Very hard to get ahold of to place an order. Pickup pizza was ready 45 minutes late - we drove 20 min to pick up so we sat in the car for 45 minutes waiting on it - and then the food was just okay at best. Ordered cheese breadsticks and got mozzarella cheese sticks that were cold. Frustrating experience, would not recommend. read more

Very mid pizza, but honestly it's the only one on the island that I could get to pick up the phone or that had a halfway decent toppings menu. When I arrived to pick up my pizza, I was told that they forgot to put the order in when I'd called ahead. So I had to wait basically 60 minutes total instead of the 30 minutes I was told. read more

Never again! Been a long time customer and all of a sudden we cannot place to-go orders due to staffing issues. Unreal. The restaurant isn't even busy right now now. There are so many other pizza options in the area. This is disappointing as a year around resident. As someone who has watched the changes on the island, the bottom line is that these restaurants won't be able to compete. So when everyone complains about them going out of business remember these nights. read more

After years of giving this place the benefit of the doubt, I've finally given up. This place is terrible. Every time I go, the service is slow, the staff is rude, and the overall experience is disappointing. Last year (2025), I found a hair in my pizza. I decided to give them another chance, but this year (2026), I found another hair in my pizza. To make things worse, the pizza wasn't even cut properly. We had to use a knife at home just to slice it ourselves. After multiple bad experiences, I won't be coming back and can't recommend this place to anyone. read more

These pizzas were disappointing. The pepperoni were hidden under the cheese. The sauce was thin. The crust was good but needed more flavor. The sausage was undercooked. read more

Order ahead if you're planning on picking up! Called on a Saturday in June and was quoted an hour. An hour and a half later we got our pizzas. One pizza wasn't correct. But the pizzas tasted good and they offered us a remake of the proper pizza the next day. I've been here a few times and I think it is decent but sometimes not worth the hype. read more

My husband and I stopped by around 3 pm to get a bite to eat and the place was essentially empty. It was our first time in but I was still skeptical as I never really heard of anyone raving about this place. my husband ordered a chef salad and I ordered a side salad and we both ordered water with lemon. The glasses of water arrived with packets of lemon juice. Not exactly what I was expecting. We had plastic forks, plastic ramekins, and plastic plates for a dine-in situation. When my husband's chef salad arrived it was a rolled-up lump on a plate on top of lettuce. He proceeded to cut it open and proceeded to reveal the layers of cold cuts and cheese when we saw something that was somewhat gross. A couple of pieces of the cold cuts had a brown tinge to it. Mortified we called the waiter over. We showed it to him and he had no words. I encouraged him to speak to his manager. The waiter returned with our bill and gave us the message from the manager that it was normal for cold cuts to turn brown when exposed to the air. We received a 3 dollar discount but to me, there was no good excuse for this when that explanation was completely bogus. Also, they knew what they were doing by rolling up that mess and putting it in the salad. I don't think I will ever dine here again. read more

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We make sure to get pizza here every time we come down to Topsail. The staff is always pleasant, and the pizza is always good. I do wish they would add more toppings to their side salads. read more

Max's is our families first stop when arriving in Surf City, Going a year without having their food is pretty tough to do lol. The service is always top notch and everyone leaves happy . read more

Max's Pizza-Surf City - Cheese and sauce pizza - Pizza Near Me - Holly Ridge, North Carolina

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Oh my goodness!! Best pizza!!!!! Stopped to eat here before the Clint Black concert and I had the best pizza!!! Even swiped a piece of hubby's garlic bread he got with his pasta and the bread was amazing!! It was hot and soft, and oh sooooo garlicky!!! The pizza had pepperoni, mushrooms, bell peppers and extra cheese. The crust was awesome!! Crispy with air bubbles and such a yummy flavor!! The pizza toppings were hot and just ohhhh soooo goooodddd!! The service was ok, although we did wait for a bit to get drink refills and a box after we were finished. However, our server was very friendly and he was very welcoming! The ambiance is nice! It is dark, calming, and Italian. There was a very loud table while we were eating, but that cannot be helped. They were enjoying themselves. The restaurant itself was very clean and pretty. We would definitely come back if we come back to this area!! read more

Love this place! It's been in business for 40+ years for a reason. Solid pizza spot with a nostalgic Americana ambiance and Yacht rock music. The host and servers were kind and attentive. read more

Here we go- my experience as it happened: A lot of things you're not allowed to do on the menu so that's a bit of a turnoff. We ordered a large pizza, half sausage, half cheese but that's not allowed. The side salad that arrived was the saddest salad I think I've ever seen. 20 minutes in and no drinks or the appetizer we ordered. Water with lemon was water no lemon. Apparently a problem with a printer in the kitchen and everything had to be coded in twice for some reason. 30 minutes and still no appetizer. Hooray! Appetizer arrived at minute 38! Non-pizza meals came at 40 minutes. Pizzas came at 45 minutes. Garlic bread- meh. Lasagna and sausage pizza tasted like they were heated up from frozen. Which is a shame- two years ago, the pizza was really good. Seems like they changed ingredients. Lasagna was like two noodles and a puddle of sauce. On the plus side- total bill was reasonable. But of course, you get what you pay for. Waiter was a nice guy but it's possible it was his first day. Not the greatest experience. read more

Great pizza! Plenty of cheese and fantastic crust. Friendly service. Ordered pickup and was ready on time.

Can't do half toppings on a pizza? Charge me for the toppings and then don't put them on half. Been coming here yearly for decades, sliding into closure. read more

Had the 18.00 Lasagna. About one lasagna noodle was used. Not layers at all. Mostly sauce and cheese. Worse lasagna I ever had at a steep price. We also had spaghetti and the portion was small. High price for spaghetti. read more

They sat a party of 14 quickly, they waitress was so so (didn't understand humor) Did get a refill here (one of few places that gave me one). The pizza was basic, to much cheese and dough not enough sauce. Lacking toppings (under the cheese) for the amount of cheese and dough. This is a family oriented place read more

Max's Pizza-Surf City - two slices of pizza - Pizza Near Me - Holly Ridge, North Carolina

Every time we come down here to the island, we gotta go to Max's Pizza and get a delicious pizza. Great service also but they always seem to be under staff so you'll be waiting a little bit. read more

Just had Max's pizza for the first time in a while, didn't know they changed their pizza completely. First of all it was much smaller than it used to be for the same price, not handmade but pre- made perfect circle with very little crust, a cheese blend not gooey mozzarella like it used to be. It was very chewy like a frozen pizza always is ( Di ogorno is better for $6) Very disappointed, will not be going back. read more

Been a patron since the original Max's opened years ago. we live in Wilmington and drive to Surf City often to get their pizza. caution: do not need to add extra cheese. they are very gracious with the cheese. Max's is a true culinary gem in this area. If visiting the area, your trip cannot be complete without trying Max's. Great food, great staf, and good prices. read more

We visited Surf City for the first time last year and dinned at Max's. It was amazing! When we planned to visit again this year we couldn't wait to eat there again. We ate there twice this year. The friendliness of the staff is wonderful. The pizza is so amazing! If you are visiting Surf City, Max's is a must!! read more

Max's Pizza-Surf City - Amazing pizza! - Pizza Near Me - Holly Ridge, North Carolina

Where to start. I'll give the pizza 3 stars. My 8 year old thought it was kinda good, and I'll leave that there. The Alfredo was greasy and gross. It came to the table already separating. My wife took 3 bites, and we left the rest there. Now on to the lasagna. I ordered this craving a baked pasta dish, and I couldn't be more disappointed. I will say the meat sauce was very good and paired well with the garlic bread, but that is where the goodness stopped. The entree had 8 lbs of cheese on the top of the dish to hide the embarrassing small portion. I seriously had a hard time finding any actual pasta in the dish. It's very greasy as well, and it's definitely not worth the price tag. For a "lasagna," chicken alfredo, a small pizza, 3 drinks, and tip was 70 dollars!!!!! We will never be back here. Better Italian elsewhere on the island. read more

Best Pizza in town. I would seriously travel from Virginia to North Carolina just for this pizza. You cannot simply come here and get a pepperoni pizza you have to try the max's special, if you are feeling really adventurous add the banana peppers. The waitress was incredible nice. Friendly enough that our 5 year old ran up to her and hugged her after she brought our food to thank her. P.S. the cheese bites appetizer with the marinara sauce is delicious. read more

Max's Pizza-Surf City - Max's House Special - Pizza Near Me - Holly Ridge, North Carolina

They only have Bud Light as the Domestic Beer on Tap and put cheddar cheese on the pizza. When asked if they could please make my pizza with mozarella cheese only they said no. When it came out it was not crispy and not warm. read more

Good pizza, southern style tea try the max is Italian sub. Love it go there once a month for it.It

We have been looking for really good, NY style pizza around Sneads Ferry, Top Sail, Surf City, Holly Ridge and Hampstead. You would think with that kind of area we would have found 1 place already. We have been at it for months. Someone recommended Max's and we thought we would try it. I would like to say we very much enjoyed our visit. We ordered a cheesesteak, mozzarella sticks, spaghetti and meatballs and of course.... our anxiously awaited pizza. So lets get on with the review..... Is it NY pizza? - Fugghetaboutit! Not even close. Closer to Chuck-e-Cheese. This pizza comes strait off a Sysco truck already made and simply baked. Was it good? Yeah! - But was it NY-like? No. The spaghetti and meatballs was good too. But the sauce tasted more like it had a chili seasoning to it. My grandmother would roll over and sit up in her grave if she knew I ingested that. The meatballs were good too.... but they were the size that Chef-Boy-Ardee packs in a can. The house salad that came with my spaghetti was good. Not wilted. Not brown. Along with that came a nice soft fresh roll for me to mop up my sauce with. The steak sandwich was a bit funky - Not close to the Philadelphia type that you'll get there.... but hey.... you're in Surf City, NC. Should you try this place - Why not. The food was good and the service was good. Nice folks. Is it the pizza you might find in NY, Chicago, Philadelphia..... nahhhh. As for me.... I'll keep looking! read more

The food was amazing and came out fast and piping hot and delicious! Our waitress was really nice and fast. The inside was so cute it was like one of the old pizza diners. Do recommend! read more

Got a couple pizzas to go. We normally go to santinos but they were closed. We found Max's pizza to be very tasty. Got one of there specials and one pep and mushroom. It is a little greasy but I kinda Ike it that way. It was hot made fairly quickly and the service was friendly. read more

I read a lot of reviews about Max's pizza, and I am honestly disappointed. I am from the New York area pretty spoiled with pizza and this appeared more to be a good quality frozen pizza, preformed in a perfect circle and the cheese was not gooey, it s kinda chewy and rubbery?? I'm not sure what their cheese mix is but it's not typical mozzarella. The crust actually wasn't terrible, despite the look as is chewy but was not crispy either on the bottom or crust. I didn't taste much sauce, but it seemed ok and not overpowering like a dominos pizza. I'm giving it three stars. Sorry guys., really wanted to like it. read more

We ordered takeout pizza on a Tuesday night. It was an hour's wait which was fine. Was it worth the wait? Nope. The pizza is on par with a Dominos. It was kind of tasteless TBH. The toppings were under the cheese and the texture was dry. We had leftovers but chucked them. Overall, forgettable read more

Max's Pizza in surf city's been around a very long time I first visited the pizza restaurant about 40 years ago and had an outstanding time. At that time I was active duty and Max's pizza was a great hang out place for us. 40 years later I was surprised to find that they have the best tasting Pizza their dough is awesome beer was served the old fashioned way with an iced mug, nothing has changed. read more

Wow wow wow wow! First of all we popped in on a busy Saturday night when everywhere else either turned us away because they wouldn't take more customers or had a ridiculous wait. Max's wiped a table off and sat us almost immediately, despite having a massive group of people waiting outside for carry out. Our server was attentive and outstanding. The pizza was so so so good. Melty cheese, good sauce and a unique soft crust. They make their ranch dressing themselves and it was AMAZING. A++ read more

Max's Pizza-Surf City - Half cheese half sausage/pep - Pizza Near Me - Holly Ridge, North Carolina

Food is okay, service was really horrible. My order was 45+ mins late. They apparently forgot to make half of my order (a kids hot dog & fries, and a turkey sub) and unbelievably they didn't even realize it until I had already been waiting almost 30 mins and asked how much longer it would be. They said it would take 6 mins to make the missing items. I only waited bc it was food for my child. I asked if my pizzas were still hot or had been just sitting there while I had been waiting, so they could rewarm them if needed. They assured me that they hadn't been just sitting and were still hot. My food finally came out like 10 mins later and guess what my pizzas were 100% cold. Then I had to wait again while they were warmed up - even though I asked for them to be warmed if needed. This whole time, they made no offers to do anything to compensate for the wait or the issues with my order. I was so frustrated and had groceries in the car that I didn't bother. To top it all off, I checked my turkey sub and it had tomatoes on it which I did not want. Oh well, I can just take them off. But once at home, about 2/3 of the way through the 1st half of my sub, I realized they had put melted mozzarella cheese on the sub. I had checked multiple times for cheese as I am pretty badly lactose intolerant but didn't see it bc it was melted and wrapped INSIDE the turkey meat. I am so mad. I am definitely going to get sick now from the cheese. I called to tell them bc this was just too much at this point and they apologized but then tried to say that I didn't specify no cheese. Even though I told them twice what was on the sub bc they asked me when they needed to make it. They said they would refund the sub but didn't seem to take it too seriously. After all that a bit more compensation or something should have been warranted. Extremely disappointed. Won't be back. Dietary restrictions Did not pay attention to order (even though it was given twice) and put cheese on my food, when I am badly lactose intolerant. The cheese was melted onto my sub and hidden inside (I checked multiple times just in case) and didn't realize it until I had eaten part of it. I will be sick later now. They didn't seem too empathetic. read more

Exactly as advertised. Very good pizza, solid basic Italian, at good prices for the island.

Hours of operation are not correct on Google or Yelp. We arrived at 7:36 an were told they were closed.

Max's is always a stable. The Italian sub is my favorite! Pizza was also great. Service was amazing.

This place was recommended by my pastor. Checked it out. Service was friendly and on top of you. Good service. Pizza and subs where frat and recommend this place it eat at. read more

Pepperoni pizza had 3 slices of pepperoni. We were told it would be an hour for takeout, but the wait was 1 hr and 30 minutes for this. Sadly I didn't look prior to leaving. To be fair, we did find another 2-3 slices under the cheese, so we were rocking 6 slices of pepperoni. The sauce was good, but the crust tastes like it came from a dollar store box. The "large" pizza is 14" at best. The good news is there was so much room in the box we could put utensils and eat out of the corners eliminating need for plates. The line and business is probably attributed to the 2 hour delay at the competing pizza joint and the "good" place being closed for renovations. I guess it was telling that the locals were eating Dominos. read more

Max's Pizza-Surf City - My "pepperoni pizza". To their credit, they managed to get 3 Pepperoni's on there and it touches 6 slices. - Pizza Near Me - Holly Ridge, North Carolina

Pizza is very good..unfortunately they are very skimpy on the toppings. The price is fine but you don't get your money's worth in toppings.

We were sorta greeted as we walked in and seated rather quickly which was great! The employees were friendly and courteous. I will start with the menu which consists of burgers, pizza, salads, pastas and deserts, and drinks. Now when you order your drinks soda/pop you get 2 refills after that you pay so be mindfull if you are a drinker whilst waiting on your food. The pizza was good , however there was a lot of cheese on it so you may wish to request light cheese unless you are a pound on the cheese type of person. The pizza dough is said to be homemade and it taste good. The spaghetti was okay as the sauce is also said to be homemade as well though I didn't get that taste when I had it. It reminded me of store brought meat sauce so I wasn't very fond of that type of taste. The bread that came with it was supposed to be garlic bread which it was garlic dusted on one side of the loaf and the other side had nothing. With that being said I do not think I'd order that again and perhaps go with a pizza. One thing I will say is at the time we went it was extremely loud and difficult to even try to enjoy due to lads screaming to the top of their lungs. Hopefully it isn't like that normally as it sure makes for an unpleasant dining experience. read more

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Pizza is good! Service is good! Prices are reasonable and staff is friendly and alert. Lots to choose from. Nice interior. Clean restrooms.