Max’s Opera Cafe

Quick and delicious. I think this location is associated with the one downtown.
The wait staff was friendly and the food was delicious.

Went today for a b/​day lunch-​will probably be the last time we go. The food was so-​so, took ages to get although it was not crowded at all! My chicken sandwich was just that. Chicken slices w/​a piece of lettuce on toasted wheat bread. Nothing else. I asked for some cranberry sauce-​they didn’t have any.None. The b/​day girl was disappointed in her veggie sandwich. We asked for a one scoop sundae for the bday girl and it took probably 15 minutes for the waiter and manager to figure out that problem, since no such thing is on the menu. But they could bring us a 2 scoop sundae! At this point, we gave up and decided to have ice cream elsewhere and THEN they decided they could bring a one scoop sundae, which they did (on the house). Not a good situation.
Also, the floors in the bar area are ancient! The flooring is worn thru to the undercoating and very noticeable.
The service was very slow, but our waiter was very nice.

Another great visit for lunch !! Had the ultimate grilled cheese (again!) but we also tried the chicken Marsala, newly returned to the menu. The sauce was tasty, lots of meaty mushrooms and a perfectly cooked chicken. Side chopped salad was subbed for French fries on sandwich order, and a couple of Fred baked sourdough rolls started us … service was good and attentive, refills of iced teas were timely and dishes promptly cleared. A great lunch … can’t wait ’til next time !

Update:
I keep forgetting to update my review. I went back again and the service was much better. I was promptly greeted by a very nice young man and seated near the bar area. Our server was very courteous and made sure to check in on us every now and again.
Overall the experience was much better than last time.
Original:
I use to love coming here as a kid and still order their matzo ball soup to go every time I’m sick. That soup is probably the only reason I’ll continue to come here, I just won’t dine in.
My boyfriend and I came here after driving around because we couldn’t decide on what we wanted to eat. I figured you can’t fail with soup and salad, and he wanted a steak.
Upon walking in, the hosts were having a side conversation and didn’t even greet us. Just pulled the menus and told us to follow him. We were placed at one of the tables in the back by the banquet room. Not exactly the worst place to sit, but we did have a noisy gentleman from the bar right next to us who would not stop trying to pump up the crowd for the piano player.
Our server came over and asked for our drink order by saying «can I get you anything else besides ice water?» I didn’t know if this was his way of saying that no matter what I would get a cup of water or that I shouldn’t be asking for it. With drink and dinner order placed, we received the basket of bread. I remember their bread bring delicious and full of flavor. This bread had no real flavor to it except the raisins.
Dinner wasn’t much better. I ordered the matzo ball soup and a side Cesar salad. The soup was mostly celery pieces with some carrots and noodles. Still tasted yummy, so I didn’t mind as much. The lettuce in the salad was limp, while the croutons were seasoned in a way that did not complement the salad. After eating it I felt like their was an oily film feeling in my mouth.
My boyfriend ordered the skillet steak. While his veggies and potato were good, the steak was severely undercooked. (He had asked for medium and it came out medium rare/​rare)
Overall, the service was horrible as our server barely stopped by our table and the food was subpar. Probably won’t be dining in again but will order my soup for take out.

There’s so many reasons why I love Max’s. a) super size portions. The happy hour dishes are perfect as their own meal. b) great staff. It seems like Max’s only hires people that are hard working and love people c) good food. I can get healthy quinoa and kale salad or a yummy pastrami sandwhich d) great bartenders.

I generally don’t expect anything too spectacular when I order a reuben; I was pleasantly surprised here. Damn tasty. May try for the leaner version next time, but what I got was one of the better sandwiches I’ve had in a while. Yay!

I love the food here. Been coming here for years. Anything they offer is outta this world.

Before a few of us started exhibiting signs of food poisoning, I was planning to write a solid 3-​star review: We hosted a baby shower in their banquet room in the back right corner of the restaurant, which is separated from the rest of the restaurant with curtains. Reserving the date and space was not smooth sailing, but also not overly complicated. The portions were a bit skimp, but the food was generally tasty. And, the servers did a halfway decent job of servicing our 25 guests.
The next day a few of us began vomiting and other stuff. I’ll spare you the gory details. I then spent the next 2 days in bed with fever and chills. I have not been that sick in a very long time. I am still experiencing flashback trauma. One of the other victims was out of commission for 4 days. Thank goodness the pregnant guest of honor did not get sick!
Anyway, we picked Max’s because they have a nice semi-​private space and reasonably priced banquet menus. Nonetheless, we won’t be hosting any events at Max’s again because food poisoning is a huge downside that clearly outweighs any of those upsides.

Great customer service !!!
Hung the manager was on top of every observation making sure the customer satisfaction and feedback.
I accidentally left my cc there, called and returned courteously. He is a keeper and valuable asset to your property.
Food quality is very decent if you are looking for comfort food.

Tried the ‘lean’ version based on this reply. It wasn’t as fatty. Definitely an improvement on the sandwich but the bottom piece of bread got hella soggy. Potato chips were tasty tho… Was enjoying my meal until a fight broke out in the dining room. Didn’t mind that TBH but wasn’t all that happy w/​cops milling around. Leave it to BPD to blow the whole thing outta proportion. One dude bounced right after the scuffle and other dude (wearing shorts in pouring rain) got cuffed and probably woulda walked… but his dumb ass mouthed off and then got re-​cuffed and hemmed. Word of advice… STFU and GTFO!!!
Oh. Macaroons were delicious!!!

Memories can be fleeting, especially when they are, for the most part, good ones.
Their location on 3^rd Street and Folsom in San Francisco was in our regular post softball game meals. It used to be a great place since they had a large menu selection, large portions, reasonable prices, and plenty of room for large groups or parties.
With some East Bay friends available for a pre-​holiday weekend dinner, I suggested coming here since it is relatively close to the City and San Mateo Bridge. This particular location was convenient when we traveled (leave or return) for pre or post flight meals or snacks. I made a reservation for our party of seven and, with their private lot, it was convenient especially it was a misty, raining night. Seated in the far right dining room, we were able to enjoy the stylings of the pianist/​vocalist who played her interpretations of a variety of current and ’80’s tunes. After studying the menu, here’s what I ordered:
1) Clam chowder, bowl (
) — Hearty bowl of soup and laden with bacon which added depth. The clam chunks were a bit more than I expected which is a good thing.
2) Chicken marsala (
eW5A&userid=saJuyv784apZzH – psHZ3Q) — The boneless white chicken meat pieces were tender and had good flavoring from the sauce. This dish had me at «mushrooms» and, being served on a bed of pasta, it doesn’t get much more comforting than this.
3) Mud pie, shared (
) — Mixed feelings on this as I had expectations from many years ago here. There was more ice cream which lacked a strong coffee flavor and the pastry portion was more of a cake than a chocolate graham cracker crust that I remember. A bit of a disappointment.
Service was on point as empty bowls and plates were quickly removed as well as beverage glasses expediently refilled. We also shared an order of fried calamari which was crispy and hot when it arrived; I enjoy dipping this in the provided marinara sauce instead of the tartar sauce. A bread basket was provided, but luckily I resisted temptation, knowing that their portions would be generous. It was also the youngest party member’s birthday so the staff was kind enough to lead us in song in celebrating this… what better place than one with «opera» in its name. Coincidentally, a neighboring large table was also celebrating a birthday which they sang as boisterously as ours about fifteen minutes earlier.
Great atmosphere, great company, pretty great food, portion wise, price wise, and quality wise… sounds like a party to me!

Had the French Onion Soup a few months after this review and it was wonderful. Also, had sliders. they were great and will make adjustments/​omissions as you request. The last time I was here the service was wonderful.
Servers are people, too… so I think if someone’s having a bad day (happens to all of us), be patient. it’s hard being a server…

The food is decent. Standard American food. Comfort food. Chicken pot pie, soups, sandwiches, salads. Three of us had soup & salad but the soups (three different types between us) were all lukewarm. The salads were alright but the kale salad was made with big kale leaves and not younger, more tender leaves. A couple of people had the chicken pot pie which was good and rich. The cheeseburger was pretty good and came with home made potato chips. Service was good. The same, comfortable interior and booths that good old Max’s always has.

Went to lunch with my mom here this afternoon we were seated in a section by ourselves next to the large party room, while all the other customers were on the other side of the restaurant.
Our eyes were bigger than our stomachs so we ordered quite a bit of food … 2 appetizers and 2 entrees. We had to ask for both water and bread, neither were provided. In fact we asked for bread at least 3 times before it was brought to our table.
The appetizers (onion rings and potato skins) came out and were good. Then the waiter came out with our entrees and as he set them down he told us that he was going to be busy with the large party occupying the private room and that he would TRY to attend to our table, but his focus was on them. Talk about feeling like a second class citizen.
I looked at my mom’s burger and the lettuce was completely brown, looked like it had not even been cleaned. We could not locate or get the attention of our server so we flagged down another server walking by who told to us she was off the clock but would get her manager. Then manager came over and offered to replace the lettuce, barely squeaking out any sort of apology for the clearly old food. The lettuce was replaced.
Then I tossed my salad and found a big part of the lettuce core in it (the hard part you aren’t supposed to eat that messes up your garbage disposal). I proceed to find many, many pieces of browned lettuce, and removed them, placing them on another plate (see photo). I took one bite of the salad and nearly gagged. It was like eating mush. The lettuce had no crunch at all, and as I inspected it closer, each piece was wilted, and the darker lettuce was actually turning black on the edges.
We asked to speak to the manager again and she offered to replace the salad, but it was clear they have a produce problem so that would not have helped. Then she tried to explain that lettuce got brown when it was cut with a knife. But as someone who eats lettuce every single day, there is a huge difference between browned lettuce because of it being cut with a knife and just plain old, rotting lettuce.
We also had to ask to have the salad removed from the bill. The manager advised she was not planning on charging for it, but only after we said we would not pay for it.
The manager left and our server came by (first time we had seen him since he dropped off our food) and dropped the check which included the salad. We told the manager there must have been some oversight and she rudely replied and gave us the corrected check.
The service was SUBPAR to say the least and the attitude was unacceptable. The food (what we could eat of it) was mediocre at best.
We will not be returning.

Very nice gluten free menu, and quite knowledgable on cross contamination!!!
For those not from the area, this is a great location if you’re headed to/​from SFO.

Jambalaya was very good as was the Chinese chicken salad
Portions are always large and service was good tonight.

We had dinner with friends after one of our friends/​instructor competed in a dance competition at the Marriott Hotel. She made reservations and they seated us promptly. Service was efficient and friendly. We ordered the chicken pot pie, fish and chips, chicken piccata, one pound patty melt and shrimp pasta. All was tasty and delicious and the portions are hearty specially the patty melt and pot pie!

To be honest, the last time I dined here was a long time ago. I guess that means a trip here is in order. Anyway, Max’s has been around for quite a long time now. They serve your standard American food — sandwiches, burgers, soups, etc.
Some facts:
* It’s located within close proximity to SFO. You will often see and hear planes taking off and landing and, furthermore, sometimes you will see people who have just flown in coming here to dine after a long plane ride.
* Their desserts, IMO, are what they do best. Not that their other items are not as good, but you’ll see what I mean once you try their desserts.
* I never could quite figure out the whole idea behind being called Max’s «Opera» Café, but there is usually a pianist playing — maybe that has something to do with it?
* Portions are enormous and you definitely get your money’s worth.
I’ll have to stop by soon and re-​experience Max’s. I’ll post an updated review when that times comes. Until then, based upon my last visit a while back, Max’s gets four stars from me.
4 stars

Oh Max’s…When I was younger I used to think this place was the bee’s knees. Even though once when I was little I found the metal chunk of an ice cream scooper in my sundae, I still loved it and wanted to come back again and again. Why? Probably because the chicken strips and fries were so greasy and delicious. However, now as an adult, I find Max’s really hard to enjoy. The food is sub par, the service is slow, and nothing about it even feels particularly clean. Silverware and cups have spots or speckles on them, etc. Not the most appealing. Not to mention reading reviews that people have found items in their foods similar to my metal experience from a long time ago. To me, that shows things don’t change.
Anyways, being an adult now I typically don’t opt for chicken strips and fries when I go out to eat. However, my lovely Grandfather still loves this place, so once in a while I’m dragged in. I’ve really been trying to eat healthy but it’s really hard at Max’s. Last week when I went in I ordered the Greek Salad with blackened Shrimp and no dressing. It was okay. Veggies and lettuce weren’t the freshest and the shrimp was more oily than I had hoped. My dad and Grandpa both ordered the Rubuen and it honestly just didn’t even look appealing. A few small pieces of meat on plain looking break. It looked like something I could make in my kitchen at home. Neither of them finished their meal.
Maybe trying to order healthy here is the issue I’m having, but based on my Dad & Grandpa’s sub par sandwiches, it doesn’t appear to be a place where going off my healthy eating path is even close to worth it. Trust me, I love me so good meat, treats, fries, etc. but only when they look and smell worth the hassle of an extra few minutes at the gym.

Not to sound overly philosophical, especially since this is just a Unilocal review, but it’s interesting how first impressions can be dead on… or be nothing like reality.
Years ago, when I first heard about the Max’s Opera Café on Van Ness in SF, I thought it was a singular restaurant that was a little on the nicer side (based on the name, at least). Now, having actually dined at one of their many locations, I’ve realized just how far off that first impression was.
Food wise, their «famous» PASTRAMI REUBEN left me pretty disappointed ($ 15). It may have looked the part, but it mostly missed the mark. The burnt rye bread made the sandwich difficult to eat, let alone enjoy, and the under cooked/​overly salted fries negated whatever praise they might have earned for all of the pastrami they gave (which is the only reason why I’d give the food two stars).
As underwhelming as the food was though, I wouldn’t say it was awful. Rather, I’ll save that for the service, which failed in multiple ways. The first was with our food and how it took nearly 45 minutes for it to arrive (for a REUBEN!). No real explanation either, other than our server and the manager constantly repeating, «don’t worry though, it wasn’t your fault». Thanks, but with all due respect, we never worried it was.
Secondly, even after chalking up whatever happened in their kitchen as a bad day, service in general was just bad. Our server always seemed to be MIA, it took nearly 15 minutes before we were able to order anything (we had to ask another server for help), and it took nearly just as long to get our drinks/​bread. Plus, while we didn’t need/​expect any help with the bill, my friend was surprised the option wasn’t even offered (we declined a free dessert since we didn’t want to make our meal even longer).
Between the problems with the food, their kitchen, and the overall service, I’d be hard pressed to find any positives from our experience. It’s possible other Max’s Opera Café locations are better than this one, but I have no desire to ever find out.