In the bustling dining concourse of Grand Central Terminal, between Magnolia Bakery and Shake Shack, sits Melba’s—a fast-paced, soul food outpost that channels the warmth of Harlem in one of New York’s busiest commuter hubs. In the heart of the iconic New York City station, the grab-and-go restaurant offers a striking contrast to its flagship counterpart uptown, where diners are seated and served comfort food in a more traditional restaurant setting.
Melba Wilson, the woman behind the restaurant, is intent on preserving that essence, regardless of the location. “Born, bred, and buttered in Harlem,” Melba’s has long been a neighborhood staple. With each expansion, from New Jersey to Central Park and Grand Central, Melba keeps her mission simple.
“It’s so important for me to keep the vibrancy, the comfort, the class, and the soul in the food,” she said. “And how I do that, it’s about recipes. It’s really about making it foolproof for the team.”
To maintain consistency, Wilson developed what she calls “Melba’s Five Spice,” a house seasoning blend used across all locations. “I don’t care which location you’re at—if you’re here in Grand Central Terminal, or if you’re at the Prudential Center, or perhaps Central Park—all of our chicken is fried in the same seasoning,” she explained. “So it’s about being consistent.”
She also operates a commissary kitchen that prepares dishes such as collard greens, ham, and potato salad for each outpost. “You are getting the same taste, regardless of which Melba’s you’re at,” Wilson said.
At Grand Central, where rush-hour foot traffic is a constant, she adapted to the space’s tempo. “This is a quick service restaurant. It’s a grab and go,” she said.
“Do I wish we had tables and chairs here? Oh, my God, I would have loved that,” Wilson said. “But also, that’s not what this opportunity represents. It represents the diner that’s on the go—the person that’s taking Melba’s upstairs to their office to dine, or perhaps on the train to their families.”
The location specializes in grab-and-go versions of Melba’s staples, as well as an adapted, shorter menu curated with the fast-paced environment in mind.
“Our space here is a lot smaller than our space up in Harlem,” she added. “So it was important to look at the things that the people down here wanted.”
Some of the menu’s available dishes include Melba’s signature fried chicken, which Wilson “beat Bobby Flay with,” eggnog waffles, country catfish, mac and cheese, and low-country collard greens.
“Nobody does greens better than me—but your grandmother,” said Wilson.
Melba says that part of the reason why she chose Grand Central as a location is because she “wanted to bring soul downtown.”
“I wanted the people who come through this terminal to get a taste of comfort, culture, and soul,” Wilson said.
Still, she acknowledges that it’s not the same as the flagship. “This is definitely not Melba’s Harlem,” she said. “But it’s close enough.”
Service remains central to her philosophy. “You may go one time for the food, but you come back if you get great service,” she said. “I can teach you how to open a bottle of wine, how to set a table, but what I can’t teach you is how to genuinely love people.”
And even in a high-traffic space like Grand Central, Wilson believes comfort can still shine through. “A smile is worth a thousand words. You don’t have to open your mouth to say anything,” she said. “Kindness is totally underrated. And to me, those are the things that go a long way.”
Her vision for the location was simple: a place where you could “walk in and our team really does know your name,” she said. “In a crowded space, with so many people, just taking a moment and pausing and saying something kind to someone, and of course, serving them some great food.”
Wilson is no stranger to building connections through food. She has spent over two decades transforming Melba’s from a single-neighborhood restaurant into a recognizable brand. Along the way, she’s built relationships with everyone from local Harlem residents to tourists and celebrity clients.
Wilson also sees her restaurants as a platform for representation and ownership. As a Black woman in the restaurant industry, she’s adamant about creating spaces where culture and community go hand in hand with business.
“Legacy is a big part of who I am, so it’s never about ‘me’, it’s about ‘we,’” Wilson said. “It’s about showing the people that come from neighborhoods, like Harlem, like I did, that if I can, they can too.”
Wilson’s philosophy is deeply rooted in Harlem. “I’m from the Mecca of Black culture,” she said. Wilson doesn’t spend money on advertising for the restaurant; instead, she allocates those profits back into local communities in need.
“We’re always investing, not just in the Harlem community, but in communities in New York,” Wilson said.
Looking ahead, Wilson has no plans of slowing down. “There’s also a television show that we’re working on,” said Wilson. She also teased a new 6,500-square-foot space in Newark opening in December 2025 that will serve as the brand’s new commissary kitchen.
With new projects underway and a growing footprint in the city, Melba’s looks poised to continue bringing the comfort and culture of Harlem to New Yorkers on the go.
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