Max Bar and Restaurant

Restaurant with terrace, located close to city center. Mediterranean food choice with fresh products. Fast and very friendly staff. At season oysters are very good choice.

Lovely dinner, drinks and fantastic service. The waiters are non stop moving and work hard to provide a great service. Looking forward to returning in the future.

Polite plesent little place. Food well cooked and presented. Good staff. Needs functioning air conditioning.

Food was absolutely amazing! We had the lamb shanks, chicken involtini and the vodka pasta and all 3 were delicious. Highly recommend

we came here on the australia day, most of the shops were closed and the boss offered us free coffee so we entered the restaurant. we ordered a french toast and a max big breakfast but both are unsatisfactory! my french toast was soaked in a pool of maple syrup which was wayyy too sweet. my friend’s max big breakfast was plentiful, but not made with heart. disappointed :(

Went here after being in town shopping prior to Christmas. Very busy but seemed to have a number of staff working. Certainly at least two people making sure that customers were sat and tables cleared. However, most of the emphasis seemed to be on getting people to sit down. Then there was a long wait for a drinks order to be taken or a food order. Several tables around us had the same problem attracting staff attention. Once the drinks order taken, these did arrive promptly as did the food. Food quite nice, although I distinctly asked for the avocado to be removed. It wasn’t. The menu is quite extensive although whether there are additions or specials is anyone’s guess as we were not told. Did what dessert and coffee but as we could attract no attention, we left. I would suggest staff pay more attention to those who sit down wanting a meal, and perhaps less attention on spruiking and/​or rushing off into the lane way to greet another friend or relative that passes by.

Stumbled upon Max’s Bar and Restaurant late Thursday evening by chance. We were greeted straight away and immediately seated and told that even though the kitchen was to close within the next 15 minutes that they’d accommodate us and for us to take our time ordering.
They took our wine order, which arrived straight away as did our entrée for which we ordered a bread and dip trio. This was delicious, the bread fresh and the dips so tasty the entrée complimented our bottle of wine perfectly.
I ordered the lamb skewers with greek salad which was fantastic, best meal I’ve had in Melbourne the whole week. My girlfriend ordered the seafood paella which looked and tasted amazing also.
If your looking for a nice restaurant right in the centre of one of Melbourne’s side ally ways this is the place to go. With exquisite service, sensational food and a atmosphere the creates one of the best dining experiences in all of Melbourne. I highly recommend Max’s Bar and Restaurant.

Bad, bad, bad service. Mediocre food. If you have a hawker on the street to get you in the restaurant, then your service should at least be adequate. I was with out beverage for about 20 minutes. Once the food was dropped on the table, not once did a server check on us to see if we had everything. It wasn’t until I finally got the attention of a server, who turned out to be the owner, did he ask if I needed anything. He did try to make up the over site, but after sitting at the table with out water or beer for 20 minutes, I was ready to leave and move on with the evening. If the food was better (I ordered pizza, crust was doughy) then I might give this place another chance.

I’ve been to Max Bar and Restaurant a number of times and the main thing that keeps me coming back is the food. It’s modern and delicious and there’s usually something on the menu that everyone can enjoy. The occasional complimentary bread and drink is a nice touch when there’s so many options on the one street.
Atmosphere is not bad, can be very loud inside. Staff are usually delightful.
Only major downside is the toilet. For such a nice place the restrooms definitely need a major clean or even renovation.

With the promise of all our drinks of the night on the house we chose to have our dinner at max bar and restaurant. The food was alright but nothing fantastic. After we were seated we were told our first drink was free and we could choose from a very limited list of drinks. Staff we’re short with us, the heater was turned off halfway through dinner on a cold wet night, and then they attempted to overcharge us a few dollars for our meals. The kicker was the terrible busker across from us playing depressing music on a CD player and banging some drums along with the music which just made the whole experience unpleasant.
Would not eat here again.

I’m taking time out of my vacation to write this review. So, its not good.
The guys on the street selling this restaurant tell you that its free drinks and appies. I was sceptical but I had to see for myself. I got what I expected.
«Appies» mean some crappy, stale bread and «free drinks» mean 1 glass of ‘house’ shiraz that tastes like it was made in a bathtub.
When I mentioned to the manager that his advertising was misleading, he proceded to yell that I was obviously too stupid to understand thier business strategy.
Great service though, I sincerely hope that the girls find better employment soon.

A small restaurant with good food. Very casual environment. The food was well presented and served with minimum wait, but perhaps a little on the salty side. We were offered free wine. Overall we were quite satisfied.

Located right in the heart of the touristy part of Melbourne city, this place looks good on first take, but BEWARE they’re dodgy!
I ordered the Gorgonzola Gnocchi which was rich and delicious! I went here with a group during a work lunch and noticed that the pork belly ordered by one of my colleagues looked massive, and very good value for what it was.
If only they honoured their Unilocal special I would have rated the place higher, but these guys are pandhandlers and don’t seem to understand the connection between repeat business and honouring what they say they are going to do!

We ate here for a late lunch at the choice of another couple we were meeting as a once off. I had pigeon-​holed this place as a tourist trap (it’s not alone on Hardware Lane), and I wasn’t wrong.
Seated outside. Orders taken. Went with the safest pizza option I could find. I can’t even remember what because…
Over the course of the next hour I watched our waiter physically stand over one of the other wait staff and verbally abuse him on three separate occasions. On one of these occasions it was in the middle of Hardware Lane while another male yelled loudly to one of them men from inside. It was absolutely bizarre to see.
I heard the same waiter try to con a couple sitting next to us into having a coffee, it was a 30+ degree day. He told them it was scientifically proven that if you ate or drank something hotter than the temperature it was currently you’d feel cooler. He wasn’t joking.
The pizza I had wasn’t bad which was the most I could have hoped for.
I went inside to pay for our group. No-​one manning the counter. Dark, dingy, disorganised, utterly outdated and in need of some TLC. Kitchen staff came out to accept my payment.
I detest having staff anywhere hard-​sell me on something and I have even less patience for people who resort to foul language and mucho stand over tactics.
Versus every piece of high quality service I’ve had in Melbourne this was the polar opposite. My concern is how many overseas tourists get stuck here and form an opinion regarding service standards in this town based off of a single bad experience.
Hopefully I can prevent a few… Not recommended.

Found this place one night roaming Melbourne. And what a place!
The restaurant was quite busy when we arrived but that didn’t prevent them from providing us with outstanding professional service.
The menu has a great selection to choose
from. It was really quite difficult to choose.
I ended up choosing the risotto which was fantastic!
This restaurant is located down a little side ally filled with lots of other restaurants there is literally no space between each store. However this somehow creates part of the experience.
I would definitely recommend this restaurant.

Have been coming here for years, standard in food and service has dropped, complained about the duck risotto only to be told we have different chefs, next table was offered a 3 course deal, make sure you ask for it. Will be a while before i return.

This was our first restaurant we dined in when we visited Melbourne. It’s located in a popular alley where 6 or 7 restaurants are located. The pasta was excellent and a good size for my fiancé (which i had the pleasure of finishing for her coz it was quite a large portion), but the porterhouse steak dish was a little small. A $ 30 special on a Tuesday night allowed us an entrée and main each (which was a good price). Overall, very happy with the service and cost. Might be a little expensive on a Friday/​Saturday night.

Hardware Lane is a hit miss when it comes to food sometimes. This place is much more on the miss end of things though. The service was pretty poor, and the food was pretty average.

I love being a tourist in my own city. Not long ago I was looking for a restaurant to eat with my family and thought of trying out one of the most touristy lanes in the heart of the city, Hardware Lane. I have never fallen into the trap of the waiter who tries to incise diners into a restaurant but in the spirit of being a fake tourist I thought I would give it a go. We were enticed with a free glass of wine and ordered steaks and dessert. My mum being my mum had to send back her steak as it was not medium rare, although we were going to be late for a show she insisted on sending it back. Sadly my dessert which was a chocolate lava pudding erupted in the kitchen and never made it to my stomach. We did get an apology from the chef but still I feel that this must happen often. Defiantly a tourist trap.