Max & Erma’s

Should have read the reviews long road trip home after x-​mas. Love the Apple Harvest Salad, boy did this Max & Erma’s disappoint. This place needs a new manager, cook & bartender. It’s a shame, this place is a bad apple to the franchise & serves bad apples. smh

I work on Polaris Parkway and started coming to this particular Max and Erma’s soon after they opened about 18 years ago. It’s been about a year since I was last in this particular Max and Erma’s. My wife and I came in today for lunch and it was O.K. but not the kind of meal or service that would make us want to come back soon. The young gal who was greeting at the front door was wiping her nose on her sleeves — that should have told us something. The place was not overly busy but that’s not uncommon for restaurants along Polaris Parkway at lunch time. Our waitress greeted us warmly and brought our drinks very promptly. She was knowledgeable about the menu and our service was very good and very prompt. My issue with the service, however, was that the waitress was OVERLY attentive and came back to check on us way too often. She kept apologizing but said she really liked clear tables and would try to remove a dish or utensil as quickly as possible when we were done with it.
The food was good — we both had the mushroom and Swiss burger with «unlimited» fries and both the burgers and fries were good — but not great. As for the unlimited aspect of the fries — when you asked for more — the 2^nd servings were small. I guess I could have asked for a 3^rd portion but it just wasn’t worth it.
I still like Max and Erma’s but not this particular Max and Erma’s.

Me and my fiancé went to this location for lunch on saturday. Though it wasn’t busy, the servers weren’t providing great service, though they were nice enough. We sat there for 30 minutes with our food and drinks with no one coming close enough to the table to ask to bring us silverware. We were satisfied with the Buffalo Chicken Dip enough to just enjoy each other’s company until the server finally stopped by and asked if we wanted dessert (did not ask why we hadn’t touched our food, if everything was fine, or if we needed boxes). We left 20% (because unless the service is TERRIBLE, you always should) and got out of there. Didn’t try the food fresh so it would be unfair to judge. outside of the Buffalo Chicken dip which was good. but the chips were mostly to small to use. Plenty of other substitute restaurants of this class that are more worth your money.

Place is old looking and feels dirty. I don’t remember our meal. All we wanted to do is eat and leave. We wont go back, too many other restaurants with similar menu’s 5 min. Away. Place really needs Robert Irvine of Restaurant Impossible for a makeover.

My boyfriend and I did not want a huge meal so we decided to sit at the bar and share the «Three’s a Combo» appetizer. The food was the perfect size and good, we forgot to tell the bartender no guacamole on the nachos but that was our fault not his or the kitchen staff so we just scraped it off and ate the rest. The bartender was attentive but didn’t hover which tends to happen in restaurants that aren’t too busy. The restroom could have been a bit cleaner too.

The place is very nice, but I just don’t like their food. I’ve been here a few times and tried different items but they just aren’t quite good enough for me. I got the fish tacos and the cheese they used didn’t taste very good. I love fish tacos and these weren’t good.
The restaurant was nice and clean. Our servers were very nice and they got the food out quickly. They have free cookie Wednesday, and it’s the best part of meal. I would eat here if someone wanted to, but I wouldn’t suggest it.

We have been fans & customers of Max & Erma’s for more years than we can remember. It was always our family celebration place. Report cards, first and last day of school, award night, sports celebrations. Tonight… marks the final time we will dine at a Max & Erma’s. We were at the Polaris location in Columbus Ohio. Where do we begin… the smell, like a dirty, sour rag. Service – Terrible. We had to ask, and ask again for our drinks. They were not busy AT ALL! And guess what, they didn’t have the ‘new’ ‘special’ Pinot Grigio. The manager was not apologetic… after all, as he said, ‘who likes Pinot Grigio?’ Well, sir, one of your customers does!!! So, we finally ordered. The ‘grande nachos’ arrive. NOT. Grande. Presentation is ordinary at best and NOT
as described or pictured. Server brought
extra queso & salsa… that helped. Manager approaches again, w/​a VERY negative attitude. Told us that a neighboring restaurant that hosts a motorcycle night has customers ‘who only want to eat & shoot each other.’ WHAT??? A different server arrives at the table behind us w/​OUR order! Lol — the customers declare that was not their order. We could go on – meal was tasteless, nothing to get excited about. It’s a sad day; no more Max & Erma’s for this family.

went while on business in Columbus Ohio… sat at a table by the bar and the bartender was my server… he was excellent and ran around doing all he could for anyone… top notch…
food was another story… they did have a gluten free menu which was a plus… first got a salad… honestly a third of the lettuce was old and brown… no way the kitchen could not see this… the steak was ok… ordered medium and it came out rare… normally i would send it back but could not be bothered… the baked potato had ketchup or tomato sauce all over the skin… seriously poor job by the kitchen…
i travel a lot and this place is right next to the hotel… but after this experience, i doubt i will be back

We just had a terrible experience. My husband’s burger was cold, the bun was hard, the fries were cold and tasted like they had been sitting out all day and my bread was also hard as a rock. We are really disappointed because we have always enjoyed the German Village location, but will not return to the Polaris location. The service was not bad, just the food quality. It was 8:30 p.m. when we went to dinner, so I don’t think the kitchen wanted to make anything fresh, but that really shouldn’t happen.

I’ve been to other Max & Erma’s I don’t know about this location but it wasn’t what I experienced with other Max & Erma’s. It felt like stepping back in time to an old school diner. You can tell this restaurant has been around for a while. The server was very nice, eager to help and great suggestions. I ordered the Ragin Cajun burger, usually the pictures in the menu are a good example on what to expect but not this time. The unlimited fries did help out, they were pretty good fries. Unfortunately nothing memorable here.

4 empty tables when we asked to sit outside and told us there was a 25 minute wait with one family waiting. Hostess was snotty and rude. Place wasn’t even busy.

We went for Thursday night trivia and that was a good time and something cool for a restaurant to offer. Let me tell you that this place shows its age. It hasn’t been well maintained and it just comes off as stale in décor and upkeep. The food was just average at best as I had the burger and fries and they weren’t anything memorable.
I may come back for the trivia but I will eat beforehand and just have a couple beers in the bar while trying to name a B side Olivia Newton John song for the trivia win!

Avoid at all cost i got this thing called a sunny side up burger like what they use to have bdubs. Look long story short awful burger food poisoning threw up so hard puked blood. Never ever returning worst part is i use to be a big fan of this place not anymore.

We have gone to this Max and Erma’s location twice now and have enjoyed each visit. For being a chain it has cozy lighting and décor. Heck the bathroom was even clean this past evening which we all gotta appreciate, right? Back in the dining room, our servers have been very kind and on their game. The menu is a little thin, but seems to offer something for everyone. I always get the tomato mozzarella chicken sandwich with the salad and have yet to be dissatisfied. Though it is hard to say no to there seasond fries.
Oh and free cookie Wednesday is a keeper.

You don’t want this, trust a stranger. I ordered my burger done, but this thing was charred. My friend ordered hers medium, but again, too done and there was no pink to speak of.
The fries were good and the service was friendly though :-) I don’t plan on coming back though, Five Guys has better burgers. Oh and the tortilla soup was pretty yummy though too! :-)

visited Mas & Erma’s @ Polaris today 11÷6÷2014 about 2:30 pm. The service was Horrible. I’m not sure what the problem was, the place was not busy ay 6 – 8 tables with guests in the entire place. We waited 20 minutes to order drinks and that was after we asked the hostess to get someone to get us drinks.
The food was good, but the service was slow and poor with no obvious reason why.
If you want good service find another Max & Erma’s.

Yeah so — traveled on business to this restaurant. The staff was friendly, but the food was just average. Not a lot of fish or seafood options. Just fried tilapia of all things. it was really greasy. overall the food tasted good — the chocolate cake desert was out of a box, and it was ice cold. I prolly wont go back there… let me think — - yeah I wont go back… that’s my food truth.

Max & Erma’s has arguably the best burgers in Columbus or any city you can find one. This was not my first visit here, but realized I had yet to review this particular restaurant and it just needed a reward. Not only do they have terrific burgers, but you can get them on switch the type of bun/​bread it comes on, and asking to hold certain condiments is always followed. Have found the best & neatest way to eat the ‘Texas Ranger’ or ‘Garbage’ burgers is to cut pieces with the knife and eat it that way. There are so many good things they load on these burgers, I hate to «wear them home» on my shirt. The marinara sauce on the ‘Garbage’ burger puts it over the top!
And the service is always friendly and prompt. Have been to other Max & Ermas in the area, but this is my favorite one. Other menu items are just as good. The tortilla soup goes great with any sandwich or burger. Or if you’d rather dessert, the fresh baked cookies are great endings to a meal here.

Gotta start this off saying I haven’t been inside a M&E’s in some years after my last terrible experience at the Sawmill Rd location of this Columbus original chain. That aside, after taking a little sunday cruise I decided to give the newest version of M&E now under new ownership/​management.
I was quickly seated at a very comfy big booth in the bar. I had never been inside this place so I can’t say if the décor or much had changed, pretty much looked the generic look these places have had. After taking my drink order I took some time to perusing the menu which in the reflection of the light I could see it was splattered with whatever, yuck. Not letting such a little thing put me off I placed my order for Aunt Patty burger with seasoned fries. Although the Garbage burger brought gastrointestinal memories I took a pass on that.
20 minutes and two Cherry cokes later my order hits the table. Seasoned fries, well not too much seasoning, had to use ketchup which I rarely use with good hot fries and these were warm. My patty melt was presented well and was very tasty like the burgers I always enjoyed at the old M&E’s. Overall it seemed like my plate had spent a bit of time under heat station before I got it and I was too hungry to mince words over it.
While it was kind of nostalgic to go back here I can’t say this will be top of my list for casual eating in Cbus. Better than the other similar chains but still a chain food experience.

Wow, so much hate for this place. I used to love their food back in the day, but having been here a couple times for lunch — it’s been downgraded to «chain-​level quality.»
The service was good, the food was alright, but the place has just lost its groove.
I mean, I want to like them more — I do. But it just seems they have lost their spirit.