Max’s of San Ramon

Great Zuchhinni sticks. Has gone way down hill since my last visit two years ago. Bad service with poor attitude. Pastrami sandwich and fries were served luke warm. Never offered to clear a plate once between courses. Ordered a bottle of wine that arrived after our entrees. Said they were to busy to serve it earlier. Sad to see such a once fun place to dine decline so much.

What a bummer that it has closed — had the best home made Corn Beef Hash with breakfast ever — we’re so sad.

CLOSED and OUT OF BUSINESS! Needed to happen since nobody there was looking out for the restaurant, it is a shame cause at a point in time long ago the food was great. I hope something awesome opens in its place!

I really like this place, when I went this past Summer we had a group of friends there at one table. They give you large portions of quality food. They also have an amazing selection of deserts.

Been goin here for years, but not the same as old, tonite went in w the family, waited 12″, not even acknowledged, wasnt even busy, waiter kept walking by us, but looking away, ladies that came in next to us, got drinks right away, so left. 50 yrs old, first time i have ever left a restaurant, told the manager on the way out, couldnt get any service, he shrugged his shoulders… Off my list.

After several years of staying away, we went back for a quick meal.
Glad we did because the chicken noodle soup, sandwich (Rueben) and service were back to the way it was.
We will return, and bring others.

Wow, what a disappointment. Yesterday, Thanksgiving, arrive in San Ramon after a 6 hour drive from LA. Wanted to go out for my traditional turkey dinner. Called Max’s to see if they were open. Yes, plus they had a special «Thanksgiving Menu» in addition to regular menu
Upon arriving, I noticed on the regular menu:
«Fresh Herb Roasted Turkey Dinner» 13.99
buttermilk mashed potatoes, stuffing,
mushroom gravy and cranberry sauce
(This was cut and pasted from their website menu.)
The Special Thanksgiving Menu listed the above, plus glass of wine, appetizer, salad and pumpkin pie. for $ 22.00
Not very hungry so decided to order the regular menu dinner at $ 13.99 with Gravy on side.
The service was very slow, and that was ok because it was Thanksgiving and I figured they were short on staff. When the food came, it was smoothered in gravy. I sent back because I requested gravy on side. Again, a very long time for food to show up.
After receiving my order with gravy on side I was ready to dig in. But wait! The turkey looked like a heavy turkey stew. It was a not slices of turkey, as you would expect, but, various bits and pieces of turkey meat (mostly dark), turkey skin, turkey bones, carrots, onions and celery in a wet glob. I have never seen anything so unappetizing in my life. My friend said it looked like «dog food.» I thought it looked like something they would serve in a food line at the local correctional facility. In addition, the «dressing» was tasteless. We will laugh and talk about this dinner for a long time. Sorry I didn’t think to take a picture to post and share with friends.
«IF» we go back, we’ll stick to pastrami and roast beef sandwiches.

What has happened to Max’s? We at there the other night, it was a weeknight. The hostess looked all frazzled, her hair a big mess, her black top and pants had seen better days. We waited about 10 min. and got a booth. The waiter seemed the same way, rushed and stressed. I noticed he was also the bar tender and there were quite a few people sitting at the bar. In-​between making drinks, he waited on us.
I ordered Fish and Chips, my husband the Rib-​Eye steak. We waited about 20 min. for our food to arrive. The fried outside of the fish was very greasy. I think the white meat inside was ok, once I got the fried stuff off. The fries were good.
But my husband’s steak. he took one bite and his entire face scrunched up. He asked me to smell the meat. It was sour, I think maybe rotten. It almost made him ill on the spot. We waited and finally got the attention of the rushing-​around waiter. He apologized and took the steak back, asking if my husband wanted another one or something else. By that time he was done, still feeling sick from the smell and taste of the meat.
So then we waited again for about 20 min. for the check. They did not charge us for his dinner, but no one came to say anything. We paid and gave the poor over-​worked waiter a tip and left. The entire place seemed a bit dirty, unkempt as did the hostess and the waiter. Maybe a rib-​eye steak is not the thing to order in a Diner, but they have it on the menu, it shouldn’t be rotten.
We won’t be back. Sad, as this was a fun, good place to go in the past.

The «Dinner Hash» was delicious! They cooked my over easy eggs perfectly and the giant onion rings are always crispy and flavorful. The servers are always friendly, not the fastest, but efficient enough. I like that they have 4 new crayons wrapped up in a rubber band for the kids and blank paper so they an draw whatever they would like.

This place gets busy for lunch as it is located near the Bishop Ranch office buildings.
Friendly service, and good sandwich place. They have lots of booths which makes it nice for business style lunches and get togethers. I had a turkey Reuben. It was good, but I have definitely enjoyed better in my days. Again, a good choice for the business crowd to meet.

Had the Lox Benedict. The hash brown was greasy. Waitress Courtney was excellent.
Had the Lox Benedict. The hash brown was greasy. Waitress Courtney was excellent.

Compared to other Max’s I’ve been to, this one seems to be struggling a little.
The décor doesn’t seem as classy. The service seemed befuddled. The food was what we ordered, but overcooked in areas.
But Max’s being Max’s, it was very tasty. Still think their California Chicken Club is worth the trip. The Chicken Penne Alfredo was not.
On a more humorous note, the waiter didn’t seem to know how to serve wine. I guess it’s not a common activity there.

Greek Salad… YUM!
I have been going to Max’s in San Ramon for the past 10 years. I always get the Greek Salad. My husband is more adventurous than me. He loves the sandwiches and Salmon Salad. The hamburgers are so good too!
I don’t understand the 1 – 3 stars. I always have the best service and friendliest people that help me at Max’s. I have been to other popular restaurants in the area and wait for so long to get waited on or get a check. Not at Max’s. We are in and out even when they are busy.

Has this place changed hands? It is NOTHING like it use to be. I have come here for years. The place is really dark, like they are trying to cut down on their electric bill. No more juke boxes on the tables :(Crazy paintings on the walls… and I really creepy manager behind the bar. I have NO idea why this place is crowded.
My husband and I went here for lunch today. I ordered a French Dip with potato salad, cold beef on the french dip (totally over cooked meat), grease for dipping sauce, and the potato salad was NOTHING like it use to be! I use to come to this place and buy potato salad to go for a side dish when I would have a bbq and people over. It is not HORRIBLE (warm, creamy, and sweet), YUCK!
I will not be going back!

Had take-​out from here for lunch today. Was great! I usually get the Pastrami/​Corned beef sandwich on an onion roll, and it never fails to disappoint. Corned beef is tender and flavorful, as is the pastrami. The onion roll its served on is always great, and slather on a little stone ground/​deli mustard, and you have magic!
Its like a diner, on a little more upscale. Been coming here for many years, and the food has always been consistently good.
I hear the reuben’s are some of the best around, but I usually stick my to sammich.
Service is usually good, smiles on the staff’s faces and attendant to your needs.
Always feel welcome at Max’s!

Came here w/​the kiddos a couple of months ago after shopping at Costco too close to dinnertime…
Great place for kids if only their menu was better. Not sure what I was expecting, but I wasn’t wild about the sandwich heavy menu. Took me a while to order since nothing appealed to me. I finally settled on the chicken picatta. It was OK. (Not sure why the server was singing its praises.) The girls both had mac & cheese but only picked at it. Guess they weren’t as hungry as they seemed or they just didn’t care for their meal.
I don’t think I’ll be back… their menu just doesn’t do anything for me.

I am sorry to say this place has gone down hill since we have been coming here over the past 13 years. The food was the reason why people came back to this restaurant. I usually have the pastrami and corned beef sandwiches. In the past few years the portions of pastrami and corned beef have become smaller and dryer. The service has always been spotty depending on how busy they were, but that is not the reason I will go anymore. The food is really bad and pricy.

Wow, this food is like «Restaurant Impossible» bad. I wish I could speed dial Robert Irvine to save future patrons because I will not be one of them. I don’t know what I was thinking when I first reviewed this place but clearly I got it wrong!
OK, so it wasn’t all bad but I do still like their zucchini sticks. I mean they’re pretty delicious with ranch but on to the rest of my meal. I ordered the half order of their famous meatloaf and I subbed sweet potatoes fries. My fries were absolutely soggy and gross. I mean a nurse couldn’t save these things.
The meatloaf is the WORST I have ever had. I come from a Navy family and my Grandpa (Navy Cook for 30 years) makes delicious meatloaf. Heck, I even make delicious meatloaf. Whatever this dark brick like shaped thing in my to-​go box was not meatloaf. It was dark and hard around the edges. The mushroom gravy or sauce must be straight from a packet because it was almost tangy and the consistency was thick but not gravy thick. I took 2 bites and threw the rest away.
I don’t know why or how this place is packed all the time. I mean the food is horrid. I called them to complain but they’re so busy, a manager is going to call me back. Truth be told, I don’t even want a call back, I just want my money back. And I want to forget that I ever ate at this establishment.
**EDIT**
A manager called me last night after 7pm to apologize. They offered me another shot, of course on them. They also thanked me for calling and complaining. Honestly, my heart is torn because they obviously care about their restaurant but the food was really bad. And this review totally bashed them. I’m a nice guy so I’ve bumped it up to 2 stars for the call back. I don’t know if I’ll be back but I do appreciate getting a call back.

On the way from Rancho Cordova to Monterey I started fading fast and hard. I had to eat. We randomly pulled off the freeway and started driving around for a place to get a bite and take a driving break. I can’t do the clown again. Need real food. No more Big Macs this trip.
We found Max’s not knowing what kind a restaurant it even was when we walked in. Oh, it’s a deli/​diner. Cool. Where are we? Found out we were in San Ramon from the menu. The place has personality.
Iced tea came in a little tea pot, hot. Also came with a tall glass of ice. Okay, I see where we are going here. Pour hot tea into glass of ice. Interesting. This is not done from the land we come from.
My order:
Fish and Chips
They were hot and good. Good tartar/​remoulade sauce.
Queen of Reseda had the Tuna melt with avocado. She loved it. As you can see from the picture, this was a good sandwich and salad.
I got to tell you, if I had a smart phone and Unilocaled this place I would not have come here. I was very surprised when I sat down to post this review.
People of San Ramon, what’s the beef with Max’s? As far as I can tell, this is a good place. Service was good as was the food.
I read a letter that was posted on a wall near the bathrooms. It was from some crazy guy named Martin who wrote a letter to the mayor of the city asking them to apply sanctions to the restaurant because he didn’t like the service! What a nut! Could he be behind some of these negative reviews? It makes one wonder.
We liked you Max’s of San Ramon.

For some reason I have never even considered coming to lunch here. I probably drive by this place 3 times a day and it never even crossed my mind.
On my first day back to the office from maternity leave my boss met me for lunch. I figured this would be a good experience and she does love chain type places.
We sat at a booth and the waitress was really nice.
Im trying to lose this baby weight still so I ordered the Sweet n’ Sour Spinach Salad. Yummy!
It was huge and fresh and good. Just how I like my salads. My boss ordered on of the other types of salad which she also liked.
They also have a full bar and I wish I had known that beforehand because my husband and I would have probably made it a destination sooner.
Future lunch rotation spot!