Lunch pub steak was shockingly tender. Very tasty.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Megan
Poor service. Table not ready at reservation time. Waiter discarded our leftovers without asking instead of wrapping them- including and expensive cake we had brought. Disappointed.
Joseph
We love Max Downtown. Unfortunately tonight there were some mishaps. Our champagne was flat, our food was not hot, and the wine we had was open for too long or oxidized. The manager did give us another glass of wine, but I felt we could have been compensated a bit more.
MJ
Food was delicious. Servers was excellent. Max is always one of the best restaurants in CT. It never disappoints
Jennifer
A friend and I attended the Wente Wine dinner, the food, service, and wine were outstanding. They were generous with pours and portions and each dish paired beautifully with the wine selected. The only issue was the room was small and they probably could have done 1-2 less tables so people weren't so cramped in. It was nearly impossible to move my seat out to allow other diners to get in and out of their seats. It also meant there was a lot of noise making coming conversation a bit difficult. However it did not overshadow a wonderful experience.
Daniel
What a great evening! We attended the Wente Wine dinner. The food and wine selections were perfect. It was also great to have a Wente family member there to guide us through the wine selections. All in all one great evening!
Opentable Diner
I thought the steak was excellent Service was pretty good I didn't care for the bread just personal choice I didn't think the sides were great Overall, four stars
Jeffrey
Server was not very attentive and wine took 15 mins to get, we had to then rush through dinner. Part of course was delivered to the table 10 mins after the the other plates
Juliane Batista
“I loved everything about this place. Beautiful atmosphere, excellent food and an amazing dessert. Great service and a wonderful dining experience overall. Highly recommend!”
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
myra
We booked a late lunch after a basketball game. So the restaurant filled up and obviously we had to wait longer than one normally would. That's the only reason I gave it four stars instead of five. Our server was excellent. The food was very good. I look forward to returning sometime in the future for dinner.
Max Downtown always pleases. They are one of few benchmarks for fine dining in the greater Hartford area.
Blaze G
My experience at Max Downtown was derailed almost entirely by our server, Courtney, whose performance felt less like hospitality and more like an act.
From the start, she presented herself as incapable of handling even the most basic tasks—openly claiming she didn’t know how to do things, including theatrically struggling to open a bottle of wine. At first, this came across as a misguided attempt at charm. That illusion ended quickly.
After accidentally spilling a drink, Courtney abruptly flipped the script. Suddenly, she was decisive, authoritative, and fully capable—cutting someone off with confidence and efficiency. The contrast was jarring. You don’t get to selectively become “professional” only when it’s convenient or when authority is required. Professionalism isn’t a switch you flip when it benefits you; it’s a standard you uphold consistently.
The lack of transparency was the most frustrating part. If you’re new, own it. If you’re experienced, act like it. What we witnessed instead felt manipulative—an attempt to lower expectations through feigned incompetence, only to later assert control when it suited the moment. That kind of inconsistency erodes trust and leaves guests questioning the integrity of the service.
At a restaurant like Max Downtown, where standards are supposed to be high, this kind of behavior is unacceptable. Guests shouldn’t have to guess which version of their server they’re going to get. Consistency, honesty, and professionalism should not be optional.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 1
Edward Klopfer
Delicious food and fantastic servic. Abel was wonderful, patient, and helped pick a delightful bottle of wine. The wagu was decadent and the vegetarian steak was better than any I have ever tasted. Definitely returning.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Richard Grycz
Great food and service! Love the food and the selection.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Daily Selection of Oysters, Buffalo Cauliflower, Vanilla Bean Crème Brûlée DT, Lump Crab Tostada, Wester Ross Salmon Crudo, All Desserts
Brenda Pabon
Courtney thank you for such great service our group and I had a wonderful dinner!
Lunch pub steak was shockingly tender. Very tasty.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Poor service. Table not ready at reservation time. Waiter discarded our leftovers without asking instead of wrapping them- including and expensive cake we had brought. Disappointed.
We love Max Downtown. Unfortunately tonight there were some mishaps. Our champagne was flat, our food was not hot, and the wine we had was open for too long or oxidized. The manager did give us another glass of wine, but I felt we could have been compensated a bit more.
Food was delicious. Servers was excellent. Max is always one of the best restaurants in CT. It never disappoints
A friend and I attended the Wente Wine dinner, the food, service, and wine were outstanding. They were generous with pours and portions and each dish paired beautifully with the wine selected. The only issue was the room was small and they probably could have done 1-2 less tables so people weren't so cramped in. It was nearly impossible to move my seat out to allow other diners to get in and out of their seats. It also meant there was a lot of noise making coming conversation a bit difficult. However it did not overshadow a wonderful experience.
What a great evening! We attended the Wente Wine dinner. The food and wine selections were perfect. It was also great to have a Wente family member there to guide us through the wine selections. All in all one great evening!
I thought the steak was excellent Service was pretty good I didn't care for the bread just personal choice I didn't think the sides were great Overall, four stars
Server was not very attentive and wine took 15 mins to get, we had to then rush through dinner. Part of course was delivered to the table 10 mins after the the other plates
“I loved everything about this place.
Beautiful atmosphere, excellent food and an amazing dessert.
Great service and a wonderful dining experience overall.
Highly recommend!”
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We booked a late lunch after a basketball game. So the restaurant filled up and obviously we had to wait longer than one normally would. That's the only reason I gave it four stars instead of five. Our server was excellent. The food was very good. I look forward to returning sometime in the future for dinner.
Restaurantji Recommends
Max Downtown always pleases. They are one of few benchmarks for fine dining in the greater Hartford area.
My experience at Max Downtown was derailed almost entirely by our server, Courtney, whose performance felt less like hospitality and more like an act.
From the start, she presented herself as incapable of handling even the most basic tasks—openly claiming she didn’t know how to do things, including theatrically struggling to open a bottle of wine. At first, this came across as a misguided attempt at charm. That illusion ended quickly.
After accidentally spilling a drink, Courtney abruptly flipped the script. Suddenly, she was decisive, authoritative, and fully capable—cutting someone off with confidence and efficiency. The contrast was jarring. You don’t get to selectively become “professional” only when it’s convenient or when authority is required. Professionalism isn’t a switch you flip when it benefits you; it’s a standard you uphold consistently.
The lack of transparency was the most frustrating part. If you’re new, own it. If you’re experienced, act like it. What we witnessed instead felt manipulative—an attempt to lower expectations through feigned incompetence, only to later assert control when it suited the moment. That kind of inconsistency erodes trust and leaves guests questioning the integrity of the service.
At a restaurant like Max Downtown, where standards are supposed to be high, this kind of behavior is unacceptable. Guests shouldn’t have to guess which version of their server they’re going to get. Consistency, honesty, and professionalism should not be optional.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 1
Delicious food and fantastic servic. Abel was wonderful, patient, and helped pick a delightful bottle of wine. The wagu was decadent and the vegetarian steak was better than any I have ever tasted. Definitely returning.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great food and service! Love the food and the selection.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Daily Selection of Oysters, Buffalo Cauliflower, Vanilla Bean Crème Brûlée DT, Lump Crab Tostada, Wester Ross Salmon Crudo, All Desserts
Courtney thank you for such great service our group and I had a wonderful dinner!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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