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    Max Downtown

    4.2 (576 reviews)
    PriceyBars, Steakhouses
    Open 11:30 am - 10:00 pm

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    Max Downtown Photos

    MAX DOWNTOWN ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Romantic
    Classy
    Upscale
    Moderate noise

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    Recommended Reviews - Max Downtown

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    Reviews With Photos

    Pappardelle with short ribs
    Rosanna G.

    My friends and I came to Max's after work this evening for dinner before catching a show. We arrived at 4:45 and the place was hopping! We had 5pm dinner reservations and they did not seat anyone until 5pm. We decided to grab drinks at the bar while we waited. The drinks were very well done! Once seated our waiter came quickly to take drink orders. He brought bread and cold butter. I personally like my butter at room temperature, especially if the bread is cold. Regardless the bread itself was very tasty - a Parmesan crusted roll. For dinner I ordered the pappardelle and short ribs. I was expecting a tomato based sauce. Instead it was more like a brown gravy. It was delicious anyway. The photo is missing the shaved truffles they came back and added to the top of my dish - they added a nice rustic and earthy taste the dish. I would order it again! My friends had the shrimp à la vodka and the shrimp were huge! We did not get any appetizers, but did share a few desserts. Their chocolate cake was super rich yet light. I would get that again was well. This is an upscale restaurant so good for special night out with a date or friends. The service is very professional and efficient. The waitstaff is super friendly as well. Cost is on the upside - but consistent with an upscale downtown restaurant.

    Salted Caramel Baked Alaska
    James S.

    Food: 4.5/5 Service: 4.4/5 Ambiance: 4.5/5 Value: 4/5 Max Downtown is an upscale restaurant in the heart of Hartford about an eight minute walk from the Union Place bus and train station and near Bushnell Park. It is a lively restaurant on a Saturday night. It was pretty packed. It took a little while for me to order a drink at the bar ("The Offer", made with Dewars eight year scotch finished in rum casks with black cherry bitters and Fever Tree soda; it wasn't great, but I drank it). I waited there for fifteen minutes before I went back to the maitre'd to check on my table availability. They were able to seat us a few minutes before the 8:15 reservation time. I couldn't help but notice that the table they gave us was in the back of the restaurant near other fellow ethnic minorities (everyone seated in the front and middle parts of the restaurant were white), but this could have been a coincidence. It was clean, quiet, and warm, which my Dad appreciated (he is elderly and temperature-sensitive), so I didn't say anything. Our server Josh was very friendly and informative. He remarked that it was good to see adult children enjoying a nice time with their parents. He explained the technique of how they prepare the wagyu picanha to get great texture from what is thought to be a tougher cut of steak than others. The food took a while to get to us because of how busy it was. We didn't get entrees until after being sat for over an hour. But everything was delicious. The bread is soft and warm and served with butter with Himalayan pink salt. The servers pour olive oil on the butter and want you to dress it that way. I'd never seen that before. We ordered colossal shrimp cocktail and lump crab cake as appetizers. My wagyu picanha steak ($64) with Mandarin ginger shoyu was excellent. Even though picanha is not as well marbled as ribeye, this steak was really soft and tender. Some may find the sauce too sweet, but for me it was ok. My Dad liked his pan seared colossal shrimp and my Mom enjoyed the colossal shrimp a la vodka with rigatoni. Sides were crispy Brussels sprouts with honey chili bacon glaze & cotija cheese, along with a loaded baked potato. For dessert we ordered the salted caramel baked Alaska, which I really enjoyed. You don't see this dessert many places anymore, and that's a shame. The textures and flavors of the meringue, ice cream, and dense chocolate crust really work well together. The non alcoholic cocktail called "Tropical Paradise" with fluere spiced cane sugar 0.0%, lucano amaro zero, pineapple, and orgeat was delicious. It comes with a cinnamon stick.

    Bread and butter
    Kamal B.

    Man oh man was that (FRESH HOMEMADE) bread & butter SO GOOD?!!!!!! Greta service with an upscale vibe. Absolutely lovedddddd my turkey club and YOU GOTTA GET THE SAUCE ON THE SIDE BECAUSE ITS SO GOOD TRUST ME!!!! The crispy chicken wrap was okay....didnt really like the sauce in it however then turffle fries??? OH YEAH!!

    Whipped Potatoes
    Kate L.

    We have been to all of the Max Restaurants and they are all very good. This was the last on the list - it's just that going into downtown Hartford isn't exactly thrilling. We ended up finding a parking place on the street fairly close, come to find out they offer valet parking here. We actually had been to the bar a few months prior to this particular night in September and loved the bartender so much that we wanted to come back for dinner and visit him after (Hungarian guy - he's the best!). Service is very good here. To start I ordered a dirty martini and the presentation was like nothing I've ever seen. They served the drink half in the glass and half in a separate vessel in an iced "bucket." So unique. Salt and pepper "shakers" were really different, they brought me a special gluten free roll and their salted butter is amazing (same as other Max restaurants). We split the Green Goddess Salad. Kind of bland. Didn't love it. For entrees I got the Simply Prepared Colossal Shrimp with Asparagus. Somehow they left off the hollandaise. This dish was extremely bland without the hollandaise and the asparagus was odd. Just these very long pieces and the chef left on the white ends. Never been served the white ends of asparagus before. Boyfriend got the filet and whipped potatoes. So....the night was going fine - beautiful ambiance in here...then something really strange happened. My boyfriend was in the MEN'S restroom and he was verbally attacked by this very drunk woman who went in there thinking it was the women's restroom. She shouted at him to leave "the women's bathroom" and grabbed his arm demanding he leave as if he did something wrong. My boyfriend immediately told our waiter who told management and the maitre d came over and spoke to us and apologized. They ended up giving us a free dessert. We got the creme brûlée which was amazing. Apparently the woman was a friend of a staff member and refused to leave after they took her keys. She was making a huge scene in the bar too - it was quite ridiculous. We watched her go to her car and kick it in frustration as she didn't have her keys. Terrible situation to what would have been a very nice evening but again, management made it right for us. We just feel as though she should have not been aloud to stay as she was really disruptive. Would come back to the bar but the food didn't wow me.

    Greetings from Jalisco
    Angel B.

    Friendly service. Prompt attention. Brett took care of us in the bar area and he's just great - good sense of humor and professional. Not too loud that you couldn't hold a conversation even with music and the TVs on over the bar. Food was outstanding. We had a crab cake and the mahi mahi tuna and they were perfection. Love this place!

    Too burnt
    Loretta M.

    The positive's first. We were seated at our reservation time, 5:15 pm. The waitress was amazing and let us know they were expected to be busy due to the concert. We were appreciative of her service throughout the evening. Our drinks were delicious, kudos to the bartender. The pork belly appetizer which I ordered for dinner was fabulous. The only takeaway was it was plated in a way too big bowl. The mac and cheese needed more cheese and some seasoning. I bought it home and added my own touch. It then made a good lunch. Now, the horrible! Our appetizer, burrata on toast was burnt. I was horrified that it was served at all. The bread was burnt and tasted oily, like from a dirty grill. They did make us another but it was hard to get the taste out of our mouth. Ordered my favorite Baked Alaska and this was too charred. Could only eat the inside. Ruined having the slightly smoked taste with the coolness of the ice cream. Our meal definitely didn't live up to the cost paid. I expected more from this "fine" dining establishment.

    Prime NY Strip au Poivre , Creamed Spinach

    Used to always be in Hartford for work, therefore was always dropping by this restaurant and was always having banger meals. Drove all the way from Providence back to Hartford just to have another amazing meal. That filet, man.. it's absolute butter. Max Downtown has mastered this steak. And that peppercorn cream sauce is just so luxurious.. it turns the steak into a rolls Royce of a meal. The au gratin spinach is basically like a dessert, so cheesy, tangy, creamy. It's my favorite side ever. And they were kind enough to give me a complimentary appetizer of the pierogis - never had a pierogi before! Man are they luscious, so buttery and rich. That meant a lot! Look up "fine dining" in the dictionary and you'll find this restaurant in the definition.

    Andres A.

    What an excellent dining experience. We stopped in before catching a show at the theater. For starters we had the pork belly which was served over white rice. The pork belly was so tender and delicious. It had a bit of a kick to it. For my entree I had the burger and my girlfriend had the pierogies. She absolutely loved them. My burger was cooked perfectly, the only complaint I had was the bread was a bit soggy and did not hold up well to the juicy and perfectly cooked burger. The service was really good. They took care of our drink orders and our food came out quick. We will definitely stop again when we go to the next show.

    Max's Mac & Cheese - sooo good
    Rachel B.

    We've been to Max downtown a few times lately... on the earlier side and able to get 2 bar seats. They were open at 430 on a Saturday so the hours might be wrong on here. Mac and cheese and Brussels sprouts are both really good. Tuna and crispy chicken wrap were good Fries not that great Chicken tenders, Caesar salad, were okay Bartenders have been nice but they are very busy so not too much small talk. Valet parking is very convenient.

    Hot Dog
    Steven G.

    Have been here many times but this time, not so good. No food available late afternoon and no happy hour today. Yes, it's Valentine's Day, but post something. The bartenders are more focused on setting up than tending to customers. And no food. Why? Not a good experience today.

    Vodka Rigatoni
    Elisa F.

    Great for a date night dinner before a show at the Bushnell! We started with some cocktails and I absolutely loved the "Greetings From Jalisco" that had strawberry puree and guava. It was fruity and delicious! The menu is pretty expensive so we tried to stay in the under $30 option for our meals. I really enjoyed the burger but thought it was missing something. The hubs enjoyed his vodka rigatoni and we loved the jalapeno caramel bacon! Wish we had time to try the baked Alaska but service was slower than expected and we had a show to get to. All in all great meal and we'll definitely be back!

    Cowboy ribeye and loaded baked potato.

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    Enjoyed a great business dinner with clients at Max Downtown. The food and service was excellent.

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    My family and I enjoyed our meals and service. The staff are attentive and patient. The food speaks for itself.

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    Wonderful staff compliments the delicious food and peaceful ambiance. It was my girlfriend's first time and she can't wait to go back!

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    Ask the Community - Max Downtown

    What time does happy hour start?

    4:00pm Mon-Friday

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    Definitely divey but conveniently located next to the train station and Bushnell Park. Not…read moretypically my vibe, but I was meeting a group of friends before heading out for the night. Their drinks are pretty cheap, especially the 2/$5 Jell-O shots. They didn't seem to have any flavors except watermelon, which was fine. I got a margarita as well. the flavors were pretty good and I love a bartender with a heavy hand. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem that the space is excessively friendly. Just note that you will have to go up the stairs in order to get in.

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    Max Downtown - bars - Updated June 2026

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