There’s a restaurant in Danville, California in the East Bay with a very simple mission: melt cheese on top of literally everything.
It probably goes without saying that this is the most amazing restaurant concept ever. And the restaurant in question does a fantastic job of making it not just a gimmick, but a reason to come in all the time.
The place we’re referring to is The Melt. It’s located on the north end of Danville, in one of the larger suburban strip malls in that area.
When you walk through the door, you’re greeted by an industrial chic interior. The walls feel as if they were made for Instagram, with giant signs reading “SAY CHEESE.”
That’s a double entendre. You can take a selfie with it, but it’s also something you’re going to be saying a lot if you do order at The Melt. That’s because everything at The Melt is devoted to cheese. Glorious, glorious cheese.
The Melt’s menu features a whole variety of grilled cheese sandwiches, as well as many different mac & cheese dishes.
The classic grilled cheese sandwich uses three different cheeses. But you can also get an “egg in a hole,” which features grilled cheese and a fried egg, as well as fancier sandwiches like a Sicilian chicken sandwich with mushrooms.
The mac & cheese is similarly varied. The Melty Mac is their core item, but you can also get things like mac & cheese with steak. For kids, there’s a Mini Mac.
For me, though, the star of the show here is The Melt burger. It’s a combination of Angus and Wagyu beef, jalapeños, and pickles on an artisan bun.
Given that this is The Melt, though, there’s also a ton of cheddar cheese melted on top.
This burger is incredibly juicy and delicious. You would think that it would be a little gauche to combine Wagyu beef with melted cheese, but in this case, it works incredibly well.
The Melt has a cheerful internal space with plenty of room to hang out and eat. Again, that’s the major benefit of its more suburban Danville location.
Overall, The Melt feels like a restaurant that could easily have been a simple gimmick. People would come in once to try the melted cheese options and then never return.
Thankfully, The Melt veers far, far away from this. It’s not just a place to enjoy mac & cheese creations. It’s a restaurant with one of the Bay Area’s best burgers, and one that I’ll definitely be coming back to frequently.
Ditch big tech’s predatory algorithms. Opt into local, independent journalism & photography. Join our newsletter to get our best stories directly in your inbox.
