J.G. Melon

Story

J.G. Melon is a popular American restaurant established in 1972. It is located at 1291 Third Avenue (on the northeast corner of East 74th Street), on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City. It is known for its hamburgers.HistoryJ.G. Melon's building dates back to the 1920s, when a tavern was built by a local brewery to dispense its own products following Prohibition. The space was previously called Central Tavern.J.G. Melon was established in 1972 by original owners Jack O'Neill and George Mourges, the "J" and "G" of J.G. Melon. Mourges died in 2000. The Mourges heirs are co-owners.The restaurant's decor mostly consists of artwork depicting watermelons.O'Neill and Mourges also operated a J.G. Melon restaurant in Bridgehampton, New York in the 1970s and '80s and another J.G. Melon restaurant on Amsterdam Avenue which opened in 1977 and closed in January 1993. The west-side Melon's was larger than the east-side space and had a slightly larger menu with more entree selections. Like its east-side parent, it too had a large neighborhood following and was a favorite haunt of actors and theatre patrons from the Promenade Theatre and the Second Stage Theatre.A scene with Meryl Streep and Dustin Hoffman was filmed at the restaurant for the 1979 film Kramer vs. Kramer. There's also a memorable scene in Metropolitan shot at J.G. Melon.