New Max’s Tavern

Did you know this place is the inspiration for Moe’s Tavern (the bar from The Simpsons)?

This place is only enjoyable if you’re wasted and don’t care about service or all the things related to being a campus bar. «Sweet Caroline» is fun to sing at closing, but that doesn’t make the whole place super magical. Well, I guess if you’re wasted it will haha.
I only went here during my college years for the convenience of how close it was to my apartment and that I could easily get home. I always drank beforehand to avoid crummy campus bar drinks that tasted awful because they were made with Burnett’s vodka.

SWEET CAROLINE! Best way to close out a bar in Eugene. I would not miss stopping in for an RPM IPA via Boneyard when I’m in Eugene. Absolutely love this place.
Happy hour is great here, you should check out the large mugs to feel like a caveman boss. Really great bar.

This place is the finest offering of beer and beverages in Eugene. It’s dressed up exactly as it should be, basic, dive-​bar, and inviting to all. A college bar just the perfect distance from campus to make just about anyone who enters comfortable. Locals, out-​of-​towners, the college kids, and the Mom’s and Dad’s of college kids. It is perfect for four or five male friends to go out and talk football, business, or women.
I spent many a night here singing «Sweet Caroline» at 2AM after last call. The bartenders and staff was awesome. We would get up on the tables and bars with our drinks in our hands and bellow Sweet Caroline until the cows came home. The only thing I regret was not coming here every Friday during my college experience.
Any parent or visitor to Eugene will be able to go here and reminisce about their college experience. This place basically rounded out my college partying experience.

Came here to visit a friend currently attending U of O. I am from LA so I have been to many good bars and many bad bars. Unfortunately this place was a big disappointment and I normally don’t write bad reviews but dealing with with the unprofessional staff at this bar was ridiculous. I work in the bar/​restaurant biz and I know what good service is even when it’s busy. First off the door man is on some kind of power trip, being rude to even those clearly of age trying to spend money at this bar. That’s not how you attract return customers. After the major hassle, we got in and attempted to order drinks, it took about 10 – 15 mins to get a drink. I ordered a Long Island, it was disgusting, it was very weak with way to much sweet and sour. I attempted to order a beer next but i tasted as if they don’t clean their taps. I’m unsure about the health laws in Oregon but someone should really call a health inspector if they have those out there. When I went into the bathroom there was paper was the floor and there was pee everywhere. Overall just not a great experience. I went out to a few other bars the previous night, Remy’s and Taylor’s I think it was, they were both awesome, def recommend!

Love this place. But tonight there was a new bar back asshole that harassed my friends and I at the front door! He asked for our ids and made us feel so uncomfortable. And i understand this is a college town with many fake IDs but my group is all well over age. Once we get in we notice the bathroom had piss all over the floor. Now for drinks, we were served beer in a warm glass and When we ordered mix drinks they were very weak. I am not sure if there are new owners but I’m very disappointed, I guess ill just have to stick to Taylor’s from now on.

Go ahead. Try to complain about Max’s. I bet you’ll still be there at 2am, average yet overpriced drink in hand, belching SWEEEEET CAAAAROLIIIINE BA BA BAAAA on top of a booth with your closest friends.
In all seriousness, Max’s is what you make of it. Sometimes I find myself hating the place because after a long night at the bars, the last thing I want to do is play sardines in a can with 100 frat dudes. On the other hand, you’re bound to see someone you know and the bartenders are friendly if you’re not a huge jerk.
I’ve got a love hate relationship with this place, but I sure will miss it when I leave.

Tl;dr…chalk this one-​star up to poorly-​trained and unprofessional staff.
I’ve been to Max’s dozens of times over the last few years. I’ve eaten the popcorn and the peanuts, I’ve sung Sweet Caroline, and I’ve seen the guys and girls who just finished puking in the men’s room (apparently gender neutral, at least as far as vomiting is concerned) continue to get served at the bar. It’s your quintessential college joint, with all of the related baggage. Love it or leave it.
I’m leaving it. I stopped by on a recent midweek night to grab a quick beer, but ended up having my next two hours consumed by Rob, Max’s inexperienced and rude bouncer. Rob was so convinced that my Oregon driver’s license was a fake that he decided to confiscate it without consulting his manager, the OLCC guide to fake IDs, or any other forms of ID I had on me. Dude didn’t just deny me service, but took and refused to return my driver’s license. When I asked to speak to the manager, he got pissed, refused, and kicked me out of the bar. As he threw me out, he said my driver’s license might be returned to me in the mail in a few weeks. How comforting.
I should mention that I have never had an issue with my driver’s license. That same week, my driver’s license was sufficient for a state-​owned liquor store, the DMV, a grocery store, and three different bars. Rob is quite literally the only person to ever voice a doubt about my driver’s license. It’s an Oregon ID, too, so god only knows how incompetent he is at verifying IDs from other states.
After walking the two miles home, rifling through my apartment for my passport, and trekking back to the bar, I re-​arrived at Max’s expecting an apology and an opportunity to speak to the manager. I got neither. Instead, Rob scrutinized my passport and driver’s license for several more minutes like he worked for Homeland Security, not a bar best known for being covered in peanut shells from the Akili Smith era. Finally, two hours after he first took my ID, he sheepishly returned my driver’s license to me. He refused to apologize. He refused to give me the name of his manager. He refused to let me into Max’s to talk to anyone else who worked there. He did, however, continue to prove his top-​notch bouncer game by waving in a couple of stumbling guys who were slurring their words. Apparently you can get into Max’s if you’re visibly drunk and promise to «sip on some water» for the bouncer, but not if you have a valid driver’s license, a legitimate complaint, and the gall to ask for the manager.
I later learned that Rob had just started working at Max’s and that the night manager had skipped his shift, leaving the inept new guy totally unsupervised. I don’t know how often the Max’s management decides to blow off work and leave their untrained staff to deal with a couple hundred drunk college kids, but I do know that it sounds like an unmitigated disaster in the making. Neil Diamond be damned, I won’t be coming back.

Perfect bar for a college town. Great mix of patrons, not just students. The free popcorn is SOO good.

I was prepared for the college dive bar experience and was actually looking forward to it, but nothing can excuse the service.
I know not everyone will feel the same, because if you are in the waitresses friend clique then you’re going to have the time of your life. I was a visiting outsider, and was snubbed ferociously. Not that the service was rude just unavailable and well, stupid. Like they smoked too much pot before work.
Everything was slow. I had to conduct my own order after the waitress walked up, said hi and just stared at me. No menus offered, no recommendations, nothing. My beer came 15 min after ordering with my food. The food was ok, nothing special, not horrible. A very limited menu though.
FINAL STRAW: (Max’s, please take note, and never do this to any other patron) I walked up to the bar to order my second beer thinking this would speed things up to an appropriate pace. The old guy took my order, I sat back down. 5 minutes later I look over to see him loitering about behind the bar and then wonder off, clearly forgetting my beer. Sigh. I go back to the bar and ask the very popular waitress for a beer. We both see a beer half full waiting to be finished, clearly this is mine. She starts to finish filling it, but then people she knows walk in the door… Oh my! an attention span of a goldfish. She STOPS filling my beer 1 f*ing inch short and WALKS AWAY to mingle with her friends. Leaving my now 9 minute beer stranded behind the bar 98% finished, taunting me! WTF is wrong with you girl?!
That extra 10 seconds to finish what you were doing and who you were helping could have saved you a terrible review and ensured at least a 10% tip. Stop being dumb at your job!
Wednesday night, ¾/​15, 7:30 pm

Fine ass honeys, cheap beer, great music, incredible service, the food here is similar to something you’d find at Ruth’s Chris steakhouse. I was told it was the best bar in the world by Time magazine. I was not disappointed, I would gladly hand all my money to this establishment for a good time. It’s pretty chill

Ahh, Max’s. Strong drinks and college memories.
I occasionally pop in to Max’s on a whim, and end up staying for a couple more drinks than I intended to.
On my most recent visit, everything was still the same: the bartenders here are friendly (even though they have to put up with college students and just drunk people in general) and they ply you with fresh popcorn which is a great bonus. The bar feels divey yet nice and historic. The drinks are pretty good but can be strong and can get expensive. The patrons range from college students to older hippies (sort of like Eugene in general). The best time to come is definitely during the day, I am someone who doesn’t mind crowds, but once night falls it tends to get really packed here.

There’s plenty to complain about with Max’s but I always come back. It’s one of my favorite bars around campus.
First the gripes: it gets waaaay too crowded, the drinks ramp up excessively in price as the night goes on, and occasionally they’ll try and charge a cover
The perks: popcorn. Popcorn everywhere. I also love getting liter sized mugs of the ‘Lippo’, and where else do you get to close with ‘Sweet Caroline’ while standing on all the tables? There’s plenty of games to play at your table if you get one and I’ve almost always had good service from the bar staff.

We went there out of curiosity having heard on KEZI a claim by Bar and Restaurant Magazine that this was the best bar in the country — Quite a Claim! To make a long story short, it is not the best bar in the country or even in Eugene — by far! Though it is old, I doubt if it can muster even enough nostalgia to rate best bar near the U of O campus. It is a run down place that basically serves beer (but does not carry the most popular local beer) and has a relatively small selection. Though the cheeseburger was not bad, we must conclude that if it was not a big joke played on KEZI, the B&R reviewer must have been seriously drunk.

So don’t get me wrong, I love this place. I have never had an issue. I came here once with my friend. The night manager, was very rude to us and ignoring us while serving others left and right. I don’t know what problems you have buddy but don’t bring them to work. Super unprofessional and lame.

Came to Max’s while in Eugene with a couple friends and had a great time. I don’t know the back story of the bar but it appears to have been in Eugene for a long time. We were there on a Sunday afternoon so it was pretty quiet but that was okay with us. Drinks are inexpensive, bar tender was pleasant and attentive, and the free popcorn is delicious. We had an order of nachos and a bowl of chili and both were decent. They also have an out door patio in back.
I’d like to come back on a Friday or Saturday when things are a bit more «hopping»

They were super duper accommodating to my friend who was lactose intolerant. To be honest, the drinks are a little expensive when it gets to be later on in the nights, but happy hour is very affordable for above average drinks. The whiskey sour is to die for. Plenty of seating until later in the night, great music and fabulous people. Plus it’s a historic Eugene landmark!
Maxs is so great. If you request a song, they will play it! Even on a Wednesday night when they’re most crowded! Definitely worth a visit.

My best friend was visiting from California and since I live a convenient block or two away from Max’s, we decided to be adventurous and decided to check it out for a late night drink. We’re both fond of dive bars and at first sight we thought Max’s might fit the bill.
We were greeted with the overwhelming aroma of movie theater popcorn and stale beer, not exactly a great start to the evening…
Max’s is a fairly small, several booths line the wall and a long bar stretches across the interior. Upon arrival, all the booths were taken and there was a slightly obnoxious old-​timey cover band whaling what was meant to be Neil Young songs. We decided against standing awkwardly indoors and made a plan to sit outside in their smoking patio.
Our classic dive bar drink is usually a simple Jack and Coke and to our surprise, when we attempted to order a Jack and Coke, the space cadet of a bartender that was working that night informed us that they did not have Jack. We opted for a safe Maker’s Mark on the rocks.
After we got our drinks, which took some time to make, we quickly made our way to the back patio. The spacing of the tables and chairs was awful. The patio area was quite small so people were so close to one another that it made for an awkward entry and exit. We found an empty table in front of the plasma television, of course featuring sports that neither of us cared about.
The outdoor crowd was a mix of strange college bros and girls that had gotten drunk to the point that their shirts were falling off their shoulders or too much cleavage was being exposed. Not a good look. My best friend and I attempted a conversation to distract ourselves from the fact that we had clearly made a mistake of coming to this establishment but we were overpowered by the drunken ramblings of the group sitting next to us. We opted to just sit in silence and eavesdrop. We finished our drinks as quickly as we could and left shaking our heads. Live and learn.

My best friend lives a few blocks away from Max’s and we decided to drop by for a night cap. A decision I sort of live to regret.
As you walk in the door, the strong scent of burnt popcorn and stale beer hits. Classically divey. Don’t get me wrong, I can enjoy a less than pristine environment and I do so regularly to get my drink on but this place had no personality.
The set up consists of a row of booths against the wall and a long bar inside, a hallway with questionable his and her bathrooms, and a modest back patio with umbrellas and a small fire pit. Now, add a couple of muted TVs playing sporting events, a tattered dart board, and a tone deaf troubadour butchering Neil Young by the entrance. That’s the whole dog and pony show.
Upon first glance, the alcohol selection was underwhelming and the bartenders seemed less than skilled so we thought Jack and Coke would be a safe bet. The bartender sort of smirked and said that they didn’t have Jack. What kind of college dive doesn’t have Jack? We ended up with Makers Mark on the rocks. Impossible to screw that up.
The back patio was the only way to escape the aural assault but it was full of bros with pitchers, giggling girls in tube tops, and employees from the tattoo shop across the way so we chugged our drinks and left promptly.

Warning: When the clock strikes approximately 11:00 pm during the days of Thursday-​Sunday… be prepared for disaster to strike.
You will see any of the following:
Drunk and loud assholes
provocatively dressed and unrefined women
campus douchebags (it’s like these guys actually believe they have enough charm to woo your pants off)
the bar will be occupied, meaning you will have troubles getting drinks
the free popcorn becomes increasingly harder to obtain :(
Otherwise… if you aren’t planning to go there during those hours, the bartenders are friendly and you get a folk-​y and quaint sorta crowd. And you will definitely get your free popcorn on time.