We were looking for a place open a smidgen later and received a recommendation to come here. Our waitress was very friendly and helpful throughout our whole visit. Overall food was good! The crabmeat roll was very well filled, bread toasted well, tasted very fresh. I did take the large piece of lettuce off - tasted better without it. The chowder was great - well seasoned. We think the fried clams could have been slightly less greasy and might have been better as one clam piece per piece (some were 4-5 clams that had stuck together in one massive piece). There's a good chance that's just our personal preference. read more

Captains platter was the worst I've ever had. Fried clams were not fresh and gross. Shrimp were 1/2 inch and the breading in all the seafood was do thivk you could taste it. Sweet potato fries burnt but soggy and $52 read more

J R Maxwell - Gross. Not fresh, way too much breading - American Near Me - Bath, Maine

Beautiful place inside and conveniently located close to the river. Food is not stellar. I made the mistake of ordering the stuffed lobster which was market priced ($62.95) but was missing ALL the lobster meat and had tiny shrimp, small scallops, crabmeat, and very salty breadcrumbs instead. The stuffing was not tasty, and I basically paid for cheap seafood instead of lobster. We ordered the prime rib but were not able to finish it, and the fried haddock that was good. Of their side dishes, the steak fries and mashed potatoes were good, salad was good also and their dressings are advertised as homemade. I did not care for the cole slaw or the Brussels sprouts. Their bread was yummy! The dining room was very warm and the tiny AC did not do the work. read more

I'm very sad about my rating of this place, because my expectations were fairly high based on the line and the great casual (but hectic) ambiance. The menu options are solid, plus they have nightly specials to choose from. I decided on baked stuffed haddock, since I hadn't had it in ages. The haddock was stuffed with seafood, and had larger pieces in it that tasted very very off. Once I got very bad food poisoning from crab cakes, and stuffing this tasted just like they had... slightly tangy. That set off alarms for me, and I stopped eating right away. My husband got a veal piccata that was so greasy and unappetizing he didn't eat as much, either. Our salad and bread was good, but it wasn't enough to fill up on. The owner was the hostess and seemed wonderful. I thought about telling her our meals weren't great, but we were very tired and just wanted to go rest at our bed and breakfast, so we paid the bill and didn't say anything about the food. read more

In Maine on a fall vacation and eating our way along the coast. We have enjoyed some wonderful eateries and more lobster than anyone should have! We are here at the end of the season and most places have closed for the season. Our restaurant choices were slim. This was by far the least favored of the places we ate. It's hard to mess up escargot and there was no butter. That delightful taste of warm butter and garlic was missing completely. It tasted like the escargot were hard and in water. The fried mushrooms lacked any taste at all in the batter. The crab cakes were good. They had nice chunks of crab, not overly seasoned or filled with stuff. The sauce for the crab cakes was very good also. One of us had scallops and they were chewy and gristly, and didn't taste fresh at all. Two of us had fish sandwiches fried. The fry breading was flavorless. We decided the chef must not be a fan of seasoning. The haddock itself was flaky and moist and tasted very good. The buns were soft and lightly grilled. I had the onion rings, which were hand dipped, with flaky breading. The breading could have used some seasoning but overall the rings were pretty good. Stay away from the chips. They seemed to have been prepared long ago and were very cold. The french fries were good. I ordered the beef stew but it was thick and creamy, no taste of beef, and no beef at all. It was not very good. Waitress was attentive and nice. The building had an antique feel with some character. Overall, I would say the meal was just okay. read more

Loved their food, wife and I had seafood platter, it was really tasty. Waitress was one of the nicest people ive met.

First, we all got our plates and all 4 of us had COLD baked potatoes and my filet was overdone and I asked for a refire, the other 3 at my table FINALLY got their potatoes back and ate VERY slowly but were all FINISHED with their meals before I finally got my steak back. I promptly asked for a go box to put it in so we all could get up and get the heck outta there! It was a birthday occasion and we were VERY disappointed!!!!! Too that off with a VERY indignant waitress. Sorry about the tip... (not sorry) read more

While on the road I was looking for a restaurant with good food and decent prices. This was the best rated one in the bath area that I could find. It was early dinner and they seated me quickly. My waitress was from San Diego and new here and very friendly and attentive. I had the black Angus steak, 8 ounce, medium rare and it came to me medium to medium rare. Good flavor and cooked right. With some summer squash/zucchini mix and a coleslaw. It was quick, it was good food and I left satisfied. This place has a very Hometown feel to it. read more

We went there last night on New Year's Eve with 2 other couples. This was our 1st time to this restaurant. First of all they advertised Prime Rib as a special, so we made a 6 o'clock reservation. when our waitress came to our table we told her we all wanted the Prime Rib and we were promptly told that they had none. So I ordered the steak au Poivre, another person ordered the salmon with specific instructions on how they wanted it cooked. 3 others ordered the baked stuffed haddock and 1 other ordered the fisherman's platter. Well the waitress came back and said they did not have the steak and they were out of scallops for the fishermans platter. So this is New Year's Eve and you don't have any food!! So I decided to order the veal piccata, which they had. Summary, my veal was overcooked and tough, the salmon was burnt, the 3 baked haddock meals were dry and overcooked. We were all Very very dissatisfied . The Kitchen definitely needs to pay attention to their cooking and they need to do way better on the ordering of food!, read more

Great food!! Quite understaffed for the amount of people they have coming through here but waiting staff were all very sweet and accommodating. Went here twice during our visit. The seafood is great, and the pecan pie is amazing! read more

We went here tonight and couldn't have been more pleased. The restaurant was incredibly accommodating. We originally had a reservation for 14 people, this was then changed to 18 people a few days ago, then 19 people, and then 24 people just an hour before the reservation. The restaurant never gave us any problems. The waitress, Christine, was amazing. She did multiple checks and didn't give us a problem about that either and the whole group was in and out within 2 hours. Food was good too. Particularly enjoyed the homemade bleu cheese dressing and the crab-stuffed mushrooms. Highly recommend for groups. read more

I came here to eat with my family on the 17th and I will never come back and cannot recommend it to anyone. The service was amazing, zero complains! That was not the issue here. Who I presume is the owner of this restaurant feels comfortable enough to insult and belittle his staff while customers are an ear shot away. Let alone do it at all! It was absolutely disgusting. You could tell how upset the poor waitress was. I don't know how someone can do that when places are so short staffed and people are so over worked and yet they're not being appreciated at all. Just based on that simple fact I will never return. Shame on them! read more

I had the baked haddock. We waited an hour at least for our food. Was very busy. Clam chowder was good. Haddock was good, just didn't expect the topping but was good. read more

I have family in town and so have been here many times over the years. Food has always been solid. Was there again last week. Had the fish and chips with onion rings. Was stunned by the rings. They were really good with a really light crunchy batter, more along the lines of a tempura style batter. The fish was good, would liked a little more sweetness and maybe a hint of fresh chopped dill in the tartar sauce, but no complaints. Everyone else in the party had scallops, chowder, turkey sandwich, with no complaints, but the turkey might have been a little on the dry side. read more

The waitress really makes the experience and my husband & I felt like we were putting her out every time we asked a question. It was our first visit to Bath and I have to eat Gluten Free due to celiacs. I wish we had chosen another restaurant to dine that was more accommodating. Hubby had the clam chowder which had a huge chunk of potato, thin broth & a vinegary taste and not too many clams. Did not look like the picture. I could not have the soups as they contained flour. His entree was the amaretto seafood dish which he said was very good. They will not modify a dish, stuffing is all prepared ahead with breading so I ordered the prime rib which the waitress suggested ordering med rare vs medium so if not cooked enough she could put it back in. It was raw in the middle, couldn't cut it but she never came back to check to see if it was ok!?! Walked right by us several times. I left the large middle portion of the meat on the plate along with grizzle and later when I put my credit card on end of the table she stopped & asked if i wanted a box to take it home and any dessert? We are not difficult customers, we don't complain & are great tippers but we did not find this restaurant to be an inviting place or good experience. read more

Wonderful, best ever rich clam chowder with plenty of meat. Pan seared Maine scallops were fresh, flavorful and tender with perfect house made potato chips. Cremé Brûlée was crispy and cool and smooth Even the soda water with wedge of lime was crisp and lively! read more

Always great food Our go to place when in Maine Something for all tastes seafood,steaks,chicken. Although some comment on the service being off we have never had a problem and have going there for over 30 years read more

Dec. 2, 2023 Out of STATE visitors. 1ST time experience, and last. Will never be back. Restaurant came highly recommended, reviews looked amazing...But... Waitress, Amy, was horrible. Not attentive and not familiar with the menu. Many "need to find out" from her. Had many issues with multiple returns to the table at 10-20 minute intervals between kitchen issues and Amy not knowing. This went on for almost an hour. Multiple things not available even though it was on the menu. Couldn't guarantee gluten contamination between meals. Guests that arrived after us got their food well before us. After waiting 1 hr and 18 minutes for the food, We asked for the bill for just the drinks and appetizer we received because we had a show to get to. Not unreasonable, and was told "No problem". 15 minutes AFTER requesting our bill, the food comes out.The Waitress rushed to throw the food on the table, while we were telling her to stop and reminded her we cancelled our order and asked for the bill 15 minutes ago for the items we consumed that were at the table. Suddenly, it ALL needs to be paid for because the servers tray touched the table. We again, told the waitress we canceled the meal 15 minutes ago and only wanted the bill for the 1 leomande and the wings. Waitress makes a scene in a room full of guests, yelling at us. She then brings the manager over yelling, and the Manager makes a scene immediately claiming that we're trying to skip on the bill and threatens to call cops. I honestly should have asked he call the cops, but we needed to be somewhere. After trying to explain multiple times we were not trying to skip, we could have walked out if we wanted to skip, the manager decides that he's going to "graciously" discount the bill for food we cancelled 15 minutes before it came out, as if that was doing anyone a favor. We could not take the food with us as we did not have a place to store it or heat it up. We were visiting from out of STATE! The service was absolutely APPALLING! The treatment from staff was disgraceful. I'm embarrassed for the owner of this establishment. It should not have taken almost an hour and a half from my reservation (we showed up a few minutes prior to the reservation too) to get the food brought out after we wanted to leave. The staff should not have created such a scene, and treat us like criminals. It looked like the room we were in had white cameras. I do hope the owner sees this and reviews the footage. I paid $55 cash for 1 lemonade for myself and a $12.95 wings appetizer for my guest. If this is the proper way to run a business, shame on everyone involved. read more

Always excellent. I look forward to dining here whenever I come to the Bath area. They have a wide variety of excellent dishes and are only a short walk from my hotel. read more

It is always great food great atmosphere and great service. The staff is always very welcoming and accommodating. Highly recommend.

After not coming here for almost two years because a decline in service and quality of food, we decided to give it another shot. Big mistake! It looked to be one server for the entire restaurant and she was clearly overwhelmed. When our food finally arrive, it was luke warm at best. My seafood alfredo, that used to be so good, was so dry. Obviously not enough Alfredo sauce. My husband's seafood platter was skimpy and cold. Absolutely not the servers fault! We will just cut our losses and not go back. Used to be our go to...never again! read more

Great Service by Christine ! Food delicious here for fresh Lobster and steamers did not disappoint ! Cant go wrong here !

Service was excellent . Had the veal piccata which was outstanding so was the crab stuffed shrimp. Ambiance is awesome this is my favorite restaurant when visiting Bath ME read more

Great food, excellent service, wonderful atmosphere, definitely a must! Our waitress was just the best!

Start from beverage... ordered ginger ale. There was more than half of glass just ice and a little drink. Then ordered salmon with rice, scallops with rice and haddock with baked potato. Salmon was overcooking with something thick crusty on the top, scallops were uncooked with raw texture inside, baked potato as baked potato. Rice was mixed up together with two different colors- old( dark crunchy) and more fresh. Corn on the side was from can and looks tired. Green salad with one tiny piece of tomato's stem was served on so small plate that was hard to mix with dressing and eat. Each dish coast $25-$28. They charge us $97 plus tips to write this review. read more

Very home town vibe! I like sitting at the bar- the service was perfect! It's a busy place and the bar was full. I'd like to go again to try more meals. read more

Man! I hate giving bad reviews, especially to an establishment that was greatly recommended by the locals...but...here goes...while the Customer service was wonderful, and it's probably one of the only major steak houses in Bath, Maine, The food was OK but the clincher were the critters running in and out of our dining area...When I say critters... I'm not talking about cute, furry and friendly animals...I will leave it at that. After we brought it up to management, they apologized but stated because the building was old and in an older area they can't seem to rid their place of them... I quickly asked for the check all the while with my feet up and hurried out...I'm sorry but I could not stay any longer.. read more

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Love the beer-batter fried clams since I first ate them 26 years ago. A great stop on the Maine coast in an historic old town!

My husband and I were in Bath on a Tuesday and there were only 2 restaurants open. J.R. Maxwell was recommended to us, so we decided to give it a try and we are glad that we did. Starting from the beginning we felt very welcomed. They sat us very quickly. Our waitress was very friendly and made sure we were happy during our entire time at J.R. Maxwell. Is she forgot something that we requested, she was very apologetic and made sure after we reminded her that we got what we needed. Both my husband and I were very happy with our meals. The clam chowder was excellent. My husband got a steak meal and he was very happy with it. I ordered a scallop meal and it was ok. The scallops were delicious but the sauce wasn't. Don't forget to order dessert. I had the Key Lime Pie and my husband had Peanut Butter Pie. We would definitely go back to J. R. Maxwell. read more

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Stood waiting for 10 min to be seated nobody even acknowledged - I understand short staff situation but people were around just walking by not helping new customers waiting to be seated. If you can't get service just trying to be seated you can assume the rest is just as bad. read more

we went for lunch after reading reviews and being in the area. we were a table of 4 adults. The food was fair and the service poor. We ordered one lobster roll. They only make theirs with Mayo and not butter. Thhe roll was abundant the lobster not so much. We gone to other. restaurants that are better. Skip this item. We ordered the seafood medley which was excellent, we ordered a half a ham sandwich and soup combo. The chowder was nothing to have again. Last we ordered chicken marsala which could have been prepared better. The technique lacked. We we're seated right away. The waitress took our drink order 3 waters and a Pepsi. Peeople that came in after us got their food before us we waited but the waitress didn't even come over to refill drinks. When we did get our meal she asked if we needed anything else and I asked for butter for my mashed potatoes. She never brought it out. A Buster came to our table while we were eating to ask if the could remove dishes at which point I said I'd like my butter for my meal before you take my food away. She got butter. We then watched as checks were distributed to other tables and we have to wait some more for the check. our server never checked on our meals or asked if we needed drinks during the meal. The bill was $109 and change for lunch. I have no problem spending the money if the service is good and the food is good. The atmosphere and decor were nice. I would not however., recommend this venue. read more

Great portions and prices! They say you can tell a lot about a restaurant by the bread: well, they give a generous fresh loaf of bread to match the fresh fish. I got the haddock. Great, large, flaky white fish with good flavor. The side salad was large enough to be my meal. The staff was so kind and personable. Prices were very good. This is where you want to go. read more

Not Good, Actually "TERRIBLE". Save your $$$$$$ and eat elsewhere ! We are an "older" couple. Ordered the Crab Roll with french fries at $37.50. We expected something special, because of the price we ordered one order and told the waitress we would "split" it between us (as we very often do). The order came to us with an extra plate and was placed on the table. We were both shocked at the ridiculously CHEAP portion. We should have refused the order and paid for our ice tea and left, but, we ignorantly stayed, complained to the server, and reluctantly ate the mostly LETTUCE filled roll with a TRACE of what tasted like canned crab meat. We realize NOT EVER to send food back to the kitchen for any reason. We paid our $52.00+ check with AMEX, gave the waitress a $10.00 cash tip and left . THIS RESTAURANT WILL NOT BE VISITED AGAIN IN THE FUTURE ON OUR MANY TRIPS THRU MAINE TO VISIT FAMILY. I feel strongly it is merely a "RIP-OFF tourist trap". Upon leaving we spoke with the manager to let her politely know how we felt. She was defensive even though we told her we wanted nothing in return other than being heard. Can you tell we were disappointed ? read more

What an amazing restaurant!!! I had a seafood dish with fresh lobster, shrimp, and scallops over pasta. The best Dish I have ever had!!! I as on vacation with two friends. By chance we saw this place on Yelp. We all had the most amazing meal. I would definitely go back if ever I have the chance. read more

Terrible food and service. The two of us had the seafood broil and it was overcooked and hard. The service was very slow and not attentive. We will not be back. I am sorry to say because I know they have been around a long time but they need to make some changes. read more

Wonderful food, friendly staff and ambiance! Their fried haddock sandwich is the best around! Mmm....

Really like coming here for lunch. Portion sizes are generous, good value. I enjoy getting the steak with sweet potato fries. Service is always friendly and fast. The interior has a warm feel. Lots of wood and darker colors. The vibe is relaxed and I particularly like coming here for a lunch break during a busy day. read more

J R Maxwell - Steak and fries - my favorite lunch in Bath - American Near Me - Bath, Maine

French onion soup, chowder, lobster rolls, fried clams, stuffed lobster!!.. lets gooooo people!! Do not hesitate for even a second, you've found the perfect spot for great food, great drinks and friendly service in Bath. I highly recommend. Also.. go ahead and order the key lime pie, it's worth every calorie. read more

I takes a concerted effort to serve food this bland. Just yuck. Clams were terrible. Soft tasteless blobs of fried nothingness. Crab cakes were brought in from Kansas, I think. Really bad news. None of this can be attributed to the pandemic. And, quick tip to the management, time to swap out those damp, disgustingly filthy floor coverings. Odd waitress who wore WAY too much perfume did her best, god bless her tattooed soul. Update: it was 18 hours before I "digested" this pile of grease and batter. read more

The food, ambiance, and staff were amazing! This place feels like home! The desserts, OMG! Make sure you say Hi to ED! He's a legend!