First time/last time. I found this restaurant was closing and reserved a table for it last night of service. It was on my personal hit list, and it was my last opportunity to patronize the establishment. It was enjoyable and the food was good. Only negative was a lot of items was not available on the menu.
CandaceW
Our server Amy was excellent and attentive. The oysters, French Onion Soup, and Filet were delicious and cooked perfectly. The Asparagus was mushy and the sauce for the filet was just okay. The scallops and Mushroom Risotto were tasty. Overall it was a great dinner and we would return, if you weren't closing in a week.
HeatherT
Went to Max's on Broad with my girl friends, before we were to go see a show at the Carpenter Center. The restaurant's atmosphere was nice, and our waiter was nice & attentive. My friend ordered a fish dish that she had to send back twice (watery and not cooked correctly). She was eventually just comped the meal, which she barely touched. I ordered the blackened mahi mahi. It tasted alright, nothing spectacular. We paid and went on to our show. About an hour into the show, I ended up so sick that I spent the majority of the show in the bathroom. I don't know if it was the mahi, or the seafood in the risotto, but something was definitely bad. I rarely write reviews, but for the amount I paid for this dinner (just for it to make me sick), I was extremely disappointed.
Mickey12
Nostalgic Richmond with a touch of Vintage. The ambiance was romantic and the food was fantastic for date night. Showed my honey my hometown downtown flair with a splash of great drinks; green tea on the rim and the other had ginger beer. Scallops, penne pasta chicken and shrimp; appetizer fried calamari was the best. Took the chocolate bread pudding to go!
AHDH
Upon recommendation from a long-time local friend, we had dinner at Max's on Broad and it was just as good as my friend said it would be. Shrimp and grits, the burger and an amazing dessert of Chocolate Bread Pudding made our night.
loveanightoutwithmyhubby
Lovely place with great ambiance. Food was delicious and wait staff very attentive. Love their menu. I had the shrimp and grits and it was perfectly seasoned with the most delicious sauce. Highly recommend.
Nora
Unfortunately the food last night was not up to their usual standards. Scallops were overwhelmed by too much salt and garlic. My husband's “filet mignon” was burnt and stringy. However, when we answered the waiter's “how w as your meal?” honestly, he was very apologetic and went back to the chef who also came to apologize and offer compensation. We declined that because it wasn't about the hefty price of our entrees. They did what they could about the problem and we respected that. We probably won't go back.
On vacation. Stayed at Jefferson Hotel which is absolutely amazing. They recommended Max and we enjoyed it very much. The pasta with shrimp and chicken needed extra ice which they brought over and salad arugula and pear needed some olive oil. A bit tart. Then perfect. The service was awesome. In fact when we got to restaurant we didn't know that the woman who took our photo outside was actually the chef. Very funny.
Logan Deyo
Ambience and bar of this place is fantastic. We’ve heard so many great things about this place but the food was just super average. It was a busy night, so I’m sure we’ll be back to give it another try. Just not a ton of flavor in either of our entrees. Beverages were good.
Frances
Lovely spot to eat before the Richmond Forum. Fabulous service - knowledgeable, attentive, friendly, professional. Love the deviled eggs and calamari (really tasted fresh, not chewy, and not overly breaded.) My friend loved the mushroom risotto as well.
We are 2 and done. My daughter and I love to eat out at nicer restaurants when I visit her at school, when at home in Chicago or on multitude of trips when she was playing club sports. Our 1st visit to Max we had a sloppy server, our drinks came out after our appetizer (came out cold) and dinner arrived. He was not into giving good service or checking back on our table. It was very clear that I did not eat any of the appetizer (I was afraid of getting ill due to the temperature of the dish) and he couldn't have cared less. Unfortunately, we sat next to another table with a server that gave over the top service, or at least good service, so the difference was noticeable. We gave Max's another try on Saturday, 2/11 since other reviews have been so good and we knew a lot of our unhappiness with our first visit was due to our sloppy server. Our server was lovely and did her best to give us a nice experience. But, once again, we were told that the bar was backed up. So we waited to order an appetizer or our meal (even though she approached our table and asked if we were ready to move forward several times). Our drinks took about 20 minutes to arrive. Max's really needs to figure out the "backed up bar" issue since it happened on both visits and diners shouldn't have to worry about timing their appetizers and meals based on a backed up bar. My escargot appetizer was good although serving it with bread would be better than the bread chips for soaking up the garlic and butter. My daughter did not enjoy the truffle mac and cheese and wondered "How do you mess up Mac and Cheese?" so she did not eat her much of her meal. My steak frites was fine and I enjoyed it. But, overall, based on both experiences we decided that we've given Max's enough of an opportunity to win future business and Max's fell short. We eat out a lot at a range of casual to upscale restaurants (and everything in between) and Max's won't be included in future visits nor will I recommend it to anyone.
StirlingH
Food tasted great, but was a bit expensive for the portion size. An incorrect meal was provided for dinner, but in the end we were compensated for the mistake. Overall, it was a good meal and while issues were experienced, they were resolved. However I wouldn't rate this as anything fantastic. It also appeared as if the restaurant was understaffed. We were warned the kitchen was running a bit slow and we would have to wait. But if we wanted something quickly, we could place an order for bread. Just an odd statement/offer considering the restaurant was behind schedule, not the attending party. I would have figured in a place as nice as this, bread would be complimentary. Especially if the restaurant was running behind. Also, the reservation was set for a family members birthday. We provided notification through open table and when we arrived in person. I would have been happy to pay for a birthday dessert, but the restaurant provided no indication or option for a birthday dessert option. They just handed us a dessert menu like any other dinner and asked what we wanted. We decided not to order a dessert as it seemed to undermine the whole surprise aspect of it.
DougS
Pretty good food. We get really rushed to finish dinner, we think because they seated us inside even though our reservation was for outside. The place is pretty hip and the drinks pretty good to match the pretty good food. The experience like the flavors just lacked a level of depth that we were hoping for. We would go back but prob not until trying other venues in the area.
DanW
Great food and the initial service was great. Some of the food was undercooked, it happens, not a big deal, it was immediately taken back by the Manager and she apologized profusely. However, after that, our Server seemed upset at us the rest of the evening. Even after "clearing" his table and going to the bar to have drinks. Regardless of that, this place is amazing. The bartender, the hostess, the Servers were all wonderful (with the exception of the one) and everyone was accommodating. The food was wonderful and the ambience was very unique and inviting. I will definitely go back when I'm in town.
Fili
We had a great time at Max's. It has been a while since I've eaten there, so it was nice to return and get the scallops. The kitchen was super fast, and the service was great.
First time/last time. I found this restaurant was closing and reserved a table for it last night of service. It was on my personal hit list, and it was my last opportunity to patronize the establishment. It was enjoyable and the food was good. Only negative was a lot of items was not available on the menu.
Our server Amy was excellent and attentive. The oysters, French Onion Soup, and Filet were delicious and cooked perfectly. The Asparagus was mushy and the sauce for the filet was just okay. The scallops and Mushroom Risotto were tasty. Overall it was a great dinner and we would return, if you weren't closing in a week.
Went to Max's on Broad with my girl friends, before we were to go see a show at the Carpenter Center. The restaurant's atmosphere was nice, and our waiter was nice & attentive. My friend ordered a fish dish that she had to send back twice (watery and not cooked correctly). She was eventually just comped the meal, which she barely touched. I ordered the blackened mahi mahi. It tasted alright, nothing spectacular. We paid and went on to our show. About an hour into the show, I ended up so sick that I spent the majority of the show in the bathroom. I don't know if it was the mahi, or the seafood in the risotto, but something was definitely bad. I rarely write reviews, but for the amount I paid for this dinner (just for it to make me sick), I was extremely disappointed.
Nostalgic Richmond with a touch of Vintage. The ambiance was romantic and the food was fantastic for date night. Showed my honey my hometown downtown flair with a splash of great drinks; green tea on the rim and the other had ginger beer. Scallops, penne pasta chicken and shrimp; appetizer fried calamari was the best. Took the chocolate bread pudding to go!
Upon recommendation from a long-time local friend, we had dinner at Max's on Broad and it was just as good as my friend said it would be. Shrimp and grits, the burger and an amazing dessert of Chocolate Bread Pudding made our night.
Lovely place with great ambiance. Food was delicious and wait staff very attentive. Love their menu. I had the shrimp and grits and it was perfectly seasoned with the most delicious sauce. Highly recommend.
Unfortunately the food last night was not up to their usual standards. Scallops were overwhelmed by too much salt and garlic. My husband's “filet mignon” was burnt and stringy. However, when we answered the waiter's “how w as your meal?” honestly, he was very apologetic and went back to the chef who also came to apologize and offer compensation. We declined that because it wasn't about the hefty price of our entrees. They did what they could about the problem and we respected that. We probably won't go back.
On vacation. Stayed at Jefferson Hotel which is absolutely amazing. They recommended Max and we enjoyed it very much. The pasta with shrimp and chicken needed extra ice which they brought over and salad arugula and pear needed some olive oil. A bit tart. Then perfect. The service was awesome. In fact when we got to restaurant we didn't know that the woman who took our photo outside was actually the chef. Very funny.
Ambience and bar of this place is fantastic. We’ve heard so many great things about this place but the food was just super average. It was a busy night, so I’m sure we’ll be back to give it another try. Just not a ton of flavor in either of our entrees. Beverages were good.
Lovely spot to eat before the Richmond Forum. Fabulous service - knowledgeable, attentive, friendly, professional. Love the deviled eggs and calamari (really tasted fresh, not chewy, and not overly breaded.) My friend loved the mushroom risotto as well.
Restaurantji Recommends
We are 2 and done. My daughter and I love to eat out at nicer restaurants when I visit her at school, when at home in Chicago or on multitude of trips when she was playing club sports. Our 1st visit to Max we had a sloppy server, our drinks came out after our appetizer (came out cold) and dinner arrived. He was not into giving good service or checking back on our table. It was very clear that I did not eat any of the appetizer (I was afraid of getting ill due to the temperature of the dish) and he couldn't have cared less. Unfortunately, we sat next to another table with a server that gave over the top service, or at least good service, so the difference was noticeable. We gave Max's another try on Saturday, 2/11 since other reviews have been so good and we knew a lot of our unhappiness with our first visit was due to our sloppy server. Our server was lovely and did her best to give us a nice experience. But, once again, we were told that the bar was backed up. So we waited to order an appetizer or our meal (even though she approached our table and asked if we were ready to move forward several times). Our drinks took about 20 minutes to arrive. Max's really needs to figure out the "backed up bar" issue since it happened on both visits and diners shouldn't have to worry about timing their appetizers and meals based on a backed up bar. My escargot appetizer was good although serving it with bread would be better than the bread chips for soaking up the garlic and butter. My daughter did not enjoy the truffle mac and cheese and wondered "How do you mess up Mac and Cheese?" so she did not eat her much of her meal. My steak frites was fine and I enjoyed it. But, overall, based on both experiences we decided that we've given Max's enough of an opportunity to win future business and Max's fell short. We eat out a lot at a range of casual to upscale restaurants (and everything in between) and Max's won't be included in future visits nor will I recommend it to anyone.
Food tasted great, but was a bit expensive for the portion size. An incorrect meal was provided for dinner, but in the end we were compensated for the mistake. Overall, it was a good meal and while issues were experienced, they were resolved. However I wouldn't rate this as anything fantastic. It also appeared as if the restaurant was understaffed. We were warned the kitchen was running a bit slow and we would have to wait. But if we wanted something quickly, we could place an order for bread. Just an odd statement/offer considering the restaurant was behind schedule, not the attending party. I would have figured in a place as nice as this, bread would be complimentary. Especially if the restaurant was running behind. Also, the reservation was set for a family members birthday. We provided notification through open table and when we arrived in person. I would have been happy to pay for a birthday dessert, but the restaurant provided no indication or option for a birthday dessert option. They just handed us a dessert menu like any other dinner and asked what we wanted. We decided not to order a dessert as it seemed to undermine the whole surprise aspect of it.
Pretty good food. We get really rushed to finish dinner, we think because they seated us inside even though our reservation was for outside. The place is pretty hip and the drinks pretty good to match the pretty good food. The experience like the flavors just lacked a level of depth that we were hoping for. We would go back but prob not until trying other venues in the area.
Great food and the initial service was great. Some of the food was undercooked, it happens, not a big deal, it was immediately taken back by the Manager and she apologized profusely. However, after that, our Server seemed upset at us the rest of the evening. Even after "clearing" his table and going to the bar to have drinks. Regardless of that, this place is amazing. The bartender, the hostess, the Servers were all wonderful (with the exception of the one) and everyone was accommodating. The food was wonderful and the ambience was very unique and inviting. I will definitely go back when I'm in town.
We had a great time at Max's. It has been a while since I've eaten there, so it was nice to return and get the scallops. The kitchen was super fast, and the service was great.