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- Mellos Coffee Shop is a memorable step back in time to when breakfast was affordable
Mellos Coffee Shop is a memorable step back in time to when breakfast was affordable
You can still score a cheap breakfast under $10

Name + address: Mellos Coffee Shop, 1516 Merivale Rd.
Diet: Meat and a modest selection of vegetarian options
Mains: $ $3.75-$11.75
Wheelchair accessibility: Yes
Website: www.facebook.com/p/Mellos-Coffee-Shop-100067750702694/
Other: Kids menu
Everything old is new again. Or in the case of Mellos Coffee Shop – “cool” again.
Mellos has been on the scene for 60 years, and while you’ll see any number of seniors enjoying breakfast or lunch, owner Phil Giakoumelos tells me that it’s people in their 20s who are discovering the joys of an old-fashioned diner.

Mellos interior. Ralf Joneikies/Ottawa Lookout
His father, Dennis (91), still works the room and he’s a wealth of stories from all the decades that have passed. It was his uncle who opened the original Mellos on Dalhousie in the late 50s before selling it and opening Mellos on Merivale in 1964.
I admit that over the last few years, I’ve become a little more nostalgic for gentler times. Every era experiences conflict but the level of venal incivility of the last years is new in my lifetime.
So, to counter that, I do what I can to add to the life of the city and in an effort at self-care, watch older movies without the frenetic editing, listen to music played on acoustic instruments or take in a leisurely breakfast at a diner that might have been a set in a David Lynch (RIP) film.
It’s more than the unchanged decor at Mellos, it’s the space itself that feels saturated with stories of many lives lived. I’m just one of many that have come and gone and it’s that feeling of belonging to the past as much as to the future that allowed me to relax into my breakfast.

Mellos breakfast. Ralf Joneikies/Ottawa Lookout
The prices as well, seem to have not changed at all over the years with my breakfast costing a very reasonable $8.85. In fact the majority of the menu is priced under $10 and for the money the experience is respectable.
I asked for poached eggs, and it’s common now to find some eateries using an egg-poaching device. It’s not at all the experience of a properly poached egg but it was cooked as requested and came with a side of standard breakfast sausages.
The potatoes were very good, and it would be nice if more places made an effort to cook and season their potatoes properly.
I’m more than a little picky when it comes to coffee so imagine my surprise when I was drinking diner coffee that had me writing a note in my book about how decent it was. We know what to expect with such coffee and it wasn’t because I was in a sentimental mood that the coffee tasted good.
I’m glad I stopped in. You’ll enjoy classic diner staples that are well cooked, and if you’re open to it, even hear a few stories from Dennis about his 60 years at Mellos. Respect.