Max’s Allegheny Tavern

Worst. Dinner. Ever. Food from a senior citizens home. Everything ready in 2 seconds because it sat under a heat lamp. Avoid at all cost.

The sausage is good. The mashed potatoes and German potatoes (sides) are definitely not homemade. Service was friendly, which made up for the cafeteria quality food.

Our first time at Max’s and we have made plans to go back again soon.
A lousy rainy saturday had us looking for a new place to have a late lunch.
We ordered the potato skins app. And tho it took a little too long to get to the table it was worth the wait. We were enjoying the ambiance and décor of this great old building. The skins were perfect. Gouda cheese with nice crisp bacon and chives. So delicious! We like to order so that we can share with each other. My husband loves potato pancakes so he got the PP Reuben. The Pot. Cakes were bland but a little S&P fixed that up. Tender corned beef and the slaw was a perfect side. I chose the Bavarian Club. Never before tasted braunsweiger. It was so delicious I didn’t want to share… but I did. I had to try the sauerkraut for a side. And it was fantastic with chunks of pork mixed in!
I can’t believe we managed to eat everything even the potato skins. But it was all so delicious we couldn’t stop.
Can’t wait to go back. I have to try the spätzle and the goulash!

This is a MUST on our visits to the Burgh. Love the atmosphere and the food is delicious. Our family has come to Max’s over 4 generations. The pierogies are fantastic and honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever had a bad meal here. Lots of great German/​polish selections and totally worth the trip.

Sunday brunch is such a great deal and so filling. Some people don’t like the potato pancakes but to me they’re fab. Highly recommend.

Great little find in Pittsburgh! Bartender waited on us before the lunch crowd arrived. He tour guided us through the local favorites.
Beers on tap were served in mason jars. Food was prompt and fresh. I will definitely be in again.

My daughter took my sisters and I there for Mother’s Day lunch on Saturday. I got the Spinach Salad with Kase spatzles. The salad was to die for. My daughter got one for herself and one for her husband to take home. The dressing was delicious and there was tons of mushrooms and bacon on it. The spatzles were also very good in a cheesy sauce. There was some to take home also. We also got some potato pancakes which were pretty close to the ones my mother used to make. At the end of our dinner, we split a piece of banana cake which was the highlight of the meal. It was a two layer cake covered with a not too sweet icing and bananas. It was just enough for all four of us to split. I will definitely go back for the exact same meal. And this time, I will be bringing a spinach salad home for the next day for me. Our waitress was very attentive and treated us very well.

It’s just like being back in some small town just outside of Munich… If I’d ever actually been to some small town just outside of Munich! It’s not the touristy disaster that is Hofbrauhaus, nor do they serve beer in hefty pints like Penn Brew. Rather they just serve really good authentic German food, with a small selection of imported German beer. Wunderbar!

The only authentic German place I have found in PGH. It is true German food from start to finish without a bunch of Americanized items snuck on the menu. They offer about 8 varieties of schnitzel, and they are all very good. The applesauce and kraut are excellent, although I find the potato pancakes a little on the bland side. I guess just heap a bunch of applesauce and sour cream on them. The dark interior with wonderful old pictures on the wall, gives the feel of what a European place would be like. Waitstaff is professional, friendly and efficient. Prices are very reasonable considering the amount and quality of the food.

The deep-​fried, cheddar-​stuffed pretzels are the single best appetizer in Pennsylvania. Especially paired with the Kostritzer Schwarzbier. Any of the sandwiches are going to satisfy your tastebuds and your appetite, for like $ 7.00. Max’s has the best potato pancakes (and best applesauce to pair with it) that I’ve ever had. That includes my wife’s.

Very convenient to North Side visitors, it is within walking distance of several major motels, hotels, and b&bs. Max’s is famous for it’s wurst and indeed the weisswurst is the best dish: iconic, simple, and satisfying. The beer sampler is a great partner to the weisswurst. Combined, the diner, whether they are visitors or not, feel like they’ve experienced a staple of Pittsburgh locals. Thus with this wurst and beer combo, arguably, one of the most famous Pittsburgh dishes is now at your fingertips. Furthermore, if you want to take the next step in your Pittsburgh eating experience, Max’s again has you covered with the Hasenpfeffer, or rabbit dish. An ode to the deep German roots of Pittsburgh’s North Side, this traditionally rural, hunter’s dish is served at Max’s breaded and with gravy on top and with two sides: this reviewer recommends potato pancakes, spätzle, or substitute the einlauf soup, which goes well with the dark pumpernickel bread served table side. While the meat is thick and tender, the breading conceals the possibility of herbs and spices, which if they do exist, cannot be detected. Additionally, the Hasenpfeffer is a little pricey since you pay for the uniqueness; it is often only a dinner item as well. Finally, an Iron City Beer may be the best way to cap off a Pittsburgh North Side German dining experience at Max’s bar: a place where many a long hard day has been passed knocking back a cold one. Cheers and enjoy!

I have not a single good thing to say about this restaurant.
The service was terrible, took 15 min to get a water. The nachos were terrible on store bought chips with raw onions and green peppers on them and very little meat. We ordered the turkey Reuben that tasted funky on day old potato pancakes. We also ordered Max’s famous Reuben, nothing famous about it. Extremely light on the corn beef. Nothing special at all. Will NEVER go back.

I decided to treat myself to some authentic German food for lunch today. I recently spent a few weeks in Germany and after being there, I feel I can vouch that Max’s is the real deal when it comes to German cuisine. The interior has the look and feel of what comes to mind when thinking of a European pub. The staff is warm and courteous and the service is top notch. I got waited on promptly and lunch was in front of me within ten minutes of my ordering it.
My meal today consisted of one of the items on the «February Specials» list. It was breaded veal on a plate smothered in a brown mushroom gravy (think Jäger Schnitzel and substitute veal for pork) with Hot German Potato Salad, Sauerkraut and some homemade rolls. Delicious!
My only disappointment was that I came here for lunch on a work day and couldn’t include one of the German imports thas was on tap. They have (notably) Hacker-​Pschorr Weisse, Hacker-​Pschorr Munich Gold, Köstritzer Schwarzbier, Warsteiner Pils. There’s also Yuengling Lager and Iron City products available on tap, but common, drinking a domestic while enjoying schnitzel or wurst simply makes no sense to me.
We’re lucky to have such a fine German establishment in our city. Genießen Sie das Essen!

This was a treat – I was not aware of any other popular places for German food around other than Hofbrauhaus, and I definitely did not expect the cozy interior from the divey bar appearance on the outside. Coming in late on a weeknight, there were barely any other customers, but they graciously took us in and provided us with great service the entire time. The menu is cute with a historical newspaper replication on the outside, which was great for learning about this place and its origins.
The menu is quite large, but thankfully there are sampler options which allow for trying multiple options at once. Seeing as most also come with two sides, this made for a very big meal. The sausages were fantastic and flavorful, as were the schnitzels, which were perfectly seasoned and very tender. The one topped with the runny egg and anchovies was especially memorable and is convincing enough to just get that by itself next time. Some favorite sides included the spatzle, which was soft and chewy, and of course the potato pancakes. Definitely would return to try more again next time.

Not a fan of this «german» place. Simply awful.
We ordered the Potato Pancake Reuben and a Traditional Reuben. So much gristle in the meat. Very low quality food for the price.
The bar is cool, have stopped here in the past and enjoyed the atmosphere of the bar.
Bar yes.
Food/​Restaurant no.

Mr. J and I have gone to MAT several times for the brunch buffet. It had always been fresh and brimming with so many options. Since we hadn’t been in a while, we went today and it will likely be the last time.
The hot buffet items were ice cold and the French Toast was still wet inside. The smoked salmon was sitting on a plate without being kept cold and it had a fishy taste. This could possibly why Mr. J is experiencing symptoms of food poisoning.
This has really gone downhill and we wont be back.

It’s been over 5 years since I had been to Max’s but we were in the area at lunch time so we decided to stop in. The menu is big and printed on a newspaper. They have all kinds of German food. I decided to order a Reuben with a side of homemade chips. The sandwich came on rye bread that was toasted. It had lots of sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, and sauce with the meat piled high. It is one of the best Reubens I have ever had. The chips were thinly sliced and very crispy. There was no need for a dipping sauce, the chips were very good just plain. They had 3 or 4 desserts that looked good but I chose the German Chocolate cake. It’s one of my very favorite desserts. There were 3 layers of chocolate cake. In between the layers of cake there is coconut, chocolate, and pecans. The outside of the cake is frosted with a chocolate whipped frosting. It was really good. I need to go back to try the veal.

Max’s is my parents’ favorite restaurant when they’re in town visiting me. Good, solid food with a great deal of [German] variety. I love the German beer flights (i.e., beer sampler) and the atmosphere is funny — a bit like your grandmother’s parlor. The bread that comes with entrees is delicious (pumperknickel + others), and their cherry sauer kraut is delicious as well.
The food is good, but you must be careful with certain dishes. One of the schnitzels that comes with carrots/​peas is clearly bedecked in carrots & peas that were recently frozen. German food isn’t exactly known for its vegetables, so I let it slide but I always remember not to order that dish when I’m there.

I was at Max’s last weekend. I’m from Chicago, so I was looking forward to trying a German pub in the Deutschtown neighborhood. Our friend took us here, and I really enjoyed it!
The service was great and very friendly. The beer selection was awesome, and all the food was delicious! The menu is huge! We ordered the soft pretzel appetizer and the sausage and cheese plate, and both were very tasty! The mustard dipping sauce is phenomenal! I couldn’t get enough of it. I wish I had left room for dessert because everything sounded spectacular.
The restaurant itself, which I heard used to be an old hotel, was quaint and cozy. I enjoyed the historical elements of the place; all very authentic and special.
I will definitely recommend this pub to anyone traveling to Pittsburg!

Best German food in the Burgh. Hands down.
In the heart of Deutschtown, Pittsburgh’s historically German/​Austrian enclave, this is real German cuisine– heavy, delicious and traditional.
The schnitzels are amazing, and the brats are pretty good. Max’s is far and away better than the breweries or chain theme restaurants. The place is quiet, to be sure. If you’re looking for dancers in lederhosen and want to sing drinking songs, go elsewhere. This place is all about the food. And it is worth a trip.