Max's Wine Dive
(713) 880-8737
4720 Washington Ave # B
Houston,
TX
77007
29.7705
-95.4086
Neighborhoods: Central, Washington Ave./ Memorial Park
Reviews & Ratings for Max's Wine Dive
87 reviews
What users are saying:
Showing 1-10 of 87 reviews
The Difference Is Apparent
by ursula5000
April 20, 2009
Totally loved this place. We were tentative about going because it's ripped so much on this site, but it's worshiped on Yelp so we thought we'd go see for ourselves. It totally ROCKED. The valet is free- and there is NOWHERE to park so we much appreciated it. I wouldn't say it's a high-functioning place, but the food was amazing, the wine list verrrrry impressive (and we know our wine), the $18 kobe burger is an amazing steal if you have any idea what you're eating ... The music was awesome, the crowd was energetic, our service was a little confusing but always super friendly and smiley... Basically the difference between these reviews and the ones on yelp is the difference between the people who still use this outdated site, and the people who have made the pilgrimage over to the superior review site. Y'all here just don't get it. Peace out! We're going back to Max's!
- Pros: cool crowd, great wine list
- Cons: service a little wonky
A little Pricey
by RozallaG
March 06, 2009
My Friends keep raving about this place so i figured i'll try it out. The food is over-priced. i ordered the
$14 Fried Chicken, my friend ordered the $18 Kobe Beef Burger. For desert we had the half spicy chocolate cake / half bread pudding. The bread pudding was othe overall highlight of the meal. Wine is seriously over-priced and the atmosphere is standard. Would I come back again? no! It's too cramped and overpriced
- Pros: There was wine....Decent portion of food
- Cons: Only 4 Riesling Wines listed. Over-priced. Make reservations!!!!
Like a bad joke....
by swyzlstyx
March 02, 2009
Sorry, but IMHO this is just a glorified Dairy Queen...with worse service. There's really nothing "cool" or "cute" about $14 hot dogs with $30-a-glass wine, and trying to be clever by calling it a "dive". And to make it even more hilarious, when we went they were turning away apparently first-time customers who were coming to check it out, because they had to turn the kitchen between lunch and dinner. I guess the huge kitchen staff couldn't serve up $14 cook hot dogs, $18 hamburgers, and $11 sides of mac-n-cheese fast enough to feed the 10 other guests in the bar, and preparing the kitchen for dinner service is a pretty involved process if you're going to serve up those $15 fried egg sandwiches in the evening. Seriously...give me a break, Max. If you're going to talk the talk, at least walk the walk...and come up with a serious menu. In the meantime, I suggest anyone thinking of stopping in to just pick up a bottle of their favorite wine at Spec's, and stop off at Denny's on the way home. Then put the rest of your paycheck in your bank..instead of Max's.
- Pros: Got alcohol into my body.
- Cons: Joke of a menu, with prices being the sad punchline.
Crowded, loud
by canwetalk
February 15, 2009
Valentine's Day -- what? They're taking reservations to sit at the bar at 8 p.m. in the evening? No way. It's crowded, noisy, the outdoor seating area facing the parked cars & valet parking is ridiculous. Why not do a patio out back, put some greenery there, TRY a little bit? Valet-only parking, and there's no street parking nearby because of the bar ditches. Time to go somewhere else.
- Pros: Nothing
- Cons: Parking; crowded long narrow bar
Good wine, but skip the cheese tray -- I'd be embarassed to serve it if I were them
by Localgirl92
December 12, 2008
I went last night for the third time and order the cheese tray. It was the most depressing thing I have ever seen. There were three tiny cubes of cheese accompanied by a loaf of bread. If you are looking for cheese with your wine, go down the street to Cova's, where they serve a real cheese tray.
YUM.
by nixnix
November 22, 2008
The food is ALWAYS great here. I've gone with friends, and taken family.
I finally went for brunch and it was awesome. I mean, truffles [cream] on my omelet? Yes please.
The wine is always great. Good service. Parking is usually pretty easy. I like the atmosphere. But really, the food is just awesome- and different from other wine bars in Houston.
- Pros: Food, wine, brunch. Service, atmosphere.
- Cons: decent parking- it's a small lot that they have to share with Molina's
Worst Seating & Reservations Policy in Houston
by spencestephens
November 15, 2008
If you are looking for a place that has absolutely no consistency to their food, service or "reservations" policy, then this is your place. With this place you never know what you are going to get. Sometimes the food is good, sometimes it is so overcooked and/or fatty that you'll be sick to your stomach all night. Sometimes (rarely) the food comes in a reasonable time frame. However, if you are hoping to make reservations or be seated in a timely fashion go elsewhere. The hostess staff are like keystone cops. they are confused, unorganized and each have a different "personal" policy based on who is their friend. Unless you know them or kiss up to them do not expect to be seated before their friends. Also, the first-come-first-serve situation at the bar often becomes somewhat confrontational. Max's need to fix it's policy.
- Pros: Fun Atmosphere, Sometimes the food is good
- Cons: Seating & Reservations Policies, Loud, Brownie is Dry & Overcooked
Awesome Menu!
by ilivetoeat
September 20, 2008
I recently hosted a birthday dinner there for 15+ people and we all absolutely LOVED the place! The service was superb, the atmosphere is really relaxing, and the food was top notch! What really attracted me to this place was surprisingly not the wine list, but for the menu--it is so imaginative and was executed well!
My top appetizers: nacho mama's oysters (i'll never take fried oysters for granted ever again!), Max and Jack's Frites, Max and cheese. I had the kobe beef burger with extra toppings and it was very buttery! The wild boar and gnocchi had a great texture and taste at first, but the more I ate, the more mushy and bland it became; However, I am not yet seasoned in the art of the gnocchi so it is definitely worth a try if you prefer that pasta. As for the dessert, the brownie was quite an experience as it had ancho chile powder in it--but somehow that really worked well. It was hot, moist, and oh so chocolatey!
My boyfriend and I were drooling over the menu and wanted to order everything on it, so go out there and give this place a try! The only complaint I have about this place is the hefty price tag on these dishes. I highly recommend trying this place out during their incredible happy hour where they dramatically reduce the prices of their dishes.
- Pros: Great menu, Great service
- Cons: Price
Rockin' restaurant
by HouTexFoodie2004
August 24, 2008
I recently moved to Houston for a new job and have heard a lot of my colleagues talking about Max's so we decided to go there last night for dinner (a Saturday night). We were able to get a later reservation , and we ended up having a great time - I haven't been to a place like this since I've been in Houston. It was packed at that time, but everyone seemed to be having a great time - everyone was watching the Olympics and really getting into it. The food was great - we tried a number of the "signature" items - the burger and the fried chicken were really excellent, and the fried oyster nachos appetizer was very good. The french fries were great. The portions were quite large - the prices are somewhat high, but the quality of the food makes up for that. The wine list was quite broad, and very reasonably priced compared to other restaurants - we had a few different bottles, and the staff was very helpful with good suggestions. It was pretty loud in there, but the vibe was great - we ended up staying pretty late and the crowd never seemed to slow down. I look forward to going back at a less crowded time and spending some time sitting at the bar and watching the cooking going in the "kitchen" that's behind the bar. We'll be back!
- Pros: Great food, cool vibe, good service
- Cons: loud, crowded
Chef changed all of our views on the entire company
by johnjohndoe
August 15, 2008
The other night several business clients joined me for an evening at Max's wine dive. Two of us have been to the Tasting Room several times and being that they are ran by the same company, we thought we would give it a try. We all were having a wonderful time enjoying the wine, the exceptional service and the friendly staff. All of a sudden the so-called chef exploded! There were words coming out of his mouth that were not fit for a sailor. The entire bar area was in shock and we watched the chef come down with words of anger at his staff. There is not a single person on earth that should have to work in conditions like that ever! There is also no paying customer that should have to listen to something like that, let alone see it five feet in front of them while conducting business! I was even further shocked to hear from the staff after the chef walked away, "he does this kind of stuff all the time"! It is safe to believe that with a problem like this, the upper management must know there is a problem and must be fine with the actions the chef seems to take on a regular basis. After saying that it is also safe to believe that we will no longer support a company that allows such actions in their place of business.
- Pros: Very friendly staff
- Cons: OUT OF CONTROL CHEF!
