If you like going to a restaurant with service that ranges from indifferent to hostile, with cafeteria-grade food one will find in a hospital, and an ambiance that resembles a neglected senior center, then Max's Opera Café is perfect!
The first clue that this will be the experience is a prominent sign that says, "Critics are Not Welcome." This is a wise strategy, as they would rather you not know that you are in for what could be rated one of the worst restaurants in San Francisco.
If proximity to Davies Hall and the Opera House is your priority, I strongly recommend a cold sandwich from their snack bar instead. It will be a better culinary and service experience.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Andrew Tang
I ordered a Greek dish that was supposed to be a mixture of lamb, bread, and vegetables. It was just a lamb, bread, and sauce: a lot of processed carbs and meat. The interior of the restaurant does not have pleasant floors that create a pleasant dining experience. Certain construction materials create a pleasant dining experience. I am afraid I cannot go in depth this time.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 2
James Levinson
Well, I had not been here in many years and unsurprisingly, it's just not the same place, nor is it even close. My review reflects my meal, turkey & pesto sandwich - poor - don't order that. In my head, I guess I was remembering the sandwiches from 20 or 30 years ago? I expected delicious fresh carved turkey, like the real New York deli of yesteryear. Oh well. I think I got tasteless slices of turkey from a grocery store package. I ate half and left the other half for the trash. The cole slaw was good and I did have the chicken matzoh ball soup, also, and it was still good, too. Other 5 people in my party said, "it was okay"; nobody raving about the food or anything. We also ordered desserts and they were quite tasty, especially the apple pie a al mode! Waiter was kind and attentive, but he should have told me to avoid the turkey/pesto, right.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
Eitan Adler
Dishonest menu prices. Arbitrary fee (not a tax) deceptively called "SF mandate" added to the bill.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 3
Service: 1
J. O.
Really good food. I love the ambiance! There is metered parking right out front and it's in proximity to the civic center, opera house, and transportation. The service, though, is TERRIBLE! The lady seating everyone was probably the worst, but the waiters were not friendly and service was very slow for a Sunday evening.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 1
JJ Ross
The food was really good! Service was horrible. Seems to be a common theme in San Francisco/ California. We had eaten our whole meal before the server even made it back to our table to ask us how it was going.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 1
Eleanor Hill
I really liked this place, I got the cesar salad and it was really good, I didn’t realize there was olives in it so kind of disappointing, but overall really good. Then for dessert we got the crème brûlée, which was HUGE and for 11 dollars a really good deal, although it was quite sweet and even though it is a good deal it was an enormous portion and we only ended up eating about a third of it. The staff was nice and the building was really pretty.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Kim McDaniel
I had the best hamburger there with fries it was big and good I shall return for something else soon
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Robert Beamer
The shrimp Louis is my favorite. With a glass of wine listening to the pianist.
Wheelchair accessibility: Easily accessible from Van ness.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chicken Parmesan, Salad
Phyllis Horneman
We always love Max's. We recently took an out-of-town relative there. After she sifted through our recommendations for most selections on the menu, she asked if the reuben was good. We had to tell her no- it was outstanding. She ordered it and withstood the drippy goodness. The Philly cheesecake and other orders were delicious. As usual, no one had room for dessert, but we did take some home. The enormous seven layer cake with buttercream satisfied three people later.
Shoutout to Sanaz - She was awesome! Definitely recommend having dinner at this place! Don't forget the Caesar Salad.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Brian Kennedy
Reliable comfort food, solid service, and sometimes live piano
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chicken Parmesan, Chicken Pot Pie
JP G
We came here seeking comfort food and had a decent corned beef on rye sandwich. It was served with a pickle and Cole slaw. Also available are a selection of mustards which were necessary because the sandwich is plain. The carrot cake slice was pretty big and tasty, though a bit cold. The interior is a bit dated and there is too much glass for my taste. Staff were nice and came around pretty frequently.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Devin P
Large portions, attentive wait staff.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 4
Aaron Young
This is one of the most underrated restaurants in all of San Francisco! The food is excellent, the prices are decent and the staff is top notch!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chicken Parmesan, Chicken Pot Pie, Classic Crème Brûlée, Russian Cabbage Soup, Burger, Sliders, Sauce, Matzo Ball, Fish Tacos, Salad, Giant Nachos, Max’S Famous Reuben Sandwich, Tiramisu, Max’S Famous Chicken Matzo Ball Soup, Max’S Famous Crab Cakes, Sandwich, Pastrami, Niagara Falls Cake Slice, Matzo Ball Soup
If you like going to a restaurant with service that ranges from indifferent to hostile, with cafeteria-grade food one will find in a hospital, and an ambiance that resembles a neglected senior center, then Max's Opera Café is perfect!
The first clue that this will be the experience is a prominent sign that says, "Critics are Not Welcome." This is a wise strategy, as they would rather you not know that you are in for what could be rated one of the worst restaurants in San Francisco.
If proximity to Davies Hall and the Opera House is your priority, I strongly recommend a cold sandwich from their snack bar instead. It will be a better culinary and service experience.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
I ordered a Greek dish that was supposed to be a mixture of lamb, bread, and vegetables. It was just a lamb, bread, and sauce: a lot of processed carbs and meat. The interior of the restaurant does not have pleasant floors that create a pleasant dining experience. Certain construction materials create a pleasant dining experience. I am afraid I cannot go in depth this time.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 2
Well, I had not been here in many years and unsurprisingly, it's just not the same place, nor is it even close. My review reflects my meal, turkey & pesto sandwich - poor - don't order that. In my head, I guess I was remembering the sandwiches from 20 or 30 years ago? I expected delicious fresh carved turkey, like the real New York deli of yesteryear. Oh well. I think I got tasteless slices of turkey from a grocery store package. I ate half and left the other half for the trash. The cole slaw was good and I did have the chicken matzoh ball soup, also, and it was still good, too. Other 5 people in my party said, "it was okay"; nobody raving about the food or anything. We also ordered desserts and they were quite tasty, especially the apple pie a al mode! Waiter was kind and attentive, but he should have told me to avoid the turkey/pesto, right.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
Dishonest menu prices. Arbitrary fee (not a tax) deceptively called "SF mandate" added to the bill.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 3
Service: 1
Really good food. I love the ambiance! There is metered parking right out front and it's in proximity to the civic center, opera house, and transportation. The service, though, is TERRIBLE! The lady seating everyone was probably the worst, but the waiters were not friendly and service was very slow for a Sunday evening.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 1
The food was really good! Service was horrible. Seems to be a common theme in San Francisco/ California. We had eaten our whole meal before the server even made it back to our table to ask us how it was going.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 1
I really liked this place, I got the cesar salad and it was really good, I didn’t realize there was olives in it so kind of disappointing, but overall really good.
Then for dessert we got the crème brûlée, which was HUGE and for 11 dollars a really good deal, although it was quite sweet and even though it is a good deal it was an enormous portion and we only ended up eating about a third of it.
The staff was nice and the building was really pretty.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
I had the best hamburger there with fries it was big and good I shall return for something else soon
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The shrimp Louis is my favorite.
With a glass of wine listening to the pianist.
Wheelchair accessibility: Easily accessible from Van ness.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chicken Parmesan, Salad
We always love Max's. We recently took an out-of-town relative there. After she sifted through our recommendations for most selections on the menu, she asked if the reuben was good. We had to tell her no- it was outstanding. She ordered it and withstood the drippy goodness. The Philly cheesecake and other orders were delicious. As usual, no one had room for dessert, but we did take some home. The enormous seven layer cake with buttercream satisfied three people later.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Shoutout to Sanaz - She was awesome! Definitely recommend having dinner at this place! Don't forget the Caesar Salad.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Reliable comfort food, solid service, and sometimes live piano
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chicken Parmesan, Chicken Pot Pie
We came here seeking comfort food and had a decent corned beef on rye sandwich. It was served with a pickle and Cole slaw. Also available are a selection of mustards which were necessary because the sandwich is plain. The carrot cake slice was pretty big and tasty, though a bit cold. The interior is a bit dated and there is too much glass for my taste. Staff were nice and came around pretty frequently.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Large portions, attentive wait staff.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 4
This is one of the most underrated restaurants in all of San Francisco!
The food is excellent, the prices are decent and the staff is top notch!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chicken Parmesan, Chicken Pot Pie, Classic Crème Brûlée, Russian Cabbage Soup, Burger, Sliders, Sauce, Matzo Ball, Fish Tacos, Salad, Giant Nachos, Max’S Famous Reuben Sandwich, Tiramisu, Max’S Famous Chicken Matzo Ball Soup, Max’S Famous Crab Cakes, Sandwich, Pastrami, Niagara Falls Cake Slice, Matzo Ball Soup
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