Fantastic food, service and atmosphere! The new owners have taken things to the next level.

Great food, great view of the lake. Under new ownership and everything is still great and the small changes have made it better. The menu is good for kids. The staff is well trained and friendly. This is one of okoboji's standards. Great for the family, formal night, or just want awsome food. read more

Well, we spoke to them yesterday and they said takeout would be available today. I call at 4pm today to order and they said call back at 5. I do, and they said "we decided not to do talks out tonight because we expect to be busy in house". Really? read more

Last time this place was less then par with a more then bloody burger, after another visit I was surprised with the changes, food is great and is a local favorite. read more

Always good, loved the Italian nachos! Wonderful wine selection!! Great service! Love, love love the Norwegian Salmon! Also, did a remarkable thing and closed for two weeks voluntarily to help slow spread of Covid! Will always get my business! read more

Great location & outdoor patio. Appetizers were good (shrimp cocktail and a margarita flatbread). Main meals on the patio weren't as good as the apps, but worth it for the location. read more

If I could leave less than one star I would. We received the most disrespectful service at this over priced restaurant. We went there for dinner as a group for a friend's birthday, and a US Veteran reunion. Two of the steaks that were ordered were very overdone. When we asked the server to have them sent back and redone, the manager proceeded to pull our pregnant party member inside to prove that in fact they had cooked it correctly and that it was just the outdoor lighting that made it seem incorrect. After a 25 minute wait when the new steaks arrived, our pregnant party members' steak was covered in Cabernet sauce, of which she had ordered originally without. When she expressed again that it was not what she ordered, the manager insisted that it was good and that she should just eat it as is, not even offering to take it back again to make it right (this was a $40 filet, mind you). After a mistake was made on one of the parties' bills and it was brought to our servers attention, the manager came out and demanded to know if we were rude/mean to her because she came in crying. That server assured us that it had been a long day and that it wasn't us she was upset about. We did LOVE our server, she was fantastic! After collectively spending $400 one of our party members tried to speak to the manager about his disrespectful actions towards our party. We had people yell at him to get away from the the kitchen and the owner got involved and wanted to know what else had gone wrong besides our steaks being incorrectly done. The manager then placed his hand on our pregnant members lower back and when asked that he not touch her, he replied that he was escorting her out. She replied that she did not need to be escorted out, that obviously she was not drunk. He then remarked " Oh, I guess I didn't get you drunk off of the Cabernet sauce after all". Never have we ever experienced this amount of disrespect at such a "high end' establishment. Would absolutely not recommend. read more

Staff were all very pleasant and helpful. Indoor and outdoor seating. Outdoor both covered and uncovered. Indoors, tables are covered in white tablecloths and napkins are white cloth. Tables aren't crammed together, good spacing. A good, wide view of the lake. The water they brought to the table was infused with lemon. I ordered unsweetened brewed iced tea. I'm used to getting your basic black tea when I order this. This one had some slight undertone of raspberry and/or lemon. Not strongly, just not what I want. I let the waitress know that she could just take it away, it wasn't what I liked. She offered to bring me a second glass to see if it was better. I hesitated and she said that she would just bring it. When she brought it, she said to see what I thought, but that they wouldn't charge me for it either way. It was the same taste. We ordered a Maxburger to split, well done. It came with your choice of two toppings (3 cheeses, bacon, or mushrooms). We chose swiss cheese and sauteed mushrooms. It also came with soup, coleslaw, chips or fries. We chose fries. The burger was great, with good flavor in the cheese. A well-balanced combination. The fries had a light coating and good seasoning. We enjoyed them. We arrived a little after noon on a Wednesday in the last week of the season. So a slower time of the year. There were never very many there, but business picked up as we were there. Service was slower than some places, but the resort atmosphere means you usually aren't on a deadline and so you don't mind the pace. The waitress showed us the dessert tray. When we decided not to order, the waitress said, "No problem. It was my pleasure to show you the dessert tray." Very classy! read more

Sadly, this restaurant provided the best meal of my three day stay in okoboji. I dined at five different restaurants while attending the Victory rally and the service and quality of food was severely lacking at all of the other establishments. I dined on the patio and the service was perfect. Having been burned at all previous attempts at local dining in the area, I ordered a simple cheeseburger and fries which were cooked to perfection. Since that was so good, I also ordered desert which was properly presented with some flair and tasted delicious. I may have to restrict my future dining in this area to this restaurant alone. Great view of the lake and the location couldn't have been better. read more

Wilted!! You would think that in the Great Lakes area that the salads would be fresh and tasty, but it was all wilted. The food was just mediocre, as was the service, although the portions were large. Maxwell's owners were in the restaurant and could have added a touch of home town appeal by greeting diners. read more

This was the third time we've dinned on the patio at Maxwell's, and the first time this season. Our other two experiences were great, but it had been just about a year since we last visited. I made reservations, as two weeks before there was a 40 minute plus wait for walk-ins. We arrived and were greeted promptly and friendly by the host staff, we had requested the patio and we were seated at a table near the outside entrance where guests walk up to the podium to request seating. This was not a good start, my chair stuck out a bit and was constantly getting knocked by the guests and the wait staff, and then there was the traffic of guests walking up and requesting seating, which was tolerable until a large party of 10 walked up and proceeded to argue and cause a big scene about the restaurant not accommodating them for dinner. This ruined the mood of what was supposed to be a romantic and fun night out for my boyfriend and I. The group all stood around near our table and complained about how they were being treated and eventually the manager got involved and caved into accommodating the group. However I digress... the server greeted us quickly and asked for our drinks. she had a slightIy annoying habit of say "of course" to everything we asked, accept where it mattered (more on this further down), I would like to note our table was dirty, even had a bit of some leftover carrot, which she made no acknowledgement of, one menu had been placed on the table and she promptly brought us another one. The drinks arrived and she asked if we were ready to place our order...we had decided on a couple appetizers to share as the menu is quite expensive.... $32.00 for their special. We are talking "Beach Cafe" not the Ritz here folks. Initially, we had decided on the Italian Nachos and the Flatbread, my boyfriend has a bad garlic allergy and we asked if we could please have the flatbread prepared without it, she said she didn't "think so". Saying they were really busy (which they were not, several empty tables) and the kitchen had prepared many of the dishes ahead of time??? I asked if she could please check with the chef and without checking (still standing at the table), she said they would not be able to do that... so in just a minute she went from I don't think so (which is a pet peeve of mine, you either know or you don't) to they would not be able to do that... unacceptable. If you are charging a 5 star dining experience, you should treat your guests like they are dining at a 5 star restaurant and accommodate their needs, heck even Red Lobster will make their Garlic Cheese Biscuits without garlic if you ask them. Moving on, we settled on the Italian Nachos and the Insulata Caprese Napoleon. The food came out in a reasonable amount of time, and I have to say the Italian Nacho's were awesome and worth the $10.00 menu price, however the Caprese was disappointing, the dish was $11.00 and was served on a small salad plate with only 3 slices of the tomato cheese stacks.. $11.00??? i felt completely violated... a good server knowing we were sharing these appetizers would have mentioned that it contained only 3 slices. Even so, a complete rip off, the profit margin on this is probably 95%. I'll mention. I'm a Italian and this was NOT an Italian acceptable portion. So my take on the experience was this... during our entire meal we had the distraction of the upset customers looming around our table and a server was not very personable or helpful. The nachos were great, although ruined with the skimpy Caprese Salad which was over priced, very disappointing, and left me feeling like I was totally taken advantage of! What would have made this a good experience, a seat away from the walk away of unhappy guests and in a position where my seat wasn't being constantly clobbered by guests and staff. A more experienced and accommodating wait staff who treats customers as people and shows genuine concern and anticipation of their needs. A small salad which I didn't just pay $11.00 for, ($3.75 per tomato/cheese slice) A clean table would have been nice, but not a deal breaker or really even worth the mention, except for the fact that together with all the other mishaps, it IS a big thing of small errors. Will we be back... NO! It's really too bad, I liked this place the previous couple of times we visited. However, this ruined it for us, we don't frequent the area much and drove about an hour to attend the weekend concert in Arnold's Park. This was supposed to be a special night out a treat to ourselves after a long week, but instead I left irritated, dissatisfied, and upset. The nice thing is, the Lakes is full of other establishments which will be happy to have our business. This was just not acceptable, they've lost our business for good. Do yourself a favor and move on, unless overpriced, non-accomidating service and a highly annoying atmosphere is what you're looking for! read more

I have been here 3 times now, always hoping it would get better. Was just there for lunch and had an awful hamburger! The burger fell apart and had a few hard pieces in it that I had to spit out. My husbands was raw in the center and cold. I will not go there again... three strikes you are out. On the bright side though, they did offer gluten free penne mac and cheese on the kids menu that was homemade. This item was very good! Funny that my 1-1/2 year old had the best meal! The prices are outrageous for the quality of food. I have had better tasting hamburgers from Culvers! I have ordered salads in the past too that was sub-par. The decor is sad too. read more

We went for dinner there last night. The quality of food has really gone down hill. It's very overpriced for what you get. We got the sushi appetizer there just wasn't much to it and not a lot of flavor. One of us got the grouper special - the fish was undercooked, bland and only came with two spears of asparagus. The wedge salad hardly had any bacon on it and no tomatoes. Someone else got the Ahi tuna and that was very chewy. Would not go back. It's way overpriced and the quality of food it's not very good. read more

Upscale food prices, but low end chain restaurant quality. (Think Applebee's or Chili's) My GF ordered a prime rib and I had a sirloin. Both were not seasoned, and we could have easily gotten better cuts at our local Fareway. You are paying for the lake view and the location near the entrance at Arnold's Park amusement park. Take a hard pass on this one. read more

Just an amazing fine dining experience. Worth the price. Beautiful location right on the water. Steaks are some of the best I've had! Apps are really good too! read more

Beautiful setting at Arnolds Park. Disappointed with the inattentive service and mediocre food. Sadly, this was a favorite spot for years. Hope they get their luster back. read more

Nachos were delicious. Don't get the southwestern wrap. No avocado...was a salad in a wrap. Needed more chicken as well.

I have been coming to Boji for years and just recently tried Maxwell's.. and I'm not sure I would want to go back. The location is perfect, right in the heart of Arnold's park. But the food is really pricey and not amazing... although, atmosphere is great and the staff are very good! I got the colossal shrimp and it was almost ~watery~. It was pretty bland too. It needed more of a sauce to tie together the flavors. It was just noodles, tomatoes (and their natural juices) and shrimp. I just don't think it was worth $28. read more

I am absolutely astounded at how my mother and I were treated at this establishment. We were standing at the host stand and both a manager and a server completely ignored us. As both of them walked away without acknowledging we were there, I simply said, "Hello." You would think this would be met with a friendly reply, but instead, the manager looked directly at us and continued to walk away. When it was convenient for him to walk back to the host stand, with the restaurant nearly empty, he greeted us with, "Please don't be rude." I immediately replied with, "I think we are going to have a nice day somewhere else," to which the manager said, "Good, and don't come back." I was floored. As someone who has worked in the service industry for 20 years, if I ever spoke to a guest like that, completely unprovoked, I would be fired on the spot. Not a good approach for a restaurant in a resort community. read more

Really Great food! We have eaten at Maxwell's twice and loved it both times. We had a large group both times. Everything was served quickly, at the same time, and was enjoyed by all. Great atmosphere with views of the lake. Casual dining on the patio and formal dining in the dining room. The best of both world! read more

Family visited Maxwell's earlier this week while on vacation. We sat outside on the patio but were not able to have an umbrella (not sure why). Overall, the food was good. Our table ordered the prime rib panini, southwestern turkey wrap, maxburger, one of the chicken sandwiches and the kids grilled cheese sandwich. The kids grilled cheese was extremely dry, zero butter was used on the sandwich, it was dry toast with melted cheese. As others have said, prices are a bit on the high side. read more

I love this place and make a point to stop for lunch every year when I visit Arnold's Park. Food is great.

The food was good. The prime rib and walleye were the best. The salads were a bit plain. The screened deck and service was outstanding. read more

We had lunch out ok the patio; other than it being windy it was a perfect setting to sit and enjoy a meal with a lake view. Service was friendly and our food was brought quickly. I had the Tostada Salad which was quite tasty. read more

Hats off to the new owners! Our dinner was amazing! Our server, Hannah, made the evening very special. Great atmosphere! First class! My filet mignon was perfectly seasoned and cooked. Melted in my mouth! The salad, bread and appetizer were so good! Simply, a wonderful dining experience at Okoboji and one of the best I've had over 45 years (dining in nearly every major city in the USA and around the world in 17 countries. See you next summer! read more

Okay.... Maxwells is the best place to eat in all the Okoboji aera. I don't know what Bill C. Was talking about. The service is VERY fast. The price of Maxwells, yes a little pricey, but very worth the price. It has the best service and all the best people working there. So Maxwells is for sure the very best place in all of Okoboji and you should make plans to go there. Five stars!!! read more

Love the California Wrap and had the best chocolate dessert I have ever had! Great location and atmosphere.

Great food and great view! It is good for an upscale dinner out, but also still good for kids. They bring out the kids' meals on a frisbee!

We stopped by for lunch right as they were opening. We got a table on the patio right away but the place filled up quick! It was a weekday and there was a wait for a table within the first hour of opening. Our server was friendly and attentive. Our group ordered the burger, chicken sandwich, fish and chips, and the fish tacos and everyone was happy with their meal. We also had kids with us and ordered from the kid's menu. They were also happy with their food and liked the fact that their meal was served in a Frisbee. We would recommend this place to others. read more

Very good food, hats off to the chef and whoever came up with the recipes. 3 stars because the service was incredibly slow, we were the only ones there on a week day (besides maybe 2-3 parties outside) and it took about 45 minutes before we got any food. Their prices are comparable to other classy restaurants. read more

Best and most consistent place at the Iowa Great Lakes. Would love to see more variety with the special menu, but what an experience!!!!!

A good place if you want to celebrate an anniversary or taking your significant other for dinner it's a nice place but not where you need to wear a full suit. Prime rib was awesome and their Italian nachos are amazing. I had the shrimp scampi, but thought it was bland I wouldn't get it again. read more