Maxines Restaurant

We have been here a few different times and always had an good experience. Tonight is my husband’s birthday. Last time we were here it was to celebrate the birth of our twin baby boys a year and a half ago and to our surprise, our server, Trish remember who we are. Every time we come here we order something different and it is fabulous. Shrimp et too Faye, red snapper and the ribeye is what we ordered today. Everything was excellent. The consistency of the quality of food is unremarkable. Right down to the dirty martinis and one a little more dirty, perfectly bruised. Side salad is crispy greens and no ice berg. They were very helpful to recommend an excellent house red zin at a modest price. Taste test included. Maxine’s food is of great value and a true hidden gem for Michigan city Indiana. The only negative was the lettering on the menu was too small and the lights could have been more dim. We will be back and so should you. !

Came here for the fiancé’s birthday last night and had a great experience!
Bread served with amazing butter, and we shared a crab cake. Oh. My. God. The flavors in the sauce on top were amazing.
Broccoli cheese soup was homemade and delicious.
I had the ribeye and my fiancé had the filet which melted, absolutely melted, in my mouth when I tried a bite. The food was fantastic and the the service was quite good. Deni has always been a great server.
My fiancé was offered a free dessert for his bday and he chose tiramisu but it was the best tiramisu I’d ever put in my mouth. Definitely a spot to go to again!

So far, so good. Tried lunch… I’ll def go back and give dinner a go. Bread, French onion soup and escargo were all great. Added salt to the buttery and it was yum. Nice atmosphere.

Our server was great and they all seem to work as a team, however our food was only ok.

This is a mixed review. The escargot Bourgignone was superbly prepared. The side salad was a spring mix of greens with tasty dressings. The entrees, however, were disappointing. The Tournados Oscar originally came under cooked. When sent back, they came over cooked. The Hollandaise sauce with small hunks of blue crab was very good. The mashed potatoes with skins might have been good had they not been cold. The green beans and carrots were perfectly cooked and seasoned. The Wiener Schnitzel was tough and dry. The spaetzle seemed to have been on the steam table too long. The red cabbage was OK. The chocolate mousse was divine and beautifully presented. The waitress gets extra points for trying dutifully and cheerfully to rescue a failed meal. It was very hot outside, but the temperature indoors was very comfortable. No down jackets required. The overall ambience was very pleasant. If we lived here we would give them another chance.

The saving grace of cuisine in Michigan City. I thought I was in San Francisco on half-​price day. Lovely menu, lovely waitperson.

Annual Birthday dinner, always great food, great presentation, AMAZING SERVICE !!! ITS A MUST !!!

The beautiful décor does not make up for the average food we had here on New Year’s Eve. Hubby and I both had the weiner schnitzel. The breading on the pork was soggy and barely edible. The spaetzel side was skimpy but the red cabbage was excellent. I was not a fan of the salad with nothing in it… no tomatoes, cuc etc. Staff, however, was very friendly and the server prompt and attentive. Will return but order another entrée.

Great staple of Franklin Square… Interior is charming and warm! Great food and even better drinks! Entertainment is fabulous on Fridays… Love this historical place

My new favorite restaurant!!! Great food, from appetizers, drinks, main course, and unreal desert !! Perfect service ! Beautiful place … Nicest owner, can’t wait to go back !!! Thank you for a great dinner!

Very nice place. Staff really friendly. Our food has always been great. Went with a german dish on recent visit and was just as good as what I’ve had in Bavaria. Have also had steak there which has always been good. Price for a filling full course meal and a couple drinks for two was around $ 80. If you’re just coming in for a burger and a beer price is reasonable too. Would recommend to visitors. Along with Shoreline Brewery. best two places we’ve found in the area. Worth the extra couple miles downtown from the interstate if just passing through. Wouldn’t give them a 5 if it were downtown chicago but for michigan city and the limited choices beyond the chains it’s worth a trip.

Great local restaurant. Awesome wine and beer selection. I love it.
Try the flat bread, my 5 years old daughter love the Escargot (snails). Also the lunch special is a perfect portion

I’m a little late on this one but after seeing all these rave reviews I’m confused. We decided to check this place out based on the Unilocal reviews and seeing someone who loves to support local rave about this establishment. I’m even hesitant to write this because honestly, I don’t like writing negative reviews unless an establishment treats me poorly, and that’s not the case here, but I just feel like I need someone to fill me in on what makes this place good?
We went Cinco de Mayo weekend because they were advertising a special. I thought great — ceviche, sangria etc. When we sat down, I thought for sure our waiter would mention this, but no. When I brought up that’s why we were there, he didn’t seem to eager to sell us up on the specials.
We went ahead and ordered the sangria, which was pretty bland. We started with the calamari — and after eating the entrees I realize the calamari was the only winner of the evening.
I had the lasagna since it was marked on the menu as a house specialty — this lasagna was likely frozen before cooking and if not, well that makes it even worse because it definitely didn’t taste fresh at all. Looking now at Christian’s review about finding plastic in his piece, I’m not surprised. My boyfriend had the salmon which he said was ok, but nothing he would go back for.
I don’t remember the exact total, but we didn’t get out of there under $ 100 – completely overpriced for the area. To be fair, I think we each had 2 glasses of sangria, but still.
It’s dark, it’s dated and it’s lacking real energy. I was really hoping for better.

It was Thursday night. The restaurant was almost empty. Yet we waited 40 minutes for our food to arrive. The waitress apologized twice. When my lasagna arrived, my first bite included a bottom layer of semi-​melted plastic wrap mixed with the food. The manager apologized. We walked out and I suggest you do the same.

My husband found a wad of microwaved plastic wrap in his lasagna. We waited a very long time for our food and our waitress apologized twice for how slow it was, yet there were less than a dozen people in the restaurant We walked out. My schnitzel seemed fine but the red cabbage had so much vinegar it hurt my nose with the fumes. I like German food but no German eats such caustic dishes.

Great sauerbraten. Comfort food for our German friends. I asked our bartender for acocktail suggestion, she mixed an Aviation. Superb. I agree with Em J. about the bartender, we must have had the same one. I’m going back, just for a cocktail, and try the appetizers Amanda F. talks about.
The building was built around 1900, and the walls are the original brick., and the restaurant has high ceilings. Very cool inside.
Diagonal parking is super-​easy, right in front of restaurant, on the street. Very few businesses are open in this old part of town, so you can park close to the restaurant.
I call this a «real» restaurant. Very down to earth, they try very hard. We had intendend to go to the Blue Chip Casino steakhouse, but they were full, so our group of 6 diverted to Maxines, and we all had a great time, and it wasn’t crowded on a Saturday night. I think this is an undiscovered gem.

We went on a Friday night during Lent looking for some good pasta options. Wine list was good, and the Maxine’s salad were good. Everything went down hill when we received our entrees. I ordered the Pasta al Pastora. First word I uttered upon tasting it was «bland.». That was until I got further in a got to something musty tasting. For the first time in my life I sent food back and asked for no more. My fiancé received mushy crab cakes and was completely pleased with her meal either. The wait staff was very nice and removed my entrée from the bill.
It was dead on a Friday night, I almost expect to see thus restaurant on an episode of Kitchen Nightmares or Dinner: Impossible soon. It’s a shame because it looks like it could have been a decent restaurant at some point.

Going to an Italian restaurant with an Italian friend usually comes with lots of opinons and comments about the food.
For Girls Weekend Getaway, we chose Maxines for our Saturday night dinner.
The Italian in our group thought it was odd that rye buns were served at the table instead of white bread, not that they weren’t good, but that’s the Italian for ya!
Our orders: Chicken Aroste — grilled chicken breast with a good assortment of veggies and 2 potatoe wedges. Gnocci con Pollo –chicken in a pesto cream sauce. Pasta alla Pastora — whole wheat pasta, boursin cheese, with tomato sauce with the addition of meatballs.
The Chicken Aroste was pretty good with the chicken cooked to perfection. The Gnocci con Pollo also had the same cooked-​to-​perfection chicken over the gnocchi and pesto cream sauce. The Pasta alla Pastora was good however my friend was disappointed with the meatballs she requested. She thought maybe they would be homemade large meatballs, but instead felt they were mini meatballs, possibly from a bag.
We enjoyed a good bottle of wine and passed on dessert. Since the area doesn’t have much to offer in terms of food, we would definitely return to Maxine’s and try something else.
One more thing: our server was excellent in describing the speicals and being attentive to our table.

The 3 things you must know when you dine here for a perfect meal.
1. The escargots appetizer is the best I’ve had. Ever.
2. Name sounds deterring, but the wild boar ragout is just so delicous.
3. Grass Skirt. Best. Martini. Ever.

So thankful for Maxine’s. My father-​in-​law was trying to drag the family to Red Lobster, and then Olive Garden… Thank God that both had waits for a party our size! I did not travel to Michigan City just to eat the junk that those restaurants put out! I quickly called Maxine’s to confirm they could seat a table of 9.5 quickly and they graciously told us the table would be ready for us when we arrived in 15 minutes.
The restaurant is located in a main street down town sort of area — perfect, no chain feel here. The first thing I noticed when entering were the beautiful murals on the wall. I was a little worried that this place was nicer than Unilocal had suggested and that kiddos would not be welcome, but they had set up a high chair, and in my opinion, any restaurant that offers high chairs is accepting children. On a Monday night, the restaurant was fairly empty, with mainly older diners as the customers.
The wait staff was super accommodating and kind, customizing orders to our parties preference. The bread they serve before dinner has fennel seed in it, a nice little hint of anise in each bite. They also served us a complimentary house salad — quite a nice touch.
My husband and I split the roasted chicken and gnocchi and it was incredible, by the end we almost wished we had our own dishes instead of sharing! The other dishes at our table were a huge success as well — lasagna, steaks, salads.. . it was all wonderful.
Huge props to the staff for putting up with our rambunctious table in such a professional but friendly way! Once the (delicious) drinks start flowing, the family tends to get a little overly happy! If we end up back in Michigan City, we will make sure to visit Maxine’s again.