We had what seemed like 4 different waiters/waitresses. Every time our main waitress took our drink order/entree order someone else would come up and ask us if we ordered drinks yet or if we were ready to order our dinner. At the end, a 4th waiter passed by with a dessert menu after our waitress already gave us dessert menus when we didn't ask for them, we declined on dessert, asked for the check, and he still came by asking if we were ready for a dessert menu?? Then as we were waiting for the check, a different waitress came by asking if we were ready to order drinks! As if we had just sat down?? The main waitress was trying to run up our tab by asking if we wanted appetizers, bringing us dessert menus without asking, asking if i wanted to add anything to my pasta entree? If she could get me another drink after I was ready for the check.. A giant bowl of pasta is more than enough for me. Then of course there is a charge for using your credit card. We were sick of answering to so many waiters, however, the pasta was very tasteful, drinks were subpar, (and menu is obviously shortened due to covid which is the new normal anyway). Don't really see the hype in going to this place. read more

I've eaten here many times with a friend of mine who lives on Staten island and the meal is always very good. ALWAYS.

Great Food . Excellent Service. Loved everything we tried on the menu and we have had it all. You will not be disappointed. Everyone is friendly and will do everything they can to make you happy. Cannot say enough. Had a party of 60 people and everyone raved. Check it out. You will agree. Joe and Laurie Cap read more

Had dinner on Saturday night it was wonderful. The wine list is great and so moderately priced. My server (Mario?) suggested we try "Wine down Monday's" when the wine is another 40% off ! I don't know how that is even possible... Anyway, my server was wonderful, my beef Wellington was the perfect temperature and the flour less chocolate cake...WOW. read more

Always a great solid meal, good apps and salads. Entree menu can use a shuffle. Great place for small parties, friendly with a lot of regulars and the owner is always working the floor. read more

Don't skip the salad! Max's Es-Ca makes a phenomenal Mesclun Salad along with a very tasty Rigatoni Mezzi Pomodoro pasta. The atmosphere is very trendy. read more

One of Staten Island's best eatery with a touch of class in every dish served. Family and friends have enjoyed many evenings at Max's where the Wait staff make you feel very welcomed Mario G read more

Food is good but they over book which leads to fair service, overwhelmed wait staff & slopped together dishes that I have had before but disappointed because they were just toooo busy I like it there i do, but I won't go there on a Friday or Saturday again Sorry read more

My wife and I have been going there more frequently over the past several months. The food is always good and the service is excellent. We recently went there on my wife's birthday and we asked for a candle on a slice of cake. When it came out there was a candle with some cookies and it was on Max. Not at all expected but a class act. read more

The worst! Can't even describe how bad the chicken cutlet was and the angel hair served all clumped together. The waitress was annoying the dessert ok. My friend had a shrimp dish that she didn't even touch. I don't understand the draw. Definitely overrated. read more

This place was horrible. Lunch service on a Friday was so sad. Table of three only two of us got our food. Waitress couldn't care less. She offered to have our food delievered to us after waitiing 40 minutes. That was after I asked her to take it to go. It still wasn't ready. It was the worst ever. read more

I loved the place. My first time there and I was greeted right away by the bartender, I think her name was Alice. We had a few drinks at the bar that were delicious. We sat at a nice table and had a tuna tartare to die for. Overall great dining experience. read more

My family and I came for dinner on a Saturday night. We had reservations. I have never in my life had such a horrible dining experience. Was this fine dining? No. Was this family style? No. Bar food? No. What was this? Hell. First of all, the place was obviously overcrowded. I don't mind a lot of people. I live in Manhattan part-time so I'm used to it. But, the noise! MY GOD! My mother, who is a loud Italian, was sitting right next to me and I couldn't even hear her! I couldn't even hear myself think, let alone my other family members who were around the table! It was impossible to think straight. Everyone in my family couldn't hear each other. It wasn't just me. It was really louder than a sports bar, by far. Even a sports stadium. I've never been in any place that was this loud in my life. On top of this, the heat was atrocious. All those people packed into this restaurant with no windows. Disgusting. I ordered a ginger-ale, and it was spiked with wine. I take medication that, if mixed with alcohol, I could get seriously ill from. Thank God I took only a small sip. I was astonished by the taste of wine. So I asked my mother (had to shout) if it tasted right. And she said no, it tastes funny like it has alcohol in it. So she handed it to my uncle. And so on. Yes, there was alcohol in my soda. Really, I should have gotten up and just left at this point. But I held on in the hopes the food would be at least edible. Okay, $5 a shrimp for an appetizer? Are you serious? Where do these $5 shrimp come from???? I'm saying, one shrimp is a whopping $5. What makes one shrimp $5? Are they magically delicious? No. Nothing. Family ordered 4 of them. So $20 for four shrimp. They were like any other shrimp. Just with an absurd price. The chicken and vegetable soup was bland and had an odd after taste and looked like Chinese vegetable soup. The spaghetti sauce was unseasoned with zero flavor (I've had better from a bottle. Yeah, it was that bland.) We ordered a Caesar salad and got a house salad with a mayo dressing that was thick and didn't sit well. My grandma's fish dish was watery. The angelhair pasta was nice with lemon juice. But the lemon was diluted by the water and the whole thing just got soupy. She said it definitely wasn't worth the price. In the end, nothing was. Every dish that we ordered was wrong, or, more importantly, gross. All I wanted was good food. To have a nice night out with my family. Like we do in other places locally. Staten Island has such great food. I don't know why anyone on the Island would put up with this crap place. Overpriced, icky food, terrible atmosphere. read more

One of our favorite places for a delicious dinner. Come early on the weekend as it fills up. The food and service is fantastic and Max the owner always makes you feel at home read more

Max's Es-Ca never fails to deliver. It is a perfect atmosphere for date-night or dinner with a group of friends. The drinks are really good - always strong! Steaks & seafood are out of this world. If you're looking for a night out, Max's Es-Ca is the place to go. read more

Love this place. Great bartender that really points you in the right direction as far menus and specials. Food is great. Menu variety has plenty of options. Try the Espresso Martini for dessert. read more

it was a good night till we had to pay : the "supervisor" was rude when we questioned her about adding tips of 35% of the amount. gratuity of 15% was already included in the pay check, and then another 20% were added by writing to the individual bill. She said : " It was already a nightmare splitting over 7 credit cards, pay whatever you want!!! "and when we asked her to get the initial bill she didn't bring it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was one of our favorite restaurant but we will never come back because of such impolite and inappropriate behavior. read more

Horrible horrible experience. I used to LOVE this place until the manager Casey was rude with us and by rude i mean very rude! We ordered the check and it came after 35 min!!! We were 11 people so as expected there were 7 credit cards to pay for the total. She came and in addition to the 15% tip included in the check we paid we discovered 20% added on the credit card bill that she wrote with her own handwriting!! we asked her politely to recheck her calculations and instead of saying "np i will check" she said " this is a nightmare i cannot believe u guys gave me 7 credit cards! ". She was so rude in the way she said it! She seemed fed up! We expected an apology for 1- the delay for the check to come! 2- the mistake that was done. We guys did not say anything. Then she comes back and says " u know what i dont care this is nightmare i dont want the tips anymore i will pay for it!!" I tried to explain to her and tell her that she was so rude! This is not a way anyway to speak with a customer! In any sort this is the LAST time i come to this place! Shame on her! read more

I went here with my husband for our anniversary. It was my first time and I don't think I will be returning. We made reservations and still had to wait 15 minutes for a table. I ordered the pasta special and a glass of Sangria. The restaurant was extremely busy and very loud. I could barely hear my husband unless he shouted. We were sat at a table that was right smack in the middle of all the hustle and bustle. It was cramped between other tables. I was bumped every time someone passed my table & then a waitress bumped into my table so hard that my glass of Sangria was spilled onto the table and floor. Accidents happen, however nothing was taken off the bill to make up for the embarrassment of having to stand in the middle of the restaurant while they cleaned up the mess. Everyone was looking over and it looked like I was the one who spilled it. The food was OK but I wouldn't recommend going if you are looking for a romantic night out. read more

This had to be one of the worst places ever. The fried calamari was salty and had a bad fish taste, the crispy spring rolls had no crab meat and tasted like fake Chinese food. For dinner I order the tortellini carbonara and it tasted like it was made a week ago and left out. I don't think I could go back and eat in there if someone payed me to. read more

Walked in and got our table for two. Ten minutes later a table of 10 was seated next to us. And in typical fashion that's makes me hate most of the restaurants on this island, these people were the most loud, arrogant, ear piercing, disrupting people you would ever want to sit next to. I asked the hostess for help and she was less than accommodating. So we quickly got the bill and left before our entrees came out. The situation was classless. read more

I love Es-ca! I've been going there since the summer. My friend and I love their raw clams, everything really. The staff, the food is great. I love their fettucine with shrimp and filet mignon. You won't taste a better pasta than that on Staten Island. They don't rush you out. I absolutely love this place. This is the place to go to find great food and wine. I've had the best of times there... read more

We went for lunch. I ordered 'Phil's Beef Wellington'. Takes about 25 minutes to prepare, It was well worth the wait. Pastry wrapped Filet Mignon, Mushroom Duxelles, Sauteed Spinach, Creamy Mashed Potatoes, and a Brandy Cream Sauce. The Pastry Crust was crisp, the quality Filet was cooked precisely as ordered-medium rare, and with the Mushroom Duxelles the flavors blended together perfectly to make one of best servings of Beet Wellington I've found anywhere. My wife ordered the Mushroom Pappardelle with Shrimp, Mushrooms, Sun-Dried Tomato, and a Brandy Cream Sauce. She loved it. Again, a perfect blend of ingredients where each ingredient contributes to make a delicious and satisfying dish. For dessert we shared the Beignets and Chocolate Dream Cake. The Beignets were presented with 3 different toppings from which you could pick your favorite. The Chocolate Dream Cake literally melted in your mouth with a delicate and delicious chocolate flavor. Both desserts were superb. The setting was relaxing with light background music. The service was excellent. Tom our server was attentive, accommodating, and really contributed to the overall enjoyment of the meal. Excellent in all aspects. We will be back soon. read more

I love ESCA. i go once a week. The food is always perfect and tastes delicious. The staff is very friendly. The bartender remembers your drink order after the 1st drink and you will never have to wait to ask for a new drink, it will already be in front of you. New lunch menu is so good! Sandwhiches/pizza/soup .. i had it all. My favorite place to eat on staten island. read more

The restaurant was nice inside. The fillet mignon was good but they put all this raspberry sauce all over it. It was different and I wasn't expecting that, but still good. Calamari was fresh. The bathroom lock must've been broken because someone walked in on me mid stream, and I locked the door. But besides that I enjoyed it. read more

Terrible on weekends...They pack you like Sardines then start moving tables around you while you are still eating for dancing...The waiter did not accommodate us when we asked to be moved to a corner table so people wouldn't be Around around us dancing....We paid our bill and just got up and left...Never Again...! read more

Food is wonderful. Pricey but great service. Easy to get to and have a parking lot avaialbe.

Glad I stopped by this place had the veal over arugula salad wasn't disappointed and the Pene vodka, calamari for an appetizer and chocolate flourless cake. Will be back. Go on an off night to avoid the load music scene. read more

The food is sooo good here. We got the tuna ta tare and the steak tips for apps. I would def recommend to get them. They make delicious fresh espresso martinis and the service is good. This place is a little expensive but its so worth it. read more

Had one of their shrimp specials for an appetizer, filot mignon, breaded veal, and fettuccini w| filot mignon and shrimp. Loved the shrimp and filot mignon in both dishes and the veal was very good too. Also the pina colada was tasty too! The service was a little slow but very friendly, they told us there would be a 30-45 min wait but they rearranged some tables for my party to be seated immediately. I will be going back! read more

Great food, but if there's a party (or 3), the service is incredibly slow. Our group of 12 was one of three, and it took nearly an hour to get our food and another 45 minutes to get our dessert. While nice, the wait staff was clearly over stretched and our party suffered for it. read more

Food was tasty, we'll prepared. Service was a bit slow but was there to relax with friends so did not mind. Would give it 5 stars, but was pricey for the fare. $8 desserts and $7 coffees.....trying to keep it trendy. read more

I actually got married in this place. The food is outstanding, service is amazing, I can't say enough good things!

I had not been here in about 6 years and decided to go again for my birthday last night. So happy that i did! The waiter was very attentive and very nice. (also, he looked like a hot version of Drake ;) He had drinks refilled before we even had a chance to request it. The place was pretty busy for 8pm on a wednesday night and i really liked the atmosphere, kind of dark and cozy for a place so big. We started with the oysters. I had one that was a little bit gritty but the rest of them were so so good! I had the chicken francaise which came with rice and sauteed spinach. The chicken was amazing, it tasted so buttery and good with just a hint of lemon. I had to force myself to only have one piece and take the other one home so i would have room for desert. My husband had the beef wellington and as a former chef, he said it was one of the best he had tasted. For dessert he had the cheesecake and i had the chocolate dream, both very very good. We will def come back again. Oh, and they scored HUGE points with me: our table was in front of a flat screen tv and i asked if they could put on the Ranger game and they did :) I told my husband that i actually felt like we were sitting in our living room watching the game and having some food. Loved it there. read more

The Calamari was good, but everything else was very average. The Paella was so bland. and the soup of the day tasted like it was from a can. Ambiance left a lot to be desired. The service was good and the owner very hospitable. Will not go back, as i didn't feel i got my money's worth. read more

Love this place! Food is amazing. Staff is super friendly. The martini's are a must have and so is dessert!!! Don't forget to save room!!

Dont get why this place is so crowded went here the other night and food was just ok

Very disappointed. Pork was very dry and the mashed potatoes were cold. Appetizers were delicious.

Weekends or holidays always amazing. Staff is friendly and accommodating. Food is always delicious and fresh.

have been holding onto this review for a while as my wife has told me not to publish it but after speaking to some friends who were just there, and hearing heir awful experience, with their review coming as well, I'm not holding it any more. I was there in January of this year with another couple for dinner. We were half way through our meal, which was not bad but also was not anything amazing, when a large rat fell out of the ceiling and ran across the floor. The staff went berserk and several other diners left pretty hastily. I make it a point not to dine at a place that has mediocre food AND rains rats so I DEFINITELY won't be back. We weren't even apologized too let alone offered anything for witnessing what amounted to a beaver falling from the sky! Not much else about the place was memorable. read more