Max’s Famous Hot Dogs

Great hot dogs! Going in person is and experience ! Nothing enter then a cold beer and a kraut dog with chopped onions.

I read the reviews and my husband and I decided to head to Max since we were craving a hot dog. We were the second couple in the place and to start with I went to the bathroom and it was disgusting the seat next to me had mustard that shows clearly that they don’t clean from the day before. The hot dog was overly crisp and the bun was burnt. The onion rings were burnt as if they were frying with grease from the day before
The owner of the place is a stone faced grouch. The only positive are the waitress that are hard working and friendly. My honest opinion is save your money and go to Stewarts if you’re craving a good hot dog or to the windmill.

My family and I vacation at the Jersey shore every summer and on the way back we stop at Max’s for famous hotdogs, it’s tradition. I work in a restaurant, I understand having patience but sitting for 15+ minutes without even an acknowledgment or an «I’m sorry, I’ll be right with you», is pretty unacceptable in my book. It’s a Saturday, in the dead of summer, maybe more than one server would be a good idea.

I maybe go once a year. I never ever thought it was that good. It’s just a thing you do in the summer. My favorite is the fried mushrooms. Hotdogs to me are why you go. I can take them or leave them. Windmill down to he road is better. Service is ok, not great. Cash only. It’s over priced for what it is but if your in the mood and your in the area pick Windmill instead.

The food makes up for the service at Max’s, so it’s good to be patient. It could have just been the waitress that served my table. It seemed like we were going to have one waitress then it turned out we had another. I wish we that the original server helped us.
I don’t need to be told, «i’m really busy, i just have to stop at this table first, then i’ll be right back.» What’s the point of stopping by?
It doesn’t take long to make a decision on what you want, aren’t most people coming for hot dogs?
After were place our order, it was quite a while before we got our drinks. I was concerned that our food would come out first, but as it turned out, only our waitress could get our drinks and put in our food order AND deliver our food. She seemed overwhelmed by the 5 tables she had but seemed to do more explaining exactly what was happening rather than just serving.
Our fried foods arrived first — mushrooms and onion rings. Both were tasty, but once again, had our server been better, should likely would have remembered that one of the people in our party had requested cheese sauce. When she came to check on our appetizers, we said they were good, but were looking for the cheese sauce. None of us needed the full explanation of how she forgot to bring it to us –just bring it over.
The hot dogs were tasty, no complaints there, it was just that the service took so much away from the hot dog experience. I almost wish i had just gone to the take out window and eaten one on the boardwalk.

They close at 9pm. Always keep that in mind because the employees seem to keep it on theirs.
Looking for a good hamburger joint after going to the beach, we googled this place and the reviews were good.
We arrived at 8:45pm on a Saturday night. There were no signs saying when it would close, the place was full of people at the bar and at a few tables. The sign said «seat yourself», so we did.
Little did we know the utter mental anguish we’d cause.
The place itself is a pretty cool «character-​y» place with staff that were pretty cool and «character-​y». Kind of a mix between the cast of «Cheers» and Merlottes from «True Blood».
So, you can imagine how dramatic the anguish of having to serve people just before closing could be. Luckily, we weren’t the very last people to come in. And when we realized our timing we apologized our waitress was kind and said not to worry. But then we heard all the other employees complaining loudly: «SHIT! More customers!!!», «Nooooooooo!», «Somebody block the door!»
My hamburger buns were burned, my hamburger overly cooked, and they arbitrarily chose a different cheese than I asked for, but I kinda feared an onslaught of cursing so I choked down my meal as fast as I could without saying anything.
My husband had one of their specialty hot dogs and it was really tasty.
I assume the root beer float was also tasty, but I glugged it down quickly because of the exasperated staff, I really didn’t want to get them even more riled up.

It is unanimous, all three of us place these hot dogs above all others at the shore! Max’s is clean, spacious and the staff is great. We had the «classic» and «Mrs Max» (cheese) dogs along with the steak fries and beer and sodas. Melissa is a friendly and attentive server and Darryl is expert at the grill. He slices the cheese dogs like a Surgeon with his scalpel! We think he may actually be a Surgeon at the nearby hospital. Just be prepared Max’s is cash only. It is quite a long trip for us to get here, but you can be sure we’ll be back soon!

Apparently Max’s has been a Jersey Shore staple for decades, or at least that’s what my stepdad made it out to be before driving us 45 minutes to go here. The restaurant is a dive, but the hot dogs are HUGE, I’ll give them that. The staff is also very nice.
I ordered the Mad Max, which is the chili cheese dog. I had to eat it with a knife and fork, and the chili didn’t appear to be from a can, which is a step up from some places I’ve been to. They bring out huge tubs of sauerkraut, red and green relish, and onions to top the dogs with, which is nice. I think the fries (a little under-​seasoned, by the way), sweet potato fries, onion rings, mushrooms, etc. are frozen, which is a little disappointing when it’s a huge portion of your menu.
If you were raised on the Shore, I can understand how this joint brings some nostalgia to it. The food isn’t too bad, but for the snobs out there, it’s not worth going out of your way to try it.

This place is amazing! Having the first hot dog of the season here tonight with my grandma and my husband just proved that it’s finally the start of summer. Their food is great, as well as their staff. Everyone is always so friendly and welcoming. I’m so glad they have reopened for the season! :)

I’ve always wanted to check this place out. I had to go up in the area, but when I Googled them two phone numbers were disconnected and their website was gone. I figured that was a bad sign, but had to visit the same area a month later, so decided to just go.
I was going to hold off posting my review because I plan to go back this weekend or next, but I’m gonna post it anyway. Reason being is because my opinion of them won’t change. I enjoyed the place and little annoyances were due to it being Mother’s Day and well everyone mixes their iced tea wrong once in awhile. I should have said something, but next time if the iced tea is all water I’ll say something. Otherwise I’ll let it slide.
Atmosphere:
Wait for a hot dog was long. They seemed really understaffed. I guess they didn’t estimate that many people for Mother’s Day. The guy who waited on us was really nice and got our order correct. Plenty of seating, for days they’re not this busy. Maybe 10 or 15 tables, and a huge counter with about 20 chairs around it. I didn’t really mind the wait because I think it’s just the day I went. Not their fault. There’s a juke box up front. If it’s not too expensive I’m going to put the same song on repeat. But picking the perfect song. ahh that’s the real trouble.
They’re super close to the boardwalk and beach which was very nice.
Hot Dogs:
They use Schickhaus brand hot dogs and they’re huge. Thick. It was like something I’ve seen in an adult movie before. It hung off about 2 inches on both sides of the bun. Look deep fried. Nicely charred, partially split open. Good snap.
Buns:
Too small if you ask me. Because the toppings get messy and fall off on your hand and plate. On the other hand if you like to taste the hot dog it’s nice. because you get a few bites with no topping, then a few bites with topping, then a few bites without again.
Price:
$ 4.65 for a plain dog which you can add mustard or relish. I think a dog with chili was over $ 6 bucks. Again, keep in mind they are very big. I’m not complaining about price.
Toppings:
I tried the chili first. It had beans in it. Beans have no place in chili that goes on a hot dog, unless it was exceptional chili. The chili was alright, but nothing special. I also ordered one plain so I could try the relish. They have sweet and also spicy. Nothing special. Tasted like the normal stuff you get in the supermarket. Sweet one was super sweet and the spicy one had that classic vinegar taste that makes your mouth pucker. Alright by me, but nothing special. The fried onions looked very good. I also saw a cheese dog that looked awesome and it’s what I am ordering next time. Split down the middle and filled with cheese. Lots of it too!
Drinks:
Soda was okay I was told, but I ordered Iced Tea and it was horrible. Said Lipton Brisk on the fountain. It was more like a mildly flavored water. Mostly tasted like water even after adding a lot of sugar. Three drinks were close to $ 9 in price. $ 8 and some change. do they offer free refills? I thought that was expensive. They serve alcohol too.
Other:
Grilled cheese was $ 6.95 I think. Seems expensive. Corn on the cob looks really good.
I’ll definitely be back and very soon.
PS — I went back the following week and had a cheese dog. Didn’t look like the one I saw last week. The previous week I saw cheese from across the room. Lots of it. Mine didn’t have that much in it, but it was still good. I had raspberry tea this time and it was fine. Burgers looked big, fresh, and juicy, although we didn’t try them.

Hot dog heaven, started coming back in mid 70’s, when they were located on boardwalk prior to the fire. Oh and I met Bruce Springsteen there, on a rainy day back in mid 80’s. Had a half hour conversation with him and he paid for my dogs and beers.

I will take windmill over max’s any day. Windmill is cheaper and better quality and service. The service at max’s is horrible. The food is mediocre. They only accept cash. The owner is unpleasant and rude to customers.

In the hotdog world this is as good as you can get. First the dog is grilled until it splits and has a snap to the skin. They use schickhaus franks, the foot long ones. I suggest the house made chili and a cold beer to complete the experience. On the way out check out all the pictures of celebrities who have been there. It is incredible how many famous people have been here.

Great place. Hot dogs are delicious. Crispy. .not too greasy. Fries were perfect. My sister had been taking about this place for 20+years.

We went to Max’s on a Monday afternoon, on the take-​out side, with high expectations. Unfortunately, we were very disappointed and probably will NOT get a return visit from us. I understand that the hot dog was grilled, which is fine but, the underside was so grilled it was burned. The skin was black in some areas and the meat had a bland taste. I ordered fried onions and the cook forgot them. While we were eating at the counter, the next customer ordered bacon on her dog and the cook forget the bacon. My wife ordered the cheese dog. There was only a 1/​8″ wide sliver of yellow cheese along the hot dog. It was really pathetic. Sorry Max’s. I suggest major changes to the cook and/​or the type of hot dog.

No contest! Max’s Hot Dogs far superior to the Windmill’s. The best anywhere (even NYC). Go with the Chili Footlongs. Old time atmosphere and they serve Beer.

Grew up on Max’s when they used to be on the boardwalk. Place has seen better days and the hot dogs (Schickhaus) now seem to have a salty chemical off flavor. Still a great snap though. Both competitors for the LB dog market (Windmill) are not clean and the abrupt and indifferent. I would take the Windmill dog and eat it in the car by the beach.

I’ve been eating at Max’s with my Jersey family for as long as I can remember. Visiting Long Branch is almost synonymous with eating a hotdog at Max’s for me!
The place is comfortable, nothing frilly, and very adequately located near the shore. It is a typical diner feel but with a solid following of visitors that have been eating there longer than I have! I love looking at their wall of celebrities with photos of all those who have come and visited, including Brian Williams.
A typical visit for us includes hotdogs — foot log and cooked to a crisp — covered in the warm sauerkraut and standard toppings, fries and onion rings. The fries are similar to steak fries and are crisp on the outside and lightly salted. The sweet potato fries are absolutely delicious and equally as crispy. The onion rings taste homemade and light, you can pull the onion right out of the ring which I love!
Max’s to me is family and although it’s not dressed up, it is simple, great tasting food and is run by friendly people!

Up for some heart attack food? Well, this is your last stop! I hear this is a landmark joint open since the 20’s…
Kinda dirty… Kinda sticky… Kinda icky…
Hotdog does have the snap to it, which was nice. I believe they’re sliced down the middle, grilled, then fried??? I can’t imagine getting that outer casing that tight and snappy without frying… Or maybe it sat on the flap top for 45 minutes, who knows. I ordered chili on the side and it was served completely cold, how strange… And it was very salty. The cheese for the fries were the most generic cheapest brand out in the market. Even Velveeta would’ve been nice but it’s probably too expensive for their budget. And they didn’t even salt their fries! And their sauerkraut had so much vinegar, holy crap. Guess this is how the locals like their food. Unseasoned, cheap, greasy, too salty, and vinegary.
Just can’t imagine the locals stuffing themselves silly eating this much food in 98 degree weather and then going back to the beach and taking their shirts off. Woah.

By far, deserving to be on the list of New Jersey’s best hot dogs. Ironically, it’s just a short drive down from the iconic Windmill, also on Ocean Blvd.
On the topic of flavor, these foot long hot dogs are amongst the best you’ll find, around. They’re grilled, not fried (and I have no problem with the latter), and give that old fashioned sensation with the ties on each end and the ‘skin’ that you’ll have to break through with each bite. The exterior retains the flavor of the grill, giving the dog a huge mix of flavor when you get through to its plump center.
It’s worthy of mentioning the greatness of Max’s own chili — it’s chunky and full of flavor, not runny like you’ll find at other hot dog joints. You might even need a fork. For sides, try their onion rings or steak fries.
As for anyone complaining about having to spend $ 4.50 on a dog, I recommend that you get a better job if that’s what you find worthy of a complaint and negative review. I’ll gladly pay a little bit more for quality. It looks like some others expected Tavern on the Green when they walked in here, but unfortunately it didn’t meet their exacting standards. This is a Jersey hot dog joint — you get what comes with the business, and this place is worthy of repeat visits.