I came here for the "best prime rib in the area". Oye. Not so. How about the "most mediocre prime rib in the area". The sad piece of meat I was served was swimming in a pool of au jus. Seriously, I get a better prime rib at Outback or Longhorn. The mashed potatoes had a couple of pieces of bacon (I think) but tasted like instant 'taters. The vegetable of the day was tasteless mashed butternut squash which seems to be the vegetable of the year rather than the day. The place is cozy and the service was good. Just don't order the prime rib. I was here Friday about 5:30PM and the place was empty. My advice: hire a new chef. read more

My sister, my friend and I went to J. R. Maxwell's for lunch. They weren't very busy, and we were seated immediately. We parked in the back parking lot - off the main street - and had to climb a flight of stairs to get to the restaurant, just so's you know. The waitress was very attentive (filled my small water glass a ton of times) and friendly. And the food was excellent! My friend and I both ordered the side salad - which was dark greens, including baby spinach - plus a tomato wedge, peppers, and shredded carrots, and homemade dressing. I had parmesan peppercorn and my friend had 1000 island. Both were great! My friend and I had the chicken fingers (Chicken MacMaxwell's on the menu). The portion was quite large, and the batter was light and crispy and absolutely wonderful, as was the bbq sauce I asked to have for dipping. The meal came with cole slaw, which we all liked. I ate almost all of mine, which I never do. My sister got the fish and chips, and they were just as good! It was great food, at reasonable prices, and the service was very good. We would definitely return to this place!!! read more

This is a local eatery for us. The last two visits (pre covid) were disappointing. We waited to be seated in a half empty restaurant and a waitress never came over to us. After 20 minutes we left. One a fluke,twice a problem. When I let the owner know the problem, because that is a good way to ruin your business,he blew me off. Won't go back. Hearing similar experiences from others in area so I guess this is not just my experience. read more

excellent food, and great service. Its always where I tell tourists to go for the best local seafood.. Delicious and price is right for the ambiance and quality food you get. read more

The food is outstanding as is the service. The price is very reasonable. The place is a cozy casual pleasant restaurant. The broiled haddock sandwich with fries was excellent. Had enough haddock to add to our salad. The clam chowder was just as good. I recommend this restaurant highly. read more

I was rather disappointed . I wasn't aware that this place went under new ownership and I do not think that it's for the better . We split a seafood platter ($38.95)and asked for a side of onion rings . When the dish came it had no French fries and the onion rings were mixed in with the seafood . I figured they made a mistake and just gave us onion rings instead of fries but when the bill came the price of the seafood platter was $45.95 . I asked her why the price difference and she said it was because the onion rings cost more money & I asked her why no fries and she said "because they had to put a double order ofonion rings on the platter" ??? Also, the onion rings were awful and half the order was mangled into the bear batter. I ordered a piece of blueberry pie for desert which was written up on the sign as you enter the restaurant " all out of blueberry pie" so I ordered cheesecake and it wasn't homemade and the strawberries on top were not fresh but from frozen , I didn't look at the price of the cheesecake but it was $10-?!? What? Anyways I think the food and service has gone down and the prices have gone up . Iwon't be going back I am sorry to say read more

We had lunch after visiting the maritime museum. We sat by the window and enjoyed Boothbay Craft Brewery beers. My husband had a burger and their chips and he raved about it. I had the salad with lobster shrimp and crab and I cleaned my plate. Cute town as well read more

Every time I come here the food is mediocre. Service is also mediocre. Last night tried to call to place a "to go" order and I could never get through to speak to a live person. Shocker read more

Always be wary when you see help wanted signs and the first thing both the hostess and waitress tells you is to expect slow service. We're on vacation so no big deal, we're not in a hurry. What matters is the food and the lack of staffing clearly affected quality during our visit. A platter of steamers arrived cold, a plate of baked haddock the same. Two of the most expensive entrees, fried fisherman's platters containing the usual assortment of fries, fish and shellfish was only half edible. Fries had consistency of cardboard, scallops had been sitting around waiting for other components to cook and were cold and soggy. Bartenders were generous with their pours but it couldn't compensate for the poor quality of the food. We felt badly for the overworked staff who were obviously stressed and unable to keep up. Too bad, nice location and pleasant atmosphere. read more

Great ambience. Staff attentive and pleasant throughout. Great food options. Mini loaf of fresh bread to start was amazing.

On a dark and stormy night in Maine... ...we needed sustenance after a long day of shopping in the outlet haven that is Freeport, ME. We headed back to the camp via Bath, ME and stopped at Maxwell's for a bite. It was late, and the restaurant and bar were almost empty, but the woman behind the bar was gracious and friendly. We savored every drop of the delicious lobster stew - a rich and flavorful bisque-like soup brimming with large, generous chunks of lobster claw meat. The escargot, served with points of buttery parmesan toast were also yummy, but nothing could outdo that fabulous lobster stew (a fair deal at only $10 a bowl). During the course of the small meal we discovered that the woman behind the bar was one of the owners. And unfortunately I lost my notes and can't remember her name. Regardless, she was super friendly and told us all about the history of the restaurant. Can't wait to return next time we're in Bath! read more

J R Maxwell - American Near Me - Bath, Maine

Visited for our 21st anniversary, love the vintage naval theme expected in a steak & seafood restaurant just down theme street from Bath Iron Works shipyard. Even though it was a busy Friday night around 6 when we arrived, we were seated within 3 minutes. Very friendly and courteous wait staff, clean floors, tables, and restroom. I enjoyed the prime rib with rice pilaf and side of fresh horseradish, my wife loved the fried mixed seafood platter. Topped off the evening with a classic vanilla Creme Brule. read more

J R Maxwell - Prime Rib and Seafood Platter - American Near Me - Bath, Maine

The wife was demanding a "date night," whatever that is, so I took the opportunity to actually sit down at Maxwell's for a real dinner. My love of this place was reaffirmed. First the very few downs: temps outside were hovering around 0, and we were seated in front of the large front window. While picturesque, it was also pretty frickin cold during dinner. I'm okay with wearing my fleece while eating, but wives like to be seen in their going out attire, so you might draw some conclusions about how that went. The other issue, also wife-oriented, was that the breading on her haddock was too thick, overshadowing the prize underneath. Simple enough, she just scraped off most of it and dug in. Just ticky-tack stuff. Maxwell's clam chowder continues to destroy every other iteration I have ever had, and I am a dedicated, life-long fan of clam chowder. My shrimp was perfectly crisp on the outside, tender on the inside, and had that indescribable smell that seems only to be had in a Maine seafood restaurant. The rice pilaf was clearly fresh, homemade, and perfectly seasoned. Great meal. The surprise of the night gets its own paragraph. I had never before had Maxwell's tartar sauce. Tartar sauce is something I've been eating all my life, and not with particular delight, because it's mayo-based. Starts out pretty good, then makes you feel gross. Or so I thought. Maxwell's sauce appears to be sour cream based. Blew my mind. Changed my life forever. One more reason why Maxwell's is a uniquely fine restaurant in a fine little town. read more

If you haven't been to JR Maxwell then I'm not sure you can say you've been to Maine. Awesome food, great people, literally something on the menu for everyone. One of my favs. read more

My family all agreed--we wish we had a place like this where we live. We randomly stayed in Bath one Friday night because we were picking up a dog the next morning further up the coast in Maine. Maxwell's is walking distance from the Hampton Inn and incidentally, the architecture in this town is really something special. We were greeted by a friendly hostess who accommodated our request to sit in the room a few steps down from the bar so we could see the Pats game. I know some reviews are stating this place is dated but to me it was straight up cozy. We sat right by the front window which was a wall sized screen---heaven. Super lovely friendly server, cold draft beers, and solid, no nonsense comfort food like fried seafood, home made blue cheese dressing, a really legit, great looking burger, etc. When we told the server we were picking up a puppy the next day, she yelled across the room to one of the locals because they had just gotten a puppy out of state, and he went and got his puppy so my sons could see! I have to be honest, after our experience at this charming town and restaurant, I kind of want to move here! I know this review is BEYOND corny but they should literally film a Hallmark movie here! ;) read more

This for bar area downstairs. Rude bartender very unwelcoming. Local dive. After she drop food @ table I asked if I can order or is kitchen close? She said yes and local douche decided to chime in. You HAVE go to BAR to order she's only one down here he stated overly assertive. This is after she just drop food at table and stated she would get menu. Negative vibe. Plenty places great food here w/o atypical crap NE attitude. Miserable people are annoying. read more

I have been to JR Maxwell's at least a dozen times over the past few years. Although I have never had a bad meal, the portion of fried clams on this last visit was a joke. According to their menu, you will be served a "generous portion". My small 5X8 plate for $20 had about 8 clams on it. Okay... maybe the clams are a little pricey right now. I am not aware of the market value, but don't put a "generous portion" unless you mean it. If fact, do what most restaurants do and serve the same amount every time so people know what to expect and have a price that indicates "market value". Everyone else's seafood dishes looked to have good portions. It was just the fried clam dish that was skimpy. Good thing for the free bread! read more

We had lunch & a pre-dinner beer here on a rainy, rainy day. What a nice place to eat & rub elbows with the locals. The lobster roll here really put a smile on our faces. It was everything you want a lobster roll to be--sweet, tender, fresh meat in a reasonable quantity. Good lobster to mayo ratio. Toasted, buttered bun. The clam chowder was really good--nice flavor. It reminded me of the chowder my grandmother made when I was growing up. Nice. Later, we sat at the bar upstairs & listened to the locals gossiping about someone who had returned to Bath for the summer. Evidently she summers in Bath regularly & is always looking for a new bed to sleep in, if you know what I mean. Ehem. Every familiar face that came in got the update on her return to town. By the time we left, I had my Maine accent back! It was great! read more

Waited a bit before being seated but it was a delicious New England clam chowder alongside a (quite heavy) creamed Alfredo lobster. Delicious but too much cream and surely needed a piece of garlic bread to balance it out. Yummy overall. read more

I thought the prices were quite reasonable and the service quite fast. I was able to get a BLT and chips (which appear to be homemade) and a pickle for under $6. I have gone twice for lunch and once for dinner and always left full and satisfied. I would say that the clams were quite greasy, though. Still they did have a nice flavor. The decor was nice and their is a relaxing atmosphere. I liked it well enough that I went back the next day. read more

Visited with family last night. Warm bread, salad, and Philly cheese steak soup were tasty. Loved the crab stuffed mushroom appetizer and broiled seafood dinner. Too full to try dessert!! Only negative was that we waited quite a while between soup, salad, and main course. read more

Sorry no pictures for this one, this is my second time here and I enjoyed it the first time more, this time was still good, service was a little rude and the food was good but not great, still a real nice spot to go for lunch or dinner though, just don't expect the food to blow you away read more

Arrived at 7:45 pm, left at 9:45 pm. Let me explain. The restaurant informed us that they were out of chicken and lobster, so we ordered different entrees. We did not received our initial drink order for 30 minutes. When the salads arrived the server spilled salad dressing on one member of our party, and did very little to try and rectify the situation. We had to clean up the salad dressing ourselves for the most part. We waited for over an hour, and was then told that our ticket was misplaced. All the while, several other groups entered the restaurant, were served and completed their dinners prior to us receiving our food. We asked for additional beverages, which took almost twenty minutes to receive. When we finally received our dinner, we asked for steak knives, which took to 20 minutes to receive. We completed dinner (food was very good), but we never had someone in charge come to our table to discuss any of the issues that occurred during dinner. It was just disappointing dining experience after all of the good reviews we had read. Will never go to this restaurant again. P.S. We often had to remind our server of items we had ordered, or to ask for basic items such as silverware, etc... read more

I had both lunch and dinner here while in Bath. I'd have to say the clam chowder was pretty delicious huge chunks of clams. The lobster melt was fabulous with so much claw meat! The coleslaw was not my thing I prefer a creamy based where this was vinegar with poppy seeds? The dinner I had was excellent and enough to fill you until dinner the next day. Try the dill dressing on your salad it's fabulous. The broiled scallops were a great alternative to the steamers. The huge lobster was cooked perfectly and dessert was fair. I had the strawberry shortcake. The biscuit was a bit tough. read more

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While looking at the menu on the outside of the resturant, I was told by 2 different people that it was the best place in town. The potato and chive soup was outstanding. The buffalo bites almost stop me from eating anything else. When I was done with the meal, I should have done that. They were perfectly cooked and had the right amount of hot sauce of them. The menu prices were on the high end. Nothing worth getting was under $17. I got the beer batter fried shrimp and I was disappointed because it seemed like it was fried in dirty oil (Time to change the oil!) The exciting part of the meal was finding scallops mixed in with the shrimp. Not sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. JR Maxwell's loss I guess. read more

This place is amazing. The service is welcoming and warm. The food is absolutely fantastically delicious. I have not had anything so good in Maine so far. 2 thumbs up for this place. read more

I have dined here on more than several occasions and have had a positive experience every single time. From the food quality (shout out clam chowder and steak!) to the service and everything in between - I just love this place and all it has to offer. When you walk in you instantly feel like you are in the comfort of your own home right there in beautiful Bath, Maine. Check this place out - worth it, 100%. read more

Maxwells is a no-frills bar and restaurant. Whenever I'm in town I stop by to grab some authentic Maine seafood. Everything is caught fresh from Maine waters and most likely fried and/or drenched in butter. Forget your diet for one night! The scallops I ordered were huge and plentiful. They had the most delicate crust on the outside and were sauteed in wine for a tender inside. The captain's salad is smothered in lobster, shrimp, and crab. It's a steal for $14. So I'll explain my 3 stars: The crabcakes are thin on crab and thick on breadcrumbs, making them more like crab-flavored bread patties. The ambiance is also pretty eh. But at least the walls are decorated with pieces of local history, such as the signs of stores that used to be on Front Street. If I were rating on seafood alone this joint would get 4 stars. read more

Iconic and authentic. Maine quality food and experience. I can't wait to go back. I would give 6 stars if possible.

The best restaurant in Bath Maine! A must stop! I've dined here with my family for years and can't speak more highly of it. Filled with locals so you know it's good! :) Best chowder, fried shrimp, THE BEST prime rib night and amazing homemade salad dressings. Great for families in the summertime and great for that local New England beer and chowder winter fix. Ed and his wife run a family friendly establishment made for everyone. Both go out of their way to make sure your experience is 10/10. read more

Love this place, it's a real Bath Maine staple. My family's been going here 30+ years, for casual dining and celebrations, and the bar downstairs is wicked fun too. The staff is great, food is delicious, the French onion soup is amazing, other favorites are the seafood medley, chef salad, the cheese sticks (omg!), dirty martinis and the chicken Sarni but you can't really go wrong. read more

We love this place! Food is always great. The owners are so nice and come to our table every time we come. Couldn't ask for more from this cozy little Maine restaurant. Looking forward to coming back next summer! read more

Truly had the best time here! Very local/hometown feel which I love to find when traveling. Clam chowder was out of this world and the vodka sodas came in a pint glass (my kind of vibe). read more

Food was a B- service was a D. Took a very long time, minimal check ins, after credit card was given it took 15 minutes to get it back.

So this is not my favorite type of restaurant. Menu is not unique or extraordinary that I can see. But the setting is comfortable, the service was very good. My choice was a grilled prime rib special, medium rare. I was nervous that it was just a left over menu item but it was moist and medium rare, it was excellent. A plate of saute mushrooms and a small salad rounded out my plate. Excellent creme brulee for desert. My wife had grilled salmon, mashed and vegies. A pretty darn good key lime pie. Not amazing but very good. We heard other dinners complimenting their meals so all in all a happy restaurant. Good air conditioning on a hot night. A little pricey, $100 for two, only 1 drink no wine. We left satisfied and full. read more

This place is awesome. Came here for dinner by myself and sat at this cool Maine feel bar. Greeted by a friendly Bartender Carrie. Great fresh side green salad with homemade creamy dill dressing- delicious. Clam chowder is award winning. Broiled haddock fantastic. Best seafood I have had in a long time. A great local low key place. I will be back! read more

J R Maxwell - American Near Me - Bath, Maine

LOVE J.R. MAXWELLS! You would be missing out if you ever come to Bath, Maine without stopping to eat at JR Maxwells!! Maxwells has been a restaurant where we always stop for dinner every year on our visit to Bath, typically on our first night in town after a long day traveling from NY. This has been our tradition for almost 40 years. I have never been disappointed, and have many fond memories of eating there with my family. The atmosphere is warm and friendly, with outstanding service being a given. I always get the Maxwell's SHORE DINNER, which immediately 'brings me back' to Maine...great clam chowder, perfectly cooked steamers, and an awesomely prepared lobster. This is the best place in Bath to get a true Maine lobster dinner. My mom and dad live in Bath during the summer and go there almost every week for dinner, often taking advantage of their "two for one" specials. When I visit them each year and go to Maxwells they treat us like family. The outstanding food and service at Maxwells makes me wish I lived closer to Bath... I would definitely go there a lot more frequently. An ABSOLUTE MUST to check out if you are in the Bath area!!! read more

Horrible, the waitress didn't smile once. I ordered the seafood broil. The baked potato was way under cooked and the seafood was dry, also the stuffing was so wet from butter it was horrible. I won't go back. read more

Hands down the best resturant in Bath. Great steaks and seafood. Just be warned they pour mixed drinks on the heavy side so know your limit.

Excellent service, food, and atmosphere. Will be dreaming about their cheese sticks for a while and the steak hit the spot. Lot of heart in this place, definitely will return. read more