Max Downtown - Hartford

Review summary

1. T

   Tammy

   New York City

   20 reviews

   vip
   1.0

   20 reviews

   Dined 4 days ago

   1. Overall 1
   2. Food 1
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 3

   This was the WORST experience I have ever had at a Max restaurant! 30 minutes from ordering drinks to receiving them - 2 requests for when we would receive them later! 2.5 hours from sitting down to end of meal - unacceptable delays and waits. All entrees came out cold and one dish looked like it had been dropped and put back together, another Prime rib was tasteless, a third - sliced filet Oscar was over done. 7 people for dinner with a bill over $800 - with drinks comped for a horrible experience and complaining became tireless and frustrating. A family gathering meal turned into a disaster and took away from the celebratory experience we were anticipating. I am a Max rewards member and eat at theirs restaurants frequently. Ugh - after spending that kind of money it is really unacceptable. There was no acknowledgement from management at the end of the meal on what went wrong or what they would change to make sure this issue was rectified.
   

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2. D

   Doug

   New York City

   47 reviews

   vip
   4.0

   47 reviews

   Dined 5 days ago

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 3
   4. Ambience 5

   Our dinner at Max Downtown was mostly positive. The food was excellent, particularly the Swordfish and Shrimp entrees and the salads we had. Our server Jason and the support staff were very attentive and friendly. We were there to celebrate my wife's birthday and they brought out a candle with dessert with a happy birthday message as well as getting her a card, both of which were greatly appreciated. There is one area for improvement and the reason I rated the service as I did. We arrived about 10 minutes early for our reservation and were told we were early and our table was not quite ready yet. From that point we had to wait 30 minutes (or 20 minutes past our reservation time) to be seated. While the restaurant was very crowded (our server told us later that it was driven by 3 events downtown that evening), the front desk staff didn't let us know they were running behind, nor recommend we have drink at the bar given that. We have been to Max Downtown many times over the years, and had never experienced this before.
   

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3. B

   Brian

   New York City

   1 review

   3.0

   1 review

   Dined 5 days ago

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 3

   Reservation was at 6:00pm as we had a 8:00pm show at the Bushnell. Waited until approximately 6:40pm before being given the option of bar seating or waiting 5 more minutes while they cleaned off a table in the dining room. As we were already very tight on time we chose the bar area. The host apologized and said a round of drinks would be on the house. The wait staff was very nice and quick. We ordered drinks and food while letting her know that we had to a show and needed to be out by 7:45pm. Food was good. I ordered a bone-in ribeye with whipped potatoes and asparagus. It was good, but rushing to eat a $70 steak is not the best way to experience your restaurant. I gave my credit card to pay the check during the meal because of the lack of time. When looking back later the round of drinks were not comped. Overall I would probably come back, but would set the reservation much earlier to better enjoy the meal.
   

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4. c

   charles

   Jacksonville

   2 reviews

   5.0

   2 reviews

   Dined 5 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   What an incredible evening. Jason our waiter, or more like a dining guide was excellent. He gave great recommendations for food and wine. He was truly too notch. The food was fantastic. We started with the house cured maple jalapeño bacon which was an absolute delight. My wife enjoyed the most perfectly cooked center cut filet she has ever had, and I indulged in the best pork chop ever! Chris Sheehan surely is a master of his craft. The manager Brendan made sure to make us feel welcomed and at home. They made sure we were fed and on time for our theater tickets. A great evening indeed.
   

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5. OT

   OpenTable Diner

   New York City

   3 reviews

   vip
   5.0

   3 reviews

   Dined 5 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Annual Tea Party It was spectacular! The food, service and entire experience were outstanding!!!! Max restaurants never disappoint!
   

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6. K

   Keith

   New York City

   2 reviews

   5.0

   2 reviews

   Dined on 4 December 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Overall, everything was perfect. Though the restaurant was busy, due to gatherings and a Bushnell event, the wait was understandable and worth it. Every morsel was a delight. We really enjoyed the service, attention and the food itself.
   

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7. P

   Paul

   Connecticut

   3 reviews

   5.0

   3 reviews

   Dined on 4 December 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   As usual, Max exceeded our expectations. Mark our server was fantastic, he was attentive to our table, never needed to wait for anything.
   

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8. D

   Drew

   Greater Boston

   8 reviews

   5.0

   8 reviews

   Dined on 4 December 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Great place before the "show". Servings on the plus side. Outstanding!
   

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9. M

   Michael

   Connecticut

   9 reviews

   vip
   5.0

   9 reviews

   Dined on 30 November 2024

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Awesome experience as always! Our waiter was exceptional
   

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10. S

    Sandra

    New York City

    68 reviews

    vip
    4.0

    68 reviews

    Dined on 30 November 2024

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 3

    We dined at Max Downtown with our kids in town after Thanksgiving. However, we didn’t realize that across Asylum St at the XL center was going to be a UConn men’s basketball game. The restaurant was very busy when we arrived for our reservation. We were asked if we were going to the game. We said we weren’t. The wait staff and kitchen were preparing for diners heading to the game understandably first before other guests. When we were initially going to our table, I stopped the hostess who wanted to seat us at a lower level, down a small flight of stairs, because my husband has been recently more unsteady walking with balance issues and fall concerns. Restaurants ask about food allergies of guests regularly, but not about mobility issues of a member of a group. If we had not been able to be seated on the main floor, I might have walked out. Service etc was focused on game attending diners, and after the majority had finished, it was not easy to get our server’s attention. The food was good.
    

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