Maxwells 148

Visited Maxwell’s for the first time last night with some friends. The consensus amongst us all is just «ok» at most. We dine out often and for the prices charged you would expect the food to be phenomenal and the service outstanding. Unfortunately Maxewell’s falls short on both ends. The service was slow and inattentive, which you could accept if the food was worth it but the food resulted as subpar. The establishment has potential but currently I’d say expect a big disappointment.

Overpriced mediocre food and drinks. Service was unnecessarily inattentive. Décor is dated and awkward. This dinner was the opposite of memorable. Spend your money at Chiara in Westwood if you want to splurge!

It was a nice intimate restaurant, the service was good enough and food wasn’t too bad. We ordered some appetizers which was delish but they messed up on my main dish. I had ordered Oruchiette balognese and ended up getting the lobster gnocchi which wasn’t a big deal and tasted ok.

wonderful cocktails, delicious food, and very friendly knowledgable staff

Yes this place is pricey but every bite was worth the money. My husband and I came here for a celebratory dinner and started with the Devils on horseback and risotto cake. The risotto cake was incredible! I could drink that cognac sauce. Devils were very tasty– only complaint would be there were 5 so we had to decide who would get the extra. ;) The warm rolls with cinnamon butter and chips with sweet chili sauce that came out while we were waiting were delicious. Best sweet chili sauce! I ordered the short rib raviolis and my husband got the gnocchi with lobster. Both meals were great. He said he’d have a hard time trying anything else next time we go! He also liked the specialty cocktail– a new old fashion. We ended the meal with the pavlova. The portion was huge with fruit, sorbet, and whipped cream. Very colorful. It was good but would try something different next time. Overall, great place for an upscale dinner! Service was a perfect speed and it was a nice night out. Highly recommend!

Dined last light and a month ago. Food was delicious both times. I had ribeye steak. In most restaurants steak is never perfect. The ribeye here was the best restaurant steak I have had in recent memory! Crab cake appetizer was also excellent. Friends raved about their meals as well. Cocktails were perfect and waitstaff provided a high level of service. Restaurant is a little pricey and noisy but will definitely return.

We came for a special night out with visitors and were very, very happy. They were easily able to accommodate my gluten allergy without missing a beat. Jacqueline, our server was exceptionally knowledgeable and super attentive. Jessica, the bar manager is a very competent sommelier. We were able to have an unrushed meal and really enjoy the experience.
We started with a cocktail. I had a Lampone Basilica, a basil raspberry tequila cocktail. A little sweet, but not off-​putting. Crisp and yummy. The BF had his preferred negroni. I followed mine up with the mango caipirinha. All were yummy. Other cocktail offerings were creative and looked like upscale twists on classic cocktails.
There were five of us for supper. We started with the charcuterie, oysters, Maine lobster cocktail, and Devils on horseback. This was more than enough for the table. Lobster cocktail was a big hit. All the joy but none of the work. The Devils on horseback were my favorite — made with prunes, cheese and of course, bacon. The charcuterie was a lovely mix of local cheeses and meats.
We couldn’t decide what to get for supper so we opted to get five entrees and eat family style. The restaurant was wonderful about accommodating such a request. We placed all the entrees in the middle of the table and each had a dinner plate to eat from. I had some of the Chilean sea bass and the filet. Yum! The chef/​owner, Eric came to the table to check in on our meal.
The table also had the gnocchi all’aragosta, rack of lamb, and bang bang shrimp. Everything was delicious. The consensus was the shrimp could have been spicier. I did not taste it, so I can’t personally comment.
Onto dessert: pavlova with berries and crème brûlée. OMFG. We’re still arguing over which was better. The crème brûlée was lemon with fresh strawberries. The pavlova was MASSIVE! It could have easily fed the entire restaurant. The crème brûlée had a fresh taste with a great, crisp top. The pavlova had a great vanilla flavor with tons of fresh berries. My only criticism would be that the merengue could be a little less dense.
Dessert beverages included the Inniskillin dessert wine and he had a Laphroaig 10 year. Both were very reasonably priced. The parents report the coffee was hot, as was the water for the tea (in a lovely pot served table side.) There was even a selection of sweeteners. ;-)
All in all, we can’t wait to come back. Over and over.

So only reason not a 5 because ac not working. Very good service. Very creative cuisine. Waiter, Ceto? Was knowledgeable. First time had honest to goodness shaved truffles. Yup, strip mall in Natick, MA. TRY IT, YOU WILL BE VERY PLEASANTLY SURPRISED.

This is probably the best restaurant in the Natick/​Framingham area. I like the food and the atmosphere and they have a great bartender. If you like good craft beers forget about it but wine and cocktails they do a nice job. (Come on guys bring in a Sclupin IPA) Been there 5 times and always good. Filet, shrimp and Sea Bass really nice and the portions are good. The only thing we didn’t like was they put Brie cheese all over our salad which ruined it. That and large pieces of bacon that weren’t chopped up were the only thing all 4 of us didn’t like. I really like the place. I gave it 4 stars because of the service — it’s never bad but it can be it or miss. The last time we went over female server was outstanding. She only works on weekends but what a difference she made. Lastly, it’s not cheap.

We visited our daughter in Natick from San Diego, CA. She was so excited about finding a GEM in Natick as they usual dine in Boston. To find a special restaurant so close to home would be amazing! The ambience was just lovely, warm and friendly atmosphere. The Martini’s were amazing as well as the wine and the wanton’s with 2 dips.
As we ordered we were excited about our appetizers and dinners to come!
Sadly to say we were SOooo disappointed, except for our daughter who ordered Chilean Sea Bass. My husband’s Gnocchi was so undercooked
Too firm and so heavy. My scallops were over cooked and dry! Our son-​in-​law ordered an Asian dish and was also disappointed. also our Calamari was so over cooked and tough. The worse we ever tasted, and it’s one of our favorite appetizers! The Soft Shell grabs were just ok.
To say the least we did not find a GEM, but an overpriced restaurant with food not up to expectations. However, Jackie our waitress was super…
Find a new chef!

I really wanted to like this place. So much so that this was our fourth visit. Metro west has so little in the way of good restaurants that I was excited when I heard about maxwells. The good… service has always been great. Very friendly and attentive. The «bread basket» is great with a fun selection. The bad… over priced. I don’t mind spending almost $ 30 on an entrée if it’s good, well cooked, and properly seasoned. Sadly that’s not the case here. Don’t get me wrong, all of the food is not «bad» but all the entrees are over priced by at least $ 10. We had a pork special once that literally was like shake n bake. Over cooked and dry. It was also hard to eat because of all the bones. I love a good bone in pork chop but this reminded me of the pork my mom would buy on sale at stop n shop as a kid in the 70s. Thin and loaded with fat and gristle. The drinks are okay but what’s up with serving them in giant water glasses? So bizarre, and takes away from the cocktail itself. The pad Thai is nothing special either. The burgers are good, but only worth it if you go on burger night when they are on special. So I don’t think we will be back. The service is the only saving grace. They always welcome us and the manager always check in. I like them so much I hate to write a bad review but I hope they read it and make some changes… metro west could use a good dinning spot.

Maxwell’s 148 is a first-​class dining experience that, sadly, ends with the taste of the food. I was impressed with the high-​level of attentiveness and the fine touches like the handsome china and silverware. But I left the restaurant wondering to myself, is anyone there actually tasting what’s coming out of the kitchen?
I’ll cite one emblematic example: I didn’t mind paying $ 38 for the pasta with truffles special, but what was the point when any subtle flavors that might have been there were drowned-​out by all that parmesean cheese?
Everything else I got was equally mediocre.
Maxwell’s 148 could be awesome, but somebody needs to pay attention to the food.

My wife and kids have been going to Maxwells 148 for years. Its an undisputed jewel of Natick. The food is fantastic, the service is superb, the ambiance is very pleasant. I thought it couldn’t get better, but i was wrong. The new owners have brought the restaurant to new height, move over DelFriscos and Mistral, Maxwells 148 is IT.

I had a lovely experience at Maxwells the other night. An important note; they are under new ownership and with Chef Eric taking care that all his guests are completely satisfied, you’ll not only have a great meal but also respect the dedication of his staff. Our waitress knew the Chef’s menu inside and out, not to mention all of the ingredients that went into each meal we inquired about. So from a service standpoint they are spot on.
As for the meals themselves, I opted for the chicken marsala. Unfortunately the chicken was too tough and the marsala sauce too thick. When Chef Eric asked how our meal was I told him my concern and he quickly brought me a new entre of my choice. I chose the chicken pad Thai instead and it was incredible! Really appreciated the effort…
Also love their complimentary wantons and bread basket! Will be back with friends!

Love the food, atmosphere and every attention to detail. Fun to go with friends or date night. Awesome, delicious food every time. Highly recommend it

Just had dinner at Maxwell’s. We have been living in the area for years and avoided it because of some old reviews that were negative. BIG MISTAKE. I don’t know what changed but it was wonderful. We split a salad, I had a porcetta special and my wife had the Kaffir scallops. Both were delicious, with unique flavors and perfectly done. We split a bread pudding special dessert which my wife (who doesn’t like bread pudding) loved. I had a Negroni which was perfectly mixed and the wines were excellent and reasonable. Our waitress Tyla was professional and attentive. The owner came by several times to speak with us. It was clear the staff enjoyed working there. The only reason for ⁴⁄₅ is that I am very jaded. It takes a lot to get a 5. Nevertheless, they came close. If I could I would give them a 4.5. We will definitely go back.

Meh. So I was excited when I saw the menu. I like truffle fries, I like red curry and thai basil.
Menu gets a 10. Execution gets a 2.
The prices are absolutely ridiculous and not at all in line with the experience. $ 9 for a bottle of water? $ 10 for a side of fries? $ 30 for three scallops and some eggplant slices?
You’re in Natick, not on Nantucket.

I have been to this hidden gem three times, and have yet to be disappointed! I strongly recommend the lobster gnocchi, just as long as you enjoy lobster (duh) cream sauces or alfredo, and mushrooms… All three I cant get enough of. Also, the portion of lobster is more generous than expected. The service is exceptional and its nice to see that the chef makes his way around to see that all his guests are enjoying the food…
Dont be deterred by the look of the outside. It is quite a pleasant surprise once inside.

My son took me here for a birthday/Mother’s Day celebration. The service and the food were both out of this world! The waitress went above and beyond to treat us right. She even put birthday candles in my dessert. :-) The calamari appetizer was wonderful. I had the penne with arugula, my daughter had the spinach fettucine, one of my sons had the kobe pub burger, and the other one had the Pad Thai. Everything was delicious! The brussels sprouts we had were also quite tasty. I will definitely go here again when I return to Massachusetts. My only regret is not getting the waitress’s name so I could give her the recognition she deserves. She has dark hair and worked on Thursday, May 15^th in the evening. Thank you for everything!

I decided to take my mom out for a nice dinner 2 days before Thanksgiving, and also to use up my Groupon that is going to expire in a week, so off to Maxwell 148 we go. I have made a reservation beforehand on Open Table, but nothing was available until 9pm, so I made the reservation anyway and told my mom to eat something small before going to dinner.
We decided to go around 8pm, hoping for an early seating. I checked in with the host, who seemed very courteous. I mentioned to him that we have a 9pm reservation but will wait here for anything available before that. He acknowledged our request and we were patiently waiting in their small waiting area.
Upon walking into the restaurant, my mom was weirded out by the décor at the front. As we were sitting around waiting to be called, she quietly said to me, this place reminds me of a funeral home. I looked around, and agreed with her. It is just a very odd vibe, but looking in the restaurant, it seems like it would be a nice, classy place. We were patiently waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting…
8:55pm, we were called to be seated. Great, 5 minutes earlier than our reservation time but hey, I was still pretty patient and hopeful to this point. We were already starving, so when we got to our table, we were pretty much ready to order. My mom does not drink and I usually don’t drink at dinner, so we didn’t plan on ordering any drinks, and just wanted water. 10 minutes go by, our water glasses were still empty and our stomach growling. Another 5 minutes go by, at about 9:10pm our waitress finally showed up to take our drink order. We told her we wanted water, and she disappeared and came back to fill our glass. As she was filling our glass, she gave us the daily specials and told us she’ll be «right back to take our order». When she finally came back, we put in our appetizer and our meals. This was about 9:15pm.
We got our basket of wontons and toasted bread, along with sweet and sour sauce and hummus for dipping. This alone is worth the 2 stars I’m giving this place. I should have just asked for another basket of that and call it a night. The appetizers arrived shortly after. We went with the Toasted flatbread with spinach and 3 cheese. It was actually pretty good! I was hopeful the rest of the entrees will be the same. we mawed down the flatbreads and was ready for our entrees. Then we waited and waited and waited and waited…
I looked around the restaurant, it was almost 9:45pm and most patrons are either already eating their entrees, ordering desserts or paying the bill. Apparently everyone had also waited until the last minute to use their Groupons, so that’s why it was so packed in the restaurant. Our waitress barely came over to check on us, and just as we were saying to have our food wraped up to go, they came.
The Beef Carpaccio salad was super small. I mean, I asked the waitress about the size, but did not expect it to be a cup of Arugula and 3 pieces of filet mignon tataki. For a $ 15 salad, I didn’t think it was worth it. Then my Kobe Pub Burger medium well was cooked with a pink/​red center. I am usually a medium rare girl when it comes to steak, but I like my burgers a little more cooked, so maybe this was my fault that I should have gotten it medium well. The fries were not that good, onion strings was not crispy (if it was supposed to?). I share half a burger with my mom and neither of us took more than two bites out of it. For a $ 19 burger, I definitely have had better. The food itself wasn’t so bad, but it was the slow and inattentive service that made the experience worse.
We were so tired by the time we finished our meal (by finished I mean we took two bites and picked at it and basically stopped eating). It was already 10:15pm, our waitress was chatting away with another table. Pretty much after she took our order she came back once to check on how the food was, then never saw her again, until we were waiting to pay our bill. For 15 minutes she was chatting away, so I got the attention of another waitress and she finally filled our glasses with ice water and then had our waitress bring us our check. I laughed when she asked if we wanted coffee or dessert. Sweetie, I don’t want to be there until midnight, so no, just the check is fine.
$ 47 for mediocre food and slow service at 9pm on a Wednesday night… nooooo thanks.