Max’s on Broad

You know, I used to love this place when I lived in Richmond. It was right by my house and the food was always very good and fresh. I also had my grad dinner here and it was amazing, BUT the last time I came when I was in town visiting, I had an awful experience :(I got a togo turkey burger and it just didn’t taste like is usually did, very bland and the food was cold. On top of it all, they took forever and I called it in ahead of time. It’s unfortunate because this used to be one of my favs. :(

A very romantic room, beautiful decoration and good service. The food is pretty good, especially salads are a great option for vegetarians. The dipping sauce with crispy bread is a beautiful amuse-​bouche to start your experience. The cuisine is mostly French, although there are some Americanized options. The only down side that I can think of would be the cost compared to the food quality.

I have to say. For the cost — I found Max’s On Broad to be just ‘meh.’
For starters, my husband ordered an allagash. Which they were out of. I ordered a prosecco– which they had. Later on I switched to a Shiraz which they were out of. Then I wanted the Malbec… which they were out of. Leaving me with a Cabernet Sauvignon. It made sense why they still had it– it was bland.
Our waiter was sweet– but obviously overwhelmed. He would disappear for 20 – 30 minute blocks. Usually after we’d ordered drinks. I ordered the red wine to be served with my dinner. But got it when he was clearing our plates. He couldn’t remember the cheeses in our sampler– ran off to find out what they were, and came back still not knowing.
None of the food was bad. But none of it was great. I got the duck breast. My husband a swordfish special. But again– just meh. I couldn’t send it back — there’s nothing to fix. But for $ 30– you hope it would be better.
I probably would give them a second chance for lunch. But overall found myself leaving with a much lighter wallet– but feeling disappointed.

I seriously love this place and I’ve only been there once.
The atmosphere is very classy and upscale, but also very unique since the building and dining space is split into two stories (nothing makes you feel fancier than climbing up a staircase to get to your dinner table, lemme tell ya) The bar a Max’s is fantastic and the bartenders are even better.
We spent a better part of our evening chatting with them, and were hesitant to leave when our table was ready! But don’t worry, our server was just as great. Very friendly, one of those waitresses you kind of want to ask to hang out with because you think you’d be friends.
THE FOOOOD! I’m not a huge oyster fan, but my friend SWEARS by the oysters here, and the one I bravely sampled was very good. I had the Barramundi with lobster cream sauce, and I will never be the same. This was SO good. The lobster cream sauce is more like a soup, and I practically slurped it out of the bowl. This was the best sauce I’ve ever tasted. I have dreams about it…
I can’t wait to come back to Max’s. I have my eye on their lunch menu.

My boyfriend and I dined at Max’s yesterday evening.
I don’t take pictures of food at restaurants nowadays, but I wish I had– we ordered the beef carpaccio to start and it was presented very beautifully.
The interior is really lovely. When Chris greeted us, he asked if we preferred upstairs or downstairs; we chose upstairs based on the word of my friend who recommended Max’s as my dinner location. He was very personable and enthusiastic, which was a great way to begin the experience. We were sat at a table facing the very large windows, which was great because we both enjoy people watching. They have a variety of pictures and framed mirrors covering the walls, hardwood floors, and the booths (which we did not sit at) looked very cozy. There was definitely a lot of «hustle and bustle» about the place, but it didn’t detract from our experience at all.
Our server (I’m so sorry, I don’t remember her name!) was excellent. She had a defined personality in her tableside presence and made jokes while going over the menu with us. It was clear she was knowledgable about the food AND the alcohol selection and she helped me (an indecisive mind) make choices with confidence. I also observed her helping another table near us where a mistake was made with something ordered, and she handled the situation with grace and professionalism and turned someone from (seemingly) sour to a pleasant face in a few seconds. My point– she is wonderful and if the restaurant could clone her, I doubt they’d receive any complaints about service.
Everyone working clearly had a sense of urgency about what they were doing. Some things felt «slow», but the restaurant was full of tables when we came in, and turning more, and it was definitely not for a lack of effort on the staff’s part– you can only do so much at one time. (unless of course you are an octopus, because octopus have eight arms and they can do more at a time than humans) :) It was also, yes, somewhat noisy, but when you have a restaurant full of people enjoying a meal together, staff working that need to communicate with each other, and music playing overhead (good choices, not too loud either!), of course, there will be noise. Not a problem for us.
What we had:
Drinks– Nostradamus + Lagunitas IPA
I really like the draught selection. A lot of variety. They were out of the Gulden Draak on the list, which did sadden me a bit because it is a personal favorite, but the Lagunitas tasted great with what I ordered.
Hors d’oeuvres– French Onion Soup + Beef Carpaccio
We are both french onion soup lovers and critics, and we thought it was very good! Super comforting taste.
The beef carpaccio was beautiful looking and delectable. It was a great choice.
Entrees– Moules Frites + Snapper
The mussels were a really large serving. You choose the broth from a very inviting list of choices. Notably, a coconut broth, a beer and bacon broth, and a marinara broth caught my eyes. This was my boyfriend’s choice and he picked the beer and bacon choice. It was quite tasty. I will say, the french fries could be improved. They seemed to be your standard freezer bag, shoestring cut potato slices. The deliciousness of the mussels made up a lot for that though!
I chose the red snapper, which was presented with a balsamic reduction, butternut squash risotto, and spinach. I almost ordered duck, but I ended up where I always do– with a fish dish! Snapper is my FAVORITE precious baby of the sea, and I am very critical of any risotto, comparing it to my own preparations, and I was extremely pleased with my entrée. The portion size was just right for how filling everything was.
The fish was moist, the skin nice and crisped, and it tasted light and sweet, complemented very nicely by the flavor of the pretty halo of balsamic reduction. The texture of the fish combined with the comforting creaminess of the squash risotto was delightful.
Desserts– Apple Streudel
These came plated with a berry sauce and strawberries and blackberries, alongside a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and a sprinkling of powdered sugar. My boyfriend said he likes phyllo dough only in baklavas but I thought it was not only cute, but sweet and tasty too. I love the flakiness of phyllo with bites of apple and spices. Plus, who doesn’t love ice cream?
All in all, it was a really neat dinner and we enjoyed our night. We went straight home to nap :) (that’s a compliment!)
I would recommend Max’s, just as it was recommended to me.

I visited Max’s for lunch with my co-​workers today. Upon arriving the restaurant was empty, which is fine with me — more attention! However, with that said, within the hour a pretty nice crowd had accumulated.
I ordered a half kale and quinoa salad with grilled cheese; unfortunately, I recieved fries instead of my salad, but this was promptly fixed; both were delicious. The sandwich was tasty just enough cheese, egg was a bit too runny for my taste, but great sandwich just the same, and the bread — two thumbs and a toe up! The kale salad, although an acquired taste for some is definitely worth trying, it was perfect, so fresh and just the right amount of fruit and quinoa. Although the food was great, overall, I can only give them 3 stars as the service was not as good as the food. Our waiter was «Its my job» friendly and didn’t really seem all that interested; whereas, the other waiters were giving their patrons food recommendations and asking if this was their first visit. It was very off putting and made (me) feel unwelcomed. He also really never came back to check on us until the end of the meal, not sure if this is typical protocol. I think out of everything my biggest issue was that the glasses were dirty and when asked for another, yet another dirty glass was brought, and even the «clean» glasses appeared to be dirty. Sigh.
Before we left I asked if I could get an expresso to go. I love expresso and have had it many times at many restaurants, it’s the perfect end to a heavier daytime meal; however, what was brought to me… well you know I’ll let you all check out the picture, and maybe you can tell me what that was exactly. Note: the picture is before I even took the first sip, and I must add it tasted horrible!
All and all the venue itself is nice and the food was great so I will most likely return. I just won’t ask for an «expresso» and hopefully will have better service.
Happy Food Hunting!

Came to Max’s on Saturday at noon. We had made a reservation but the hostess had trouble finding us a table. We went upstairs then came back downstairs when all of the tables by the window were taken. Maybe they all had reservations too but it would have been nice to have one of the good tables reserved for the party with the.. . reservation.
I like the large bottle of water that is dropped off at the table. There was a birthday group of probably 18 people and I was worried their order might slow down the kitchen. Sure enough. Our food took about 45 minutes to come out. During the long wait, our waitress never checked on us.
I got the breakfast poutine. With fries, gravy, cheese curds, pork belly, and a friend egg, how could this not be awesome? Well, it wasn’t. It was ok. But just ok.
One person in our party got the Max’s Special Waffle and could only eat a quarter of it. She just didn’t care for the flavor combination.
The other person got a sandwich and it was just ok.
We were able to get our check and pay quickly.
The menu is intriuging and I might return but this first impression was not a good one.

Eine Oase des guten Geschmacks! Sowohl das Essen (Poutine) als auch das Lokal als solches. Die Preise sind okay und das Esserlebnis wirklich toll. Schöné Erinnerungen an dieses Restaurant.

5 Star lunch spot. Look no further! Happy hour during the DAY?! Yes please.
I had the BLT with fries and a sparkling wine cocktail. I went during the Big Bike Race week that ended up being… not so busy… at all. I was able to get a table outside with no problem on a gorgeous day. We did see a few bikes pass and I enjoyed being able to sit in their pop up patio area outside.
Turns out, the happy hour pricing is not just on drinks, but food too! My BLT was around $ 5, fries were $ 3 and the drink was $ 9. Not bad. Would have been even cheaper if I’d decided not to get the cocktail. Everything about the BLT was amazing. I mean, it’s kind of hard to mess a BLT up, but these folks get it right. The bacon was perfectly cooked (I like mine a little on the soft side), the mayo wasn’t overpowering, and the lettuce & tomato were fresh. Although the bread was good, I wouldn’t have been mad if it were made with something more hearty. I had a hard time choosing what I wanted because everything on the menu looked delicious. This is a good sign!
For some odd, terrible reason, I have always avoided this restaurant because I did not think that they served food that I would like. Boy, was I wrong! I am looking at the dinner menu as we speak and planning on returning very soon.