UPDATE MELY’S is not serving guests anymore at her home but you can visit the restaurant over at 6th street. This article is saved for archival purposes.
The iconic restaurant – Mely’s Garden has reopened at it’s original location. Mely’s garden was created by Mely Puey Gonzales who at first decided to put up a little restaurant in her garden. She moved to sixth street for a time but now she’s back in her house and serving her awesome meals.
Madame Mely is extremely friendly and she loves to see people come in and enjoy her food. She greeted us when we came in and showed us around her restaurant. Simple screens surrounded the restaurant and the surrounding areas are well lit and cheerful looking! Although there is no air conditioning, the area is cool and breezy. There is an relaxing atmosphere to the place.
We came just in time for their buffet dinner. Mely’s Garden serves Lunch and Dinner daily(a la carte) but she has an amazing 250 peso buffet dinner every Wednesdays and Fridays at 6:00 pm. TWO HUNDRED FIFTY PESOS. EAT. ALL. YOU CAN.
The buffet is simply amazing. I have eaten in their old branch in 6th street and the original Mely’s cooking is simply the best! It is simply incomparable. I would describe it as food made with love.
Let me describe to you the awesome buffet. First up is the main dishes. A mouth watering array!
The bakareta is served with a semi spicy tomato sauce and chunks of beef. It comes with fried potatoes and sweet bell peppers. This is one of the top Mely’s garden dishes and my personal favorite. The rich sauce goes so well with rice. I took heaps and heaps of this. It’s so delicious!
To the side we have some bopis – This was exceptionally well done because it didn’t have the unusual taste that most bopis dishes have. This is quite good and really goes well with rice.
The puttanesca is a noodle dish that is served with fresh tomatoes and basil.
KareKare – peanut butter stew is amazing as well. It comes with a rich sauce and shrimp paste to add a spicy shrimp kick.
Mely’s signature appetizer and one that I really recommend you try is their fried spinach. Leaves of Spinach fried to a crisp and served with sweet vinegar. This is a delicious treat that even kids enjoy.
Crispy Crablets – Delicious!
There are a lot more dishes in the buffet – dessert turon, pork misono, traditional vegetable dishes – there’s a lot!
I’m so glad Mely’s garden opened again. You can really taste the love that’s in the cooking. This is a must visit place whenever you are in Bacolod. I have to admit it, the cooking is much better than when she was at 6th street.
They open on regular days too. The big buffet is only on Wednesday and Friday nights. 250 per person – everything is freshly cooked and really delicious. Bring your guests, balikbayans or anyone who wants to try traditional Filipino dishes!
Here’s a map on how to get to Mely’s Garden.
The Bacolod Food Hunters 
You can’t go wrong with Mely’s Wednesday and Friday evening buffet. Have been there several times and the food is always consistently good and of course the welcoming presence of the owner and hostess adds to the ambiance.