Spotlight | Melba’s Restaurant in Harlem

Welcome to Broadway Stages’ Spotlight, where we feature local shops, restaurants, organizations, individuals, and venues. This month we are we are going beyond the boroughs where we have operations to promote neighboring businesses. We begin with a visit to Harlem for some home cooking at the one and only Melba’s! 

Some call the cuisine at Melba’s Restaurant in Harlem soul food. Proprietor Melba Wilson likes to call it, ‘American Comfort Food.’ Whatever you call it, the Southern Fried Chicken and Eggnog Waffles are so good that they beat Bobby Flay’s offering on his Food Network show, Throwdown! With Bobby Flay. And this is just one of the options you can find at the corner of W. 114th St. and Lenox Avenue.

Southern fried chicken and egg not waffles. photo credit: roy Lee B

The dining experience at Melba’s has been described as “exquisite yet comfortable.” Every day the staff at Melba’s strive to meet a standard of excellence with its commitment to exceptional customer service and great food. And their effort shines through. Melba’s Restaurant was named Best Brunch for Kids by Time Out New York. And Zagat and New York.com both named Melba’s the Best Soul Food in New York City.

The good word about Melba’s has spread. It is a hot spot for celebrities, locals, and tourists worldwide. So, you may find yourself sitting near Mariah Carey, Nick Cannon, Whoopi Goldberg, Katie Couric, or Ice-T on any given day. Even Megan Markle and Prince Harry stopped by for a lunch date recently. “Food is a common denominator that unites us all,” says Wilson.

Melba cut her culinary teeth at the iconic Sylvia’s, where she launched the famous Sunday Gospel Brunch. Then, she took her talents to the famed Windows on the World and the hugely popular Rosa Mexicano. These experiences showed Melba firsthand what it took to own and operate a successful business.

melba wilson

But she says she was “born, bred, and buttered” in Harlem. As a result, she has great respect and affection for the neighborhood that gave birth to Bebop Jazz and fostered the words of author Zora Neale Hurston. And so, in 2005, she returned home and opened Melba’s Restaurant.

Since 2005, Melba has not slowed down. She also helms Melba’s Catering, whose client list looks like a Who’s Who of New York. American Express, The Archdiocese of New York, The Transportation Workers Union, Jay-Z, and Katy Perry, among others, have all sought out Wilson to feed their teams.

And now you can enjoy Melba’s cuisine in your own home. You can order the food for take-out directly at Melba’s Restaurant Online Ordering. Or you try your own hand at her recipes by buying her cookbook.

But for Melba, Harlem will always be home. “Harlem has given me wits. It has given me smarts. It has given me style. It has given me courage. It is not just my responsibility but my honor to invest into the community that has poured so much into me,” said Melba.