Maximos Italian Grill

I have eaten here many times since my first Jazz Fest in 1994. The food is top notch Italian with a Cajun twist. The owner Jason is amazing and fun to talk to and hang out with after hours. We have always has a blast here and I can’t wait to see the new concept he is coming up with. The wine list is amazing with California, French, and Italian high end wines. All of the 1 and 2 star reviews are a joke. People if you don’t want to pay for top notch food go to a small café somewhere and eat average cheap food. You are clueless. People giving it 1 star because it was closed, or because they did not get the balcony? Really? What a bunch of morons… This place is one of the best places in all of N.O. and always will be if Jason is involved !! PERIOD!

Word is that Maximo’s closed last week. Some say that the same owners are going to retool and reopen, but that part I really don’t know. Check before go!

I made a reservation for my wedding anniversary specifically asking to sit on the balcony. The manager confirm that we could sit on the balcony «weather permitting.»
When we arrived on a perfectly clear warm night, the balcony was closed. The only reason I made the reservation was for the balcony and I don’t like business that overtly misrepresent things to get you in the door. I have been to Maximo’s many times. But not again.

I love this place. We were down in New Orleans to do a cruise, but spent a little time in the city on both ends of the cruise. The concierge at our hotel recommended Maximos to us, and I’m sure glad he did.
The bread is softer than a baby rabbit. My wife wants to sleep in it. No, for real, if you’ve never touched a baby rabbit, this is pretty close in softness. I’m not sure how they do it.
The osso buco is not on the menu any more. Get it. The bone marrow is delicious and you can watch them cook it. You can actually watch them cook all of the food since the kitchen is open and towards the rear of the restaurant.
Everything we ate was crazy good. While watching them make the food, we thought, hey, it looks just like it does when we cook, but there must be some magic in the pans or they do some super crazy flavoring when you can’t see, because it tastes way better than most of what I cook, and looks better too, but I’m not that good at plating food anyway.
All of the staff here were super nice, attentive and had great suggestions. I feel that we were lucky to have gotten this recommendation and the opportunity to eat here. Every city should have a top tier Italian restaurant, and from what I’ve eaten here, I would say that Maximos is probably one of the top in New Orleans.
The beer selection is okay, but you’re not coming to drink. You come here to eat.

Came in right before closing on a Friday night (like almost locking the doors). Staff was fantastic, friendly and welcomed our 6 top. Fantastic food and service.

The food there was absolutely amazing! You can tell everything is made with fresh ingredients and nothing is frozen. We enjoyed our waiter as well he was very attentive and made us feel extremely comfortable! Next time we visit New Orleans we will definitely come again.

We were walking around the French Quarter and stopped by at Maximos for dinner. It was almost 10 PM but they accommodated our group of 8. Our server was very nice. I had the cream of spinach soup and it was the best that I’ve ever had. I was in the mood for vegetarian so I ordered Pasta Primavera and it wasn’t great. In general, vegetarian food was not good here. My friend ordered Risotto and she said that she makes better risotto at home. We shared Tiramisu and it was good. I’m giving it 4 stars for the excellent service and good non vegetarian food.

We visited Maximos on Christmas and sat in the back near the open kitchen. We were very pleased that they were open as we did not plan ahead and our dining options were limited. We ordered the bolognese and veal piccata. Both dishes were we prepared. Homemade tiramisu for dessert was also very good. Our server was friendly and attentive. Overall, a very good experience.

Love Maximo’s! I come here often and it’s because it offers great food, wonderful service and a nice atmosphere where you can hear the person you are eating with and enjoy your dinner. Love their open kitchen and getting to see the chefs do their thang! Being vegetarian it’s often hard to find menus that are accommodating and Maximo’s is no different. BUT… what they do well is work with you to come up with wonderful selections of entrees that always impress. Just talk to your server. The risotto I had on Friday night made to order with a vegetable stock was honestly one of the best I ever had (and I have had a lot). You can easily get lost in heir large wine selection so if unsure ask for suggestions. Finally the last hidden gem of this place is their second floor balcony dining. If the weather is right and they have it open for dining it really makes this an even more special dining experience.

The best things about this place are the atmosphere and the waitstaff. I came here with an Italian who was visiting and I was trying to show off… it didn’t work. :(My pasta was hard and slightly overcooked and really overpriced! Our waitress was the best part of the night. She was friendly and knew alot about the menu. Most importantly, they were closing and I never try to make people stay past closing because I know they still have to clean and everything but I really commend her for not ever making us feel rushed. We left about 20 minutes before they closed.

Greeted on a unseasonably chilly night with warm bread made from a local bakery. 8PM on a Wednesday night and it was very slow. I had a great Red. $ 14 for ’12 Italian– Marchesi De Barolo from Piemonte. Had the house salad and Meatball dish. It was very flavorful. It could have used 1 pinch less of salt. My server Shaela made the night. She was engaging, knowledgeable, and very friendly. I’d come back.

Top Notch Italian Food, Upscale Atmosphere, Great Service
Love this place! Discovered it by happenstance while walking down Decatur looking for Italian Restaurants in July, 2013. We were seated at the counter and had a terrific meal while also being entertained by the cooks.
Authentic and upscale Italian food. Quality is commensurate with the prices. I judge Italian places via Calamari, Veal and Tiramisu … All were terrific! Service was excellent; attentive, polite and very friendly.
I spent 6 months in 2013 on a project in NOLA and went back several times. I started working overtime and the night shift after only 2 months or otherwise I would have been back more often.

When you are done eating local fair and fried everything and you think you’ve eaten the best food you’ve ever tasted, go to Maximos. Because you will THEN eat the best food you’ve ever tasted.
I’ve spent a lot of time in Italy and this is truly authentic and the flavors, oh my god, the flavors.
We ordered the calamari and it comes in a tomato broth that you will literally lick off the bowl after you’ve dipped in your hot and crusty bread. I ordered the Chef’s special which was a white wine clam, crawfish and scallop pasta and I wanted to dive in and live there forever. My friend ordered the crawfish diablo… YUM.
It’s surprising this place is so quiet because after going to Emeril’s, Commander’s Palace, GW Fins (surprisingly delicious) and Cochon, honestly, this was better. Or at least a nice change of pace from everywhere else.

New Orleans cuisine is all about the Creole, Cajun and French that sometimes I forget how much influence Italian food has on this city. You have Muffulettas, dozens of pizza shop but sometimes a girl just wants so good ‘ol fashioned Italian dishes and that is when my journey to Maximo’s Italian Grill happened.
While the standard image of Italian restaurant décor revolves around chequered table-​cloth, this restaurant is not that. The décor was quite traditional with a bit of a rustic feel emphasized by brick walls, woody décor, simple chairs and an open kitchen.
I started off my meal with a cocktail. Not sure if I am getting the name right but I ordered a Rubarbar (?). It was well crafted and the alcohol content was definitely present.
I wasn’t extremely hungry and although the appetizers sounded quite tempting, I rather save room for dessert. I ordered the New Zealand Lamb Rack and not haven tasted anything else, I am convince that was the best choice I could have ever made. My oh my was this good! I asked for it to be cooked spicy and medium (rare is better but I loathe bloody meat). However, it was nothing less than juicy, tender, deep reddish pink, browned, crusty, herbed, fatty goodness. I also enjoyed the flavor added by the herb roasted Parmesan potatoes and grilled garden asparagus spears. Overall, this dish was really wholesome with a lot of flavor.
My friend took it old school and had Meatballs. The Tagliatelle was good but the meatballs were amazing. I believe they were made from 3 different types of meat. The texture could be described as nothing less than pillowy soft.
I figured we were at an Italian restaurant so I couldn’t go wrong with the Tiramisu. I was so highly impressed with the food that the dessert tasted almost like a disappointment. It was meh on the Tiramisu scale. I mean I ate it all, it just isn’t a worthy option I would revisit again.
Not to be forgotten, service was on point. Our water glasses were filled consistently throughout the meal, napkins were placed on the lap, the simple comforts. I also liked that the staff is uniformly dresses, it adds to the ambiance.

I bought a Living Social Deal to try this place and finally made it out to the restaurant last week, and Oh. Em. Gee. It was the best dining experience I had in a while (well, to be fair, I haven’t been eating at nice places a whole lot as of late, but still)!
First and foremost, the service was impeccable. From the hostess to our server to the guy refilling our water to the kitchen staff in the open kitchen, everyone was super friendly and engaged us in conversation.
My sister and I shared everything. We started out with the carpaccio and the arugula salad. I *love* arugula and it was served inside walls of prosciutto. I liked the presentation a lot and it was tasty. The carpaccio was good but I should have eaten all of it before having the salad, because the prosciutto was saltier and made it harder for me to enjoy the less seasoned carpaccio.
Then we were wondering if we should get two main dishes or just one. My sister eats a small portion so we often order less food than two people normally do. We asked our server how much food the fire roasted mixed seafood was. She told us that it would come with two jumbo shrimp, two scallops, and a filet of fish. I wasn’t sure if it would be enough food but she said it would be a good dish to split between the two of us and we went ahead and ordered just this for the main course. I jokingly said that I would like a lot of the habanero olive oil.
So I don’t know if she told the kitchen that or what, but I did taste the fragrant habanero olive oil in every bite of the dish and absolutely loved it. Everything was cooked to perfection. I’m normally a huge fan of scallops and while the scallops were delicious, surprisingly the fish was my favorite part. And yes, it was enough food for the two of us (I had more than half of this dish as my sister gave me a huge chunk of her fish saying that she was getting full).
We left room for dessert though! We got the tiramisu, and oh man, it had the perfectly desirable texture for tiramisu. It did not taste like soggy cake and it wasn’t too mousse-​like. It was awesome!
I went upstairs to go potty before leaving and I heard the grill man ask my sister what she thought of the seafood. She said that it was perfect and he was really happy to hear that.
It seemed like the staff actually really enjoyed working at the restaurant. I hope what I saw is true and that they are treated well, because they were just the perfect amount of professional without being too robotic/​cold!
Oh, and the music was on point! They had me dancing in my chair.

Kinda stumbled on this place and as a good tourist, I was fooled by the sign: half off appetizers and entrees.
So after double checking Unilocal,i gave it a shot. And was i suprised. I don’t get why this place wasn’t full.
The staff is super friendly even after i asked for 5 times if it really was all half off. They do this during summer on Tuesdays only because dinners are slow than.
I started with the Sicilian shrimp. Perfectly grilled in a prosciutto jacket. The combination of the salty ham with shrimp made a perfect marriage in the mouth.
As an entrée i kinda spoiled myself with a bistecca. Just coming from the New York restaurant week, my expectations weren’t that high… But my god! This dish, blew me away! Perfectly cooked and seasoned. Tender piece of meat accompagnied with the most delish potatoes with parmesan crust and great tasting green beans!
I would definitly come here again and after tasting this at half price, i wouldn’t mind paying full price for the same thing.

Had dinner here on Saturday night, after a great day at the Zurich golf tourney.
I ordered veal saltimbucca, it was very good, and just the right portion size. I tasted the swordfish special, and my friends pasta dish — both were first rate.
Service was quite good, and the waiter had excellent knowledge of the menu. We were impressed. Things arrived at a slightly less than average pace, and this was perfect for us on this night, as we had a lot to catch up on with our friends from Mandeville.
The restaurant was packed, the bar was busy, and we had a nice time.

Went to Maximo’s for my annual Eat Club dinner with Tom Fitzmorris. We had a great 5 course meal with the highlights being the duck confit pansotti and the osso buco. The duck pansotti was the best, its like a large ravioli filled with duck meat with a spicy sauce and cheese, excellent dish that I wish I could have had as the main course. I had osso buco for the first time and it was very tender and good but missing was the large section of bone marrow that you soak up with hot Italian bread. The wine selection was great.
The low points were that for a large gathering the owner nor the chef came out to greet us, normally when a group takes up your whole restaurant you greet everybody and give them so info about the meal your about to have. Some of the dishes were add-​ons that were good but looked like they were just there to make the meal 5 courses. Biggest knock was that we were at an Italian restaurant and had to ask for bread which is almost sacrilegious. The dessert of what was supposed to be amaretto cheesecake was overcooked and had zero taste of amaretto. Most people didn’t eat it and left it on the table.
This is not just a red gravy joint but offers a new fresh take on Italian highlighted by grilled appetizers and entrees. Overall it was a good experience but I was hoping for more.

We had never been to Maximo’s before, but decided to try them based on friends’ glowing recommendations. We made our usual reservation for an early evening dinner. As it was the middle of the week and just after 6 pm, we were able to find a free parking space behind the French Market for a short walk to the restaurant. That’s a good start to any dinner in the Quarter, free parking.
We entered and our table was ready, a cozy two-​up booth in the front room. I was surprised at the granite tabletop. (I should have asked from what part of Italy the stone was imported.) The entire right wall (facing the street) are these booths. Makes sense as the restaurant is narrow and this gets more tables into the establishment. As the restaurant filled up, I think that I might need to reconsider the use of the word cozy. When a family was seated at the regular white linen covered table next to us, they weren’t much more than an arm’s distance away. The waiter almost had to wiggle his way between us.
Our waiter seemed friendly and knowledgeable about the menu. After listening to the daily specials, I decided I would go with calamari appetizer. My wife decided on the butternut squash ravioli. My taste buds thought she made the better decision. And she agreed. For the main dinner, I ordered the Bologeaise entrée. She had the chicken Marsala. We both liked the entrees. Good competent versions of these classic dishes, but not exceptional.
There was a nice wine list, not overwhelming. It leaned towards a fair amount of imported Italian wines. Not one of my strengths. We chose a classico Chianti (Le Corti). From what I could tell based on prices of some of the Californian wines, the wine was on the pricey side, even for a Quarter restaurant.
Final assessment, not bad, but not really our style. If we come back, we will probably ask to have a table in the back room so my wife can watch the chef cook in the open kitchen. And explore something else on the menu.

I had an excellent dining experience here on 08-​25-​2011. Maximo’s always had a good reputation, but I had not eaten here in 20 years, so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect.
We arrived at 7:00 pm on a Thursday, and the place was pretty empty. We had reservations but were told we could sit wherever we wanted. We opted for the very first booth (2-​top) situated on the left wall as you walk in. We were seated immediately and greated by our server (Erin). Our drinks arrived in a jiffy, along with some delicious hot bread.
The restaurant is narrow but you don’t get the feeling like you’re sitting right on top of the table next to you. The décor is upscale and the stained wooden ceilings are a nice touch. There are pictures everywhere but they don’t take away from the dining experience.
For an appetizer, we had the Sicilian shrimp which was grilled and wrapped in prosciutto. They give you four nice sized prawns, so it’s worth the money. My entrée selection was the Osso Buco, which is a veal shank cooked on the bone. It is the house specialty and is absolutely delicious. You don’t need a knife because the veal is so tender than you can eat it with a fork. As is customary, they give you a tiny appetizer fork so that you can eat the marrow from inside the bone. I know this may sound a little weird to some, but don’t knock it till you try it. Although not as tasty as the veal itself, the marrow was very rich and had a buttery texture.
We also had the fire roaseted seafood entrée, which consisted of gulf shrimp, large scallops and fish (grouper). I love scallops and shrimp, but the grouper stole the show on this plate. The habernero infused olive oil really kicks it up a notch, but not to the point where you don’t taste the seafood and appreciate it for what it is.
For dessert, we had the tiramisu beacuse it’s made in house and it doesn’t get any fresher than that. Although not my favorite dessert, I prefer in house desserts to those that are store bought or shipped to the restaurant.
Lastly, I’d like to commend my server Erin. She was extremly attentive (without being intrusive) and very helpful with the menu choices. Her personality make her perfectly suited for her job and she is a definite asset to Maximo’s. It’s readily apparent when a person truly enjoys their job and Erin fits the bill.
Thanks for making our dining experience here a memorable one.