The Melting Pot

Food is obviously pricey and you pay a lot of money for very little but it is delicious food and the service we got was good. Our server, Thomas, was very polite and quick! Definitely make a reservation prior to going we waited an hour on a Wednesday night

This is an over priced meal for the quality of food and customer service provided.
Areas to lower your expectations when you dine here:
–customer service, especially the hostess and/​or the 3 other people that stand at the check in desk area
–communication
–food quality for price
Things they’re doing right:
–location
–atmosphere
–cleanliness
–explanation of ingredients when mixing fondue
FYIs
–They won’t seat you until your entire party arrives
–Is a bit loud so not be the best for patrons who are have difficult time hearing in noisier settings
–Bar looks interesting… could be worth a visit for drinks only.

Let me just start at this. I’ve been coming here since I was 17 and I’m now 21. My first time coming they were good but not super respectful.
Now over the years they got new staff and they even recognize me and my husband. I love that they substitute the alcohol for chicken or veggie broth in the cheese fondue as me and my husband do not drink.
We come here 2 – 3 times year for special occasions. Normally his birthday, mine and a random day. Sometimes more if I’m in the mood for cheese.
When I was pregnant with my daughter they were very nice to adjust where I wanted to sit based on my stomach and when we came with my daughter they were great at putting us at a table we could have a high chair or car seat which is great.
For birthdays they give you a card which is nice. You can pay extra for other items for your special occasion.
I love the courses are great when you are super hungry but if you tend to have a small tummy or tend to not like large meals you can always order the cheese alone or any of the courses really. I love that the big night out has so many options and you can always add lobster tails on!
Overall this is a place I prefer to go for special occasions and for melted cheese cause who doesn’t love dipping stuff in that!
This is my go to spot for special dinners as they always accommodate us and are always kind to us. It’s great!

Highly recommend to try this place at least once.
Atmosphere is very comfortable and relaxed.
Wasn’t a big fan of the fondue it self but the desert was absolutely fantastic!
I would not return for a meal, but desert is a must.

Delightful!
Tip: Everyone in your reservation needs to be there before you can be seated. We enjoyed a drink at the bar and waiting for all of our party to arrive, then we were seated.
Service: EXCELLENT. The server was awesome at explaining everything, setting the expectation for the evening and getting everyone’s order.
Food: SO FUN!
1. The Cheese Course: The Cheeses were made at our table, and wonderful with the variety of bread, veggies and apples served with it.
2. A small salad was served next, I had the California Salad, which was very good– something you’d expect to find at a fine dining place.
3. The Meat Course: The server changed the pots from cheese to cooking broth. Our meats/​seafoods were brought on platters, along with bowls of veggies to cook in the pots. The different flavors were great to try.
4. The Dessert Course: OH MY GOODNESS. The choices of chocolate were amazing… and they served bite-​size pieces of bananas, strawberries, brownies, cake, rice-​crispy treats, graham and Oreo covered marshmallows, and the best caramel cheesecake you could dream up.
Overall, our meal took around 4 hours (there were 9 at our table). It was a great way to spend the evening, truly enjoying the food. The cost of our meal was $ 33-​$ 55 each (depending on the options chosen), and SO well worth it.
It was fun as part of a large group, but I think it would be even better as an intimate date for two :)

Good service. Wish they had better tables to accomodate larger parties. Other than, food and service were excellent that night.

The atmosphere was warm and comfortable, and the location is pretty neat.
Ordered a Chocolate Brownie milkshake. Yum, super delish!
The food was a bit ‘meh’. I prefer Urban Fondue.

I give the service 5 stars. We had the man carl. This dude is awesome. He was my homie for the night. He was extremely helpful and very attentive. We were I a large group of 10. So we couldn’t select off the main menu. Our cheese fondue was alright. It wasn’t as wine flavored as I would have liked and did not car for the apples and veggies to dip in it. The meat coarse was okay. The dessert fondue was good. I hate chocolate so much but I thought this 1 was good. Although a small amount goes and extremely long ways. tue meat is good. But not that flavorful the portions of meats are very small. It was fun for the experience but thought it was a waste of money. For my wife and I it cost us 115 dollars before a tip. But I’ve got to say carl is worth the money. That dude is an awesome waiter.

Melt your cares away with cheese and wine.
Ambiance: To me, while we were being seated it felt kind of like a very nice IHOP. The booths and tables had their own «privacy» but it was not «elegant». We were in our own room since we had a party of 8.
Food: Before making a reservation be ready to throw down a Benjamin for you and your lovely date. Normally, you have 3 courses. First you have the cheese fondue with bread, apples and veggies. After that you have the raw meat that comes out that you cook yourself at your table with a salad. Third is the chocolate fondue with an array of dipping items. The only downfall is that you don’t have the simplicity of choosing only one option and the lack of vegetarian options. It was interesting to see that there wasn’t a $ 15 dollar salad (add meat if you wish) or something for those who are a bit more picky.
Service: Carl, our multi talented server was excellent. Possibly one of the top servers that I have experienced. 5 stars for you Glen CoCo.
My rate is more of a 3.5 because of lack of option.

This place is great for big parties, plenty of seating, distance between tables, and amazing food. Warning though, very pricey.

If you’re looking for great no-​rush service with amazing food this is a must! Ask for Carl as your server and definitely end the night with the s’mores fondue as your dessert. Great place for a group of friends to go and stay for hours.

I was nervous about going here for my birthday dinner based on the reviews, but it ended up being a great dinner! We made a reservation a few weeks ahead of time since we were going to be a group of 8 people.
The table we had was private which was nice. We all got the four course meal which included cheese fondue, salads, an entrée and chocolate fondue for dessert. First, we had the Alpine Swiss and the cheddar fondue. I recommend both of those fondues! Second, we had salads which were like a typical restaurant salad, but they were pretty small. Third, we had our entrée which had salmon, peppered steak, teriyaki steak, filet and chicken. We chose the vegetable and coq au vin broth to cook out meats in. My favorite was the coq au vin! Lastly, we had the s’mores and the dark chocolate caramel sea salt fondues for dessert. Both were amazing!
The whole dinner took about 3.5 hours but it didn’t feel like it since we were busy cooking and eating the whole time! Carl was our server. He had great customer service and was very friendly. We will definitely be requesting Carl next time we go back!

Was told we could not get table for 3 hrs. Been at the bar for 2 hrs. Open tables everywhere??? Hmmmmmm. Only could order bar food. Cold meats? Not impressed at all. Spend 80 bucks Would not tell friends that it’s worth it. Poor poor experience.

After eating all of the fine cheeses melting pot had to offer I found myself wanting more. Not more cheese, but more… oomph. Sadly I spent the next three morning squatting out some cheese curds. I would not recommend this cheese factory to even a rat. I had to buy an entire new wardrobe because of what happened over the course of three constipated mornings. The bread sticks were good though.

I review everything on three things: atmosphere, service and food. The Melting Pot did a great job of all three Sunday night on a special night out celebrating my Birthday.
Atmosphere: The restaurant is located underground, there is a sign and stairs from the street down to the entrance. We had made reservations, but had arrived early so decided to grab a drink at the bar. The atmosphere was pleasant and warm. There are warmers and pots at every table and it is kinda cool to see the steam rising.
Service: The service was great from start to finish. Since we were early they did offer us to sit at the bar to chat, or to have a drink, either way no pressure. Once we were at our table, since our server was busy, the manager came by to talk about the menu, take drink orders and get our first course going. He was very friendly and wished me a Happy Birthday. Since my Birthday was made known at making reservations, the person placing the reservations also ordered optional balloons (at an additional cost), a card was at the table, and they also took a group picture of the table, printed it, and presented it in a nice folio display to take home.
Food: I wanted to put the cheese fondue in a cup a drink it– don’t judge me, it was delicious. The server even accommodated us in additional sides (gluten free breads and options for guests that preferred it). The main course is fun, so take your time– you can select different «broths» to cook the meat or vegetables in. The server will let you know how long to cook each item. We all decided that the Green Goddess was the best dip as far as sauce goes.
All in all it was a wonderful relaxing, and a great night to celebrate. A treat!

This is my sons favorite place to go. It’s just OK for me. I do enjoy the cheese fondue and the chocolate fondue at the end but the meat and veggie main course, I could do without. I will tell you that their staff is always super nice and is very courteous and helpful. If you have a special occasion like a birthday or anniversary, they will always set up the table nice for you with balloons, etc. and they do have somebody that takes pictures there which always adds a nice touch to any occasion.

I have always wanted to go to the Melting Pot for dinner with my husband. We finally went on our 7 year anniversary last week.
When we walked in the manager (he identified himself as a manager when he stopped by our table later) was yelling at an employee — inappropriate and unprofessional.
We had excellent service from our server Paul who has worked there for over 10+ years. He explained the menu and how the fondue service works. We did the $ 50 salad, fondue and dessert for two — which was a good deal. Our food and drinks came in a timely manner. Our food was okay — not really anything special.
Overall — Paul gave us great service. The food has been overhyped for what it is.

I have been looking forward to this place for so long! The service was wonderful, the gentleman at the bar was a superb and even gave us a suggestion on what to order for drinks.
It was the wait to get in, and the wait to have our waters refilled, to get extra dippers etc that seemed like a really long time. The restaurant was pretty much empty and we had to wait an hour to get a table on a Thursday night. A bit odd, but okay. We then waited for 45 minutes after we were seated to even have our water glasses refilled. Then we had to ask another server for extra dippers. After a really long time :(. We will go back again to give it another shot.

An amazing Restaurant with authentic Fondue and the nist delicious food you can find in Portland.
Service is amazing and the waiter was nice.
The Celebration Package is the best.
The Yin Yung drink is my favorite!

Unilocal … please give me the option of Zero Stars!
Where shall we begin. I should have noticed the stairs leading down to the restaurant were quite dirty — in need of a good power wash — and used that as a clue to how the experience that was about to unfold might turn out.
Checking in — the attendant asked if we had had the opportunity to reserve. We did not. So she wants my name and phone number… really? REALLY? This is not a doctors office. I should have turned around then — and my dining companion later told me she did a major eye roll when I questioned it. Just in case I leave something behind — they can call me. Wow. Ok.
So — now we «wait» for the table. I noticed thru our time there that this is a common thing — make folks wait — it appears — I guess — to make it «seem» busier than it is? I noticed most people waited for 5 minutes before being seated in a restaurant that was probably only ¼ full.
Sat at a booth in the back … booth seat was broken. We asked to be moved — they had to go consult with the great computer oracle to see which table of the 20 open ones would be appropriate to seat us. Really?
Server took drink order … and it took forEVER to get them — and the staff that delivered them plopped them down — over full — liquid all over the table and then walked away. We called him back for a napkin or coaster… got the napkin — but no attempt to clean the liquid off the table. The drinks… sugar water and juice. WAY TOO SWEET. $ 10 lost.
Water — only filled once during the evening. Sever was rarely to be seen either… should have reviewed Unilocal.I usually do. but this time I failed. I would have found out that service at this place is lacking. My bad.
So we ordered a conservative package — really — $ 50/​person for what you serve — and it takes THAT long to bring it out?
Cesar salad… a few leafs with dressing and cheese… and 5 precisely placed croutons … made it look like the «5» on the top of a die on the craps table. What’s with the added stuff — including a crunch that has a sweet component — on a caesar salad? Oh Hell no!
We wiped out the «pot» with a napkin… looked dusty and dirty. Staff saw us do that and brought another pot. Should have bolted… Damn. After another 20 minutes our food comes out. We had the fiesta pot … wow. No flavor. Was not enticing at all. A cup and a half of shredded cheese, ¼ beer, some jalapeños, tomatoes, and onions. That’s all. Sadly boring. The bread was stale and difficult to pierce with the fork — even when using two hands! The chips — plain old Mission brand round corn chips were stale… no crunch. Veggies for dipping… old. The apple was the best. About ½ of a small apple cut into chunks.
We decided to pass on the chocolate desert — probably missed on the best part… they adjusted the bill a whopping $ 10, and it took forever to get the bill.
Worst dining experience ever. and in Portland — a foodie’s paradise… how can this place still be open. WAY over priced, Seriously lacking in qualify food and service.
Be forewarned.