Have to rock out an update, as I had been in a couple of times between September and October 2020. After they opened up an outdoor patio area, after being closed for months in the early stages of the lockdown. Still the same old school service personnel as I remembered from before. That's a plus as they are seasoned vets who know how to relay a fine dining experience. It's not Michelin level or anything, but for these parts, it's damn fine. They will recognize frequent diners, and I've witnessed very family-like bonds. I find that admirable. On to some recent finds on food. Calamari Fritti ($12/5*) About as good as fried calamari can get for me. Super light batter, that actually stays on the pieces. I hate when that crisp crust slides off the calamari. Tender and clean bites of calamari as well. I may make this a mandatory start from here on out. Bruschetta ($9/3.5*) Nice toasted bread. The tomato topping is both tangy from balsamic and very garlic-y, like raw garlic garlic-y. So too strong for me. It is bold and actually is pretty good with sips from a bold red wine. But I just prefer a softer touch, like more herbs over garlic. Shrimp Cocktail ($15/4*) Crazy old school. Just chilled large shrimps (5 to be exact) and cocktail sauce. The cocktail sauce is old school legit though, bold horseradish to balance with sweet and tang of the base. Linguini Con Vongole ($23/4*) I love linguini and clams, that I often even make it at home, as well as order them from restaurants. This version is not too shnabby. Lots and lots of clams, both fresh in the shell and maybe more in just floating clam meat. The pasta portion is super modest, definitely more fine dining versus red-checker-board tablecloth Italian. Can't vouch for the red sauce, but the white version is proper with a good balance between white wine and garlic. Repeat worthy. Flat Iron Steak ($29/5*) This was on special one night so I had to swoop in on it. I love these non-conventional cuts like flat iron, flank, skirt and hanger. And this hit on all cylinders for me. Steak perfectly grilled to my specs, nicely seasoned and these particular cuts are usually sliced in the kitchen. Very nice chew and spring which I crave. I would order this any day over a filet mignon. #trust Tiramisu ($9/5*) Per my original review, I always end with this here. This time around it was so chilled that there were tiny ice crystals within the dessert. It didn't affect the creaminess so it was still very good. And their ratio of marscapone cream and coffee/rum soaked ladyfingers is still the best I've had around. So small blemish on the thermostat of the fridge but not to deter me from keeping this as a regular finish to a meal here. Rounding to the fiver for some darn good meals in this time where good food is not as easy to run into as before. So thanks for maintaining your standards even though you had to alter your mode of operation. To that looking forward in being a repeat customer for as long as you are here. Hopefully a while! read more

See all

High priced for no good food. Very bland Service was decent. Did not like the ambiance. Was in a small room like setting. read more

An Italian favorite that is perfect to celebrate milestone holidays, with a menu of appetizers, entrées, wines, and dessert. Italy's best comes to you if you reserve a table with plenty of favorite staples. read more

According to their website, Massimo's has been around since 1976. I believe that I have been dining here with family since the early 90's (Why do I keep dating myself here??) - it's been a destination for special occasion dining in Fremont for years. From the outside, the restaurant looks smaller than it really is - upon entry, visitors walk through a small foyer to be greeted by staff at the hostess podium. From there, one can immediately see the separate doors leading to the Cocktail Lounge, Main Dining Room, and even the patio where they offer outdoor seating. The venue has five private rooms to accommodate events for welcoming between 15 to 220 guests. The interior is classic in decor and clean. Mom says that Massimo's is the best restaurant in Fremont and, based on the food, I agree. I have never had a disappointing dining experience here, though I can say that I have enjoyed more impressive Valentine's Day Prix Fixe meals at other places. In the early 2000's, Grandpa treated the family to dinner at Massimo's when Mom ordered Steak Diane. I had one taste of her steak and have been in search of the delicious dish since then. My most recent visit was when I treated my Aunt Loida to dinner on August 7, 2021. We dined al fresco in the patio, starting off with the Heirloom Tomato & Burrata Special (very good and big enough to share). Unfortunately, Steak Diane was not offered on the menu, so I settled with the Filet Mignon. Luckily, I asked for the Cabernet Reduction sauce on the side and for a side of the Green Peppercorn Sauce as well because the former did not appeal to me. Aunt Loida was happy with her New York Steak Au Poivre (the Green Peppercorn Sauce is delish). For Dessert, we shared the Massimo's Mud Pie, a perfect ending to our meal. Service is good and attentive, but not perfect. My one complaint is that if I will be charged for something that I request, perhaps I should be forewarned before seeing the extra fee on my check. Seeing a surprise like that on my bill falls short of providing excellent customer service. I will definitely return...and will ask if I can still order Steak Diane if it still has not returned to the menu. If not, I will remember to substitute the cabernet sauce for au poivre for the Filet Mignon...and make sure to ask if I will be charged for the change request. read more

See all

We just held my Mother's 95 Birthday at a Private Party Room at Massimo's We dealt with Dilay Onur as the event coordinator at the restaurant. What started out as maybe a guest list of about 30 people turned into a guest list of about 60 people. As our guest list grew Dilay was more than accommodating to the changes. She was quick with her email responses. When I met her personally to visit the venue, she was really nice and made suggestions on table setup. The event itself was a success. The food served was delicious. Carlos and Kim did a great job taking care of our guests. Dilay was on hand to make sure everything went smoothly. I can't express how happy we were to have our special event at Massimo's; everything turned out to be perfect. read more

We had a wonderful dinner at Massimos last Thursday. The perfect ambiance to celebrate my Moms (leap year) 21st. Fara eagerly greeted us with smiles at the hostess stand and checked on us a couple of times throughout. Great hospitality Fara! Our server was Sonny. She was very busy at the time but still attentive and timely, smiling all the while. Between the four of us we had had 2 filet mignon, chicken piccata and teriyaki salmon- all excellent and cooked to perfection (thank you Chef). Highly recommend. Great job to all. We all had a WONDERFUL evening. -Chef Jenn CCE, CEPC, ACE (ret.) read more

*************COVID19 EDITION*********** We had a gift card for Massimos and because so many businesses are going bankrupt and closing down due to the shutdowns through no fault of their own, I wanted to get takeout just in case they didn't make it. Glad to say they are still in business Yay! When they were able to open back up they had a difficult ordering system, you could place an order online days in advance but you had to pay by credit card... Hmmmm I wanted to use a gift card. Then Alameda County started letting restaurants serve on patios. I called in my order and explained my gift card. No problem they gave me a pickup time when I arrived they came to my car. I wasn't expecting that! The food was packaged amazingly well. They didn't miss anything. We ordered Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo, Eggplant Parmesan both included salads and breadsticks of course we added 2 tiramisu desserts I have to say it was all very good. My only small complaint would be the portion size of the tiramisu it was delicious but barely a taste it was so small. I imagined it was due to the shutdowns and trying to keep a business open?! Food was so much better than our last visit a few years ago I'm glad to report. Also they have added an outdoor tent to accommodate patio dining on the backside of their restaurant. So if you're wondering how to support a local business and keep them in business takeout and outside dining are both available here. Massimos has been a Fremont institution fo decades. Hopefully it will continue for a few more decades. read more

Randomly found this gem in Fremont! We were celebrating a friend as a surprise and they had such a good variety and Gluten Free options! We have a couple friends who are GF and they had so many options to choose from. The scallop risotto was so good and perfectly seasoned! read more

Nice atmosphere and pristine restrooms. Excellent attention to details and table arrangement. Salad, steak entree and dessert were delicious. Attentive service. Very recommended! read more

My rating has mostly to do with the service we received rather than the food, which was a 2/5 at best as a consensus for my dinner party and a 3/5 for the food. As a whole, the average would probably be a 2.5 rating. We made reservations for dinner at 7pm on a Friday through OpenTable to celebrate a birthday, which ended up being a very crowded time to come of course. We were led to a corner table, which was fine because we had brought a dog with us and wouldn't want him to be too distracting. However, I don't know what it was - whether the corner table didn't give enough 'visibility' for the servers, or if they just didn't care to tend to our table very often because they seemed to avoid our table a lot. It's not like we were hidden behind a pillar or something, and regardless, that shouldn't be an excuse. We sat there for about 10 minutes just waiting for a menu, and then another 10 minutes till any order was taken for just the appetizers or drinks, which the server was very quick to cut us off on, not even double checking if we were ready to order. Finally, the bread comes out, but then once that got quickly eaten, we asked our main server for more bread, which he obviously forgot about, so we asked another server. It took him a long time to get that for us too, but eventually it got brought out because every so often he'd glance at our table and might've remembered he'd forgotten about it. Finally, the server comes back and takes our orders. By then, we wondered where our appetizers and drinks were because it had already been a long time we'd been waiting, so now we're just rolling our eyes at how slow service was at this point. We also asked for the heat lamp to be turned on because being outdoors that night was quite chilly. They said 'ok,' and then forgot about it, so we had to ask again halfway through our dinner since it was clear they weren't going to turn it on otherwise. This ended up being another issue though because a patron or two at the table right next to us made a nasty comment about not wanting the heater on and wouldn't stop complaining about it, so the guy moving the heat lamp for us ends up dragging it so close that it touches our table. Luckily we had a big enough table so there was room to put it there, but it became a visual blocker and really hot suddenly... This is all because the next table is drinking alcohol and one guy couldn't stop griping about not wanting the heater on at all, even after it got moved so close to our table. We then had to ask for the heat to be turned down because of how much heat the lamp put off being so close to us. When our dishes came, most of the food was nothing to rave about. I ordered the fettuccine carbonara, and while the dish itself didn't taste bad, it felt a little basic. The pizza was actually really good and was a thin crust, which I liked. Someone in my party ordered the carbonara risotto with scallops and said the scallops weren't properly cleaned because every bite he took was still gritty with sand. That was the most expensive dish at $33, so it was disappointing to hear that it wasn't prepared very well. The appetizers we had - calamari and fried zucchini - were fine. The clam chowder was good, but was fairly thick like a heavy gravy consistency. However, someone felt it could be thicker, so I suppose it really just depends on your preference. We were done with our meal after some time, but no one came to check on us for a while until we called someone over to get the check and a few boxes. One thing that was unexpected was when someone from the restaurant - can't remember if it was security or a busser or server anymore - apologized about the table next to us being rude (this was after that table left, btw). It was nice of them to apologize multiple times for their behavior as we were leaving, but disappointingly, it didn't make a huge difference on our overall experience with dining there. read more

See all

My friend and I arrived for our first time at the restaurant and it was definitely an experience. It was a bit confusing on entry as the host station is tucked into this hallway instead of out front to literally great you through the experience. You walk by the bar and main dining area.. then hallway with host station. They had just been vandalized so there was additional seating further back which we were offered, but chose the main bar station by the fire pit.. (which we were being told was going to be demolished soon - glad we got one of the last meals by it). We were seated and greeted, but it took quite awhile for our server to return and actually take our order. There was a question about a salad substitute and I am like... its literally iceberg lettuce that we were asking for rather than wasting supply we were not going to eat.. but after asking the manager/host we were obliged. It took quite some time for us to be served each course and we had to ask for water. In a place like this it would seem that they would have a dedicated water person. It was a nice meal, but likely won't be returning for a bit. read more

See all

This is our new favorite spot! Great atmosphere great dining great service great hostess great owner! I'm hoping to try everything on the menu! Can not believe we just discovered this place recently. read more

We had a business meeting and we had a rubber band in our food. Horrible experience. I do not recommend it.

We had a 90th Birthday at Massimo's and it could not have been more perfect. The room was great, the food was spectacular and Kim took very good care of all of us and made us feel we were in her home. All of the work and effort in advance certainly paid off for the big day. I would highly recommend Massimo's and extend a huge amount of gratitude for making a special day even more beautiful. Thank you!! read more

It was different this time. They have new Wait staff and they seem to forget a bit. Our Waitress had 0 personality but this place is still our favorite restaurant. The patio is a nice addition and the live music is a big plus! read more

Massimo's - Live music eve on Thursday nights! Server was very new but nice. - Italian Near Me - Fremont, California

Three of us came here for dinner while in the area on business. Pleasantly greeted at the host station and opted to sit in a booth in the bar area. Hostess was extremely pleasant and told us the story of how they just recently recovered from a "flooding incident" caused by a transient that had broken into the place. It was quite the story and it was comforting to know how they were able to bounce back and rebuild and reopen. We were waited on by Sunny, a delightful server with a great personality. We began with an order of drinks (beer, wine and some watermelon vodka special drink, along with the fried zucchini as a starter. I wasn't at all impressed with the fried zucchini as it had some burnt/black spots that tainted the overall taste. For the main dish, I chose the veal saltimbocca, although there were quite a few dishes on the menu that were tempting and made for a tough decision. I was pleased with the dish, although it seemed as though the size of the veal was quite small and thinly sliced. Some bites felt like there was an equal taste of prosciutto and veal. To me the veal is the star of the dish and should've been the prevalent taste. Not sure I would order that again, but certainly worth another visit with the hopes of gaining another star in the future. read more

Massimo's - Veal Saltimbocca with seasonal vegetables. - Italian Near Me - Fremont, California

See all

This was a great place. I had the filet mignon and it was flavorful and tender. I can't say enough good things about this place. Our server was excellent. We never felt like they had forgotten about us. Even servers that weren't necessarily ours were very helpful. The space was nice, we didn't feel boxed in and were comfortable. read more

I am going to keep this short and to the point. I visited the establishment last evening 2/10/2024 Food - Excellent, everything was very flavorful and absolutely per our taste Ambience - Was good Service - My understanding is they were short staffed in the regular dining area as they were busy with a big group of 25. We started with a waiter who introduced himself and said he will be attending us. He never came back and in his place came a waitress who made us feel as if she was doing us a favor. No introduction not even a smile . Its was my kid's 10th birthday but her behaviour dampened our mood. Please do not take reservations if you are so busy or short staffed. read more

My first time at Massimo's. My future wife took me to celebrate my getting a new house. We arrived early. We were seated quickly (not crowded on this Thursday night). The wait staff was very attentive. We had water shortly after sitting. Ordered drinks and appetizers. The Vesper and Tiramisu martinis were excellent. The crab fondue, salmon cakes, and tomato/mozzarella salad were tasty. Food came out of the kitchen at a good pace. Our food was mouth-watering. The portions large. We took home leftovers for lunch (also good the next day). The prices are not Bert high, given the quality and amount of food/drinks we ordered. We left full and happy. I would eat here again. Great place for a special occasion. read more

As always, we had an excellent time at Massimo's! I come here very often. Today my boyfriend and I shared calamari, and for an entree I ordered pesto ravioli. The ravioli was homemade and perfect, I loved how it was super light and fluffy. I also enjoyed the pasta because paired with a heavenly pesto sauce, toasted pine nuts, and fresh basil. It was actually so yummy I didn't even take the time to take a photo of it! My boyfriend ordered the Rigatoni Al Massimo's which was also superb. The food is great; the service makes me feel like family. Looking forward to coming back soon-- best Italian food in Fremont hands down! read more

Massimo's - Calamari Fritti - Italian Near Me - Fremont, California

Waited 15 minutes after my reservation before even being greeted by a host. Once seated, it took over 10 minutes to get greeted. I understand it's New Years, but after being in the industry so long, I would have appreciated a quick stop by "I'll be with you shortly" Update: A member from the team was kind enough to reach out, I am looking forward to trying out the food I've heard great things about in the near future! read more

Old school charm. A staple in the Fremont food scene. There's something reassuring about knowing a place for so long. I received generous gift card for dinner here. Needless to say I was super excited. It was a great date night in the comfortable booth in the restaurant section. The bar section was full of regulars when we arrived at 5:30pm. By 7 the restaurant was full-so reservations are highly recommended. We started with their famous Cesar salad that is made table side with anchovies and olive oil. Quite a show. It was delicious and very filling. Next the artichoke crab dip was decadent on the buttery and garlic slices of toast. I ordered a Cosmo to start and my husband Massarita (massimos versIon of a margarita). Both drinks intense in flavor and alcohol. For dinner I had the Sea Food Cioppino that was beautiful and filled with lots of shrimp, salmom, scallops and oysters. It was such a feast and made a huge mess cracking the lobster claw and crab. Use the bib they give you-you will need it LOL!!! My husband had the Scallops and risotto that was a tad under-seasoned which he fixed with more pepper and salt. They have a decent wine selection and beers. Service was exceptional-always filling our water or taking plates but never intrusive. We had a relaxing good time and were so food wasted when we left. In a world of boba overload such as Fremont this place gives us an option to try something more formal and established. Price $$$ Parking-easy Reservations- a must especially Friday night. read more

See all

Very average Italian food. Ordered the old standby, chicken parmesan. Not much flavor and it came out of the oven about five minutes too early, not even any browning on the cheese. The spaghetti Bolognese it was served with tasted and looked like Chef Boyardee. Kind of a disappointing take on one of my favorites. The food wasn't terrible but if I had wanted the Olive Garden experience, I would've gone there. read more

Excellent food. We had two pasta dishes and a crab salad. It was the best I've had in a couple years. The service was so welcoming and the staff were happy. We saw the owner visiting with all his guests. The Christmas decorations were gorgeous as well. read more

Heard good things about Massimo's but from "back in the day". We had a chance to try this place via Door-dash for delivery and we are very disappointed! $74.86 of food to be disappointed. Ordered the following - Calamari Fritter: Barley any squid. Very tiny and It was mostly batter. Had to refry it in the air-fry since hour delivery took almost 2 hours. Chicken Marsala: Basic, sauce had no flavor. I even make it better than this. Lol Fettuccine Carbonara : not authentic Carbonara. Smelled/tasted like pure bacon grease. Bacon was so soggy and I'm under the impression Carbonara is usually with pancetta or guanciale. Tried to add some pepper to save it. Threw it away half way through. Don't recommend! Wait time is 60-73mins but ended being almost 2hrs exactly for preparation and delivery. Had to message my dasher because his location was sitting at Massimo's for an hr. When I messaged, that's when he changed his status to On The Way but sits at Massimo's location for additional 20mins. Food is not up to standards and your better off at Olive Garden if necessary. On top of this call - Massimo is concerned about this yelp review that they contact Door-dash to try and have me remove this. Nice. read more

Customer service is horrible I posted a review which management acknowledged and just said sorry? I am only in high school and I saved my money to enjoy a good steak dinner ? I ordered med rare so it would be juicy? I received a dry piece of meat ? Staff must have noticed we were young and did not care ? This is so disappointing I guess fine dining only applies to older people?! My mom had given me money for a nice tip and I used that money to go get something to eat as the steak was just dry like cardboard read more

We had our Christmas lunch here for two years in a row. It is buffet style with 6 entrees plus salad. I tried every single item and they were all delicious. I don't know what they are called but based on these items, the food is good. I am not sure about the price point buy my guess it is more expensive than Tomatina and Olive Garden. The tiramisu is a must try. read more

Massimo's - Italian Near Me - Fremont, California

See all

We enjoyed a wonderful 80th Birthday Party of 29 people for my husband last night at Massimo's. The room was lovely & private. The food was delicious. Can't say enough about the staff. I opted for a bar in the room. The servers & bartender, Kim & Carlos were warm & friendly & cocktails also delish. Would highly recommend for large or small group. Also, like to mention the help I received from the Event Planner, Tracy, who made sure everything went smoothly. read more

Lovely bar area, decent Caesar too. I was just visiting Fremont but if this place were near my home I would come again.

Very busy and service was a bit hit or miss. Shrimp cocktail delivered to our table and then picked up and given to another table ahead of us! Pear tini cocktail was great! Pasta and calamari was also good, just the service was below "white tablecloth restaurant"expectations . Maybe it was an off night, would try again. read more

Love this place. Great service solid menu Try the Caesar for 2 Not a lot of choices in Fremont but never been disappointed here

We met with some old friends for a nice dinner. The main entrées were good and the overall presentation of the dining area of the restaurant was nice. However, service was spotty and the staff were often loud and inattentive as they held their own conversations not focusing on the guests. Our table had to ask several times before getting routine items. A new napkin was requested and a server provided a used, dirty, wet replacement...not ok! The signature salad and dessert special were disappointing. Considering the price, we will not consider this a future dining option. read more

I would like to thank the team at Massimos for making my wife's birthday special. The food was great and really like the environment and service. Our two favorite dishes were the Rissoto with Scallops and Italian Sausage and the Pistachio Rum Cake. Yum! read more

This was a solid 3-star experience. I've definitely had much better food, but I've also done worse! My colleagues and I were in Fremont for work and Massimo's looked like a nice restaurant. The atmosphere is very nice - good decor. The hostess was friendly enough, but a bit odd and morose. Our server was extremely friendly and competent. My two dining partners had Caesar salad and said it was very good; it was made table-side. I had a cup of minestrone; it was fine. For entrees, I had the chicken parm. It was fine - it tasted like jarred sauce and it had a slice of cheese melted on top, like an open faced melt/sandwich. I wanted it to be baked cheese on top, brown and broiled and bubbly. My colleague had the eggplant parm and said it tasted like it was made the day prior. Another colleague had the rigatoni and enjoyed it enough, but said it was very heavy, full of cream. Again, it deserves a solid 3 stars! read more

I had a microwedding in October 2021. Our ceremony was held at Holy Spirit Church and we wanted to do an intimate dinner celebration with our family nearby and not at a hotel. If you live in the Tri-City area, you know there aren't many options available. I knew their food was good because we dine here occasionally, but I was very hesitant about booking Massimo's for a banquet. When I inquired about booking a private dining room, Tracy gave me a walkthrough of the facilities. Still I was a bit hesitant, but she did all she could to put me at ease. I am so glad we had our dinner party there. The room was beautifully set, our party had our own bathrooms, the buffet was setup nicely so it didn't get crowded, and Tracy was even there to ensure that everything was going as planned. Tracy and Carlos were a huge help in getting the music set up and making sure everyone was comfortable and had enough to eat. Erika was our bartender and she did a wonderful job. The dinner parter was exactly what I wanted, intimate. Everyone had a great time and more importantly, the food blew everyone away. Thank you so much Massimo's! read more

Only reason this place gets 2 stars is the service. I feel like this is a type of restaurant where Gordon Ramsay would walk into, and be like WTF is this. The whole atmosphere and sitting situation in this place is a complete joke. The restaurant seating, was attached to the bar, which was loud and rowdy. So how is it supposed to be a nice fancy restaurant, when you are literally sitting next to a bunch of really drunk guys yelling at the TV? And the food was beyond subpar. What a waste of money and experience. My filet mignon and "garlic" mashed potatoes had no taste all. My girlfriends food was so hot, it was clearly microwaved. read more

*** Update*** I accidentally left my left over ribeye bone at the restaurant. The hostess actually went above and beyond and called me and told me I left it and asked if I wanted to swing back by and get it. ****** A little on the pricey side but worth every penny. Wait staff is great! Hostess is a doll! Food is excellent! Sat in the bar for a more casual visit. Had a shrimp cocktail and an expression martini. Followed it with a Chipolte rubbed ribeye. read more

Massimo's - Italian Near Me - Fremont, California

The staff was amazing and made a special birthday boys 14th birthday a blast. The cherries jubilee is such a special treat and that chicken piccata was amazing read more

See all

My brother hosted a 25th anniversary celebration here and it could not have been more perfect. The staff set up a nice area outdoors for the renewal of vows ceremony. Then we all moved indoors to a private dining room and a great italian meal. Service could not have been better. This is one of the best dining options in the area and I wished it was closer to us. Plenty of free parking and a nice bar area. read more

We went to Massimo's on the recommendation of many Fremont residents for my birthday. We ate outside due to having an unvaccinated child with us. The outdoor patio had tables nicely spaced apart and on that particular day it was a bit windy despite tent walls to shelter the outdoor patio dining area. Heat lamps helped with that. Ambiance is definitely much nicer and more upscale/romantic inside. Our server took good care of us, there were no issues. The food was good, though not spectacular and worthy of the price tag (though I may be biased having grown up on New York Italian food). Our server did bring out a complimentary birthday ice cream for me, which was appreciated. No complaints about the food or the service, just didn't find the menu and quality to be unique and worthy of the price tag. read more