Max

I've never written a CitySearch review before, but I find the raves for this restaurant astonishing. \r \r My girlfriend and I went to Max last Saturday night. We ordered the specials because we thought they'd be, well, special. My girlfriend ordered the ravioli with smoked mozarella and aspargus. When it arrived, there was no smoked mozarella or asparagus - just plain ravioli in red sauce. We told the server, and 20 minutes later the waiter told us that the kitchen staff had ""pulled the wrong bags"" before the service. (I guess the menu should say ""Homemade Frozen Pasta"" instead of ""Homemade Pasta."") I find it remarkable that Max had served the ""Ravioli of the Day"" to other customers and nobody in the kitchen noticed that it was missing its key ingredients.\r \r In addition, when our bottle of Chardonnay arrived, it wasn't cold. The waiter explained that it is stored at room temperature and offered to get us a bucket of ice. After waiting for the bucket of ice, we waited for the Chardonnay to get cold.\r \r In retrospect, we should have left after waiting 15 minutes for a waiter after we were first seated.\r Cons: Noisy, bad service, sloppily prepared food more

I have to reply to the horrible message about the customer service at max.\r I ve been going to max from a while and I have to say that the food was always really good (specially the housemade gnocchi!!)...I can tell my grandmother use to make gnocchi at home!!!!\r Also the service was always great like the atmosphere...\r I feel also very upset about the ""score"" this couple is giving to the english of Ramiro..\r With a bad karma like that I probably would not come back to your table either... more

I think the uptown Max is cheaper.. The outdoor patio is fun on summer evenings and the pasta is very good. more

Max was a wonderful experience.....cute, cozy, and authentic Italian food! We ordered a wine on special which was not only tasty, but very reasonably priced. The black pasta with shrimp in spicy tomato sauce and fettucine with meat sauce were really good. I thought the waitstaff were prompt and friendly enough. We were a party of 6 and had no problem being seated earlier on a Sunday evening. Great food and ambiance means I will definitely go back! Oh yeah, and bathroom was very clean too! Pros: Authentic Italian food, great wine, cozy Cons: Maybe a little pricey? more

Went with my girlfriend on a Friday night @ around 8. We were quoted a 25 min wait, but must have got lucky as a table opened up very quickly, before we even had a change to order a glass of wine from the bar in back. We got garlic bread and caprese to start, both were good. My GF ordered the gnocchi, and I had Mom's Lasagna. Both excellent, GF liked the gnocchi, but was jealous of my lasagna so we will be going back soon so she can order her own. For dessert we split some tiramisu, and i had a cappuccino. $80 before tip with a bottle of wine, that's tough to beat for that much food. We will definitely be back. Pros: great food for the price, nice ambience. Cons: tight on space, but not a big deal. more

Max is an excellent option for amazing Italian food. I had heard about Max long time ago but my first time at Max was last week. Our diner was great. Not only the menu is affordable but also you get excellent service and delicious food. You may have to wait for your table ( i was on a Thursday night and had to wait 30 minutes to get a table in the backyard) but it was worth it. Try to get there before 7 pm if you do not want to wait to get a table outside... more

I went to Max last Wednesday evening and I had a great time!\r The food is AMAZING and very affordable. Good ambience, young crowd, good service.\r Nice back patio! Pros: ambience, food, service Cons: wait more

Great atmosphere, great food. I went with a friend on a saturday night-waited for about 20 minutes- not bad for table on a saturday night in a small east village restaurant. Busy place with loud music and dim lights-all in a good way. We ordered the garlic bread and side salad to start. Great dressing. The garlic bread was a little sketchy because it had a cream sauce on it-creamy sauce is not my thing so i didnt enjoy that too much, but im pretty picky. I had the eggplant pasta dish w. mozz cheese. Huge portions (almost too huge). I will mos def go back again. Pros: big portions, great atmosphere Cons: one bathroom more

I've read many reviews about the bad service in this place and I honestly have to say I don't get it. I have had at least average if not above average service every time I've been here (there was one time when I was waiting for take out and the manager asked me to try a new wine he was thinking about adding to the list because he wanted my opinion). I think the staff is warm and friendly, and you are simply not going to get better Italian food at this price point without traveling to Italy. I'm sorry some people had a bad experience here - it can get VERY busy and they don't take reservations, so I can see that misunderstandings will occur, but bad, rude service? I find that really hard to believe. If I have anything bad to say about Max, it's that I wish the menu wasn't so limited. I have been going there since they opened and have yet to be there on a day when they had brasciole as a special. Pros: Great food, warm staff Cons: Can be loud and overcrowded, limited menu more

I went here last night with my friend and have a lot of good things to say about Max. The food was great - reminded me of the amazing food I ate in Florence when I studied there 2 years ago. The wine list is huge and fairly priced. I noticed that a lot of people commented on the service - but I thought it was fine. Our waiter was not only gorgeous, but perfectly nice and helpful. I found the hostess friendly, not rude like many other people here have noted. My only bit of constructive criticism as far as the service goes is that they cleared our plates and glasses a bit fast; I felt like they were trying to get us out of there... but that's sort of typical at any high volume restaurant. And now for what we eat: We started out with salad - I had the beet with goat cheese and mixed greens and avocado (the beets were PERFECT), my friend had the special salad of the evening: arugala with avocado, corn, and hearts of palm. Both were very good but the avocado should have never been put on our plates, it was very bad. For our main course I had the special pasta: ravioli filled with spinach and ricotta with butter sage sauce -- it was amazing, and just like i remembered from Italy. My friend had gnocchi with meat ragu and said the sauce was the best she's ever had. For dessert: the creme brulee was outstanding, but the tirmisu needed a bit of a kick, probably some coffee liquer and some more cinnamon or espresso. Pros: fresh pasta + salad, creme brulee, very reasonable, great wine list Cons: very tight restaurant ! tirmisu needs work... come early if you want to be seated promptly more

We tried to eat at Max the day after Christmas. The hostess said that the wait for a party of three was about 30 mins. Because the food is supposed to be so good, we decided to wait. After 30 minutes of waiting, a party of four walked in and the hostess told them that the wait was about 10 mins. So I thought that the table of four which opened up a few minutes later would be ours. Instead she refused to seat us because we were a party of three. Instead she seated the party of four that arrived five minutes before (and 30 minutes after us). It would have been helpful if the hostess had explained the policy beforehand and also, when asked about it, wasn't rude about it. All she had to say, was ""I told you that you could sit at the bar and wait."" The HOSTESS IS VERY UNPLEASANT AND RUDE and unfortunately, I never got to try the food. Cons: Horrible, Rude Hostess, Bad Seating Policy more

went here with my parents on saturday. it was 5:30, the place was empty, only 2 other tables or 2 in the ENTIRE place. they sat us a TINY table in the corner, too small for us to sit comfortably, my dad is over 60 and isnt quite as nimble as typical east villagers. when we asked if we could use the table next to us (another small table about 2 inches away) we were told by the waitress that the table we were at was a 3 person table and we could not move over, she's worked there for 2 years, and this is the way its always been. when she asked if we'd like to speak to the manager we agreed thinking he would care even the slightest about service and retaining customers. apparently we were wrong. he told us that was their seating policy and there was nothing he could do, so we left. I understand this place gets busy and there is a wait, but this was at 5:30pm and had we moved over, it wouldnt have impacted them at all. instead, we gave the business to china1 across the street and the rude waitress lost our tip. dont go here unless you are super skinny and are prepared to be squished - you're better ordering in! Pros: none, we didnt even eat here Cons: Rude Staff, Horrible Seating, Ridiculous Policy more

i love this place! the fettuccine with meat sauce is to die for, and they have plenty of options for my vegetarian friends as well. i only share this restaurant with my close friends, because i don't want too many people to swarm the place - i'll never get a table! Pros: amazing food, nice wine list, knowledgeable sommeliers Cons: small, far from subway more

I was in the area with a friend and somebody recommended us to go there for good pasta. We looooved the food, the service was friendly and relaxed, nothing wrong with it being an east village restaurant that offers a huge delicious plate of pasta for $10! plus great wine. I definitely recommend this place if you are looking for yummy food in an informal environment. Cons: bad music more

I am sad to say that the service we had here TWICE was dissapointing. Dissapointing because the food is very good. I came here forst with a group of 15 people celebrating a birthday. I understand we are a large group and hard to accomodate.. but to be treated so rudely by the manager as well especially after dropping a tab of 800.00... is UN HEARD OF. I later decided to give it one more try with 2 friends of mine. The wait staff could not have been ruder. From the second you walk into the door with the hostess to the waiter and food runners. People where practically throwing our dishes down at us. The waiter was no where to be found when we needed him. Never did they come to ask if anything was ok. IT'S ASHAME THAT A PLACE IN THE CITY LACKS A STAFF AND MANAGEMENT WITH MANNERS. We will never be back again. And like the other reviews I'm sure they won't care. Pros: food Cons: SERVICE, MANAGERS, WAIT STAFF RUDE more

I've been to Max a few times, and I always order the same thing. Their lasagna is awesome. The entire mood of the restaurant is relaxed and cozy. The service is slow, but I like taking my time with meals, so I don't mind it one bit. This isn't the place to drop, inhale food, and run. It's a place to sit down at a cozy table in the candlelight with friends or a lover, wine, bread, and pasta and just wile the night away. Pros: Lasagna Cons: The wait during busy hours more

I love love love this place. You can't go wrong with the good, cheap food and the cute back yard! more

dinner for 2 (2 appetizers, 2 glasses of $9 Pinot, 2 main courses and 1 soup) cost $82+tip\r The service was okay, but the food was quite disappointing. The tiny shrimp in ""black spaghetti with shrimp"" was overcooked, if not canned. The soup wasn't good at all. The food doesn't appear to be expertly made - a dabble in touristy faux italian.\r The backyard feels a bit sloppy and un-cozy. \r The alleged ""24"" Zagat rating must be either a joke or a thing of the past. There are several restaurants in the neighborhood with much better food, better space and lower prices. Pros: close to popular bars Cons: uninspiring food more

My boyfriend took me here on a date when I was visiting him in the city. I was so impressed by the intimate setting, fresh food, cozy atmosphere, and great priced wine!!! We have been twice since, and plan to go back a lot. The music is loud and the tables are small, but it's all in the experience. I enjoyed sitting at the bar and talking to the bartender while waiting for our table. I think the service was great, and I would reccomend this place to anyone looking for a fresh, authentic Italian, well priced meal, in a fun and cozy place. Keep up the good work....I'll be back many times. Pros: cheap, cozy bar, great music Cons: a bit crowded, but what's not in New York??? more

Those who run this place think that they are doing you a favor...it does not make you feel welcome...there is a ""superior"" European attitude here that seems to be held against you if you apparently don't size up...the food is good and the cost reasonable but I don't think I'll be back and they probably don't care. more