Reasonable service and food for a summer weekday lunch. Not overly memorable in either a positive or negative sense.

This place is pretty cool. Bar area restaurant area and a downstairs area with pool table. Beer could be colder not much on tap but if your stuck in bath Maine. This is a must. The food was on point! read more

Clam chowder was wonderful, one of the best around. The lobsters in our lobster dinners seemed undersized for the price, but they were fresh and flavorful. The martini was generous. The setting was pretty boring. read more

First of all, I will not write a bad review unless it is totally aweful...and this place was aweful!!! Two of us arrived during the NFC playoffs which the server was more interested in then waiting on his customers. I guess that's is what it is since he was a football fan. We ordered salads to start, They were limp and very cold as they were made a day or two before and sat in the refrigerator until served. I ordered the Baked Stuffed Haddock with a vegetable side dish, Sweet Snap Peas. The Haddock entree was so full of buttered bread crumbs that you had to "fish" through them to get to the smallest piece haddock. I left half of the dish of buttered crumbs. It was not edible. The side was Snap Peas set in a small bowl completely dripping with butter. It could not be eaten. My friend ordered the Steak Special with a Baked Potato. The Steak was cooked to order but both the Steak and the Baked Potato came to the table luke warm at best. It was if the Entree had set prior to coming out probably to serve both dinners ant the same time. The waiter never came back to the table to ask if our meals were to our liking. The game was more important! If I were to come back to Bath, J R Maxwell will not be on the list of eateries we will be going to. "You have to get a terrible meal in order to appreciate a good one" This one was terrible. read more

We very much enjoyed our visit to this establishment. We sat at the bar where there was plenty of seating. But it was Sunday at 5pm but they don't take rezzies for the bar. We ordered the mussels. Loved them. We also ordered the seafood broil. They added nutmeg which detracted from the otherwise yummy goodness. They have another cute cozy bar downstairs with more seating. read more

Very cozy place, food was ok not amazing but ok, soup was fantastic! I must say this place is a little confused though, it's got the fancy atmosphere but then has big screen TVs with football on. So.... Kinda confused. read more

Awesome food and great atmosphere. Friendly staff. Had the broiled Haddock done perfectly ! Hubby had Lobster done perfectly.

Went in expecting the same generic fried seafood options as every other mid-priced southern Maine vactionland diner/bar/cafe and was pleasantly surprised by how good the food was. Easily the best of the five or so lobster rolls I ordered at different area restaurants on this particular trip. Bun was perfectly toasted, lobster meat was plentiful and tasted fresh and salty and not like a fridge interior. Front of house folks were really nice. Look forward to returning. read more

I've always heard great things about this restaurant, but unfortunately that was not my experience. We ordered the "famous" cheese sticks from the recommendation of our waitress. They came out very quickly and hot, but they were truly awful.. they tasted like a greasy grilled cheese with this strange liquid cheese inside. I know it's cheddar instead of mozzarella but the taste was so off. They came with a strange sweet dipping sauce which didn't help at all, I couldn't bring myself to eat them. I ordered fried scallops with fries and a salad. The salad was the best part. My boyfriend ordered fish & chips and the best part of his was the slaw. The food was so incredibly greasy it was a struggle to eat it and we both felt sick after. Our waitress was super nice, and if we hadn't had a gift card I might have said a little more than I did. The atmosphere was very dark and uninviting as well. I absolutely would never go back and I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone. read more

Went there for a family members wedding dinner earlier this year. Upstairs was great, the service, food drinks etc. Downstairs was a different story, very busy, and what seemed like good atmosphere, but the bartender was incredibly rude, got angry at at uncle for ordering multiple drinks for our group, especially when he requested mixed drinks and shots, yelled at customers, and pushed people out to close early on a Friday night. Went back the next night with the wedding party and found a very different experience. read more

We had prime rib, pepper steak and chicken marsala. All were delicious! The waitress was so friendly and even brought us a sample of a soup we asked about. Service was attentive and the food was some of the best we have ever eaten. read more

Love this place. Very close to where I was working for the few weeks I was in bath and had lunch there every single day. Staff was very friendly and food is very good. Their French onion soup is amazing! If you are here, you must try it. I know I will be going back whenever I am in town. read more

Had an excellent mid-week lunch at JR Maxwell's in Bath. I had the "Maine Halibut Plate", my wife the "Fried Maine Clam Plate". Both came with a choice of two sides, we chose french fries and coleslaw, sweet potato fries or side salad were among the other options. Service staff was attentive and pleasant, food arrived quickly and was just excellent. My wife loves fried clams and has had them at literally dozens of places in Maine and says these were among the best. Generous portions all for under $40 including tax and (perhaps a bit generous) tip. Convenient free parking behind the main building ... if you park there, note that the bar is downstairs and you have to climb a flight of stairs to get to the restaurant. Just checked, and the lunch menu on the website agrees with our memory ... we'll be back. read more

Worst experience ever. The service was terribly slow. I had to ask multiple times for the same request (drink refills, more butter, the correct food we ordered, forgotten sides). There were tables who came in after us and left completely finished before our food ever arrived to the table. I would not recommend unless you have absolutely nothing to do but stare at a brick wall with an empty glass. Not to mention the food wasn't anything special. The steak was dry and the baked potato looked and tasted frozen. Very, very disappointed. read more

This has become our new favorite go to place. The atmosphere is great and parking is easy enough. Food is always fantastic whether it is steak, veal, or seafood. Having said that our experience at Maxwells always hinges on the serving staff. It is usually excellent and I don't mind tipping to reflect that. There has been two occasions over the last few months where our whole dining experience has been ruined because of staff. Our waitress forgot about us and only when we asked about our meal did she promptly go get it. It was one of those kinds of visits. We had quite a few excellent visits since but last night my wife stayed behind to talk to the manager about our waitress. There was one occasion during the meal where we didn't see her for over ten minutes. My drink was finished and I was waiting for another. My daughter in law got her salad then my wife and I got ours 15 minutes later. My wife always gets the lobster chowder and only has a little so she can take the rest home. After the end of our two hour stay for dinner, not our choice, my wife asked about the leftover chowder. Apparently the waitress thought my wife was finished even though she requested it get packed. So the chowder and a good deal of the lobster was thrown out. She attempted to make it up by getting some more. It was less than half of what my wife left without any lobster. This is why my wife stayed behind to talk to the manager. We will be back but I hope this doesn't become a hit or miss type of experience. The food and atmosphere are fantastic but when you pay north of $100 for a meal the service had better be fantastic. I am sure that the odds of our enjoying Maxwells is good but now we never know how it can go. read more

I give Maxwell's 5 stars for their prime rib alone. It is the best prime rib I have ever had and every time I get prime rib else where I am always disappointed. Excellent homemade dressings, try either the dill or blue cheese, both will impress. All of the other dishes I have had at Maxwell's have been top notch. My only negative is they once had an amazing chocolate cake on the menu, which is no longer available, hopefully it will be put back on the menu. Great for lunch or dinner. read more

Food is excellent and the staff friendly. Holidays are really busy so it's best to make a reservation.

This restaurant will always have a special place in my heart--but for all of the wrong reasons. My boyfriend and I were spending the weekend at a beautiful bed and breakfast in Maine and decided to stop here for an afternoon lunch. We are an interracial couple, both Harvard grads mind you, and we were reduced to our skin colors at this restaurant. We entered, waited upwards of ten minutes for anyone to acknowledge us. Finally, a man who we believe to be the manager or owner approached us and asked, "For two?" We replied, "Yes, thank you." The restaurant was empty, save for two or three other couples, and his reply was, "Well, let me see what I can do for you." He left, began to clean tables, and never returned. It is safe to say that this restaurant denied to serve us because of the color of our skins. read more

We ate here while vacationing in the area. We had walked through Bath earlier in the day and fell in love with the town. We returned for dinner and decided to give this place a try. It took a good 20 minutes for the waitress to come to our table. She did apologize for the delay and we did notice she had a big area to cover, but we were very hungry and the slow service got annoying after a while. My husband ordered the blackened haddock which he raved about. I ordered the shrimp and lobster bake which was the night's special but got salmon brought to me. Had I known that it was a case of the Server entering my order wrong, (receipt/verified this) I would have just kept the salmon. It did look very good. But I was told that my dinner was accidentally given to another table and it would just be a few minutes for my correct meal. Since I was hungry, I worked on my sides - rice pilaf and baked potato. (The rice pilaf was very good.) I think they rushed correcting my meal and when it finally arrived, it looked rushed and I was turned off and barely touched it. What we thought would be a quick dinner before settling in for the night turned into a very long and drawn out experience. While the food was decent, the service really left something to be desired. read more

Went for dinner on a Sunday night. staying in a hotel nearby so walked over. It was stuffy inside on a warm night and I was wishing the air conditioning was working better. The furnishing are dated but almost in a traditional way. We were greeted immediately and given a table in an almost empty room. Our waitress Carol, was very attentive and helpful. She. gave us options for our 10 year old picky eater and found her some apple juice. We had the stuffed mushrooms for an appetizer. There were served right out of the oven hot, tender and delicious. My wife had Scallops Carbonara and raved about it. It was still delicious as leftovers. I had a small sirloin with fried scallops and a perfectly baked piping hot potato. The steak was tender, tasty and perfectly cooked. The scallops were huge but sweet and also tender. We both enjoyed a salad, very fresh despite the late hour. They make their own dressings and my wife said it was the best parmesan peppercorn she's ever had. Delicious, freshly made and perfectly cooked meals with great service. Will definitely return if we visit Bath again. read more

At least the beer and mashed potatoes were good. The rest of the meal (haddock stuffed with crab) was tasteless and forgettable. Friendly staff but don't go for the food. read more

Nothing fancy--consistently reliable fresh fish. I onlly get fried haddock, shrimp & scallops but they are always plentiful and delicious. For fine dining go elsewhere. read more

Wow surprised by the negative reviews. I have been going here since the mid 90's and it has always been great. So good I came back tonight. Haddock superb, fried clams excellent . Had carry out from bar. Bartender friendly and attentive. Overall great. read more

Works for us. Best clam chowder ever. Broiled haddock all the way. Soft, puffy bread? Yes please.

The service was great, the food was darn good nothing to complain about but nothing to write home about. I would go back, everything was clean and the price was fair for a small town. read more

Enjoyed a quick dinner in the pub tonight. We skipped the appetizers and ordered fish sandwiches and chicken tenders. My Dad enjoyed the coleslaw and chips while I loved their garden salad with blue cheese. They also offer carry out which is helpful if you are staying at the hotel down the street. Service was great and the bartender was very friendly. read more

I had to eat gluten free so I ordered the spinach salad (fresh spinach, great bacon, and fresh mushrooms.....delicious), balsamic vinegrette (homemade....delicious) a side of coleslaw (homemade and very tasty) and a side of potato salad (homemade and delicious) Wonderful meal. read more

Best prime rib around! Amazing staff (Jenny is the best) !!! Have been eating here for as long as I can remember and never had a disappointing meal!! The entire staff is like family everyone is always so sweet!!! read more

I love this place and ALWAYS order the fried cheese sticks appetizer (my favorite of such anywhere) and the chicken cordon bleu. I've never been disappointed. My favorite place in Bath. I know someone who ate here every evening while he lived in Bath, and I can see why. read more

Love their fried fish! The best In the area, for a reasonable price. Great lunches too!

I only write reviews for really good places and really bad. Maxwells is somewhat fun when the right bartender downstairs is working. However this is going to be a very bad review due to the horrible rude service I received. The bartender with short curly hair and glasses is a a very rude person. The moment we walked in she made comments about cologne and then didn't like how I set money on the bar down by commenting about it which I found very strange and then was upset my friend changed his mind about paying with cash instead of card. She is clearly a miserable person in general and we left immediately. Not like they can risk losing business considering how empty it is all the time. She clearly needs to be fired or get an attitude adjustment. I will never be back and will be sure to tell everyone to stay away. Pretty bad for a touristy spot. Stay away and go to Byrnes Irish bar or public house. read more

My husband and I chose this restaurant for a quiet candlelit late night dinner (8:45pm, they close at 10:00pm). We were happy that it was quiet, only one other couple dining in our section. The ambience was great and we were enjoying ourselves immensely. The food and waitress were good and our experience began very nice until our main course, when the bus girl decided to clean the nearby tables, including the table next to ours. Spraying windex, slamming glass dishes on top of the glass tabletops, she continued to abruptly shove the chairs, hitting the tables each time. All the while having a loud conversation with another employee about friends texting at some wedding, etc. We kindly asked her to please be quieter, she was disrespectful, left, only to send in the other girl to finish the noisy job! Our experience was horrible!! If you're looking for a pleasant experience, this restaurant is not for you. read more