Max Restaurant
(212) 539-0111
51 Ave B
New York,
NY
10009
40.7231
-73.9825
Neighborhoods: East Village, Downtown, Alphabet City
What People Are Saying About Max Restaurant
The Editor
Contributor
Citysearch
In Short
Young, thickly-accented waiters work a narrow room of fewer than 30 seats. Occasionally, Italian hip-hop that sounds suspiciously similar to Public Enemy circa "Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos" plays in the background. Simple Italian fare, with an emphasis on familiar pastas, include "My Father's Style Rigatoni," served with thick slices of sausage and veal meatballs. Other dishes get a matriarchal moniker: "Mom's Meat Loaf with Neapolitan-style Potatoes" and "Homemade Lasagna, Mom's Style."
User Reviews
karps
February 02, 2009
Four of us had dinner at Max Restaurant on Saturday night, and while the food was pretty good, our waiter was incredibly and unnecessarily rude. we were seated under a speaker and asked VERY NICELY to turn down the music a little bit, the waiter said "no. we play loud music" a little later, when the music had become even louder, the hostess responded to my plea and turned it down, only to have the same waiter turn it up even louder than before! we left soon after, and took our business (dessert and more wine) elsewhere. also, there were candles sitting on a sideboard, and we use one to read the menu then left it on our table. the waiter came over and told us we had just created a fire hazard!! how this was any more dangerous than having a flame inches from a wooden shelf made no sense, but it was the way we were treated, like children who had to be slapped on the hand, which was offensive. this had been my first time at Max and nearly every interaction with the personnel (with the exception of the gentleman refilling our water glasses!) was unnecessarily contentious. needless to say, i'm not going back.
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puiyin1031
January 13, 2009
We walked into a fairly empty restaurant on a Monday evening. The hostess tried to seat the 3 of us in the back by the bar & next to the bathroom. When we asked if we could sit in the front room instead (which was empty!), she shot us a dirty look & squeezed the 3 of us into a tiny table for 2. The steamed asparagus w/proscuitto appetizer consisted of 4 measly sprigs of cold asparagus wrapped in bland, dry proscuitto. Pasta entrees were way too salty, I probably drank 8 glasses of water while I was there. My friend's steak was tough to chew & dry. We thought maybe the dessert would be their redeeming dish for the night..but no way! The tiramisu was horrible. It was obvious it was prepared days ago & was just sitting there with a goopy consistency. The ladyfingers were hard & stale. Waiters were rude. This place was a good standby in years past, but after this recent visit, NEVER AGAIN!!!
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poprock
January 13, 2009
Ordered delivery from the famous "Max" tonight. I am not kidding -- it was UN-EDIBLE. The rigatoni with meatballs and sausage had sort of a brown sugar taste. The meatballs were dry and crusty. The bread came cold and stale. The salad -- bland and boring. I am so grossed out. I will never order from Max again. With places like Perbacco, Lavagna, Il Posto and Supper within blocks, do not bother. This must be an old school Alphabet City restaurant that will not stand the test of time. Seriously... I am so bummed out by my dinner. I feel sick.
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Know Before You Go:
This location only accepts cash.
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Payment Methods:
Restaurant Special Features:
People Watching, Lunch Spot, Cheap Eats, Outdoor Dining
