Maxdon’s

Always a good time and we’re here for pool pretty much every weekend. George the bartender is a great guy and always takes great care of us. Highly recommended!

Playing pool and having a great time with my son. Great bar with good drinks. George is a fantastic bartender. Weekend afternoon’s tables are available. Evenings come early.

Oh Maxdon’s how I knew I would get along with you! So, there’s history with me and where this bar was placed. For 3 years, I worked at the Blockbuster that used to dwell here. I’ve been telling my employees we need to go to Maxdon’s! Finally I’ve had the chance to see the turn around Maxdon’s done! They’ve added a brick wall, beautiful bar, cool restrooms, and such a rad lounge area! We were able to get a beer, margarita, nachos, and a mini pizza for $ 22! Amazing deal! The only down side to this place is their pool table. When you scratch and your white ball goes in you have to pay $ 2.00 to get it out. Other than that Maxdon’s has done a fabulous job!

Co worker an i stopped here for happy hour. Its fantastic inside! They have a couch seating area, good sized bar, tables are large for a big group. Also some small tables towards the back. We had a meat an cheese tray with our drinks, yum! Fast an friendly service. If you like pool, you will love this place. The music was a bit loud for my taste.

Cleanest pool/​billiard tables in Oceanside. Average prices on drinks and food is ⁴⁄₅. A lot of drunk marines always trying to fight though. They can’t hold their liquor other than that it’s a pretty cool spot

Fun place, great atmosphere and good crowd but the mixed drinks are watered down and you can taste the tap water in them. :(

Stop here often for a quick drink after work. The entire staff is wonderful. Miss Vicki is ALWAYS so attentive to her customers. Elizabeth is fabulous!
:))

I’m definitely giving the new Maxdon’s a 3.5 compared to their last location. This is a breath of fresh air for real from the location to décor. This new spot is clean, has new pool tables and a cougar as one of the bar tenders even though she is taken.
I came during the week and it was pretty slow so that’s to be expected but I came on a Friday night and a few bikers from Lakeside were hanging out. I can’t believe how much this spot is so much different than the last one. They don’t have much local beers but if you want some shots it won’t be a problem.
I was looking for some food but they only have appetizers like chips and salsa, sliders and wings. I got some pretzel bites which were alright but I don’t know if it was worth the price of almost 6 bucks. They have music playing but it’s not that loud so you can actually have a conversation.
Its an alright spot to play some pool and have a stiff drink. There are about seven very nice size TV’s and about ten high tables. I will be back but most likely before 7pm when it starts to get busy.

I must say that I have the privilege to work for a great company that customers service is our numbers one priority no question ask. delighting our customers making safe, easy and inviting. Now because I have high expectations when it comes to customers service it’s the first thing I noticed when I walk in everywhere I go I expect nothing but the best. and I must say from the first moments I walked in to the moment I left Vickey and nick and Elizabeth made me feel like home! There was not a single moment when I was at maxdons I was not happy at all. You guys are very lucky to have Vickey and nick and Elizabeth working for you guys. it’s because of them that I will continue to come back and tell all my friends and family members to come here.. You guys are lucky to have them behind the bar. please don’t change a thing.

Great atmosphere, but horrible service. We have been in there a few times and every time the bartenders have attitude and take forever to acknowledge you’re standing there.

Maxdon’s opened at this new place a few months ago and I have waited to try it multiple times before writing a review.
Maxdon’s is a great place to go if you like an atmosphere that isn’t intimidating or dreary. When you enter you will immediately notice the size of the place, the lighting, and the decorations. Maxdon’s almost has a «Steampunk» type look going for it. There are big screen LCD TV’s all around the bar on whatever channel you want. There is a small lounge area with couches and a coffee table perfect for playing Cards Against Humanity or some other drinking game with your friends. There are six pool tables, two dart boards, and a bar shuffleboard you can rent for $ 5 an hour or $ 3 for a half hour. The bar shuffleboard is extremely fun with a group of friends. The pool tables are a quarter pricier than most places at $ 1.25 a game. The pool tables are in great condition (I’m a big fan of playing pool)
Eventhough the pool-​tables are .25c more per game, the prices of drinks are cheaper. Budweiser drafts, which are kept at 31* F, are always $ 3.25, all day, everyday. Not just for happy hour. They also have a good selection on tap from Stone Brewery to regulars like Shock Top and Stella. Those, of course, are not $ 3.25. When you order a wine they fill up a glass pourer and give it to you, along with a wine glass. My wife is a big connoisseur of wine and agrees that they give you more than most bars. They have multiple shot selections as a January special, all $ 3. On a regular night we got a glass of wine, a Budweiser, a Moscow mule (which didn’t come in a copper mug. Most bars dont), and played shuffleboard for an hour. The bill came out to $ 22 before tip. I will say, all the mixed drinks I’ve had there have been fine or good. I saw one review knocking their Moscow Mule and I believe that is because they use a home made Ginger Beer which is slightly weak compared to most Ginger Beers. They did everything else inside the mason jar correctly. Real limes squeezed, not bitters. Vodka. Ginger Beer. It’s just the Ginger Beer was a bit weak. It’s a decent Moscow Mule (especially considering most bars use bitters instead of lime. Blasphemy!).
A great thing about this location is all the restaurants around it. The Royal Buffet (Chinese) will be opening soon. What is better than Chinese food when drinking. There is all Killer Pizza From Mars or Waba Grill directly next door. Killer Pizza From Mars will give you a discount if you order a pizza to go to bring back to Maxdon’s. Maxdon’s, however, has a small menu of their own. Their pulled pork sliders are very good. If you enjoy sweet pulled pork BBQ sauce, you would love this. Three of them are $ 8 (or you can order 1 or 2. I could eat 3, my wife could only finish 2.) and they have a lot of meat on them. They also include coleslaw and jalapeño bits. Their nachos are also tasty. A hefty portion of Mission Tortilla Chips with nacho cheese, jalapenos, and for $ 2 more, a hefty portion of pulled pork on top of it. The nachos with pulled pork come out to $ 7. Be advised, don’t be alarmed when they make the food for you behind the counter. They have their small kitchenette area right behind the bar. They also offer pretzel bites, meatball sliders, and small cheese pizzas, but I’ve never tried those. Going to Maxdon’s for 3 sliders and a Budweiser draft comes out to around $ 11. Not bad for dinner.
I have to give a special shout out to Elizabeth, the bartender. She is friendly and helpful. At the end of one night of drinking we asked her to make us any drink she makes up and she had a good time making it. It was tasty too. She also routinely goes around the bar (I think every 30 minutes), picking up glasses and asking patrons if they would like her to bring them another drink. She quickly remembers your face and doesn’t card you once she remembers you.
Now for the perspective for female patrons. I noticed, compared to other bars, a lot of solo, young females or female groups at Maxdon’s. Generally you don’t see too many solo females or groups of females going to a bar without men around. My wife, who is very good looking and gets hit on a lot when I’m not around, explained it is because of the atmosphere here (Maxdon’s.) She said you don’t see guys constantly creeping on the females and everyone seems to just be there for a good time with their friends, not «hunting for tail.» So if you are female that is constantly hounded by men, this may be the bar for you. Sure, there are a lot of guys there, but the clientele seems to be very laid back.
When Maxdon’s first opened, I was afraid it was going to be the three types of bars you generally find in Oceanside. Either a place for only older people, a place where they are selling drugs from behind their bar, or a Marine bar where there are nightly fights or the moment you leave your girl’s side they are trying to hit them up. This place seems to have attracted a crowd from all walks of life. I notice A LOT of couples.

Been to the new location twice, and to the old location twice as well. The new location has a much nicer atmosphere, with a nice leather couch seating area, wood floors and granite bar. They have many pool tables, however I’m not a pool player but a lot of my friends are. They also have a darts area which seemed to be malfunctioning last night. My friend told me those seem to be the same malfunctioning boards from the old spot. I would have liked to played darts and had it score properly but oh well. The bloody Mary I had was delicious and was made with their own house made mix and came loaded with lots of bacon, cheese, tiny pickles, and olives on top. It was about a 9 dollar bloody mary for a double, which I thought was a good value. Only criticism about service would be to have another hand on deck on a Saturday afternoon, not just one bartender.

The bar is at an excellent location because usually one is supposed to travel downtown to go to any bar in the Oceanside area. The bar itself is filled with 5 pool tables, 2 dart stations, and a sliding block game in the back.
The jukebox has a great amount of selection, from your modern rap and rnb to your classic rock, so you would see all types of groups here from your college students to your everyday worker, excellent diversity.
The workers are friendly and serve you from the bar all the way to the tables surrounding the pool tables. They have a daily happy hour from 11am-​630pm and they have that all day on Tuesdays and Wednesday’s. They don’t have a specific drink menu so know what you would like! They have excellent beers on tap, a lot of local beers.
Maxdons is an excellent run bar and is one of the better bars in north county.

I absolutely love the new look of Maxdon’s. When I come to Oceanside, this hidden gem is always on my list. There aren’t many bars where anyone who walks in feels welcome but the eclectic crowd, friendly staff, open layout, clean air and great beer list make this place a spot where I always find a new friend and a good conversation. Sunday football on the huge TVs or a Tuesday evening beer with friends, I love this spot!

I am always saying that I live in the boring part of town and that I wish more cool stuff would open near me so of course I was exited when Maxdon’s announced that it was moving over near me. I didn’t really love the old location but figured the new one would be cool since it would be, well, new. As usual I gave them a bit before I visited so they could work out their issues. Sadly, I felt an overall sensation of meh. The building is fixed up pretty nice, much nicer than the old spot. I have been told by others that is must have just been an off night but when I went it was boring and had a blah feel. They weren’t super busy but there were enough people there where I wouldn’t consider them dead. The service was awful, the woman took FOREVER to get us our drinks. She wasn’t friendly and didn’t seem to care whatsoever that people were waiting for her slowness. We probably would have stayed longer but due to the wait for drinks we left after only one. Maybe I will try again sometime, but also, maybe not.

First time here! Bartender (Vicky) talked with one patron the whole time. Set my timer to see how long it would take to get my refill… over three minutes! Place was not
Busy at all! All I wanted was a Bud Lite!

Bartender super rude… makes very water down drinks and never smiles. I won’t be coming here any more.

The worst kind of dive bar is the kind that has pretensions of grandeur and aspirations of applebee’s. What a disjointed atmosphere. The interior looks great, and the new pool tables seemed very nice. There is a cozy little area right by the door (odd placement) with a few sofas and upon entry you will note the very cool «garden light and shipping pallet chandelier» which combined with the huge industrial warehouse style wall at the back-​bar gives it a real vibe.
But then there’s the contemporary touches and the odd «strip mall» flair that makes the place feel very inauthentic.
The general patronage also frankly sucks if the cross section of bro’s and pseudo-​gangbangers and worn out cougars present the night I went are any indication of the clientele.
All that could be fixed… except the service is the worst.
I started with a staple of any good bar-​the classic Moscow mule. Not being asked if I wanted well vodka or premium was a bad start, but the flat ginger beer, the fact that there was more straight up lime juice concentrate poured into the drink then vodka, the lack of proper mixology and the seeming inability for the head bartender (an older, slight woman) to figure out how this classic is actually made… tell the story. Plus it was served in a mason jar. Literally undrinkable.
Those in my group that night all tried it and concluded that it was little better then engine degreaser. I attempted to return it. Considering how dead the place was, a ten minute wait at the bar while the most guy wrenching nachos I’d ever seen were prepped on the bar-​top itself… was inexcusable.
Add to that, the head bartender was giving me the stink-​eye the whole time I was waiting for her to do her job.
When I was finally gotten around to (not that anyone was ahead of me), I asked simply for the drink to be replaced with a knob creek on the rocks.
With much production and eye rolling and no apologies for the awful initial concoction, and an incorrect bottle grab later… I was «treated» to literally ¾ of an ounce of bourbon in a shot glass with a couple ice cubes in it. I know it was ¾ because I watched the head bartender attempt to use a jigger.
I received the stink eye and wordless service with no apologies for the prior mixology faux-​pox the whole time.
And the punchline here is that the bourbon was oxidized and tasted like a holocaust. The younger female bartender in training came round once to see if anything needed attention and when I informed her that the «replacement» libation was oxidized, she said she would let the head bartender know. She did.
Stink eye.
No offer of a refund. No attempt at customer service. Nothing.
What I ended up with was a short-​poured shot of shamefully oxidized bourbon for $ 11.00
If you want to be a «dive bar» then be one. Run with it.
If you want to be a lounge, then run with it.
If you want to provide a truly uninspiring experience with poor service and bad drinks garnished with terrible customer service… keep doing what you are doing.
With so many amazing gastropubs and craft brew houses and good old bars in Oceanside-​you thinking you can compete with their service and quality is not just laughable… it’s insulting to the people looking to give you their hard earned money. We all know better as patrons where our cash is appreciated.
You as bar owners should know better then to pass this place off as anything but the epic disappointment it is. Have some respect for your patrons. The old Maxdons had a terrible reputation amongst the local community before and you are well on your way all over again.

Love this location because it is literally a 5 minute bike ride away! It is very clean inside, friendly staff, 6 pool tables, darts, shuffleboard, food soon and hopefully football! I have not been to the previous location so I can’t speak on the difference but I love this place. It’s much needed in this area. I just hope it doesn’t get run over by homeless people or Mexican music all day like a certain other bar in the area. Keep it clean and welcoming and you will forever have my business! Welcome to the neighborhood Maxdons.

Fun!!! Fun!!! Fun!!!
So glad it’s so close.
It’s beautiful, cool, clean and awesome!