Is there really a Mel's Diner in Phoenix? (Tucson: 2015, live)

[Bondurant]

Originally Posted by ElleTea

Old thread, I know.

Does anyone know if Mel's Diner is still open? I have found some places online that say yes and some say no.

Yeah. Open 6am to 2:30pm. Maybe someone when later and assumed they were out of business.

[ElleTea]

Originally Posted by Bondurant

Yeah. Open 6am to 2:30pm. Maybe someone when later and assumed they were out of business.

Gotcha. They do have a Facebook page but you never know if that is run by the real people or not.

Thanks!

[kytoaz]

As of last week they were still open. I eat there all the time. Not fancy by any means and in a somewhat sketchy area but it is close to my house, cheap and they have the best old school corned beef hash!

[Serenity1944]

The one used on the TV show is on 16th St, think a little north of E Camelback. Called 5 & Diner, I ate there a number of times.

[pbenjamin]

Originally Posted by Serenity1944

The one used on the TV show is on 16th St, think a little north of E Camelback. Called 5 & Diner, I ate there a number of times.

That's not right. According to the company website, the 5 & Diner didn't exist until 1989. The Alice TV series was 1976-1985.

[ElleTea]

Originally Posted by pbenjamin

That's not right. According to the company website, the 5 & Diner didn't exist until 1989. The Alice TV series was 1976-1985.

I think the show was filmed in Tucson, actually. The only part of the diner here that was used was the sign (with the coffee cup pouring), and the diner was actually not called "Mel's" when they shot the opening credits.

[pbenjamin]

Originally Posted by ElleTea

I think the show was filmed in Tucson, actually. The only part of the diner here that was used was the sign (with the coffee cup pouring), and the diner was actually not called "Mel's" when they shot the opening credits.

It was filmed in Hollywood. As was explained earlier in this thread, the diner in the movie was in Tucson, but the location was changed to Phoenix for the TV series.

[ElleTea]

Originally Posted by pbenjamin

It was filmed in Hollywood. As was explained earlier in this thread, the diner in the movie was in Tucson, but the location was changed to Phoenix for the TV series.

Okay, I was thinking some of the other opening credit stuff was filmed in Tucson. That is what I was referring to

[observer53]

Originally Posted by Serenity1944

The one used on the TV show is on 16th St, think a little north of E Camelback. Called 5 & Diner, I ate there a number of times.

The 5 and Diner has, and had, nothing to do with the movie, or the TV show. http://www.5anddiner.com/about.html

If I recall correctly, someone opened a place called Mel's Diner on Grand Ave AFTER the show had started airing, or even when it was already in reruns. Big coffee cup on the sign. It's long gone.

[ElleTea]

Mel's Diner - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mel's Diner

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mel′s Diner is the setting for the 1976−1985 American TV series Alice. It is a fictional roadside diner on the outskirts of Phoenix, Arizona, that serves locals and truckers. It has a counter, two large booths and a couple of tables. Although one of the three waitresses, Alice, is the main character, the show revolves around all of the waitresses and Mel Sharples, the owner and cook. Most scenes of the show take place in the diner as well. The diner setting is so intertwined with the show that the series itself is often referred to erroneously as "Mel's Diner".
The outside shot of the diner's sign with the giant coffee cup sometimes seen in the opening credits of Alice is of a real Mel's Diner (1747 NW Grand Avenue) in Phoenix. The sign was seen by a producer scouting Phoenix for an establishing shot. It had been "Chris’ Diner" but the owner agreed to change the name to "Mel’s" for the show and is called the same to this day.
In Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, the movie on which the series Alice was based, the restaurant is called "Mel & Ruby's Cafe" located in Tucson, Arizona.