Mele Bistro — Restaurant in Arlington

We ordered a calamari appetizer, the seafood fettuccine, and the seafood diavolo which were all amazing. Our total ended up being $93.50 when the check was brought out, we paid with card and tipped the waitress $40 in cash. However, a couple days later I noticed that I was charged $108.50 on my card, which was an extra $15. We thought did was weird, because we crossed out the tip line on the receipt and handed the cash tip directly to the waitress.

We called the restaurant, the manager Frank apologized and refunded the $15. We requested a picture of the paper receipt that we signed. The manager sent us a Toast POS receipt with the itemized list where the tip said $15. They were not able to explain why or how there was an additional $15 tip added to our check that we did not sign for.

The manager said something along the lines of “sometimes people forget to tip so we add the minimum to their check.” That’s illegal right? We requested a picture of our signed paper receipt again, and the manager stated that he was not able to find that copy, maybe it got lost or the servers misplaced it.

It seems convenient he wasn’t able to “find” our receipt because if he did find it, 1) it would show the tip line was indeed crossed out or 2) it would show $15.00 written over the crossed out line with the numbers changed, and in both scenarios that shows that an extra $15.00 was added illegally without our knowledge.

Very sad to say that even though this was one of my favorite local places (food and service have always been great), I will not be returning in the future. I’m incredibly disappointed with the way this incident was handled, and it seems like this is a recurring issue where the staff will take it upon themselves to add a tip if one was not left on the card.

Please note that this is not about the $15 that was charged, it’s about the principle and shows how the managers and owners run their business. I can’t help but wonder what other shady schemes are going on...

This restaurant is one of the hidden gems in Northern VA and we're delighted to have found it. The food is both healthy and absolutely delicious, the atmosphere is very nice and cozy, but above all what distinguishes this establishment is amazing quality of service. From the minute you walk-in, the personalized attention and very warm welcome you receive make you feel immediately at home in a family-type environment far from the commercial vibe of most restaurants these days. The Manager, Frank, is a delightful and fun gentleman with a warm and engaging mediterranean personality who is also extremely knowledgeable and caring. Aside from warmly greeting us on arrival and seating us, he came by a few times throughout the evening to check on us, made sure we were comfortable and happy, provided great advice on the different menu alternatives, all the while with a great sense of humor. Our waitress, Stephanie, was equally nice, attentive and diligent throughout the evening. Overall, we had a great time, enjoyed delicious food, appreciated an outstanding level of service in a very cozy place. Many other places would charge quite a fortune without any of these, yet this great restaurant provides all of it and still at fairly reasonable prices. We're sure to be coming back...

Overall fantastic experience which is rare these days. Called in late on Valentine’s Day to check availability and the owner himself, Frank, took the phone call. It was already 8pm and I asked if he had any seating around 9 - He told me not to worry about reservations and to come in before then and just ask for Frank, he will take care of us. And he did just that. Met us at the door and seated us personally. He was running around all night just as hard as his staff and made sure to stop by every single table to thank the guests for coming in. Rare to see these days! Of course his staff did just as well throughout the evening. Amazing atmosphere on Valentine’s Day, my girlfriend said she really felt like it was the perfect environment for the night. Heart balloons on the ceiling to take and roses left on each table. Dim lighting and great music, and the food of course was incredible. You can tell he really cares about his customers and loves his restaurant and what he does. Frank also gets every single item and ingredient hand picked and imported either locally or from the top places around the world and he will share that with you as he reviews the menu with you. 10/10 would highly recommend. Frank definitely made some new...