Melrose — Restaurant in Houston

Review: Disappointing Experience at Melrose

I recently visited Melrose with four friends to celebrate a birthday, but unfortunately, the experience left much to be desired. When we arrived, the guy at the door barely acknowledged us and just stood there blocking the door. After confusing one of my friends with someone named Kelsey, he eventually let us in with a casual “Oh hi, Kelsey, y’all go ahead and come in.” The bar itself is undeniably stunning—beautiful decor, sexy ambiance, and a great vibe. However, that was where the positives ended. Inside, all the tables were marked as reserved, so we headed straight to the patio. The outdoor tables had no reservation signs, and we noticed other patrons coming and going, sitting on a first-come, first-served basis. After waiting for a table to free up, we finally sat down. A friendly waitress approached us, opened a tab, and took our order. The first round of shots arrived quickly, and they were delicious—well-crafted and beautifully presented. However, things quickly took a turn. Before our round of drinks arrived, another server informed us that we needed to close out our tab because the table had been reserved. Why would you even open a tab for us if that’s the case? I’ve worked in the industry for over 20 years… There were no reservation signs on any patio tables, and it seemed like a selective enforcement of rules. At this point, the situation escalated unnecessarily. My friend, the birthday girl, tried to pay for the tab, but I attempted to take the card from her, insisting that she shouldn’t pay on her birthday. The server misunderstood the interaction and accused me of grabbing her. This led to the manager and security stepping in, who didn’t bother to ask for our side of the story. Instead, he bluntly stated, “We don’t accept anyone grabbing our staff,” and told us to leave. I repeatedly explained that I hadn’t grabbed the server—I was simply trying to stop my friend from paying. The manager didn’t seem interested in hearing the truth, which made it feel like they were just looking for an excuse to remove us and prioritize other patrons. To make matters worse, the drinks we were waiting for finally arrived, but the manager told the server that we didn’t want them. When I corrected him and said we still wanted the drinks you wanted us to leave, he brushed it off, saying, “Well, I was told you grabbed my staff, but you can have the drinks standing here if you want.” I guess at that point is not important if I would’ve really grabbed her? In the end, I had to request a refund, and we left the bar feeling humiliated and unwelcome. What started as a promising evening with great potential turned into a frustrating experience due to poor communication, inconsistent policies, and an indifferent attitude from the staff and management. While the bar’s ambiance and drinks are worth mentioning, the lack of professionalism and respect ruined our night. I wouldn’t recommend Melrose to anyone looking for a friendly and accommodating venue, especially for a special...

They need to be clear about ”reservation only” policy. I was never told about any of my friends that recommended that place that they only let in people that look a certain way, I went payed for valet and got denied the entrance after ( Marquis) the guy at the door checked my ID and asked if I had a reservation I said no then he denied the entrance I told him I already payed for valet and then he said they can refund your money, I told the valet guy and they say I need to speak with the owner after waiting for like 20 min watching other girls get it with no questions asked ! frustrated and annoyed the valet guys were blaming each other on who has my $20 then finally got my money back. I feel that what happened could’ve been avoided if melrose has a sign saying reservation only I wouldn’t have mind reserving ,honestly I was super hyped about going there so I could of follow the rules , I called my friend and asked if he ever gets asked for reservation and he said no, his friend that heard me , implied that they didn’t let me in because me or my girl friend I went with wasn’t attractive enough to be let in so with that being said I think it might be true and kind of sad at the same time to be judged by your appearance. When I am not anyone to judge but I could clearly see a lot of people in the bar that didn’t meet the “Standards ” the only difference is they have light skin color and blonde hair. Sad world,sad place , environment and employees so if you wanna have a good time just go somewhere else a lot of other places treat you with respect and decency that’s the first time in my life I ever experienced something like that and made me wonder if I am beautiful enough just because some lowlife wanna be model at a bar didn’t let me in, Melrose ?? Looking more...

There’s been much hype about Melrose, but unfortunately it does not live up to it. We came for the happy hour which are $10 cocktails ($17 originally). It is super cute inside, HOWEVER, after requesting water - of which nothing cheaper than $9…they claimed to not offer tap water. For being a bar this is wild to me. When we asked to close our tabs, they don’t show itemized receipts and if you ask for one they said they don’t print. Understandable, but you have to then keep pushing and ask if they can send it or show it to you another way. My friends bill came to $69 after having 3 ($10) cocktails and split French fries. She asked why this was and was told because she swapped out the tequila for Tito’s in their espresso martini. The waitress was ringing in $22.50 cocktails of which was on a $10 happy hour menu without saying anything or letting her know there would be an uncharge. She claimed the manager couldn’t do anything about it. After refusing, manager came over and said it’s an unwritten rule and we tell our staff to not bring it up. That is NOT an unwritten rule, I’ve never heard of an establishment doing that ever. Nonetheless for Tito’s. You also need to say you’re there for the happy hour so you get those prices. $15 hh burger without anything else is also a lot. The charcuterie board was also listed for $40, the happy hour one is 20 but it was the most pathetic cheeseboard I’ve ever seen. When you ring out be sure to realize that tip is already included. They didn’t say anything so we all tipped way above. The drinks also took way too long to come out. The vibes were cute but all of this left too bad of a taste in my mouth to return. They won’t stay open long enough for this sneaky business...