Max’s Bistro & Bar

I ordered the Max’s burger which comes with sweet potato fries and instead of the aioli sauce it comes with I ordered the siracha sauce instead. Service was also good. Always a safe choice I’ve never had a bad experience here.

I have been here a few times and have never been crazy about the restaurant. Today was my last attempt at liking Max’s. With that said, I ordered the cioppino and it was terrible. Not a lot of fish (which I didn’t really mind) and it was overdone, the sauce was terrible as well. Very heavy, no flavor, and a little on the salty side. The other members of my party ordered the calamari steak plate, which was pretty good, and the seared tuna special which was borderline. All in all there are MUCH better places you can go to for the price. Not impressed.

Okay been here five times in the last two and a half years. The quality of food has diminished. We went last Saturday night. I give a two star because the waitress was good and the quality of the food is not her fault. I ordered the Clam Chowder as an appetizer it was horrible took just a few bites. No flavor and thick and pasty the worst combination. The waitress noticed that I had not eaten and asked if I liked it I told her my thoughts she removed it from our bill. Which was professional. We both ordered the Calamari and Shrimp with Risotto. Absolutely the worst no flavor whatsoever. The Calamari was a fine cut not rubbery or tough just absolutely no flavor. Same with the Risotto and Shrimp no flavor at all. I asked for Salt and Pepper to season and try to get some flavor. This helped. The batter on the Calamari had tons of flour and no flavor. We ate because we were going to a show and now running late. It is really to bad the place has a nice atmosphere a little loud at times when it is busy but it is clean, decorated well and the staff seems friendly. A little on the slow side but friendly. I can only assume that cooking staff has changed over the last couple of years as the quality of the food has changed. For dessert we ordered the Apple Pie with Ice Cream it is 6:30 at night and the waitress tells us the Pies and Bread Pudding are not done cooking yet they wont be ready for another 30 minutes. How does a cooking staff not have the desserts ready before normal dinner time Seriously. So we ordered just Ice cream it was good but I assume that comes already made. We will not be back there are plenty of other places I can spend a hundred dollars at and have a much better experience.

Max’s is a long time favorite of mine
They change their menu items often and I believe that’s what keeps the place fresh with constantly new things to try. All which have been delicious.
And for the past three years my boyfriend and I have celebrated our anniversary here.
The service each time that I’ve come has been superb. Any question I have will be answered with great detail and swiftness. I’ve been here for birthdays with bigger groups and smaller dinner parties, all of which they’ve handled well.
Speaking of swiftness, the waiters here are amazing.
Alex who greeted us when we sat down, never allowed the our water to hit empty once! Now that’s service lol
He also gave recommendations on food. & told us the reason we might be loving the scallops so much here is because they get fresh shipments of fish everyday ! Every DAY?! Insane!
That being said the scallops here are seasoned and cooked perfectly. It never fails to be a perfect starter for our meal.
He also helped us gave insights on the other menu items and def helped make the decision easier on what to order. Must say that he definitely made the evening go a lot smoother and was very professional.
My boyfriend ordered the prime rib and I got the chicken.
The prime rib was cooked perfectly and it was a generous serving. Comparable to the delicious steaks at Ruth Chris for sure.
My chicken came with some delicious cranberry purée on the side and that paired so well with the chicken. It wasn’t over cooked or dry.
I love Max’s and I love the service here. They always make me feel appreciated and welcomed. I can’t say enough how spectacular it is.
Our waitress, Kaelie, was the sweetest person and she had the bubbliest personality. Thank you, Alex & Kaelie for yet another perfect evening ! :D
If you’ve read my previous reviews, you’ll know I’ve never had a bad evening here. Max’s is always the first place a recommend to anyone.
I would say to get the best experience come on a slow night.

We were a party of 6 on Saturday night, January 16, 2016. Our total bill of $ 412.00 paid for three Meat Loaf dinners that were marred by bottled barbeque sauce, Clam Chowder that had the consistency but not the taste of clam chowder, Long Green Beans tied in a decorative knot lacking in taste and difficult to chew, a $ 40 tap for a one ounce pour of MacAllen Single Malt, and a Roasted Chicken dinner that was lukewarm and baked… after being dredged in what must have been «Shake-​n-​Bake».
The 2 Romaine Wedge salads, 2 Spinach and Strawberry salads, and my Beet and Watercress salad were very good.
But service was S-​L-​O-​W! We were all seated by 6:15 pm and finished 9:05 pm. Not much enjoyment for $ 412. Never again… NEVER!

A Fresno hidden Gem!!! Been here several times and never had a bad meal or service. Food is always impeccable and service on point. I would defiantly recommend this restaurant! And the best sweet potato fries I’ve ever had in My Life!

Not what I was expecting from a high price menu restaurant. It was very loud, great if you came with a crowd for some drinks but not for a peaceful one on one dinner. It was very bright venue as well. A place I would expect from a restaurant like Bj’s without the high price menu. For the price point I would go to Flemings. If I wanted the food quality and atmosphere of Max’s I could of gone to Cheesecake Factory, I would even say I prefer Cheesecake Factory over Max’s. There was no wow factor that set this place apart from the many great restaurants out there. I’m giving it a three because my date said she liked their Filet Mignon.

This is our first time coming here. I took my boyfriend here for his birthday lunch. First off the servers are really nice! Our waitress recommended us a surgeon fish dish with spinach and topped off with this balsamic sauce. It we fresh and it tasted absolutely amazing! The fish was cooked perfectly and melts in your mouth. My bf had a pasta and it was just as delicious. This got a 4 star because our server checked up on us once and never came back. I had to flag her down after waiting for our check for 10 mins. Overall, great food! I will come back for another tasting :)

We came in on a Tuesday night. Reservations for 10. We’re an easy group: half the crew has worked service industry, so we get that a bigger group is a handful…
The fish was dry, the steaks were cooked wrong, the desserts were mediocre and the service was S-​L-​O-​W.
Cioppino is not tomato soup with whitefish.
There was nothing about this experience that justified a $ 450 tab.
The service and food quality has slipped a lot since my last visit. I don’t know if I’ll be making another.

This is composite review of 4 visits here. My review is really a 3.5 star. My only disclaimer is that with all visits here it was on a business account, so there is really no budget. I have tried their seasonal seafoods to hanger cut steaks. Overall you simply can not really go wrong here. They take time to get things right
My only stickler is that the price point is not right at all and I’m big on that. I strongly believe in value for money. If I was paying for my scallop entrée as picture here it would be at least in the low 20s not at high 20s price point. Given the stiff competition close by especially Cracked pepper within a mile away, they ought to separate themselves which I think they fail to do. Price it better and I think it would be even more packed than what I saw for a Friday nite.

You’re probably six times, and overall it’s a pretty solid meal, and experience.
Service is generally pretty attentive and friendly, the food is pretty consistently executed, generally well season, and cooked properly. My only disappointment is the menu doesn’t turn over seasonally, so if you spend any consistent amount of time going here you may become bored with the menu

We went here as a family for my husband’s birthday last Saturday. The receptionist sat us promptly, and the server gave us a complimentary appetizer. The menu is average sized, but there was plenty of variety. The wine list also had quality wines. When my baby needed a bottle, the receptionist saw me trying to prepare it. She offered to get me warm, filtered water, which made me really appreciate the wonderful service. Throughout the meal, our service was top-​notch. The food was delicious and cooked to order. We will be back!

Wow… I am just blown away at the absolutely poor experience I had at Max’s today. I have been a long, long time fan but have not been there in several months.
Based on my experience today, I won’t be going back any time soon, and that’s an absolute shame because I truly felt that Max’s has been a shining star in the local restaurant scene.
We went in a bit after noon. There were 3 other groups there. Usually when I’ve been there at lunch on a weekend, it’s packed. But if the quality of the food is any indication of their standards, I can see why people would opt out. Max’s has a higher price point, which I am OK with if the quality is there. $ 17 for a salad, it better be fresh… and mine wasn’t.
The avocado was old. The red onions were cut in largely asymmetrical chunks… like someone didn’t really care. What used to be an entire chicken breast on the salad, was replaced with 3 chicken tenders… one of which was half gristle.
$ 56 with tax and tip for two salads, and two ice teas… you HAVE to do better than that! I’ve paid that in the past, many times… willingly…happily.
Not sure when (or if) I’m going back. Hope they pull it together because it would be a shame ot see them close up.

We happened onto this place because Pismos was so busy for lunch and let me tell you I’m so glad we did. I think we found THE gem of Fresno! The décor, the ambiance, the food, the service, all 5 stars!!!
Our servers Victoria was the best!!! Please request her if you can, she is so sweet, very detail oriented and she takes her guests dining to the next level! She knew we had never dined at Max’s and she wanted us to get the whole experience because she loves her job and restaurant she ordered us the crème brûlée and showed us how it should be experienced the Max Bristro Way. That was such a nice treat and it wasn’t even a birthday or anniversary just great service & great food! And we will definitely be back for more!!!

–My family surprised me by bringing me here for my birthday. It was always one of my bookmarked places I needed to try.
–They were very accommodating for a big party. We had about 9 or so people. The service here was superb. Water never reached the bottom of the glass as the server kept it filled before we could ask for more. That’s one of my favorite things. I hate waiting around for a water refill.
— Our server was very nice and helped me make a decision. I ordered the Filet Mignon ($ 36) and it was cooked to my liking. It came with mashed potatoes that were also good. They also gave us complimentary bread and appetizers (chips with hummus on a little spoon) the hummus wasn’t very flavorful and the chip tasted stale but they were free so what are you going to do? Lol.
–I’m sad that they change their menu often (maybe according to the season?) because I really wanted to try the Duck but they took it off the menu. My cousin got the pork chop and the portion was huge. She said it was absolutely delicious. A couple people ordered the burger and said they had better elsewhere. My sister got the skirt steak and it was so tender and flavorful. Although she did get a side of lobster macaroni and cheese and it wasn’t very impressive. Just standard and nothing special.
–In conclusion this place is a must try if you want to experience a little more fine dining. It is a little pricey but that is too be expected. They have amazing desserts as well, their crème brûlée was delicious. Since it was my birthday she also gave me a little dessert on the house! The waitress was even kind enough to get on a chair and take a photo for us. (We didn’t ask her to do that though but she went above and beyond.) If you are thinking about trying this place out, you should!

Overrated and pricey for a crappy city like Fresno. I did not find Max’s worth it. Do yourself a favor. Get in the car, drive 3 hours north or 3 hours south. If there is no traffic, you will be much happier.
If there is traffic, you shouldn’t be in FresNO to begin with. So, shame on you.

Max’ Bistro was recommended by a friend. So finding ourselves in Fresno we decided to give it a try.
This little gem is located in a small shopping area on the corner of Bullard & West. You could be forgiven for not knowing it’s there. But once you’re inside you find simple but tasteful décor. The walls display large colorful artwork by the Fresno artist Tomas making the atmosphere fun & comfortable.
The staff was first rate from the hostess that greeted us at the door to our waitress who was very friendly and helpful.
We ordered drinks and when they came we were served a very tasty little Amuse-​Bouche, a flakey bite of puff pastry wrapped around a little fig. What a nice little surprise. For our entrée my wife chose the meatloaf and I had the Pork Sugo with linguine. Both were delicious & more unique than the names would suggest.
All in all we had a very pleasant evening and on our way home we were already talking about opportunities to go back. If you’re looking for a nice evening out I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Max’s Bistro.

Excellent generous cocktails. Delicious apps and well flavored main dishes.
We had the sweet potato fries as everyone recommend, the calamari, filet and chicken. Great meal.

Well, I wasn’t quite sure how to approach writing a review for a bistro, as I’m not a big bistro aficionado. And after completing our meal here, it’s going to be pretty hard to judge other bistros because of how well our experience here went.
We were sat and immediately given a bite to eat. Tonight it was a small goat cheese, olive and tomato concoction on a piece of bread. (It has a much fancier name, but I’m a laid back guy and frankly, don’t remember what he said it was.) They were great. A look at the alcohol menu and I saw they had a great beer from dogfish head available. The 90 minute IPA. IPA guys know this is a good one that used to be really hard to get in this neck of the woods.
We heard the special included an 1855 ribeye which is the best quality of beef they can get from their supplier. Hook like and sinker. We ordered three of them at our table. Our other friend ordered the Halibut special.
The presentation of the food was fantastic. The taste of the food was fantastic.
Seriously I’ve been having the best luck with dinners lately. This place definitely earned 5 stars. And yes, like the other reviews say, the restrooms are insanely clean. For example, it looked like they even regularly replace the bushings in the stall doors. Crazy hahaha (I’d read in another review about the clean bathrooms)

During a Christmas staff gathering, a co-​worker recommended for me to try out Max’s Bistro. I started reading all the reviews about Max’s and today finally had the chance to go there for lunch. Beware, Max is on the pricey side. For two person, we racked up a $ 70 price for lunch. If you’re on a budget, or want more for your money, Max is not your place. I tried it for the experience.
Because of the delicious pictures posted about steaks, I automatically thought that they would do steak during lunch too. However, their lunch menu does not have steak. After reading their menu, I asked the waiter about steaks. He stated that they only do steaks during dinner time. After a few minutes, the waiter came back and said that he talked to the chef and the chef can make me a steak from their dinner entrée menu, but it won’t have all the trimmings listed in the menu. I was fine with that. Points for the waiter.
We ended up ordering the Flat Iron Steak; Sweet Potato Fries, Crab Egg Rolls and Coconut Prawns, and Hot Pastrami sandwich.
The Verdict:
The flat iron steak tasted very good with the sweet sauce that was drizzled on top of it. I had asked for my A1 steak sauce, but ended up not using it because the sauce itself made the steak delicious already. The steak was put onto of mash potato that had pieces of bacon mixed into it. I’m usually not a mash potato person, but this was so yummy.
The hot pastrami sandwich was okay. The grilled onions really brought out the flavor for the sandwich to make it different from others that I’ve had.
The coconut prawns and crab egg rolls were okay. A little pricey for two prawns and four pieces of egg rolls. The plate came with a sweet and tangy sauce. It brought the flavor out of the egg rolls. I’ve had better egg rolls, but somehow that combination worked for me.
The sweet potato fries were good. They are comparable to the ones at a «wok» place a few miles away from Max’s. Their jalapeño-​arugula aioli was also okay. It packs a minor spicy effect when you dip the fries into it. Sometimes you’ll get a fry that has a little bit more salt on it, but no biggie. Again, although the fries were good, they were not the best that I’ve had.
The presentation for the food were good. I need to see how well the dinner plates are put together.
Service, we top notch. Their waiters were very professional. With the waiter going out of his way to ask the chef for a steak, and the chef willing to cook it during lunch time, many thanks goes out to their service. There’s always someone coming around to check on your water to refill. The waiter always comes around to ask how you are doing.
I can’t leave this review without talking about their restroom. The restrooms were very clean, and smelled clean. I think the only thing missing is a restroom attendant standing there.
Overall, with the taste of their food, the presentation, the nice facility, and the awesome customer service, Max’s Bristro Bar has earned a 5 star from me. I don’t usually hand hour 5 stars unless I’m blown away with a combination of all the aspects that I look at.