Max’s Cafe

5 stars for this professionally run business that’s making a real attempt to elevate the dated atmosphere of The Crossings. The coffee drinks rival Caribou or Starbucks. They have fresh (and delicious) baked goods everyday, customizable oatmeal, breakfast sandwiches and salads and sandwiches for lunch. Reminds me of a smaller, more concise version of Allie’s, but more polished.

Good coffee, decent lunches, great cookies and brownies, and (mostly) nice people. (One could get over himself and be more professional.)

I love everything about Max’s Café! I go there a few times a week, as I work downtown. Some days I go twice! It’s an oasis of excellence in a sea of Skyway mediocrity. The breakfast panini is a steal for $ 3 and WAY better than any breakfast sandwich I’ve had– pretty much anywhere. The staff is so sweet and genuine, always attentive and happy. The baked goods are unbelievably delicious. They just started making chocolate croissants. I had one and was instantly hooked. There is just NO WAY something that comes out of a skyway kitchen should be THAT GOOD! You would swear you are in Europe. The coffee isn’t bad either, and I’m kind of picky about coffee. And the salads are fresh and imaginative. If you’re hungry in the DT Mpls skyways, go here, you won’t be sorry.

Had lunch brought to us and they brought wraps from Max’s. I have had a lot of caesar wraps in my life… this was HANDS DOWN the best I have ever eaten! So flavorful and moist. I came online to find out where they were located, it will take me 25 min to get there and more after finding parking etc. and it will be WORTH IT!!! Can’t wait to eat another one!

I’ve worked downtown Mpls for 6 years so I’ve seen a few owners in this skyway spot. In the last year, Max came in and introduced a variety of salads, paninis and other sandwiches. The coffee and mochas are solid and the staff is always friendly. I love the Max’s salad which is a mix of romaine, cashews, craisins, apple and cheddar cheese with a balsamic dressing. Their wild rice soup is good as well, but like its predecessors, is always unbelievably hot. The breakfast sandwich is on focaccia and is really tasty. My real only complaint is the food pricing seems high. The drinks are on par with most other coffee shops, but it’s hard to eat lunch for less than $ 9.

This place (until last Thursday) was called «Bean Counter Coffee Company.»
I’ll be honest — I used to only go to this place because it was skyway connected to the building I work in. If I had time, and wanted good coffee, I would go to Dunn Bros. The staff was always good, and I liked the old owner (Joe) — but the coffee was mediocre (sorry Joe).
HOWEVER, about a month ago Max bought this small skyway shop from Joe, and last week rebranded the entire place to «Max’s Café» — including a remodel.
The new place is much more cozy than the old. The counter and displays make WAY MORE sense. It actually doesn’t really belong in the build it’s in anymore (it’s in The Crossing — an old condo development)… it’s actually cool now. :)
BUT — the biggest thing. The coffee is good now! I’m not sure it’s QUITE as good as Dunn Bros (they don’t roast their beans onsite)… but definitely as good/​better than Caribou or Starbucks. They have great side items as well. I like to support the independent guy. Good job, Max. Doing a great job.