Massimo’s

Been here three times. The last time was early Dec. The food never fails. Love their breads! Nice and warm and soft.
Here’s what we ordered:
Calamari gritting — soooo good
Veal Scaloppini ala Marsala — really good
Blackened salmon — soooo good
Pumpkin cheesecake — pretty good
Will go again.

So the website for this place shows a video of someone making fresh pasta. That someone apparently doesn’t work at Massimo’s because I just called there and they confirmed that they only make raviolis from scratch «every once in a while» and don’t make any of their other pasta. False advertising. FAIL. They also advertise their food as «Modern Italian,» check out the menu, eek! methinks not. DOUBLE FAIL. If they advertised what they actually are, American style comfort Italian, I might try it. But hey that’s Fremont for you. Crappiest restaurants in the Bay. Way to go!!!

This review is long overdue. I came here over 2 years ago, right before my daughter was born. There isn’t too many Italian restaurants in Fremont. Out of 3 I’ve tried, this is the best tasting Italian place in Fremont. Upscale atmosphere and very delicious food. I have very fond memory of this. Hopefully when my fussy toddler start behaving at restaurants I can come back to this place again.

Was here twice this month. Rack of lamb was good but medium rare filet mignon was a bit burnt on the outside. Their dessert definitely needs improvement– quality and presentation is closer to a diner.

I’m a food service provider myself (mobile business, with nowhere near the objective of gourmet delivery; we’re talking hot dogs here), and so I HATE dissing on others. I’m only doing this in hopes someone will notice and maybe make a few small but important changes and improve their brand.
My wife and I went here tonight for my birthday. Neither of us had been in many years (in my case, over 10 and that was a company event with no choice in menu) and thought we’d give it a try.
Right off the top — the service was EXCELLENT. Professional, crisp, and detail-​oriented. Very nice job, folks… some manager is on the ball and keeps the staff well. The place was smaller than I remembered, and the booth we were seated in was … in need of re-​stuffing. Over all clean and neat, but kind of beat up a bit. Not a deal-​killer (been to the House of Prime Rib recently? Yet another place that needs the attention of a re-​upholsterer, but that doesn’t mean I don’t love going there), but it was noticeable.
But the food… *sigh*. I was very disappointed. Not in the least what I expected; I was looking for «home cooked» meals with style, flavor, and panache… especially for the prices they charge. What I got was «Denny’s». Seriously.
I ordered the chicken parmigiana. I did so because my usual gauge of an Italian restaurant — the basic spaghetti with meat/​sausage — came with the meal as a side, so I figured «Cool… I can taste two items on the same dish!»
For an appetizer, we ordered the garlic/​Parmesan bread. The cheese looked like it was dried and ground, It was toasted to the bleeding edge of burnt, and carbon-​flavored as well as very tough to chew. Should have been my first clue of «Meh.»
We also ordered the Caesar salad (two servings, made at the table)… the resulting dressing was OK, but nothing spectacular… but the Romain was oxidized and slightly wilted. More «Meh».
What I got for the main dish was a pounded flat piece of chicken, VERY lightly breaded, no spices, no brining, no nothing… with a bit of what looked like canned generic tomato sauce purchased at Restaurant Depot in a 5-​gallon drum, again un-​spiced, textureless, and so flavorless I thought my tongue was numb. The cheese on top looked like a couple of «Kraft Singles Artificial Processed Cheese Product» and tasted the same. The side of pasta was over cooked and stuck together in a lump, with the same pointless red sauce glopped on top. The best thing about the dish was the carrots, bias cut and sauteed in something vaguely sweet… but cut too long to eat w/​out cutting them again.
I’d be OK getting this meal at Denny’s (just across the parking lot) for $ 8… but this was $ 26.
My wife got the rack of lamb (the most expensive item on tonight’s menu at $ 48); ordered «medium-​well». It came pretty much «well done» and badly mis-​cut, so much surgery was needed to separate the ribs from each other. Now, they may well buy pre-​cut racks, but it’s a little detail that takes seconds to fix in the kitchen… and makes an impact at the table. Sides were OK; same sauté that I got plus some potatoes that were very mildly spiced — nothing special at all. The sauce on the rack was good, but again nothing better than could be gotten elsewhere much, much cheaper.
Hopefully they’ll up their game soon; outside the food the experience was very nice.
But in the meantime, even if the menu is more limited, for Italian I’m going to the chain outlet of «Strizzies» a few blocks away — higher quality at about half the price. Sorry.

This reminds me of a place in Chicago… it’s in a strip mall but inside they have a bar with tvs (playing the latest game) and a cozy fireplace. I know. it’s confusing.
I did not think the waitstaff was outstanding. In fact, a few times we were flagging the waitstaff down and when one of the little ones spilled the red wine, it took almost 10 minutes to get cloths to clean this up.
They don’t seem to have a lot of big tables… we were in a booth with a table at the end.
$ 15 corkage fee. we brought our own wine because Duckhorn is delicious and cheaper when you bring it yourself.
Tried many things:
— Calamari: Very standard but they had a cocktail sauce instead of a marinara which I don’t like.
— Crab fondue: Awesome! This had a lot of crab meat. very creamy. We needed more bread though.
— Lamb Chops: Probably the winner of all the food…
— Veal Chop: Close second… it was tender but I didn’t like how the mashed potatoes tasted more box made than from scratch. Not too imaginative with the vegetables.
— Clams and Mussels: Really bad. tasted frozen and way too buttery. The white wine sauce looked congealed.
— Pasta: I didn’t really try it for the most part… I think the Bolognese was the best out of the three.

This place is on it’s way back to its original glory. Ramon is back after several years away and you can tell the difference already. He works with the staff on every level from training the smallest detail to expertly leading the front of the house. Outstanding!

OUR FAVORITE! Local, family owned & the BEST service. Love how the waiters are old school classy & waiting on people like an art form. Best. You definitely get what you pay for.

Outstanding service, just like service should be. Staff are courteous and treat you like a customer.
Great food (I ate the salmon) and it was prepared perfectly. Nice ambiance.

Got a upset stomach after eating here… I don’t know if its coincidence or not but… Not gonna go back again… Food is average. Atmosphere is pretty loud. It feels more like a bar than a fine dining restaurant… Service is good.

Food was «ok» nothing special. Those that wrote great reviews need to get out more and eat at better restaurants. They stopped doing table-​site salad and Bananas Foster (fire code, etc) so that was a huge disappointment. Over priced meal as well, I would not recommend this to any of my friends.

I had a very good salad placed in a to-​go order from them (since a few friends were already three for dinner) and I was not disappointed… everyone wanted some! It was enough to fill me up with a side of bread, I think it was probably the warm bacon salad, boy was it scrumptious!
Overall I’ve heard great things but I’ve never had the pleasure in actually dining in, I will have to try it one day!

Love their crab spagattii and bread! Super yummy.
Taste really good even when we bought to go and eat later.
Will defiantly come back to try out more paste and dessert!

Massimo’s used to be my local go-​to celebration place. Used to. They changed their menu as of ⁹⁄₂ (my birthday!). They are now Modern Italian. Apparently modern means limited menu. They no longer have the veal or chicken parmigiana on the lunch menu. The Carbonara is gone. They now have a 2 Ceasar salad minimum per table. Yes, that’s right, I hope your eating partner shares your salad preference for a $ 10 Ceasar or you’re out of luck.
Long review cut short:
The new menu is disappointing.
The service remains fantastic.
They have a new dress code at the door, dress nice for your down-​sized lunch menu. This is Fremont after-​all.
The new dress code & limited menu is no longer worth the additional cost.

Great Experience! I went to dinner with my parents and we first stopped in the bar to a have a pre dinner drink. The bar area is nice and the drinks were good! No happy hour unfortunately. We were seated for dinner in one of their nice booths. Our service was very nice and didn’t rush us at all. We started with the crab and artichoke fondue. First off, it is not fondue, but it is amazing. It is more of a hot crab dip with crostini bread and it is YUMMY! Could have eaten just that for my meal! We then ordered the Caesar salad for two which was more than enough salad for the three of us. Dressing and salad are prepared table side which I love! For our entrees I had the orange bourbon salmon and I substituted the potatoes for garlic mashed potatoes. The salmon was delicious and cooked perfectly. My dad ordered the calamari steak, he really enjoyed it.
Overall, I think anything you order here, you are not going to be dissappointed. The service is impeccable and the food is delicious! Will definitely be going back soon!

I love this place. We come here often. The food never disappoints and the staff is very friendly with great service.
It gets busy so
is a must!
I love the steaks and my other half loves the lamb.
If you have time, try the dessert that they prepare right in front of you!
Totally worth it =)

We came here for my sister’s birthday dinner and it was alright. I wouldn’t go out of my way to come here though. There are plenty of other Italian restaurants out there that are just as good if not better.
We had a large party (8) so we were able to try a lot of dishes.
Recommend:
Massimo pasta– If you like garlic and pasta, this is the dish to get. Though it is on the heavier side, since it is a cream based sauce, it is extremely satisfying and the flavors of the dish are great.
Clam Vongole– The clams were fresh and complemented the pasta very well.
Skip:
Crab & Artichoke Fondu– It was like salty goo. I don’t know how to explain it. It didn’t taste bad, but the texture/​consistency of it was really awkward.
Crab & Spaghetti– The sauce is watery and everything was just kinda mushy. I was really disappointed in this dish.
Veal Scallopini Marsala– The veal was sliced so thin and battered, all there was to eat was batter.
Other dishes:
Halibut– Special of the night, not that special tasting unfortunately.
Petrale Sole– This was alright. The fish seemed fresh.
Filet Mignon– Hard to get this wrong.
Beet Salad– Tasty but not worth $ 10
Overall the meal was good. The servers were extremely friendly and helped us take multiple group pictures. They also game a complementary slice of cake to celebrate the birthday, which was very nice.

My family and I went here for Mother’s day and I was quite disappointed with everything. The last time I was here was about 5 years ago and wow this is not what it used to be at all!
Our reservation was set for 2:30. When we arrived they walked us to our table which ended up not having enough chairs and plates. Awkwardly standing in the middle of a crowd of people eating, we left to another room where they had another set of tables for us. Fine, simple mistake, w/​e. We sit down and the waiter quickly rushes to have us get drinks and order. We notice on the menu that the Mother’s Day brunch menu is basically ending soon so they can close up for a few hours and prepare for dinner. I wish they informed us before we made reservations that they shut down around that time to prepare. Or stop reservations at 1 so the guests won’t be rushed out like we were.
I can see the sweat rolling down the waiter’s face as he rushes to get our order in so it can be cooked and we can eat and leave. I ordered the crab cakes, a steak, and crème brulé This is one of those restaurants where they give you a big plate with the tiniest servings to make it look fancy. Sadly, not only was the food not filling, it wasn’t even good. My steak was well done (tough) even though I asked for medium. Obviously, I could have asked them to recook it, but with the way they were rushing us and literally speed walking from our table to the kitchen I figured I’d do them a favor and eat their bad food fast so I too could leave early. The veggies were way overcooked. Like it had been sitting in the corner of a heated pan for hours about to be thrown away.
Overall, my grandma and mother would have rather went to Spaghetti Factory, Pasta Pomodoro, or even Olive Garden for better food and service. We basically paid way more for nice table cloth covered tables, wine glasses, rushed service, and small overcooked food. I’m usually lenient on big parties and on busy days, but this is Mother’s Day and something as simple as this turned into a disaster. I don’t know what happened but years ago this place was amazing. Now I would not recommend it. Sorry but you have broken my trust and faith in fine dining.

I grew up in Fremont, and never came here until recently when we celebrated my Mom’s birthday. It’s an establishment that has been around for a long time, and probably one of the fancier fine-​dining places in Fremont if you want to pay a little more for a nice experience, linen napkins. Having lived in San Francisco for 8 years, I’ll admit that I’m a little spoiled with fine-​dining, really authentic and delicious Italian food, for about the same price as what we spent at Massimo’s. However, I realize not everyone wants to venture into SF or Palo Alto for a nice meal, so this may be a good alternative. It’s definitely much better than Olive Garden or Macaroni Grill, plus you’re in Fremont, so it’s not really fair to compare it to dining options in San Francisco (no offense to Fremont!)
The ambiance looks pretty antiquated from the outside and inside, and a bit old-​school. There are a few different dining rooms, and we were lucky to be tucked away in a smaller mirrored room with only one other table, so it wasn’t as crowded or loud.
They bring you warm bread with butter and a balsamic /​olive oil mixture. The bread is delicious and fresh that you probably won’t be able to eat just once piece.
We ordered the caesar salad for the table — it was one of the better caesar salads I’ve had at a restaurant and my Mom loved it. They make it for you table-​side with an egg yolk, anchovies, garlic, etc. If you don’t like too much dressing, make sure you ask them to go light on the dressing. We asked for «light» dressing and it still felt fairly heavy-​handed to me, but not overwhelming. However, I can’t imagine what a regular amount must taste like.
As for the pasta, the dishes are not inexpensive, but on-​par with other restaurants — you’ll pay $ 15 – 25 for a plate of pasta. $ 15 — $ 18 for a veggie or meat pasta, and $ 25 for a seafood pasta. The serving size is generous, and not like San Francisco plating sizes; my crab & mushroom pasta ($ 25) was large enough for me to save half of it for lunch the next day. They also didn’t skimp on the crab or mushrooms, which was nice. The sauce was a bit on the watery side, and I was disappointed that for an old-​school Italian restaurant, the pasta was not fresh.
My Mom got a seafood pasta and my Dad got the seafood risotto and both of them really enjoyed their meals.
I was a little disappointed that they didn’t do anything special for my Mom’s birthday, as I had told them when I confirmed my reservation and it was noted when I checked in.
Corkage fee is $ 20 per bottle, and apparently you get one free corkage for every bottle purchased, which is not too bad. If you bring dessert, expect to pay $ 2.50 per person.
Also, make a reservation ahead of time (they are on Open Table). I know in Fremont, reservations are usually not necessary, but I had several people come in for a walk-​in on a Saturday night and the wait was around an hour.
Overall, we had a nice meal. Not the best Italian food I’ve ever had in my life, but it was good, and a nice experience. I still prefer places in SF, but like I said, I’m a little spoiled with good Italian food, and lots of options in the city. Expect to pay around $ 30 – 40 per person, including tip & tax, and no drinks.

I went to Massimo’s for a business dinner after it was recommended by a co-​worker. Being raised in an Italian family who made everything fresh, I will be the first to say I’m really picky about Italian restaurants.
Massimo’s is located in a shopping center with a lot of other stuff –parking on a Thursday night was a pain, seemed like everyone in Fremont was out that night. This is a real tablecloth and linen napkins place, and the prices reflect it. Once inside, the décor was clean and neat, but a little claustrophobic. The tables are really crammed in there. Given how busy it was, noise level was acceptable.
The food was good — I had their specialty Rigatoni alla Massimo — I’d have it again. Rigatoni was not overcooked, slightly al dente as it should be. Wine list was good, I had a nice chianti.
Service was slow — maybe they were understaffed — this was the only real black mark.
Overall, Massimo’s is not the very best Italian place I’ve eaten at, but it’s far superior to the chains like Olive Garden (ick!) and Macaroni Grill. It’s not on par with Ristorante Don Giovanni in Mountain View, but for Fremont it’s probably the best in the area.