Max At the Gallery

This surprisingly estimable restaurant hidden inside the Memorial Art Gallery is a perfect place to satiate an appetite built up by the erudite discourse* one engages in at a museum.
I started with a cup of the shrimp bisque (the soup of the day), and followed it up with the Black & Blue salad. Both were quite good (can’t go wrong with bacon, beef and bleu cheese when it comes to healthy salads!), and I’d do it again.
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*For me, it’s a lot like this:

BRUNCH review:
Space is intimate but surprisingly not too stuffy. You have a choice of siting in the open front looking out to the museum, or the back area which is warmer and quieter. We ate in the back room and enjoyed it.
Small-​ish menu but they have a variety of options: soup, salad, sandwiches, eggs, and mac & cheese (seems random but maybe it’s for the kids?) Omelette special was mushroom, spinach and feta. Got mine with egg whites and was fluffy and tasty. Their homefries are delicious, seasoned with a ton of paprika.
Insanely cheap for a museum café. Under $ 25 for 2 entrees + coffees.
Minor blips: asked for dry toast, got buttered toast; milk was curdled; the coffee was cold. Waitress was always accommodating, though.
Probably won’t go out of my way to eat here again unless I am visiting the museum to see an exhibit.

I was amazed at how delicious and inventive our meal was at Max’s. We went for Sunday brunch… hesitantly, since I just assumed a restaurant in the gallery would be… pardon this expression, but… ‘blue haired’.
But it was oh-​so-​hipstah, sista! I felt like I was back in NYC again… sophisticated, fresh, creative… the best eggs benedict I’ve EVER eaten. Eggs were done. to. perfection. English muffin? Homemade. Sauce? Creamy-​dreamy and to die for. My boyfriend had a pork belly hash that would have sent Chef Colicchio to the moon.
And… since you can never underestimate the importance of it at brunch… the coffee was delish! Orange juice? Fresh squeezed. Which made our mimosas like a glass of tipsy sunshine. :) Skillet potatoes? Crispy, hot, seasoned to perfection with a skin that pops as your teeth bite into the delicious potato-​ey, soft insides. And while full of fried potato goodness, they were not in any way greasy. Some type of fresh herb was lightly sprinkled on top and was divine.
Service was impeccable, and there was a table of 16 next to us. Yet, the server never forgot about us for one moment, our food came out quickly and piping hot. We asked him about the place, and admitted were completely surprised by how good it was. He spoke so highly of the chef, and said they had made some changes the past year. I don’t know what this place was like before, but it’s a ‘must try’, in my opinion.
I’m with the other reviewer that said she was hesitant to review the place, in fear of it becoming too busy… but I’d rather it be busy than gone… their lease is up end of this year, and Rochester can’t afford to lose such a great restaurant. So, go, people! I think there were only 4 tables the morning we were there. surprised to see the age skewed much younger than I expected.
I think this will become our go-​to brunch place for now on.
Downside is location… it’s great ambiance for a meal, but if you want to hang out afterwards and have a drink or two, you’d want to head up the street to Edibles or over to Cibon (which we did… it was a lovely Sunday meander through the Park Ave. that way).
Do yourself a favor and try this place for a quiet romantic brunch, or a sophisticated-​but-​laid back brunch with a small group of friends.

I am a bit reluctant to review this place because it seems like a real hidden gem in Rochester. I am new to the area, and everybody I’ve spoken to doesn’t even know this place exists.
I don’t want to oversell it, but this is hands down the best brunch I’ve ever had. I was shocked to find such a great restaurant in an old church.
I’ve been here twice, and the second time was better than the first. The bloody mary is strong, flavorful, and served in a pretty large glass. And the popover they serve as the «bread and butter» is eggy, flavorful, puffy, and delicious.
The first time I came, I had the baked egg with pancetta in spicy marinara served with toast, accompanied by a bloody mary. I devoured the entire thing, was fully satisfied, and was shocked at how delicious it was. The egg was cooked perfectly, the dish was very well presented, and it was a much different flavor than I usually have with breakfast. Easy five out of five stars, and I’d get it again in a heartbeat.
The second time I went I brought my wife, my cousin, and her fiancé. We were all shocked at the large portion sizes, and the specials were insane. They had a chicken and waffles special which is a weak spot of mine, but I ended up going with something much more incredible.
It was a special dish: fried eggs, pork belly, homemade corn tortillas, and a cilantro based sauce. Think delicious PORK BELLY BREAKFAST TACOS all served with a generous portion of home fries, and I opted for a side of very thickly cut applewood smoked bacon. Pork belly breakfast tacos! Ahhh!
I’ll tell you with certainty that this place is going to be a weekly or bi-​weekly staple of mine. Great service, quick seating, fine food, great ambiance, easy location.

I was super surprised to go to an art gallery for brunch — it was incredible. Great bloody marys and the breakfast food is superb. I would go back often if I could. The wait staff was very friendly.

Overpriced mediocre food, slow service. The food (especially the roasted potatoes) seemed like they were made at 6am, reheated, and served throughout the day (we went there around 1pm on a Sunday). The restaurant was not crowded, there were at least 6 staff members, and yet the service was exceedingly slow. And our food came out cold! The MAG deserves a better restaurant.

Was expecting it to be on par with the other max places but sadly not so much. Waited nearly five minutes to be greeted. Slow on getting a server to the table and even slower with getting coffee and refills. Kitchen then made the wrong order so had to wait again for food which was on the luke warm side. Server was quite pleasant and took 10 percent off for the wait but $ 4 off is a bit of a blah gesture. Next door for brunch (or even cheesecake factory!) is a better choice.