!
(5)Scott O.
This is a great place to treat your significant other to a romantic dinner, the seating is such to where you don't really see the other patrons which is nice. The waiters are always very helpful and courteous, I've never had a bad experience there. The house salad dressing is phenomenal, in fact they sell it so I always get 2 when I'm there. If you like fondue then this is the place to go. I do recommend though that you stay away from getting your food cooked in the oil because it is very heavy and won't sit well with most stomachs. I learned the hard way that getting them cooked in the broth makes a huge difference, it's not the cheapest but it is something that makes for a nice night out, birthday dinner, or anniversary. Just make sure you get the dessert fondue, it is outstanding.
(5)Minola M.
Very nice place to go out on date with the person of your choice. Its not exactly about good food but the magical interactive experience you and date will share. Very pricey though if you do the full four course meal. Or you can do what me and my friend did, we skipped the first course which is the cheese fondue, the second course which is a shrimp ceviche salad, and third course which is the entree that cost about $100 per couple. So me and my friend order one individual entree to share between the both of us which is about $18 - $25 depending on what you get. Which is good b/c they don't charge extra if you ask for more veggies to dip in the pot and comes with a light plain but good salad so it will be plenty. Dont forget to ask for two plates for the one individual entree the two of you will be sharing. As for dessert we ordered the yin yang chocolate fondue which is white and dark chocolate. That was about $19 and came with a variety of unlimited dippers except the cheesecake. So basically when you include tax and gratuity and drinks besides water your looking at about no more than $50 if you do it the way me and my friend did.
(5)Mari G.
My friend brought me here for a ladies night. Gonna be honest, if not for my friend saying that I shouldn't judge too harshly because it was an off night for them, they would have gotten two stars. I couldn't believe how absolutely LONG it took for our dinner. 3+ hours! Waiter said he was helping to train a new bartender, but he took so long at one point that the marinade or whatever you call it for the entree was over halfway gone. Plus, the waiter didn't even really get the type of marinade we wanted until we called him on it. The manager came around and gave a us a free round of drinks because we had waited so long that the group near us (seated long after we were) had already received their food. Drinks were delish. Cheese fondue appetizer great, dessert simply spectacular. Entree was eh. Though, to be honest, it's probably my personal preference. I should have gone with all seafood. I just didn't feel like the meat was spice enough when boiled in their marinade. Oh! Whoever wasn't able to get their Yelp offer of three chocolate covered strawberries should have pushed on it or something. They made mine fresh and the manager delivered them. They were divine! I'd probably have given them four stars if not for the waiter experience.
(3)Shanna P.
WOW. Our server was literally the best server I've ever had. EVER. His name was Brian and he was happy and helpful. I've never been so happy with my service and my meal. We really enjoyed our experience and we will be back. Every suggestion was on point and the chocolate was delicious. We will be back and we hope to have the same server again!
(5)Tori B.
NEVER EAT AT THE MELTING POT. We thought taking the family to the Melting Pot would be a fun different experience, so we all went for a family celebration. The minute we walked in, it just didn't 'feel' right, but I didn't want to leave and disappoint everyone, as the kids were all looking forward to the interactive dinner. While we still had fun as a family, the restaurant was HORRIBLE and even worse, the management DID NOTHING to make up for the considerable issues we had with our party of 7. In fact, they were smug, greedy, did not take our complaints seriously and obviously needed the $400 our party spent more than repeat business or referrals. PLEASE DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THIS SAD EXCUSE FOR A RESTAURANT.
(1)Joseph A.
Made a last minute reservation on the 3rd of July and got excellent service from everyone in the place! My wife loves the food, which is very good, but I'm just not a huge fan of cooking my own dinner when I'm paying for it. Even so, it was very delicious, and turned into a fun date night.
(4)Khaleesi T.
Very nice place, front desk amazing! that would of been a 5 star, but our waiter was a bit to much in our conversation! I am not sure if he was just trying to be friendly, yet it was too much. We've had the Chocolate fondue, as we just came in for dessert and it was AMAZING! We've a had mixture of dark and milk chocolate, I'll definitely come back!
(4)