Max Restaurant

03/21/11

Good Food Can't Make Up for Bad Service

by greener urban at Citysearch

I took my brothers and my girlfriend here last weekend looking for a good meal on a Saturday night. I had been to Max before, a little while ago and enjoyed it.

I could not have been more surprised with the experience we had. We were sat quickly, and the Sangria we had was very good. We got no bread on the table, though all of the other tables in the room did. We ordered quickly and then the wait started.

Our appetizers were a little slow, but certainly manageable with a pitcher of sangria and the food was very good. After that, it was 20 minutes before the first time we heard "your food should be right out." We said that's fine, no problem.

20 minutes later, most of the tables in the room were being turned. Guests who arrived after us were being served. For a second time we heard "Your food is just about done, can I get you another round of drinks?" We said sure, and ordered another pitcher of Sangria (which was still tasty).

20 minutes later, the sangria was finished. Our water glasses were empty. The waiter made his third round saying the food was coming out. It came 10 minutes after that, but by then our appetites had been soured somewhat.

I want to say upfront that the food was delicious and I have no complaints about it, but we waited over an hour for it with three promises it was just about out. So we left a small tip and left, thinking the discomfort for the night was over. Instead, the waiter chased out after us in a huff asking why we left a small tip. We said the service was poor and it would have been nice to know there was a problem with the order. His reply was just "the problem was having a full house."

If having a full house is a problem, then maybe he's in the wrong business. A comped pitcher of Sangria would have set the night right or an actual apology would have even softened the blow. No dice. It's a shame, because the food is very good, but we won't be going back.

09/16/09

Best Italian in NYC

by scottie78 at Citysearch

This little hole in the wall Italian restaurant is fantastic. A rustic, down-to-earth, no reservation needed home cooked place that serves phenomenal pasta. You need to come hungry because they serve large bowls.

• Pros: Great spaghetti and meat sauce
• Cons: Only takes cash

02/02/09

Good food, rude waiter!

by karps at Citysearch

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.

• Pros: food is simple and straight-forward
• Cons: very loud music, rude waiters

01/13/09

NEVER AGAIN!

by PCH1031 at Citysearch

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!!!

• Cons: No longer cheap, food gone downhill, rude service, awful kitschy decor.

01/13/09

What? this place is OVERRATED.

by poprock at Citysearch

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.

• Pros: Can't think of one.
• Cons: Bad food.