Although I had a lovely dinner at Maxi's, I don't think that the cost was justified. The $16 shrimp pasta with tomatoes, artichokes, capers and a white wine sauce was good, however there were only 4 medium-sized shrimp and the pasta wasn't fresh...I'm not sure what about that meal deserves a $16 price tag. Our waiter, who seemed overwhelmed by the full patio, forgot to bring us bread, which was a bit frustrating as we watched every other table around us receive a really good looking bread basket (when we finally requested some, it proved to be crusty and perfect). I appreciated the heavy handed wine pours, however I likely wouldn't return due to the food prices (come on, $15 calamari?). read more

PLEASE DO N0T GO TO THIS RESTAURANT! I attended their happy hour with my boyfriend on a date night and it was the worst experience we have ever had at a restaurant. First, we ordered the calamari appetizer and found a HAIR in our food. We then sent it back and were given trouble for this request. We also came for happy hour and were told that "happy hour was not happening today because the sign was not in the window" even though their website explicitly stated the hours of happy hour. The waiter was extremely rude when we asked for clarification on why they were spontaneously not honoring happy hour. PLEASE GO TO MIA BELLA ACROSS THE STREET AND NOT THIS DUMP OF A PLACE. read more

This restaurant has long been a staple of quality on the local food scene, with an excellent menu along with a full bar! This review is long overdue as I've been eating here for years. On my most recent visit, I went in for lunch and decided to try the Spinach Ravioli with blush sauce. For starters, bread is served with every entree and it comes with a plate of olive oil. Once my entree arrived, it was a reasonable portion of handmade ravioli with ricotta and spinach and was excellent! One last pointer, the calamari here is outstanding and is served as a happy hour special! read more

This restaurant is very good. My family stopped here for a delicious lunch. We ordered pizzas, cavatelli, veal piccata, and chicken piccata. All were excellent. The marinara sauce that they make is great. The ambiance is a little lacking, but who cares when the food is so good. Thumbs up! read more

I have been looking for a new go to spot in Murray Hill because the places I used to frequent have lost their touch and aren't as good as they used to be. Maxi's will now be my new go-to restaurant!! The food is wonderful, great atmosphere, and the service (Terek) is very attentive. Good wine selection. It is a smallish space so can be crowded over lunch and dinner hour ... so we love to come at 2 o'clock for a late lunch or just before the dinner rush. So far, we have tried and enjoyed the calamari appetizer (less breading than most with a nice dose of garlic and tomato basil sauce), arugula salad, sautéed escarole, Penne Pasta Alla Flavia (vodka/tomato/cheese sauce), Calamari Pasta, and pizzas. Looking forward to trying the Carbonara next time...and many other dishes. (I'm hoping I can get them to special order a plate of Aglio-Olio for me too sometime... they seem to have a way with garlic!). Looking forward to trying the outdoor terrace in the warmer weather. read more

One of the few times that I've been misled by the Yelp ratings. Craving pasta on a Wednesday afternoon, I stopped in at this place because my usual place was closed. The bread basket seemed promising initially, with warm bread knots and a dipping sauce with spices. Besides my friend and I, the only other customers in the place were clearly a bunch of regulars. My friend ordered the "Little Italy" pizza, and I went with the Penne Pasta alla Flavia (shrimp with vodka cream sauce). Unfortunately, despite the ~$17 that I paid, the pasta was obviously store-bought, and only came with 3 shrimp. Nonetheless, the sauce was tolerably flavorful. My friend fared far worse with her Little Italy pizza. The pizza looked like it came from Army issue ready-to-eat meal rations, and according to her, "DiGiorno's or Domino's would have been better." After taking a few bites, I had to agree with her. She ended up having virtually the whole pizza boxed up for later. With the inedible pizza and mediocre pasta, I wish that I could say this place was saved by its excellent service. Sad to say, not all wishes can be true (as is the case here). Despite the restaurant being relatively empty, our server was less than welcoming, and we had to wave dramatically several times to get his attention. P.S. The pizza ultimately didn't make it, she had to throw it away because it tasted just as bad (if not worse) 3 hours cold as it did when it was hot. read more

Overpriced grocery store sauces on all of their pasta dishes. The chicken piccata came with a tiny (smaller than a dog bowl) sized side of pasta. Their fettuccini Alfredo with chicken was awful, boiling pasta and pouring Alfredo ragu sauce over it would've tasted better. The chicken itself was partially burnt and partially tasteless. Would not recommend if you're looking for Italian food, maybe if you wanted to bring some leftovers home to your pets. read more

We held a club event here so first of all, they were very accommodating and kind to our members. We were upstairs and had the entire floor to ourselves and it was so cozy and perfect! Plus our waiter got quite a workout running up and down the stairs. We only shared a pizza and cannoli, but it was some fantastic pie and a creamy dessert. I didn't hear any complaints of the other 18 or so entrees and most people raved over their food. This was also my first visit to Cleveland's Little Italy and I was impressed - very cute for an evening stroll in the summer! read more

Salads were great, I had the mussels which were okay...not the best. Sauce was sort of flavorless. Amazing bread. Kind of high priced. If you can't be seated at the sidewalk tables, don't do the "patio." You're basically in a parking lot surrounded by tenements and feral cats. I think I could have gotten a better Italian dinner in Cleveland...I'd give it another try, though. read more

Maxi's - Italian Near Me - Cleveland, Ohio

I almost never go to the east side. It's my secret goal to become one of "those people" who never leaves the side of town where they live. HOWEVER, i went to dinner with my parents at maxi's because of my mom's claim on how good the food is. she's right - the food is really good. i'm not a huge italian fan, but we had the calamari (allegedly the best in little italy, which i find to be a bold statement), the sauteed escarole, and i had goat cheese ravioli while the parents both had linguini and meatballs (or, meatbulbs, if you're me.) i had no booze, but moms had a glass of red. i am known to totally stuff myself with bread and not eat any of my entree, but shockingly that didn't happen this time, though the bread is very good. i could have just eaten the entire plate of escarole, but that is mostly personal greens addiction. they are a little heavy, but if you split them around the table it's more than enough for three people. the ravioli was good, though i had my heart set on carbonara. this didn't happen, sadly, because there was no prosciutto. i know, right? an italian restaurant w/o prosciutto? apparently it was a one-time thing, and i certainly hope so. the raviolis themselves were very good, the sauce was a little heavy for me but that's my aversion i guess. we had excellent service - our waitress was super accommodating and helpful. no complaints there whatsoever. definitely a recommended spot out of the many options in the neighborhood - there were plenty of septuagenarian local dudes hanging out at the table next to us gabbing and that was definitely entertaining. read more

I'm a bit of a hard customer when it comes to Italian. When you're raised on it your whole life, you become a bit discerning. While Maxi's had some pluses (awesome butter sauce for bread, good service and the ability to eat there with or without a reservation), it didn't do it for me. The red sauce was heavy on the basil and my cavatelli was swimming in it. There was no salad or side to offset the sheer volume of pasta, resulting in a bit of a carby food coma. I could really take it or leave it. If someone else was paying, I'd show up. But with all the other choices in Little Italy, I need more of a reason to pick Maxi's. read more

Excellent entrees for both my husband and myself. His scallops were to die for! Cute and cozy atmosphere, very nice waiter.

This is my "must-go" Italian stop in Cleveland. The Penne Pasta All Flavia is the most perfect pasta dish in existence. For appetizers, we usually opt for the calamari or mussels but some of our friends swear by the frog legs - just not my jam. Pizzas are also great to split and the wine selection is diverse and delicious. Also - get event space on the second floor. We had our rehearsal dinner there before our wedding two years ago and people still talk about the chicken marsala that was served family style. read more

Stopped in here for a late dinner with a date. This seems like a very old style family run place to eat. Not fancy or pretentious at all. Service was attentive but in a homey way and not as crisply professional as other places very near by. Had the calamari ap based on other reviews. Wonderful. Worth it. Large portion for two people. Asked about the tomatoes with buffalo mozzarella. We were worried the tomatoes wouldn't be good in late May. We were told they were "amazing." Well, no they weren't. They were just like you'd expecting the end of a May in Cleveland, hot house bland. The mozzarella didn't appear house made or especially good either. And there was a shortage of small balls of it in my opinion. We ordered spaghetti and meatballs to split as an entree. The balls were bland and the spaghetti was overcooked and mushy. In an Italian place, in this part of town, that's inexcusable. There are better choices on the menu. read more

I don't make it out to little italy often but I have been to this gem twice now. Tucked away in little Italy, you will truly fine nothing less than authentic Italian cuisine here. The inside is tiny but cozy, not the most romantic atmosphere but still enjoyable because it's so small. The first time we came here the server had a little accident and spilled four sangrias all over our table and us. We laughed it off because it was his first week and assured him we would be back. When we came back last night, guess who was our server and who remembered us? The charming funny sangria spiller! He truly was awesome and I hope he waits on us again, despite the first mishap. After a few laughs we quickly ordered more sangria ( haha) and the best calamari in cleveland. Seriously this calamari kicks ass. It taste so fresh and is ever so lightly fried and sits atop a sauce a want to bathe in. Us four girls split the cavitelli and meatballs, chicken piccata and the shrimp scampi special. The meatballs were fabulous like they always are (we ordered double) but the shrimp scampi was the standout. The piccata was forgettable but still okay. We finished off our meal by splitting two cannolis (two come in an order) and it was the perfect sweet ending to the meal, do not miss these! The only reasons I can't give five stars is because of the atmosphere and the price. I know that it's little Italy but for a round of sangria, calamari, three pasta dishes we easily dropped $150. Nonetheless, I know I won't be able to stay away. read more

Ordered a salad with the smoked salmon. Salmon was razor thin about 1/2" x 6". Got about 8 strips for $8. A $1 a strip. This is not your typical smoked salmon in thickness. About as thick as a sheet of paper. Ask waitress and she said salmon is expensive. Only on this restaurant. A total rip off! Beware! read more

I was in town with some family and we popped into this little joint on a low key Tuesday afternoon. Almost everything we had was amazing! Appetizer: mozzarella and tomato basil - how can you go wrong? it was great! The 4 of us split all of our entrees so we could all samp! Dish One: Spinach Ravioli (3 came to a dish)-- it was decent! Dish Two: Italian sausage and peppers-- soo good but you better be ready for some spice! When we walked in that is all we smelled in the restaurant so we definitely wanted to order the sausageeeee! it was very flavorful! Dish Three: The Flavella (sp?) was excellent according to the rest of the table - I did not try it. Dish Four: Pepperoni Pizza - it was mediocre. I was expecting more to be honest so I would not recommend. Overall, great little joint! I would return ! read more

Having just dropped off our kid at college, with a few hours to spare before heading to the airport, we found our way to Maxi's. This lovely restaurant was a warm refuge from the rain, and the food was sensational. My husband had the pasta with meatballs--the sauce and pasta both made from scratch, reminding us of our favorite restaurant in Ravello, Italy. I had the mesclun salad with grilled chicken, which was delicious as well. Looking forward to returning! read more

My main complaint here was this was the first restaurant in little Italy that doesn't offer gluten free pasta. Soooo I asked what they could make gluten free, they gave my a boiled chicken breast smothered in straight lemon juice. God awful. The service was fine. The staff was friendly. No complaints there. read more

Had dinner while visiting Little Italy. They sat us upstairs which is much quieter and relaxing than the ground level. The calamari is very good as it's tossed in a garlic sauce after frying. Cooked just right not tough at all. My wife had the veal chop and wholly cow (no pun intended) it's huge and served on the bone. Cooked as ordered and she said the flavor was amazing. We also ordered the linguini with clams in white wine sauce and the chicken catcciatore. Linguini was excellent and so was the chicken. Wish there was more chicken though. Overall I would go back again in a heartbeat. Sorry - no dessert. Had too many cookies at the Italian bakery down the street! read more

Great food great atmosphere!!! Started with calamari, fresh warm bread, then cavatelli with polpetine/meatballs. Finished with cannoli!! Asked for espresso and loved when asken by the server...do you want it ristretto/short or regular?!?...amazing!!! Will come back!! read more

I feel like this is a place that people like because their family has always gone their, or because it is in an area with a lot of other good restaurants. To start, we had 8 in our party, but the person making the reservations accidentally made it for 6. They were able to accommodate the extra people on a Saturday night with no problem. Our server was great, and did a fantastic job of explaining the specials. The menu was slightly different than the website menu with more offerings in the restaurant than are shown online. While the service was wonderful, the same cannot be said for the food. We ordered chicken picatta and chicken Parmesan (one of the dinner specials). The chicken breast with the chicken Parmesan was slightly dry, but the breading was too tough, especially around the edges. I would not be exaggerating to say that I got a cup of pasta (as in a measuring cup, not a 7-11 Slurpee Big Gulp cup), with some mediocre, bland sauce. The chicken breast with the picatta was similar in texture, although not fried. All of this was made worse by the fact that these were both $22 dishes. This restaurant often appears as a pizza place, and maybe their pizzas are better. Many better options in Little Italy for the same or less money. read more

A pretty fun place to go in Little Italy. My favorite thing is the bowl of muscles. For about fourteen clams, you can get the largest bowl of muscles I've ever seen. Ravioli is good, as well. And sometimes the bartenders are great (but not always). One time I ordered a Negroni and they had no idea how to make it, but after I explained it, the bartender made one of the best Negronis I've had in Cleveland. This is a rarity. The waitstaff can be hit-or-miss. I have been there and had a great waitress, and have been there where the waitress pays hardly attention to the table. However, I tend to just write this off to the "Italian Experience" even though i shouldn't. read more

Hubby's annual birthday surprise began with dinner at Maxi's. This was our first time here, based on a recommendation from the two friends who dined with us. We started our meal with a bottle of malbec, and each ordered a different plate of pasta. Thanks to Cara L.'s suggestion, we devoured a savory plate of stuffed banana hot peppers, along with a bowl of steamed mussels. I could've died happy with those appetizers alone! The only pasta plate that hit a low note for me was their signature sautéed calamari. I was hoping for non-breaded calamari, but was overwhelmed by the opposite. It just wasn't what I was expecting, and it had a burnt after-taste. My friend's sweet alfredo and the other friend's goat cheese ravioli were my favorite. So much goodness in that cream! Quaint, festive atmosphere, excellent service. Pricey, but worth it for a special occasion. Next time, I'm ordering the frog legs. read more

Had a great experience at Maxi's in Little Italy. From the moment we walked in the door the staff was friendly and tentative. The prices are fairly reasonable - around $16 bucks for a pizza to share and appetizer ranging from $8-20. We tried the Escargot (what an interesting appetizer)! A great cocktail menu and an awesome wine selection! Definitely recommend for you to try if you are ever in Little Italy. read more

So we just stopped by for an after dinner drink, and I was so impressed I HAD to write a review. This place seemed pretty lively for 9 pm when the restaurants were mostly wrappin up so we stopped in. Wow. Here's what impressed me. The wine pours! They literally give you a goblet of wine! It's like a half a bottle! Impressive. Oh yeah. And we took a pizza to go and it was fabulous - even reheated! read more

Food was a-ok. We ordered bruschetta as an appetizer, which was VERY good. The entrees, however, were just Ike. We had the smoked salmon pizza and meatball dish. The sauce was a lot sweeter than any I've had in an Italian restaurant. The smoked salmon was a little TOO SALTY. All in all, the service was friendly, so if it was a last resort, I'd eat it again read more

Maxi's - Meatball dish with very sweet sauce - Italian Near Me - Cleveland, Ohio

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I have a quandary rating Maxi's because service was so sloooowww, but the food was absolutely delicious. I was so hungry when we got to Maxi's and it took them over an hour to bring out our food. Mind you that the place wasn't busy. There were maybe 3 tables including us. Even bread took around 20 mins to bring out. Yes, it was fresh baked, crispy, chewy and scrumptious, but why did it take so long?! They also failed to bring out the pizza with the salad which left me even hungrier. Salad by the way was a pile of lettuce and nothing else for $7. Now for the good stuff. The pizza was superb, crispy crust and super flavorful. Chicken piccata was alright as were the sides of pasta that came with the entrees, but the absolute best thing we got was the penne with shrimp in this incredibly spicy vodka sauce. YUM. Bottom line: Food is good, but the restaurant is so slow. Order takeout. read more

Checked out Maxi's today for dinner with a group of friends. Quite impressed! Nice ambiance, with options to dine in front, inside, and in the back patio. Pretty casual place too, so don't be self-conscious if you're not dressed up to the nines (or even the fives, really). Happy Hour until 6:30pm Monday through Thursday, with some pretty awesome deals: $3 beers, $6 wines/sangria, $10 all pizzas (14" and large enough for 2-3 hungry people), $10 mussels, and $10 calamari. We all had a drink and a pizza to ourselves, with none of us finishing more than four of our eight slices--leftovers anyone? Pizza was fresh and hot, crust nice and chewy, with some intriguing toppings. I opted for Gilbert's pizza, with tomato sauce, ricotta cheese, proscuitto, and kalamata olives which was pretty darn tasty. Other combinations sounded great too, from traditional margherita to a smoked salmon pizza (might be more of a flatbread kind of thing at this point, but let's not get hung up on semantics). Service was attentive, refilled our waters frequently, and was very accommodating, readily splitting our check five ways. Bottom line: tasty pizza, thrifty happy hour, spectacular service. read more

Love every item on the menu! Love the quiet and remote little atmosphere. The service is awesome as well, very attentive.

We ordered the chicken piccata. It came with one small piece of chicken. Seriously I had to look under the piece of chicken thinking there was another hiding! $22!! When I was telling the bartender he was smiling and could care less. That's because his cousin owned it. What a joke. The bartender was so rude. Total ripoff. We will never go there again\ Growing up in the neighborhood and going there for years, this place has really changed. We had so many good times there never again read more

This review is strictly about the pizza. Not a fan of the super sweet sauce. It's a real distraction as I'm trying to enjoy the other tastes. The cheese was fine and plentiful. The (bottom) crust was WAY too thick and almost undercooked. I attribute this gooey crust to the fact it's served on a glass plate. I'm a fan of NY style - if you are as well, this is not your pizza place. read more

Maxi's - Pepperoni with X-cheese - Italian Near Me - Cleveland, Ohio

Loved it! My favorite restaurant in Little Italy so far. Calamari is the best I've ever had. I also had the shrimp penne in the vodka tomato cream sauce and it was great. Service was quick and polite. Atmosphere is a little more casual than most in Little Italy, but I'll definitely be back thanks to the great food. read more

My favorite place in Little Italy. Always friendly staff and great service and back patio. Not to mention the pizza read more

Maxi's - My all time favorite pizza in Cleveland. Maxi's pizza with fresh mozzarella, basil, and kalamata olives. Mangiamo! - Italian Near Me - Cleveland, Ohio

After a lovely recent experience, I know I'll be back at Maxi's - if only because now I MUST order the amazing dishes others in my party got during our visit! Their creamy tomato sauce is simply divine as I got to try a bit with my dad's spinach ravioli's (PERFECT) and my sister's penne pasta alla flavia (also delish!) I was kind of jealous but I couldn't feel too bad with having ordered the veal piccata. The veal was great and the piccata sauce was very fresh and light with the right lemony acidity and capers for some bite. This dish, as well as my mom's chicken marsala, came with a side of penne in their tomato basil sauce which was fantastic. This sauce lacks the creaminess of the formerly mentioned rock star of a sauce but had a very robust tomato presence without being overly chunky and, perhaps most importantly, very flavorful. The pairing of a meat dish that features sauce with a pasta in a different sauce (albeit in a separate dish), seems a bit weird to me but it was also like I got to try a couple different sauces which is always a bonus! Service was very nice and we enjoyed ourselves immensely. The dining area is smaller/more intimate and it appears most of the space is taken up by the bar - I bet this place enjoys a fun bit of nightlife! read more

My favorite spot in Little Italy. The food reminds me of what my mom cooked. My family and I have been making it out meeting place for Christmas Eve dinner for the past few years, and have a great time every year. We walk out of there full of food and drinks, and will talk about it for the next year. My favorite dishes are the bruschetta, the pizzas and the cavatelli and meatballs. I have heard they have great frog legs and calamari. read more

Delicious food and friendly service! Just make sure you're not in a rush, this is definitely a sit down place for a nice, long evening with friends or family. I had the white meatball pizza, and it is to die for! The other meals at my table were the cavatelli with meatballs and chicken piccata, both well received. Lastly, we got the white peach sangria -- light and tasty on a hot night! Overall, an enjoyable evening dining outside in Little Italy. read more

Excellent lunch. We had calamari, after reading recommendations here. Then pasta carbonara. Great services cae and delicious food!

Love this place! We dined in their beautiful patio, had the best calamari, cavatelli with meatballs and their paparadellle boloneze was amazing. Great service also (Tony was amazing). Highly recommend it, one of my favorites in little Italy. read more

First time at Maxi's was a great one! Made reservations, but there is no Host/Hostess to speak of. Restaurant is small so we ran into a Server who sat us right away at a table that had just cleared. Just not sure that the reservation would have done much being such a small room. The service was pretty much on point. We did need to request water refills a few times, and my requested crushed red pepper never made it to the table though. The food was excellent. Portions were huge. The sauce on the pastas was a little sweet for my wife's taste, but I thought it was delicious. My chicken Marsala had enough roasted red pepper and portobello that there was some in every bite. Music selection was strange for a spot in Little Italy and did nothing for the ambiance. We heard a bit too many 80's hits while we were there... And although this is not Maxi's fault since it's a private service, our car smelled of smoke when Valet returned it to us. read more