Great food and amazing service nice quiet spot. Thanks for a great meal. Looking forward to the next visit.

I've been to Max's several times. The food and service are always great. It has a well kept modern version of an old time bar where everyone is friendly. The eating areas are equally nice and fairly quiet. read more

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I have not been here in years so we decided to go here for a Saturday night date. The resturaunt is located in a very historic building in Gloucester City and has great charm. They have their own dedicated parking lot caddy corner from the building. As you walk in, the entrance is in the bar area. It is an old style bar and has woodworking from the early 1900's. The dining room has natural brick walls and it's decorated simply so the ambiance here is excellent. This was the first place I had ever had Thai coconut mussels. I was young back then and hadn't yet opened my eyes to new food experiences or flavors. The waitress then talked me into it. I had been looking for that same flavor I received back then so we started with drinks and the Coconut Thai Mussels. My lovely date ordered the Pomegranate Martini and I had the apple cider Mule. Both were delicious. Her drink was poured table side from the bartender himself (who had to Come into the dining room) I'm sure because he wanted to get a second look at my beautiful date. My drink was brought to me by the teenage boy who was waiting on us, but who can blame the bartender, she did look amazing. Now for the Mussels, they lived up to my memory and expectations. They were an amazing experience of savory, sweet and spicy. The broth itself was worth going there alone. I could have drank it with a spoon..... I think I actually did. We had to order a second helping of bread to soak up that amazing deliciousness. The entrees came out and my date ordered the Steak Theresa, cooked rare in a mushroom Demi glaze with crabmeat, accompanied with garlic mashed potatoes and asparagus. The mushrooms seemed to be canned, not fresh and the Demi glaze was just okay. My entree was the stuffed flounder with vegetables and mashed potatoes. The flounder was tasty but the filling was just okay. The mashed potatoes were fine, seasoned well, but the vegetables were actually really good. Overall the drinks, appetizer and my date started the night off as a solid 5/5 stars, once the meals came out it dropped it down to a 3.5/ 5. The service was really good and so was the ambiance. If we had just gone for drinks and apps then it would have been a 5 star review. I would go back , but I would order something different next time or completely skip the entrees. My lovely lady loves her some chocolate, but the dessert menu didn't strike her interest so we called it a night. read more

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Very good Fresh Friendly The restaurant is as good as ever Prices reasonable No specials Wine good Nice martini read more

Great experience for a cousin's birthday dinner. Service was impeccable & food was delicious. We shared a shrimp cocktail & crab dip as appetizers. Both were delicious. The size of the shrimp was amazing! I had the stuffed flounder which was a perfect size portion. The vegetables were cooked as perfectly as the fish. My husband had the seafood special that was over linguine. They provided a large amount of seafood on his entree. Dessert was one of the best cream brûlée I have ever had! Thank you for a wonderful meal! read more

I have not been here in a few years. But i know they are known for mussels. so I ordered mussels and linguini. The sauce was so very bland! the mussels were mushy. so very disappointed! Sorry Max's but you need to think about your sauce. read more

This is such a rustic neighborhood eatery that oozes charm! The brickwork inside amidst the woodwork and layout of the restaurant was very eye pleasing. The service was impressive and the staff very accommodating. Our oysters were so fresh, the Roasted Clams, and soups were all well priced and portions were good. Max's can do it all. One had a Chilean Se Bass that was truly awesome, one enjoyed the Freshly Fried Platter and another had one of the best Chicken Parm dinners they've had (from a seafood restaurant)! Deserts and coffee were just as good as the rest of our meals and we will definitely be back. Highly recommend! read more

I wish I could have tried their food. Made reservations on Open table for 5 Dec. 30, 2020 for 2pm. Received confirmation number mad when we went to the restaurant it was closed with no notice. Their sign out front said they are open at 11:30. Google said they are open 10:30am. Yelp said they were open at 2pm. Open table said they were open at 2pm. Their Facebook page said they were open at 2:30pm and their phone message said they open at 4pm. Which is it? Why was I allowed to confirm reservations at 2m? Sorry but in this day of 2020 going into 2021 restaurants need to be on social media and have their information accurate. There is no excuse. You will lose business. read more

Max's Seafood Cafe - Seafood Near Me - Gloucester City, New Jersey

I dined at Max's after a half marathon that morning. My friend and I were headed to run another half marathon. Max's was en route. I would describe it as a neighborhood joint that feels comfortable yet offers cuisine better than might be expected. I also picked it because my wife and I are watching old episodes of Hart to Hart, and their major domo is named Max. I would recommend this namesake. We made our own surf and turf. I ordered the special, arctic char, which came atop risotto with spinach. My friend ordered steak, two medallions accompanied by mashed potatoes and Brussel sprouts. We cleaned our plates. I had a bit of leftover risotto, actually. My friend, however, is reliable in following parental instructions to finish all the food served you. We were there early, 5:30, because we were hungry from the exertion. Even though we'd had a calorie laden unhealthy lunch following the race, we were ready to eat again. The place filled up fast. By the time we were leaving, almost all the tables were full. It looked like a good place for a date. I'm guessing many of the other patrons were there for a romantic occasion. The servers were attentive and efficient. read more

Extremely expensive. Ordered the bacon wrapped scallops. Received two medium bacon wrapped scallops for $18. I guess I should have asked more questions about the appetizer. The restaurant is very nice inside and the food is very good. read more

Perfect 10. We will going back alot. My cousin is a gourmet chef in Stove Vermont. I know a Perfect 10. Max's is it.

At first, I was not happy that the online menu doesn't match the restaurant menu...I had my heart set on scallops. Also not happy that there weren't any specials or wines by the glass. BUT, the food was excellent and HOT!!! (I'm a stickler for hot food!) We had the calamari app, which was cooked perfectly and served immediately! We also had the meatballs app-excellent meatballs; excellent sauce!!! For dinner, my son had the fra diavolo and loved it! The pasta was cooked perfectly and the sauce was the right amount of spice (and not just hot for the sake of being hot). My husband had the pescatore and really enjoyed it! I got over my want of scallops and had the stuffed flounder. While the flounder could have used a bit of seasoning, it was still delicious and HOT!! Note to chef: I've been in fine dining for 35 years and do not like the trend of serving food when it's ready instead of serving the table all together. Please get your timing down and serve tables singularly and not dishes 3 minutes apart. Thanks! read more

Delicious food! Excellent Service. Live music that was really good. We kept wondering why it was not more packed! Wine by the bottle that was very reasonably priced. Great spot! Take your friends and go! read more

Was there for Valentine's Day ordering their prefixed menu. Everything was average right down the middle not good nor bad. Food was slightly above average. Service was good. Tables were very close together not much room. Prices were average for what we received. read more

Great service and even better food. The mussels are are a must, best we've ever head. Only thing not impressed with was their drink menu and drinks but the food makes up for that. read more

My new favorite spot in South Jersey. Dollar oysters on Wednesdays with a nice selection. Best oysters I've had in NJ. Tried multiple items from the menu and all were delicious. Atmosphere itself is worth a visit. This place is a hidden gem. read more

Went to Max's for the first time this week for a small lunch with 22 family members on the advice of a funeral home director. None of us are from the area. This place was amazing. Tom, the owner, worked with me in advance on a shortened menu and was fantastic to deal with, always getting back to me and accommodating all my requests. The restaurant wasn't even open at the time we needed to be there, were in a really nice private area. Our server, Sheri, was fantastic, pleasant, friendly and professional. The food was amazing. The whole family was happy, complimentary and well fed. Couldn't have asked for more and the price point was perfect for a lunch menu. Very, very happy. Great job. read more

Wow! Words can hardly describe how truly horrible the food was at this place. Every single thing we ordered was a disappointment. The lobster bisque tasted like water and powered creamer mixed together with no sign of any kind of seafood for miles! The clam chowder was so salty that they must of accidentally spilled the entire container of salt into the pot. And to top it all off, the $30 stuffed shrimp consisted of THREE shrimp (not stuffed with anything), old microwaved yellow rice, and undercooked Vegetables I'd pick Popeyes over this place anyway! Avoid! read more

Very rude !! We had one round of drinks ! Total rip off !! 3 beers and one mixed drink 32$ My girlfriend is a bartender and asked for an Apple martini. The female bartender had to tell the boy bartender how to make it and She didn't like it my girlfriend asked the bartender for a beer instead . After that they told us we had to leave . We were the only ones there . The four of us are older people not kids and we were insulted . If they wanted to close early they should have said so . Very pissed off never go there again !! Awful place ! Now I know why they are empty all the time ! Their customer service Sucks read more

Very good, All the people I was with raved about the food. Especially the ribs. I appreciated the vegan meatballs. However, it would be nice if a vegan entree was listed on the menu. I made my own meal, asking for pasta and vegan meatballs on top. read more

continuation... Another young woman is standing behind the bar with her coat on, she immediately says I will get your check, then she comes back to my table and asks how everything was and as I am explaining to her what we went through, our server comes running and screaming through both dining rooms waving the check in the air, saying, it's right here. The manager still in her coat, grabs the check, apologizing, then the server interrupted the conversation that I was having with the other manager and said, Now what's wrong? Ha! I said, I'm just explaining to her how horrible the dining experience was and the server said oh, Tom already talked to her and the lady in the coat set the check back on the table. Michael ordered a coke, which was never refilled and I had water, yet we witnessed table after table getting refills galore, some three times. Cold, soggy food, forgotten meals rang in well after the other food finally arrived, our meals and "service" took four times as long as any one else. Two, single stall restrooms that the employees use as well, both are unisex. First time I ever witnessed Michael only having a few bites of a cheesesteak, he always finishes it. If I lived in the area I would order take out from them as often as I could, I really would like to return just to try more dishes and relive some of the ones we had, but that will be a very difficult decision, as the service totally destroys the whole experience and the owner just does not care. I left 0% gratuity and little does she know, I am one of the best tippers that walk though restaurants doors. I was fuming when I left. read more

A hidden gem. If you'd like a perfectly cooked and nicely served seafood meal, I heartily recommend Max's. We called last minute on Fathers Day and had the BEST meal ever!! Can't wait to go back. read more

Max's Seafood Cafe - Max's Seafood Cafe - Seafood Near Me - Gloucester City, New Jersey

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My husband and I visited Max's today to celebrate our anniversary. We had the entire restaurant to ourselves. We love the atmosphere at Max's; feels like city dining without driving over the bridge. Our server was attentive and quick with the drink refills. (Love that Max's serves Coca-Cola products and has a full bar.) I ordered the Butternut Squash Soup which was sooo flavorful. Yum! Salads are super small, but love the fresh house made dressings; blue cheese being my personal favorite. Husband loves the Caesar. Tried the sun dried tomato balsamic today. Very good! I had the crab cakes. Two small to medium size cakes with a good amount of crab and a good amount of filler. Not terrible, but not worth $24. Crab cakes came with a tiny portion of spinach and a nice portion of mushroom risotto. I love risotto and was really looking forward to it. Unfortunately, it was so bland I couldn't get more than two spoonfuls down. Very disappointing. Absolutely zero flavor?? My husband had the crab-stuffed shrimp with the mushroom risotto. Three butterflied shrimp with crab filling on top. Good, but again, not worth $24. He chose the mushroom risotto as his side and was as disappointed as I over the lack of flavor and seasoning. At these prices, Max's needs to step up its game! read more

Delicious, romantic, reasonably priced. We enjoyed a Father's Day lunch here and it was amazing!! Every morsel we ate was absolutely enjoyable. Tucked in a neighborhood, this restaurant is a total gem. With old hardwood floors and a long, well stocked bar you can feel the atmosphere as soon as you walk through the heavy wood and glass door. Tables are beautifully set and the menu is very exciting. The hardest thing was narrowing our choices down! We started with mussels. Our server suggested the Thai sauce. She was 100% correct! The portion size was surprisingly generous! Amazing starter. Caprese flatbread, marinara with meatballs and Frutti de Mare came next. I can't say enough good things about the entrees!! The Frutti de Mare was loaded with mussels, clams, shrimp, calamari, and scallops. I had it with the white sauce and ate every bite!! Highly recommend!! read more

Max's Seafood Cafe - Mussels! They were delicious! Thai sauce. - Seafood Near Me - Gloucester City, New Jersey

Max's is a really enjoyable place to have dinner, along with the live music and delicious food. I've been meaning to come here since I moved to SJ last year. I had gotten here before the crowd started rolling in on a Saturday night. I liked how the bartender seemed to know almost everyone that walked thru the door. I chose the bar table instead of dining room for my first go around. You get to people watch a bit, and the band was close. Our picks of the night: mussels in red sauce, clams casino, and lobster mac & cheese. The mussels were piled high, with a perfectly seasoned broth with just the right kick. The clams were savory. The mac was good, but I personally thought it needed more sauce and of course more lobster never hurts ;) I'll venture out and try a couple of different IPA's next time, but I stuck with a current favorite Yards Pale Ale. read more

This is one of our favorite places and we drive an hour to dine here. If you like mussels, this is just the start of a great dinner. I won't eat mussels anywhere else. There's a fantastic variety. I've never had anything on the menu that wasn't delicious...appetizers, seafood, steaks, pasta...you name it, it's great! The restaurant is so charming with a beautiful antique bar area. We've had large parties here and the service was wonderful. They have fun live music on the weekends. Max's has everything. Whenever I suggest dinner to our friends and family, they always say... "Max's" read more

Our Friday at Max's was met with nice drinks, good food and a new bartender "Dave" who was personal, warm and welcoming! Dave's french martini was perfectly chilled and was so good it required me to have another!! Dave also poured Guinness correctly which is a huge plus with us as we have become Guinness snobs. Dave engaged customers in conversations and a nice big smile !! Dave is certainly a nice addition to the bartending staff ! read more

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Our first experience here and will have to go back for a second opinion. Maybe they had an off night.... This place has potential to be great. Flavors are there, but a lot of the dishes just tasted watered down. Thai Style Mussels-could have been bigger, more curry flavor would have been perfect and less watered down or just to have a thicker sauce consistency, flavors between spicy and citrusy made this appetizer stand out and would definitely order again with some small tweaks. Also got the steamers, but enjoyed the flavors in the mussles much more. The steamers were a nicer size than the mussels, however. Rare tuna spring rolls-not a fan, the dish was a little heavy for my liking. Too much else going on but the tuna. Would of really liked to have the tuna be the star of the appetizer, less of the spring roll wrapper and less filling would have made this a stand out appetizer as well. Read about the mussel bisque and had to try but very disappointed when we got it. Was not thick at all, very watered down. A little bland in my opinion. Shrimp cocktail martini-Very large shrimps! We were pleased with this. I got the crab cake entree and was not impressed. I like my crab cakes to have full pieces of jumbo lump meat in it. Although the crab cake didn't have much filling and more crab meat than most other places, i've had much better elsewhere. My dad got the soft shell crab special and this was great. Loved the salsa they topped it off with. Great balance of flavors. My husband got the fried seafood dish. I'm not a fan of fried seafood but he seemed to really enjoy it. Will definitely go back just to make sure they weren't having an off night. Reading all of the other positive reviews, will give this place another try. Overall, it was just a good place but nothing to be remembered. read more

We stopped into Max's the other night and had a very good dinner, with great service from Stacy. We were greeted and promptly seated and even though it was live music night in the bar, we were stall able to enjoy dinner and conversation without yelling - kudos for that. The food: The long hots were fantastic, the steamers, the raw blue point and the 'Thai' style mussels were all delicious. The Thai mussels were likely in a red curry-coconut sauce from what I could taste and were truly delicious - more Indonesian/Malaysian to my palate but when it's this delicious, who cares? The entrées didn't disappoint either - the crab cakes, the frutti di mare, jambalaya and the pork porterhouse were all delicious and the serving sizes were generous. Dessert was probably our least favorite, the bread pudding was served cold and was quite heavy and my choice of vanilla bourbon gelato wasn't available so cinnamon gelato was suggested and while it was good, the cinnamon was a bit heavy after the third spoonful. All in all, the drinks were very good, the food very good and the service was very good so I would definitely recommend Max's and would go back again. read more

We just moved to town a few months ago, and visited Max's last night. What a beautifully appointed place. Classic woodwork, tiled floors, pressed tin ceilings. Just beautiful. We had a few drinks and some delicious steamers. The band was fantastic too. Going to be going back again for Taco Tuesday. $2.00 fish tacos ! read more

Loved this place. A classic neighborhood restaurant with great food, casual and friendly, with a classic old bar at the front. The corner door makes it. read more

Great bar. Excellent food. A little pricy but worth it. Friday night music with Fran smith jr of the hooters is great Sometimes the bar gets crowded and uncomfortable. The bar menu is good. I've never had a bad meal there read more

I took a chance and ordered the filet mignon dinner with risotto and vegetables. The brussels sprouts were a bit overcooked but not bad. The risotto was tasty, but I was blown away with how outstanding the filet was. One of the best steaks I've had in a long time...and from takeout?! The shrimp cocktail was very good, a little bit expensive but I guess that's the norm. I was just really excited at how good the experience was overall and will order again. read more

First time here the staff at the bar was great in greeting us. The regulars are friendly too. I had the coconut shrimp which were good, just a bit too dark, my baby had the Crab cake with salad dish. One thing that I liked was that my ginger ale was in a jar!!! I plan to good back and check out more on the menu read more

Max's Seafood Cafe - Coconut shrimp - Seafood Near Me - Gloucester City, New Jersey

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Without a doubt, THE BEST MUSSELS!! We absolutely love going to Max's! It is a treasure right in Gloucester. It has a wonderful decor with an amazing vintage bar from last century. The food is always outstanding. They have an extensive menu, but you must start with the mussels. We always get the Red and Spicy, but the Irish are out favorite. I really don't eat mussels at any other restaurant, but I love the way they are prepared at Max's! The steamed clams are delicious, as are the steaks, tuna and salmon. Tom and Michelle do a great job offering wonderful wines at exceptional prices. We have been going as a family for years and have never had anything but exceptional food and service! read more

Max's Seafood Cafe - Getting ready to enjoy the best mussels anywhere!! - Seafood Near Me - Gloucester City, New Jersey

I'm back at Max's AGAIN! The food is amazing here! But they outdid themselves tonight! What a great way to start the new year, with a huge dish of classic style muscles!!! Everything we've eaten on the menu is FRESH & full of flavor! Im from Hawaii and I have to say the seafood dishes here beat the same at home! Especially the muscles! I don't even eat muscles usually:) my 13 year old daughter was with me tonight & she devoured the huge serving plus some of mine! The hot crab dip & buffalo shrimp & cauliflower were also amazing!! This is really a hidden gem! read more

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Excellent food, great staff, and a friendly atmosphere. I would definitely recommend eating here if you are in the mood for great seafood !

The first time there. The bar tender literally disappeared for 15 min the. Finally took our drink order and left again for 20 mins. Couldn't even sit down when my table was ready until I paid the drink tab. Then our waiter was nice but over worked manning 4 tables. Food was average and not hot at all She had the cedar planked salmon And I the lobster stuffed ravioli. Calamari appetizer was not good at all @Max's please get more staff for a Saturday night. And serve food hot lastly get more alcohol at your bar no mango or amaretto mixes avail ? read more

We hadn't been to Max's in quite a while; we decided to stop in for dinner tonight via an OpenTable res. There is a small parking lot that is catty-cornered from the building where you can park your ride......or you can do street parking. Max's has an excellent wine selection (with quite a few bottles in the $20 - $25 range). They have a fairly decent beer menu (American craft beers, Belgium, Germany, UK, etc.). Our server (John) was very good. He was friendly, attentive and professional. He gave us the right mix of attention and space. Our bus-person (Marcellus) was on-point; our water glasses were continually refreshed and our plates were cleared quickly between meals. We were more in the mood for comfort food so we decided to hit up some of the usual suspects: - BBQ pulled pork dumplings: Very good - Mac & Cheese: It was horrible. It was large penne pasta with no cheese on top or even mixed-in the middle.... the only cheese was a watery bath at the bottom of the dish. Our server took this item off the check. - Filet Mignon: was cooked perfectly, the Demi-glace were tasty & didn't overpower the taste of the filet. - Crab Cakes: a little on the petite size but they were very good; all crab with little filler, the way I like em'. We enjoyed our meal and will return again. We may stop-in for some afternoon drinking at the bar sometime. read more

Just... Delicious! My wife heard about this place from a friend so we decided to go on a Sunday afternoon, around 4:30. When we walked in I was blown away by the decor and the smell. Beautiful woodwork and old world charm. The restaurant was empty at this time which I assume was because of the early hour. We were seated right away and our server was very attentive and helpful. We had a wonderful bottle of Chilean pino noir, which was priced right, at $20. I started with dozen Cape May salt oysters and they were fresh and delicious. My wife and son started with mussel bisque and they were both very happy. I tried it and it was flavorful and fresh. Fresh bread kept coming with herbed butter and olive oil. Even the olives were amazing. My wife and I both got the seafood Alfredo and let me tell you, it was the best thing I've eaten in a very long time.. I cleaned my bowl so well about waiter joked that I "must not have liked it very much." My son got the calamari and it was fried to perfection with two very good dipping sauces. To finish the meal, I got the creamsicle cake and my wife got some kind of strawberry, blueberry cream cake... Both were amazing. Over all I have to say, we were all pretty blown away by everything we ate and were very happy with our friendly server. To top it all off, I think the entire bill was $115 for all three of us. We may have found a new favorite... We WILL be back. read more