Max Fish

meh, just not the same, nothing special here. they should have never tried to re-​open it again.

this is a great LES gem. the DJ’s was ON POINT with the best hip hop — if you are looking for somewhere to dance without having to wait in line or pay a minimum for a table, this is your spot! My gfs and I stumbled upon max fish by chance on friday night. We were dressed to impress per usual, the doorman was friendly and we did not have to wait to get in. The décor is eccentric and a bit «LES hipster, trying to be artsy» but it made for some good photos. Bartenders were fast, crowd was sexy too! Will be come back here for sure!

My go — to bar for over a year now. Jamal and the rest of the staff are friendly and super dope. The music is always on point in terms of old skool to contemporary hip hop and r and b tracks. There’s generally great dancing going on here. You can get cheap tecate and shoot some pool or check out occasional art and music expos happening upstairs and in the basement. Still my favorite spot to cut a rug :)

Dope vibes here not expensive the Djs were DOPEEE Played all the jams. It was super lit definitely gets pretty crowded and after some time it gets rowdy but very chill dope spot

Pretty small but love the ambiance, pool table and pinball machine. Downstairs very intimate setting with the DJ. I’d def go again

My friends and I arrived at Max Fish in the Lower East Side at around 12:15AM. We marched straight through the doors down to the basement where there was some ground-​shaking electronica music playing. Luckily, I wore my finest low-​top dancing sneakers and was ready to cut this place a mighty fine rug.
MY THREE KEYS TO RUG-​CUTTING SUCCESS:
1. NEVER SMILE — IT SHOWS WEAKNESS TO YOUR FELLOW DANCERS
2. MAKE EYE-​CONTACT WITH THE DJ/​MUSICIAN ONCE EVERY EIGHT MINUTES
3. IF YOU DON’T START THE DANCE CIRCLE, YOU’RE NOT IN THE DANCE CIRCLE
After grabbing some cheap beverages we circled up on the dance floor letting all the patrons know things were about to get serious. There were a total of six of us and we went straight into The Hustle, then got real funky with a reversed Electric Slide, and finally capped off our routine with an extended Funky Chicken. We continued this for two hours and left our entire hearts and souls out on the dance floor. The music was a sensational mix of funk and modern-​day electronica put together by a legend of the underground scene, DJ Preskool. We owe him and the rest of Max Fish a drink for a wonderful night.
Your Dutiful Critic,
TheReverend57

I personally like this place because of the décor, ambiance, and the cheap drinks. But I have heard it used to be way cooler and better. Things change o’well what are you going to do. The only negative thing I will say about this place is that the bartenders do kind of suck. They take about 9 years to give you a drink, its not even funny.

Waiting for a friend to get off work. Chill place was empty when I walk in a full by the time I got out. Throw back urban music and Bruce lee was on. Great 30min

I enjoyed my visit here, I thought the staff was friendly enough. The crowd were good people too, minus the overly pretentious socialist dude I was talking politics with that thought yelling «no you’re wrong» in my face constitutes a good natured political discourse. But hell, it’s what you get when you do bar politics.
The decorations are creepy weird on purpose. I think it’s supposed to be art or something.
Loaded with smart and creative people. You’ll have good talks here, but it’s better earlier. Don’t wait for it to get mobbed up and stupid.

Not like it used to be. Was a really chill place with an overall good vibe and a mix of people but lowlifes who think they’re sh*t have ruined it. Go here if you want to be harassed by scumbags who boost their damaged egos by preying on women. Hope they can change things around because it’s not a safe environment for anyone.

A really cute place but best to go on a Monday night when there’s no crowd. $ 3 PBRs and cheap drinks with funky decoration.

So glad this awesome dive is back open again. An awesome mix of grungy art kids, skaters, hipster twenty something’s and the children of rock stars. The drinks aren’t super cheap but this crowd has more money than the kids at say Welcome to the Johnson’s. Fun for people watching, fun for drinking!

Friendly staff, pinball, tastefully decorated. multiple restrooms. Fun place to crack a brew.
2 bad things… 1. Tooooooo bright. Turn down the lights
2. No beer & shot deal.
I’ll live… Still a cool place.

Not what it used to be. I live in the neighborhood and this bar is so obnoxiously inconsiderate. Fights outside that don’t get broken up, the door left open with music blaring at 2 & 3am and the bouncers do nothing. Sloppy drunks… not cute. Used to have a chill vibe now it is just filled with douchery … eh, next.
UPDATE: Ladies beware… two women were roofied and date raped a couple of weeks ago just before Thanksgiving.

Local go to spot… Pool table, great music and cool vibe… The bar gets crowded but the main reason I go there is the $ 8 Jameson. Come on $ 8 for a Jameson… In the city… Gotta love that

Walked past the bar after seeing a movie to see if anything was going on and saw a guy rip his shirt open in the middle of the street and six guys tackle him to the ground. So sick 5 stars would def stand outside this bar again.

Favorite bar hands down. Still cheap prices (for the lower east side), cool bartenders, and a pool table. To be honest, I don’t mind the bad reviews some of these schmucks have written. The less Brad and Tiffany d-​bags that go to my local watering hole, the better for me.

Used to come here in the 90s and then back again in 2010 or so. Who the f-​ck are they trying to kid? Bartenders who hail from the outer boroughs and their goateed friends from Cleveland who seem to think its «classic New York» to act like a douche in the name of pretension. Give it a rest, guys. You’re the actual people that ruined the neighborhood back in the day

Given what Max Fish once was prior to the re-​birth… this bar is a nice try. The drinks are a little pricey during standard hours, the crowd is hit or miss and the vibe is trying a little bit too hard to look like the new location has been there for a few decades.
I’ll make a stop for a drink once in a while but it’s not something I’d go out of my way for.

Based on three visits.
Pros:
Eclectic mix of people — mostly kind/​accommodating.
Friendly door staff.
Pool table.
Cons:
The bartenders are either annoyed/​disinterested or outright dick-​ish.
Beer selection is disappointing.