Max’s Cafe of San Jose

Cool! They’re GONE! Guess the word got out.

I had eaten at this restaurant on multiple occasions. My wife had a fancy turkey sandwich and thought it was good. I always get corn beef on rye and pay extra for more meat. My last experience at Maxim’s Westgate was eating an awful dry corn beef sandwich. It looked and tasted like they gave me the hash in lieu of a sliced corn beef. When I saw the «Closed Posting» in Unilocal,I wasn’t a bit surprised.
I wish the restaurant well but they will need more than my wishes.

Funny how Unilocal says this place is CLOSED. It probably should though.
On a whim we went there for lunch yesterday. Walked in and it was like a funeral parlor. There was maybe 5 tables with people in the entire restaurant of over fifty tables. Not a good sign.
It had been a long time since we have dined at Max’s and I have always had fond memories of their sandwiches hence the visit.
Service was obnoxiously slow for an empty restaurant at noon, the food was mediocre and I know it seems petty but most of the silverware was all bent up and forks flattened. The breads for the sandwiches and the rolls all seemed to at least two days old because of the overall dryness (sorry Mr Waiter its not the toasting).
All in all … I will stick with my fond memories of this place.

DON’T BE DECEIVED!!! THIS IS NOT MAX’s
Terrible food, service, manager! When we complained and asked for the website, they sent us to max’s world!

What used to be brilliant is now simply awful.
The pancakes had a nasty cardboard aftertaste. My Turkey Benedict featured tasteless tomatoes, what looked to be turkey cold cuts reheated, and soggy english muffins. My wife got a blue cheese salad served with feta cheese instead.
I would have given it two stars if I hadn’t eaten here when it was Max’s. Given that they are clearly trying to leech off of Max’s totally awesome reputation while cutting every corner possible is just offensive.
I shall never return.

server brought me the wrong food, then basically called me a liar when i corrected his mistake. He literally threw a to go box on the table and walked away. After waiting tables, for 5 years, I was completely aghast at how this a-​hole treated me, following HIS error. He also completely botched his wine presentation and rubbed his nasty fingers all over the top of the wine bottle. gross.
the food was good, but due to the terrible service, i will likely never return.

ooo Max’s, I miss you!
Maxims feels like a cheap rip off that’s trying to bank on people not realizing it’s no longer connected to Max’s. The menu is mostly still the same, but that doesn’t mean the food quality or recipes are on the same caliber as Max’s. The waiter confirmed they’re in no way a part of Max’s.
The server was friendly and the food was ok. This place just left a bad taste in my mouth since it seemed like they’re trying to pull one over on people and use Max’s good name to do so.

I went here for lunch yesterday and noticed the name change, but luckily the menu was still the same. We got seated right away, which was nice. The server took awhile to acknowledge us and come take our order, but everything came out just as I requested. I did ask for a side of lemon when i ordered my food as I wanted to put them in my water. I thought he forgot, but he did remember. Even the busboys came by constantly to refill our waters. I had their lunch special with French Onion soup and caesar salad. The French Onion soup was quite big and fulfilling. Lots of onions and swiss chesse. The soup came out hot, but it was slightly sweeter than what I was used to. I don’t recommend the anchovies on the caesar salad unless you like slices of them.

Good, it’s NOT just me!
I tried Max’s a few times as I live close by.
Is this food meant for Silicon Valley ballers? I know the first one was supposed to have some connection to an opera house. I have no idea why this food is so freakin expensive. The interior design is not that great. The service is not that great. And above all, the FOOD is NOT THAT GREAT.
I treated a friend here as he had done me a favor. He kept on making fun of me and the restaurant. «Pasta with no bread and no salad? OMGl What kind of place is this?» I ate a small bowl of soup as the price for his modest bowl of spaghetti (it was called primascallopnaviga something but trust me, it was spaghetti) alone was giving me sticker shock. Granted, I was a bum at the time (i.e. newly graduated slacker) but even if I were a senior VP as Cisco I would NEVER settle for food like this at these prices. Or maybe I would because I would have lost all sense of proportion.
The ONE saving grace of Max’s is that it’s like an upscale Flames.
I.E. You can get AWESOME DESSERTS here.
The only time I returned to Max’s it was to share coffee and trifle with a friend. Delicious. And you can’t get trifle at Flames or Country Inn or other fattening comfort food diners. The trifle is HUGE and luscious and dense and sweet as hell. So in other words, delicious.
So in Max’s defense, treat is as a coffee shop for pastries and and you’ll be fine.

3 ½ stars, actually, but I’m feeling generous after the last meal I had there.
I don’t know when they started including a low-​carb section on their menu, but it is definitely there. They offer low-​carb whole wheat rye bread on a couple of their sandwiches, and the low-​carb turkey patty melt with muenster cheese is particularly delicious. I haven’t tried their low-​carb desserts yet, but I hope to do so soon!
For those not on a low-​carb diet, this place is certainly more fun. They have a great selection of pastas, sandwiches, salads, and large entrees, most of which require a take-​home box. Don’t miss their desserts, and don’t be afraid to ask if they can make your sundae exactly to your taste.
The 3 ½ rating is based mostly on the service, which is not spectacular. Expect to wait awhile once you are at your table.

Since I moved back to the area a couple of old high school buddies suggested coming here for lunch. In high school we use to have eating contests at Max’s. Whoever finished last had to pay the bill. Even if you lost, you’d still win because at least you got a good meal out of it.
So now, we all decide to try the eating contest thing again. I’ll say this, nobody finished. It wasn’t that the portions were too big (in fact much, much smaller), it was because the food was so lackluster and boring that nobody had the desire to finish. To our great disappointment we called off the bet.
I had the corned beef on rye, simple right? Who could screw that up right? Well, I’ve never had drier corned beef in my life. Tasted like copier paper with seasoned salt. To add insult to injury they give me wheat bread? I like wheat bread just as much as the next guy but with corned beef? wtf. To make matters worse, the service took forever. I mean I had to wait 10 mins to ask for mustard and horseradish. I distinctly remember when it was Max’s they always had the condiments out before the food.
My buddies didn’t fare much better. They ordered a cheese steak, crab cakes, and a chicken salad sandwich. Like I said, nobody like their food. Tasteless was the main complaint. So we left feeling unsatisfied and hungry. Thats saying a lot.
Thank you for new owners for destroying fond high school memories.

It’s a restaurant that my family has been going to ever since. I have ordered their matzo ball soup, but it’s not my favorite because the matzo ball doesn’t even have that much flavor. Their salads are pretty big, and their sandwiches are savory. If I’m in the area, maybe I’ll go back, but that’s not the first place I would think of going to eat.
p. s. my mom has found glass AND plastic in her food, so beware

I wish I knew about this site before heading out to Max’s.
I got the Pastrami and was pretty excited. Once I saw the sandwich I was wondering where all the meat was. It took 3 good bites, and I was done. I had to help my fiancé finish her pork chops which was decent. Nothing to write home about.
If you looked up disappointing in the dictionary, you would probably see Max’s as the definition.

Great, casual, family restaurant. The ruebens are SO GOOD! Service is consistently great. Portions are a good size.
Also, restaurant is now called Maxim’s. Still the same restaurant, basically the same menu. Located in the Westgate Shopping Center’s Parking Lot, so parking is sometimes a little competitive.

It does to a New York Deli what McDonalds does to a hamburger or Olive Garden does to pasta. So to some degree I am a little ticked at their existence. No where near up to par with a really good deli and like a poor cup of coffee the expected/​needed satisfaction is just not there (Hear me well Noah’s Bagels you too fall into this category.)
That being said, they do what McDonalds or Olive Garden does and that is make it more available. And in that sense I am pretty glad they are around. There really are not many Delis here in the south bay and I can not muster the trip to Saul’s in Berkeley too often. When I first came back from Japan I used to eat there pretty often in fact. The Corned Beef ain’t bad, the french onion soup is pretty good, the desserts are tasty and the portions are good.

As noted before this is now called Maxim’s instead of Max’s.
I’ve been to the Max’s in Palo Alto in the last 6 months and I was very disappointed, and the Unilocal reviews for all the other local branches have been pretty poor so I was about to write off the chain.
However, I got a bug for a hot pastrami this week and decided to try Max’s one more time. What a nice surprise! I don’t know if the new owners have made changes or I was really hungry, but I had a very nice meal.
The matzo ball soup was the best I’ve had since NYC. As was the hot pastrami on rye. The potato salad was OK, but not great, and I passed on the slaw.
For dessert, the Niagara falls cake. Not as good was I remember from 10 years ago, but better than the last time.
Give Maxim another try!

THE WEIRD: It’s not Max’s anymore! It’s now Maxim’s?!
THE FOOD: Menu is still pretty much the same (missing a handful of items here and there), but (sadly) missing «Max’s Laws.» Had the pastrami reuben and it was only okay. The meat wasn’t piled on like it used to be when it was Max’s and the bread was decent, but not fresh-​tasting like before (and a little on the greasy side). The gharlicky pickles, the hot sourdough rolls before dinner, and the 5 Beaver brand mustards were the highlights.
IN A MOUTHFUL: I’d give this place only one star if I wasn’t feeling generous…

Mmmmmm the pastrami sandwich is so good, probably the closest to the (best) NY pastramis I’ve ever had. Matzo ball soup is yummy too. Ice cream with chocolate sauce is a must. The service is mediocre to fair, as I had to flag down the waiteress a few times… I went in super hungry, but the wait during the dinner rush was under 15 min. I’d go back for sure just for the pastrami and reubens!
Why is the Max’s Opera Caf in SF so bad?

This place is ok. The food is decent. Went here to have a late dessert with some friends and chat. At 11pm they were already shutting down all the lights. But at least there was no rush to kick us to the curb.
The clam chowder was good, but then I had a bit of an upset stomach after.

Max’s is, well Max’s. The max means the amount of food they pile up on your plate, not the quality. Their sandwiches could feed a mini-​army. The menu is huge, as they make and cook just about everything.
Unfortunately, the don’t do it very well. The food is bland and service spotty. When i think of Max’s, I really don’t think of going there.
There are too many other better restaurants in the vicinity to grab my buck!