The Melting Pot
| Address: | 5325 Village Center Dr #124, Columbia, MD 21044, USA |
| Phone: | +1 410-740-9988 |
| Site: | meltingpot.com |
| Rating: | 4.2 |
| Working: | Closed 5–10PM 5–10PM 5–10PM 5–11PM 4–11PM 4–10PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 6
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Ramit Ring
We had a reservation for Friday night at 7:00. Came in and were seated pretty quickly. Got drinks ordered and our waitress was pretty attentive and nice. However, we had to wait on one of the kid milks because the restaurant ran out of milk and someone had to run out and get more. That should have been our first clue that something was off. When we got our cheese and dippers, lots of bread to hide the fact that there were only four pieces of cauliflower, a few small bits of carrots and celery, and no apples. We had to ask for the apples and more dippers, as there were 7 of us eating. Then we got two very small bowls of rationed apple pieces. Cheese was delicious, though. For the entree, the coq au vin broth was almost filled with chunks of mushroom, which really affected the taste and not in a positive way. And this was before we added the mushrooms from the entree. By this time we also had lots of dirty dishes still on the table from the cheese course and empty glasses, but no one was clearing or refilling water. Between the time we finished eating our entree and got to order the chocolate, we sat with the dishes and empty glasses and only one other family on the other side of the wall for about 40 minutes. Finally our waitress shows up to take our chocolate order, and since its now almost 10:00 and we have two toddlers, I mention that wed like to speed things up a little. Well, our table barely gets cleaned, several of the tongs used for the raw meat get left on the table, and still no water. After over 30 minutes, the kids have expended their patience and can no longer sit still, so my husband goes looking for anyone, and can only find the bartender, who offers to find our waitress. A few minutes later we get our dessert plates, which dont have much fruit and are clearly not enough for the chocolate we have. The chocolate itself is very good, but again, we have to go to the bartender to ask for more fruit, since our waitress doesnt return. By the way, there have been no other patrons on our side of the restaurant for quite awhile, so no other tables to compete for attention. Weve been to this same The Melting Pot 6 or 7 times over the past three years and always enjoyed the experience, and so have our kids. This time, despite a reservation and budgeting lots of time, I felt so stressed constantly trying to entertain hungry kids because everything was so slow. We also felt as if all the dippers, both for cheese and chocolate, were being rationed to account for kitchen shortages. Thankfully, there was a nearby playground, so while there was daylight we occupied the kids there while waiting, but once it got dark, that was no longer an option. Overall, not a great experience and Im not sure if we will return.
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Jessica Roat
The food was fantastic. The service was terrible. We will not be returning to this location. Me and my boyfriend came here for an anniversary dinner, and had reservations at 8pm. When we arrived, we waited for 5 minutes for a hostess to come greet us, only to have her tell us the servers were busy and wed have to wait about 20 minutes. No big deal, we went to the bar for a drink. 40 minutes after sitting at the bar, I believe the hosted forgot about us until she walked past, and mentioned a table was about ready, and apologized. Around 9pm, we finally got a table. After 20 minutes of sitting at the table hungry, and getting irritated, my boyfriend went up to find someone, as we had not been greeted. No water, no menus. As he was up, a different worker walked by and asked if anyone had talked to us yet, and I said no. 5 minutes later, the bartender, who was lovely, apologized and said she didnt know what was going on, and that she would take care of us for the rest of the evening. Once this happened, everything was fine, except for different workers coming to our table every 10 minutes to ask how everything was, which is annoying. This included the managers several times, and the server whose section it was (who forgot about us), who asked us how we were every. Single. Time. She walked by. I suppose they were expecting us to get mad, but thankfully we have patience. Maybe we just caught them on a bad night? Either way, we will not be returning to this location.
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Tracy Soltesz
The Melting Pot has been my favorite restaurant for about 15 years now. My best friend and I started attending together monthly back when they first started Ladies Night. Weve been to all of the MPs in the DC / Baltimore / Annapolis metro areas many times each. My first time at Columbia was a real turn off - poor ambiance and the server was dreadful. But a few years, when I moved closer to this location, I decided to give them another try and Im glad I did. They have some really great wait staff now, and as a "test" MP, their menu is always a little different with interesting new items that the other MPs dont have. Sometimes this is a bit of a let-down though. At my most recent visit last month they had gotten rid of all the cheeses I like and replaced them with things that are not so great (I love spinach dip - but lets get something straight, its not cheese fondue and I can get it anywhere). This is still not my favorite location, but I enjoy the convenience of the location to our house.
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Kristen Bishel Browne
My husband & I had dinner here to celebrate our 1st wedding anniversary & The Melting Pot did not disappoint! We did the 4 course experience. Our cheese course was the French Onion - amazing! I got the Mediterranean salad to follow (I loved the green olive vinaigrette) & my husband had the house salad. For the entree we got the Classic meat selection & did the Mojo cooking style, at the suggestion of our server. Glad we took his advice - it was incredible. We followed it up with the Amaretto dark chocolate dessert course - perfectly decadent! From my birthday, I had a MP offer for 6 free chocolate covered strawberries. However, due to a strawberry shortage, they werent able to fulfill the order. But, we were offered a $17 discount on our final bill instead, which we accepted. We had an amazing deal & the entire staff was so pleasant & accommodating!
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Erin Fowler
My boyfriend and I went here for his birthday last night and we had the most wonderful experience there. We were the last reservation and the last to leave, but we were more than well taken care of regardless. I asked for the birthday balloon package, and that was beautifully put together. The food was INCREDIBLE. But what made the whole dinner a true 5 star experience was our server, Korinne. She was hands down the most helpful, knowledgeable, sweet, personable and FUN server I honestly have ever had at any restaurant. She made my boyfriends birthday dinner that much more special. I definitely recommend going to this Melting Pot location anytime, but especially for a special occasion, and try to request Korinne because if youre lucky enough to have her, that will ensure your experience will be one to remember!
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Jamila Childress-Hart
Where do I begin? Last week, I made a reservation for last nights promotional Ladies Night Out at 7:00. My party and I arrived at 7:06 and were told by the hostess that the servers were running behind. We were offered the option of waiting in the lobby or heading to the bar. Twenty minutes and a martini later, we were seated. There was no acknowledgment by the servers or the guy I assume was a manager. After thirty minutes, I returned to the hostess station to let the young lady know that we hadnt been helped. Finally, a server shows up, apologizes profusely, and takes our orders. We werent served the first course until nearly 8:30pm. What baffled us was the fact that the restaurant wasnt close to being at full capacity. This was my first experience with The Melting Pot and I am in no hurry to return.
