Max’s World Cafe

Food is really good, but you have to be prepared to wait for it… a long time. I would give this place a five star for food, but it took over an hour for SALAD and another 30 minutes for the tacos to come out. There were only two tables of customers, and the other couple were already complaining about their wait when we sat down.

This restaurant is seriously a gem. I am very much in love with this place. if you were to look up the word «endearing» in the dictionary, Max’s World Café would be listed as an example.
Here are some of the ups of this restaurant:
–owner Edna herself. I didn’t get to personally meet her but I saw her in the kitchen cooking and she was just cute, cute, cute.
–the server is her nephew Reuben. A little quiet at first, but outstandingly polite. He eventually asked where me and boyfriend are from and that started a conversation about our backgrounds, etc. Very friendly and personable.
–food. ok, the food was delicious. absolutely yummy. for an appetizer, we shared the Portuguese bread with chicken sausage, tomato sauce, mozzarella, and cilantro pesto. I got the African chicken with rice and green salad. Boyfriend got the battered fish tacos. and for dessert we shared the warm date cake with vanilla ice cream. everything was so good. I don’t think you can go wrong with any of these dishes.
some thumbs-​down:
–the size of the restaurant is VERY tiny; a bar that seats maybe 6 and then 2 tables that seat 2, and one table that seats 4. I was so surprised. I think there is a table in the kitchen though, but i’m assuming that the «special» customers get to sit there. hehe. but even though the restaurant itself is really small, this made it even more endearing and very intimate.
–the prices are a little steep. for example, my African chicken dish was just chicken breast with rice and a green salad, and that dish only is $ 26. imagine the amount we spent for 4 dishes! lol.
anyways, i’d love go back again, especially to try our their lunch and brunch menus!

Epic. I can’t tell you what I had, only how good it was. The chef is willing to work with dietary restrictions and when my wife told her mine Edna, the chef, is just «ok, I got you» my wife had the shrimp and chips and was wowed as well. The desert was what the English call sticky pudding and the smell was worth ordering it. The whole experience was just a delight.

Great food and fantastic people. Try the Portuguese Chicken!

Oh yum… Edna is absolutely a wonderful cook and friend. THE best fish tacos. she la.dels out great food and love!!.goldie

Absolutely amazing. The chef shook our hands and was so meaningful about it I almost cried. We got the cod tacos (spicy and mild) it was phenomenal. Then we got the date cake and I said to my husband «this is the best dessert I’ve ever had». A+++

The food and the service were 5 stars. The chef/​owner was extremely passionate about what she cooked and explained every ingredient to me in detail. I ended up ordering a vegetarian burrito which isn’t on the menu — just ask and she can make pretty much anything on the menu vegetarian.
My burrito came with a side salad that was simple and delicious. I’m not sure what she uses for dressing, but it was light and tangy and then topped with finely grated Parmesan. The burrito was large, juicy, and spiced according to your taste. I got medium spice and my tastebuds don’t regret a thing. I couldn’t remember all of the ingredients she listed, but it was definitely an Indian take on a burrito (curried veggies, beans, rice, etc.). It was honestly one of the best burritos I’ve ever had, if not the best.
My only issue was the odd seating. Luckily it wasn’t too busy when my boyfriend and I visited so we didn’t have any issues, but I could see how this place could get pretty hectic.

Awesome cod tacos! So yummy wow. Such a cute little restaurant and we got to meet Edna; she is so funny and cool. Love the small town feel in the restaurant. We want to go back and try the whole menu!

A great find on Front St in Issaquah. Tremendous quality food prepared fresh to order. You will love it.
They recently bought the Rolling Log pub around the corner and bringing high quality food there as well — stay tuned.
The place is small but you will become repeat customers. You won’t be disappointed.

Cute little place, super friendly staff. The house made hot sauce is the bomb. The blackened fish tacos were AMAZING.

Sigh. I’ve never felt so misled by so many positive Unilocal reviews.
The food is legitimately delicious…
But I left hungry.
But eating here is awkward. Cramped. Silent.
But the prices are higher than Seattle prices. $ 3 for Lipton tea at a place with $ 24 dinner specials seems off to me.
Would not come back. It soured my Saturday after a lovely short hike near Issaquah.
Taste of food: ⁵⁄₅
Portion size: ¹⁄₅
Price to value: ⁰⁄₅
Service: ³⁄₅
Ambiance: ⁰⁄₅

The owners are wonderful and very accommodating. They are the type of people you want to be around and I can see why so many people come here. The food is good as well which is a bit of bummer for me to write this.
My issue was the location and atmosphere. There was not much room to move around and you have to walk through the kitchen to use the restroom, which is a bit awkward.
I do have to say that the fish n chips were good. My husband enjoyed it.
I wish they played music as well. It is a small restaurant where you can hear what everyone is saying. So maybe some background noise would make it more comfortable.

Max’s World Café is a shining jewel of a restaurant.
It is tiny so be aware, but it is worth any wait (and there’s takeout!).
Everything I’ve eaten has been fantastic and when I was finally brave enough to try the fish and chips I was floored, awesome fish.
Let Chef Edna know what you like and she’ll be happy to point out a good choice or two.
Word to the wise, if you tell her spicy she takes you at your word…
Love max’s, adore Edna, go and have a great meal.

This place is amazing! Chef Edna is a sweet person who greets and serves you!
She cares about her guest and her food and pleases anyone who enters he small cozy Café.
The food is delicious, we had the lamb Shank that is falling off the bone tender and full of flavor. My husband had the jerk chicken breast and spicy Moroccan rice with a dollop of spicy cilantro pesto!
You won’t leave disappointed. The lamb shank might have been the most expensive dish on the menu but well worth every bite!
Oh BYW you definitely have to try the spicy coleslaw! To die for

Small place huge flavor. Cute local spot with the best jerk chicken anyone has ever had anywhere.
Edna was super friendly and her knowhow in the kitchen could not be beat. Warning: spicy here means spicy, if you’re not sure play it safe. The goat curry was simply unbeatable.

This is an extremely small bistro. We stopped in for lunch. The owner waited on us and she was awesome. The cod and chips were excellent! The Cuban sandwich was so tasty, a bit different then others but almost better. The slow roasted pork on it was out of this world. Max’s in house hot sauces were excellent too. All around killer food. I wish I lived closer as I would eat here all the time.
Oh and I used the restroom (you have to walk through the kitchen to get to it) and everything was spotless. I like to see a clean kitchen. Go eat here… You’ll be so glad you did!

The only good food around. We stopped in for lunch on our way to our Hotel.
I love the flavors of the food. Too bad I couldn’t come back and try the other items for dinner.
This place is small. I thought it was funny there were people actually sitting in the Kitchen. It makes you feel like you’re in someone’s home.

This is a restaurant that is based around a big personality. Owner Edna is welcoming and makes a great meal experience. The place is cramped without being uncomfortable, and only sits about 15.
You get what you pay for with the quality of food.

I have only had brunch/​lunch here and the food is amazing. The chicken panini that I had was the best panini I have ever had. The taco (fried cod) was super light and had really good flavor.
The hot sauce that Chef Edna makes has heat AND flavor unlike other hot sauces where one only gets lot of heat.
We will be coming back to try the dinner menu soon.
Besides the food, chef Edna took the time to come out and talk to us about her food and her journeys. :)

I have heard many great things about this place from so many friends and we finally had a chance to try it. A very small little place on Front Street with nothing fancy about it. The décor reminded me of a european diner or maybe a place I once ate in Montenegro. Again, nothing fancy, but II had to keep reminding myself it is all about the food.
With only a few tables we were lucky to score a spot on a Friday night. My husband and I were greeted by Edna, the owner, who was so sweet and kind and treated us like family. We told her it was our first time and she was patient explaining the menu. Edna’s sister, who I forgot her name, was a very sweet gal and served us most of the night.
My husband had the goat curry with rice. I asked where the goat was from and she said Whidbey Island. who would have known? I had the African Portuguese Chicken with rice. We both finished our plates clean! Food was great.
We never get dessert but I was very curious about the date cake. OMG it was great! Warm date cake that was accompanied by vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce.
The wine selection is only 1 and it’s Portuguese: a white and a red. We both had the red and it was quite nice.
Overall, the coziness and friendliness was by far the best part of this experience. Prices were very high but I guess it’s about the overall experience.
Tios: Next time reserve the table in the kitchen.