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Max's Opera Cafe of Palo Alto Reviews List
Max's Opera Cafe of Palo Alto
For over 25 years, Max's has served America's favorite foods with an upscale style at affordable prices. Boasting "everything you've always wanted to eat," only at Max's will you find a corned beef reuben, chinese chicken salad, ribeye steak, BBQ ribs and portabello mushroom pasta all on the one table. And for those with a sweet tooth, Max's sinful, awarding desserts will keep you coming back for more.
See more Max's Opera Cafe of Palo Alto details
62 Current Reviews
Summary of Diner Ratings & Reviews
Overall
(Very Good)
3.6
/
5
Rating Breakdown 62 reviews
5 stars
(8)
4 stars
(32)
3 stars
(14)
2 stars
(4)
1 star
(4)
Food
(Very Good)
3.6
/
5
Service
(Very Good)
3.6
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
3.3
/
5
Noise Level
Energetic
Filter Reviews By:
Diners classify this restaurant as:
- great for lunch(26)
- great for outdoor dining(18)
- kid-friendly(18)
- fit for foodies(16)
- good for groups(12)
- great for brunch(10)
Max's Opera Cafe of Palo Alto Reviews List
Review 1 for Max's Opera Cafe of Palo Alto
Overall rating
(Poor)
1
/
5
Terrible service
Food
(Fair)
2
/
5
Service
(Poor)
1
/
5
Ambiance
(Good)
3
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate
"I went to Max's with my two daughters (age 4 and 7). We waited over 15 minutes to order. We had been there for over an hour by the time they got their kids' meals. Fortunately, they were very patient. I will certainly nver go there again and would not recommend it to anyone."
Dined on 5/18/2013
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Review 2 for Max's Opera Cafe of Palo Alto
Overall rating
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Ladies lunch out
Food
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Service
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Ambiance
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate
"Great service. I had my usual 1/2 pastrami & cup of matzo ball soup. Friend tried sometgvnew & enjoyed it."
Dined on 5/15/2013
Special Features: great for outdoor dining, neighborhood gem, special occasion
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Review 3 for Max's Opera Cafe of Palo Alto
Overall rating
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Food
(Good)
3
/
5
Service
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate
"Very accommodating of our seating requests, even on Mother's Day, first to be outdoors, then to be indoors when I got too hot!"
Dined on 5/12/2013
Special Features: good for groups
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Review 4 for Max's Opera Cafe of Palo Alto
Overall rating
(Fair)
2
/
5
I ordered what I thought should
Food
(Fair)
2
/
5
Service
(Good)
3
/
5
Ambiance
(Good)
3
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate
"I ordered what I thought should have been a specialty - a combo sandwich with corned beef and pastrami on rye. The ingredients were just fine, but the preparation and presentation were disappointing. Small bread, meat piled haphazardly and sloppily on the bread so that the sandwich came apart. As a result, the sandwich was difficult to eat. I've had much better experiences at Max's, and hope that this was just an anomaly."
Dined on 04/19/2013
2004
Special Features: kid-friendly
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Review 5 for Max's Opera Cafe of Palo Alto
Overall rating
(Very Good)
4
/
5
consistent
Food
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Service
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Noise Level
Quiet
"Food very good & waiter was excellent! Only issue I had was told waiter 'very light on dressing' because kitchen often drowns the salad. Kitchen still drowned it! The waiter was great & immediately brought me more lettuce to distribute the dressing. Next time, I'll just say 'on the side' & avoid the problem"
Dined on 04/05/2013
2007
Special Features: good for groups, great for brunch, great for outdoor dining, kid-friendly, neighborhood gem, special occasion, great for lunch
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Review 6 for Max's Opera Cafe of Palo Alto
Overall rating
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Best pastrami outside NY
Food
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Service
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Ambiance
(Good)
3
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate
"Where else could I find such a delicious pastrami sandwich with sweet potato fries on my birthday?"
Dined on 03/27/2013
2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, special occasion
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Review 7 for Max's Opera Cafe of Palo Alto
Overall rating
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
excellent service!!My friend
Food
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Service
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Ambiance
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate
"excellent service!!My friend didn't care for her tomato soup and the waitress removed it from the bill and offered to bring her something different! My onion soup and burger were excellent. Desserts are amazing"
Dined on 03/26/2013
2008
Special Features: fit for foodies, good for groups, great for outdoor dining
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Review 8 for Max's Opera Cafe of Palo Alto
Overall rating
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Had a lunch meeting with two
Food
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Service
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate
"Had a lunch meeting with two other colleagues at Max's. It was perfect for us because the noise level wasn't too loud and the food was delicious. The service was very good and the food was prepared and brought to our table fairly quick. A variety of fresh hot rolls were served before our meal and the butter just melted right in. I had the salmon on ciabatta bread and loved it. I had it with red potato salad but I think next time I should order it with salad (just too many carbs), but it was good."
Dined on 03/15/2013
2013
Special Features: great for brunch, kid-friendly, special occasion, great for lunch
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Review 9 for Max's Opera Cafe of Palo Alto
Overall rating
(Good)
3
/
5
Always reliable, but nothing
Food
(Good)
3
/
5
Service
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Ambiance
(Good)
3
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate
"Always reliable, but nothing special. If you need a restaurant that will have at least one menu option for everyone in your party, Max's is always a good choice. The food is nothing special, but it's consistent and satisfying. The noise level can be loud at times, but usually you can have a civilized discussion with your table mates."
Dined on 02/14/2013
2007
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Review 10 for Max's Opera Cafe of Palo Alto
Overall rating
(Very Good)
4
/
5
A friend and I sat on the
Food
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Service
(Good)
3
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate
"A friend and I sat on the patio and had a great meal in perfect weather. The hostess accommodated my request for outside seating in shade, which I appreciated. The service was excellent and the wait staff attentive. We returned late afternoon to have tea and coffee. That experience was not so good. The server never returned to refill either the decaf or the iced tea."
Dined on 03/10/2013
2008
Special Features: fit for foodies, great for brunch, great for outdoor dining
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Review 11 for Max's Opera Cafe of Palo Alto
Overall rating
(Poor)
1
/
5
Food & Service dropped considerably
Food
(Poor)
1
/
5
Service
(Poor)
1
/
5
Ambiance
(Fair)
2
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate
"I have been going to Max's for the past 15+ years. I go there roughly 6 times a year. My past few visits have not gone well. The food and service have dropped considerably. Their Matzo ball soup, (what they are known for outside of their desserts), was bland, no flavor. The service was non existent. The waitress took our order, served two of the kids dinners 8-10 mins before the rest of our meals come out. The two other children were just sitting there wondering when their food was coming. We had to ask twice for the kids drinks. Wait staff never came by to ask how the food was and btw, she passed by our table half a dozen times and never made eye contact. We told ourselves, no more, we are not going back."
Dined on 03/09/2013
2011
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Review 12 for Max's Opera Cafe of Palo Alto
Overall rating
(Poor)
1
/
5
Sound System Volume Too Loud!
Food
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Service
(Good)
3
/
5
Ambiance
(Poor)
1
/
5
Noise Level
Energetic
"Complaint: The sound system volume (Singing Waiters)was TOO LOUD! I could NOT hear the person -- sitting across from me -- speaking. I asked the manager on shift to please turn it down. He said he would look into it, but the volume never came down. The manager also failed to follow up with my complaint."
Dined on 03/01/2013
2013
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Review 13 for Max's Opera Cafe of Palo Alto
Overall rating
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Consistent Food to the Max!
Food
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Service
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Noise Level
Energetic
"Always consistent, food wise, service wise. Servings are meant to be shared. Prices are very reasonable. I would always go for the Chicken Livers - the best so far!
Save room for dessert esp the Shoe sized Choco-Vanilla Cream filled Eclair!"
Save room for dessert esp the Shoe sized Choco-Vanilla Cream filled Eclair!"
Dined on 02/15/2013
2010
Special Features: good for groups, kid-friendly, great for lunch
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Review 14 for Max's Opera Cafe of Palo Alto
Overall rating
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Reduced Menu, but Still Very Good.
Food
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Service
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Ambiance
(Good)
3
/
5
Noise Level
Energetic
"Menu has far fewer items than when we last visited. Shame to lose the chopped chicken liver sandwich, but the Reuben was still very good."
Dined on 02/16/2013
2004
Special Features: fit for foodies, great for brunch, great for lunch
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Review 15 for Max's Opera Cafe of Palo Alto
Overall rating
(Very Good)
4
/
5
I arrived 1st and they were
Food
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Service
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Noise Level
Energetic
"I arrived 1st and they were nice enough to seat while I waited for my friend.. Our server was overall fine, but I ordered the matzo ball soup for dinner and she brought me clam chowder instead. The restaurant was pretty busy so instead of sending it back I ate it. Our bill was correct so she didn't bring what I ordered. I couldn't help but wonder if she knew the difference... Otherwise this place is what I would consider a "solid" choice, with good service and food you can count on to be good-very good. I am a pianist by profession and I usually have a hard time having to listen to their performers (for one thing, too loud to be able to carry on a conversation) While seated very near the piano, the music was pleasant enough and not too loud"
Dined on 02/08/2013
2010
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Review 16 for Max's Opera Cafe of Palo Alto
Overall rating
(Good)
3
/
5
In general I like Max's but
Food
(Fair)
2
/
5
Service
(Good)
3
/
5
Ambiance
(Good)
3
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate
"In general I like Max's but I won't order the "brick-pressed chicken" again: the chicken part was a small drumstick-and-thigh combination, and a wing in there somewhere. Also on the plate was a large chunk of zucchini and an even larger chunk of yellow squash, and lentils and spinach and several cloves of roasted garlic. It was a decent way to get dinner in the late afternoon, but hardly remarkable."
Dined on 02/03/2013
2013
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Review 17 for Max's Opera Cafe of Palo Alto
Overall rating
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Highly recommend
Food
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Service
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate
"Wait and greeting staff were very friendly and service was excellent... as was the wonderful Sweet and Sour Brisket. Will return soon."
Dined on 02/01/2013
2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, neighborhood gem
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Ratings-Only Reviews for Max's Opera Cafe of Palo Alto
Based on the average of (45) ratings-only reviews
Overall
(Very Good)
3.6
/
5
6 out of 6 recommend this product
Food
(Very Good)
3.7
/
5
Service
(Very Good)
3.6
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
3.3
/
5
Noise Level
Energetic