Best place for steaks in Rochester. I've been many, many times over the past few years and have enjoyed every visit. I no longer live in Rochester so I've only been to Max's a few times this year. Besides the food, the next best part about Max's is, or was our favorite waiter, Greg. I say is or was because the last time I was in town I made a reservation on a Friday night and requested to be seated in the back with Greg. To my surprise he was not there and we had a very new and inexperienced waitress. She was fine but not 5 star restaurant excellent. So, if anyone knows if Greg has moved on to a different place please let me know. My wife does not eat steak and it was great to have a waiter offer to have me call early in the week and request a certain type of fish, etc to be made for her so we could both enjoy a fantastic meal. If you love steak you should order one of the specials. I have tried them all and my favorite is the bone-in, dry-aged ribeye. Just a fantastic steak. As others have noted everything is a la carte. Oddly enough one of the best is the mac and cheese which is always different and only one with a heavily smoked cheese was not to my liking. Great wine selection. If you are with a group that is up for taking a chance they sometimes have some mystery wines that are excellent but of a variety they are no longer ordering. Pick red or white and you get an extraordinary wine for about $50. Overall, this is a great place. The specials are expensive but well worth it, especially if your date also enjoys steak and you can share one. If not you can make a pretty amazing Philly steak sandwich with what's leftover if you go for a big one on your own. From people I've gone with they report that the lobster, chicken, duck, etc is very good as well. read more

Made reservations for my brothers 21st birthday... man was it worth it. From the outside the place looks like a regular diner but the atmosphere inside provokes comfort and intimacy. Appetizers: Braised Octopus - Octopus was not tough and seasoned well. The toasted chick peas were a compliment. The overall mixture of ingredients made this an exciting dish to share. Maryland Style Crab Cake - Was cooked perfect and had great flavor. However, I did expect more from the Jalapeno aioli and do wonder if they had used fresh crab or canned. The dish was a bit small to share with more than two people. Hand Cut Steak Tartare - This was a treat. Again, the overall mixture of ingredients was perfect and made it a perfect finger food on top of crostinis. Dinner: Prime Ribeye (18 oz.) - While it was one of the most expensive steak's on the menu it was much cheaper than any of the steak's they were serving that night as specials. Three of us had order the Ribeye rare, the other black and blue (which is what I should have ordered), and we received exactly just that. Again, it was expensive but the cut and quality of meat was worth it. I would have been disappointed with the quality and most likely would not have bothered ordering a steak if we had gone to a restaurant of lesser scale to save some money. The steak's are served a la carte so we had also ordered sides (i.e., Mashed Potatoes, Caramelized Mushrooms & Onions, Mixed Greens, and French Fries w/ Parmesan and oil) all of which were family sized, enough for the four of us to evenly share. Service: Typically when the food is this good, I can become quite passive in regards to bad service. Only as long as it is timely and food is served at the correct temperatures. Though our waiter was excellent. Very knowledgeable about the different wines and pairings. Was able to adapt to our mood which can be at times obnoxious due to the intimacy of the place. Just overall inviting. For the occasion, Max Chop House was perfect. Looking forward to going back someday. Definitely want to try Max of Eastman soon. read more

If you want an incredible dinner go here immediately! One of the best places in Rochester!

Most definitely the best Steakhouse in Rochester. Always a pleasant experience in an elegant yet cozy atmosphere.

We had been wanting to try Max's for awhile. We made reservations for 6:30 for my husband's birthday. We arrived on time and waiting in the front of the restaurant for our table since there were no seats at the bar. The hostess never updated us on our table even though we were right next to her. 45 minutes later I asked how much longer and she said she didn't know. When I questioned why the wait was so long WITH reservations all she had to say was "it's a busy night". No apologies or accomadations. No offers to check on anything and zero apologies when we walked out. We will never go back. read more

So I've been here twice, both visits years apart, and have felt the same way about it each time: good, not great. I'd give it 3.5 stars if I could. Standard good steak, formal service, boring dining room. Innovative? No. Perfect for traditionalists? Yes. Looking for a place to impress a date or your business clients? Max's Chophouse would work for both. I guess I just don't feel particularly inspired by the place. The hangar steak is excellent and filet mignon was good too. I would appreciate a little bit more char on the steak to lock in some flavor. Or maybe I'm just partial now to more wood-fired steaks? Not sure. The bar is good: drinks are well-balanced and the wine selection is varied and reasonably priced. The meal will run you about $75-100 pp with tax and tip, depending on alcohol consumption. Sides are extra and they do add up of course. Thought the hangar was better than the filet. More flavor. I don't know, this place is standard Brighton. I'll probably like it more when I'm 20 years older. read more

I just received a compliment from Ad R., whom I PRESUME is the manager or proprietor of Max Chophouse. WHY do I presume this, you ask? Because the Thank You from him said I am a Grade-A name dropping prick. Awesome! read more

Perhaps the biggest disappointment of any restaurant in Rochester. Coming in, I had high expectations based on my experience at Max of Eastman Place. The restaurant is located in a nondescript strip mall, between Cobbs Hill and 12 Corners. The entrance was a bit dirty and reminded me of a Chinese take-out joint. However, upon entering the actual restaurant, you will notice it is well decorated with muted colors and non-distracting paintings. The bar area has faux game heads. The restaurant only has about 15 tables, so make sure you make reservations. The wine menu was quite extensive and perhaps a little more so than necessary, but the waiters (read: no sommelier) were quite knowledgeable about the pairings. The left side of the dining menu is mostly appetizers and sides (served family style), while the right side is your a la carte chops and entrees. The family style portions are quite large and certainly can be shared my a table of four. I ordered the New England Clam Chowder special, which was by far the best part of the meal (unfortunately) and the crab cakes. The crab cakes were not cakey (good), but was drenched in an sauce that had an overwhelming hint of capers. My girlfriend ordered the tournedos, medium rare, accompanied by a bernaise. I ordered the steak frites medium. The former was reportedly well-cooked and sauce savory. However, my dish was less than stellar. While the meat was cooked well, it was served over a bed of frites, which subsequently became soaked in the sauce. Since a major reason to order steak frites, is quite frankly the frites, I didn't even finish the mushy remains. Dessert was also disappointing as the cheesecake was supposedly accompanied by Grand Marnier marinated strawberries. The cheesecake was fantastic, but the strawberries tasted like strawberries and nothing else. Perhaps I would return and would certainly try other offerings. 3 1/2 stars for the disappointment, but well-cooked meats. Tony's other establishment is certainly the better of the two, by a long shot. read more

Steaks were perfect and the service was great. Everything is a la carte so it can get a bit pricey. You get what you pay for though and would go back in a second. Highly recommend... read more

This place is terrible! We came here for a graduation dinner and it was far below our expectations. The service was slow, the steaks were cold and to top it all off, one of the dinners didn't come out until the rest of us were finished. We will never return again!!! read more

Wow. What is going on at this place? The wait staff seem to be very unhappy people. My bf and I used to frequent this place until a bad experience. We decided to give it another try. Went on a busy Saturday, no reservation but were warmly greeted by the hostess and seated. That was the good part. Ordered fillet NO SAUCE and requested a spaghetti squash side that was being done with a special. Fillet arrives with sauce. Was told it was au jus...umm okay since when is au jus creamy and smoke flavored? Yuck. When the meat returned without "au jus" on it they still put some on the side...weird. Instead of spaghetti squash I got broccoli because as I was sharply told by food server girl "it's NOT ON THE MENU". Oookay then. Food overall good but not stellar. BF overtipped anyway but we never saw the waitress again. I like to enjoy the whole dining experience as well as food and don't need to be scolded. Sure things get stressful but suck it up if you want regulars. People at the bar seemed to be having a blast. Maybe the bartenders get this logic. read more

Saturday night was a special night to say goodbye to some close friends. We chose Max as we had always wanted to try it. We were surprised that on a Sat. night at 7:30 we arrived to a half filled restaurant. We were seated right away and our bar order arrived quickly and were excellent. After perusing the menu we made our choices with help from a very knowledgeable and friendly waitress. I ordered the hanger steak, my husband the ribeye that the waitress said was the specialty of the house. Our friends ordered the lamb chops and salmon. The salads were pricey and not anything to brag about but we kept our hopes up. Our main dishes arrived with sides for the table. The mashed potatoes were the consistency of wall paper paste and poured onto the plate..... the mushrooms were rubbery and tasteless. Our steaks came covered in a balsamic sauce that was so salty it was almost inedible. They allowed you to choose an extra sauce which was rather nice but it had to compete with the sauce that drenched our steaks. My hanger steak was cooked nicely and was tender. My husbands ribeye was so tough that he had trouble even cutting it. It is hard to have a tough ribeye, especially when you order it rare but it was like shoe leather. As we were attempting to eat our meals the waitress showed up with another hanger steak and said that the chef had not been happy with the amount or rareness he had sent out and wanted to replace it. I was happy with the steak since I had carefully scraped it completely and suggested that she give it to my husband who was not happy. She apologized and gave him the hanger steak. His steak was even more drenched with overly salted glaze and he spent the next ten minutes trying to scrape enough off of it so he could eat it. He gave up..... Our friends were happy with their meals and they were very happy with their choice of the banana split for two. We went home disappointed and out $125 for a meal that I would have not fed my family! How hard is it to make mashed potatoes and let the steaks stand on their own without dousing it in over salted glaze? We won't be back... I suggest you think twice if you want a special dinner out. They did not charge us for the ribeye but did charge him for the hanger steak even though it certainly wasn't what he had wanted. read more

Had a wonderful dinner here. Very pricey, but the food was good. Just wish the portions were a little bigger for the price. They didn't have a drink menu when we went, so I just ordered a couple glasses of Reisling not realizing they were $10/glass... definitely could of gotten a bottle of that exact wine for less than the price of one glass! I know you're paying for the experience, but it still would have been nice to have a price list available. Also, I wasn't a fan of how tightly they pack you in there. It was a few days before Valentine's Day, so I don't know if it was because of that or what, but I felt like we were sitting on top of the tables next to us. read more

Went here for a date night and was one the best meals I've had in a long time. Max's lived up to the hype, at least for me. I started with the escargot. I was hoping for the tradition presentation, which this was not, but still delicious. I then had the 6 oz filed with broccolini and mac and cheese of the day, while my boyfriend got the strip. This was one of the best filets I have had, and was better than the one I had during my last trip to Ruth's Chris. The only downside was the very loud patron at the table next to us, but not the fault of the restaurant. While quite pricey for Rochester, I thoroughly enjoyed it and would go back for a special occasion or out of town guests. read more

Fod is excellent. Everything is pricey, but you get more than what you pay for. When You enter a place that doesn't have any salt or pepper on the table and you find the food is spiced just right and you in fact don't need it, then you definitely don't feel like they overcharged you. read more

This is the place we compare others against. The food is the best we have had in Rochester. Yes it is small, and not cheap, but it is also quiet. While the other Max's (Eastman) is ok, this one is far better. Service is excellent, parking is free right in front of the entrance and plentiful. This is the place for date night; because she deserves the best. read more

I would never go there again. We had a party of 7 people and we sat down at about 8:30. The service was so-so even though the restaurant was not all that busy. One of my guests ordered a steak medium which had to be sent back twice to get it so it wasn't blood red. I had a filet that was cold. Another guest had a steak that he ordered medium and it was rare. I don't know how they can be a "chop house" and not be able to cook a steak the way it was ordered! For the prices you pay, they should be putting out a quality product the first try. We aren't in some big city, this is Rochester. Get your act together! read more

We decided to try Max's (on Monroe near Highland) and were disappointed by the attitude of the bartender and the limited starter menu. We heard good things about their steaks but we couldn't give over the downer of not being served our favorite cocktails or by finding something delicious for a starter. We decided to try another restaurant instead. read more

I am writing this review based on the fact that after I dined here it was nothing but sweet dreams with visions of the Max Deluxe burger swirling in my head! We chose to dine at the chop house for the first time on a Sunday night. We ate at the bar and the service was no different than if we chose a table. The bartender was very attentive and the Manager Virgina, helped us chose an amazing wine. The mixed drinks we had after dinner were very well crafted as well. Between the Manager and the bartender there was never a want the entire evening. Both the water and wine glasses stayed full and the plates never lingered after we were finished eating. The Max deluxe burger was the entree chosen by two of the four guests in my party and it was cooked to perfection the frites, a perfect accompaniment! The oysters were as fresh as can be and the shrimp cocktail required a fork and knife they were so amazingly huge! The Steak tartar and the steak sandwich both also deserve mentioning since they both were as amazing as you would expect from a chophouse! 5 stars for service and 5 stars for food! Max's chop house and the staff left us with sweet dreams that will keep us coming back! read more

When a patron spends $150.00 on dinner for two plus gratuity, I expect stellar service. I was there last evening and, to put it mildly, the place was woefully understaffed. The maitre di, who should have been greeting and seating patrons, was often helping to serve meals. A number of people were left waiting unduly at the entrance to be seated while she was helping out in the kitchen. The"bread lady" could have been put to much better use under the circumstances. Our waiter -- whom I do not blame for this -- seemed unsure of himself and was overwhelmed. Our cocktails were left unattended at the bar, were not served promptly and lost their chill before they arrived. Our entrees were served without the side dishes and we had to wait for them before beginning to eat. The waiter did not once come to the table to inquire if everything was to our satisfaction. Empty plates were not cleared promptly. All in all, I get better service in a diner. If only I had read the morning paper's reviews of Revelry and Branca. It would no doubt have been a much better choice. Needless to say, I will no be back. read more

This restaurant is in a fairly nondescript lot on Monroe Ave. There is limited parking in the front but I here there is more in the rear. My husband and I had heard amazing things about their steak so we decided to check it out for his birthday. When we walked in, we were surprised to see how tiny the place was for how well-known it is throughout Rochester. The atmosphere is off casual elegance where it was okay to be dressed up or to be more work casual. None of the staff were pretentious at all. The menu had some very interesting appetizers and had more variety than just steak entrees on its menus. We had the tostadas which were fantastic. An artisanal clab of bacon grilled to perfection with a salad and toasted baguette w/ 2 amazing sauces which was beautifully presented. Several other appetizers looked very appealing but we wanted to save room for our entrees. I had the steak frites and my husband had a NY strip steak. Mine came out, again beautifully presented, with a fantastic sauce over the fries that I could not figure out what was in it. My steak slices was cooked exactly as I had asked. My husband thoroughly enjoyed his strip steak. We had glasses of wine which were reasonably priced and were different than what's is usually on convential Rochester menus. I think they switch their wines frequently because their wines by the glass were told to us by our waiter and were not on the menu. My husband and I were pleasantly surprised that we were not completely filled up after the appetizer and could still enjoy our meals. We had a wonderful vanilla creme brulee at the end of out meal as well. The food is definitely not soaked in butter or other fattening liquids because we walked out feeling stuffed but not overly so which was perfect and different than most other steak places in Rochester. We are definitely going back to sit at their bar area and have more of their appetizers and drinks! read more

Perhaps my expectations were too high but given the rave reviews we made reservations to enjoy an anniversary celebration dinner. Upon arriving, we are told there is a pipe issue in the basement and consequently no bathrooms. Should have been a clue but we chose to stay. We ordered surf & turf, extremely expensive, but then again, it's our anniversary so let's enjoy! Well, sadly, although the filet was tender - it was a filet I could get anywhere. My truffle, garlic butter sauce was actually truffle garlic butter (like for bread) - interesting but a challenge to enjoy. My husband's lobster tail had a strange texture - like perhaps not fully cooked to firm. Flavor was a bit light on these too and the drawn butter was not kept warm and was mixed with lemon juice - did not taste like butter at all. I am not in the habit of writing reviews but felt it should be done so it's more even and accurate for future diners. Not everyone thinks it's outstanding. read more

It was Saturday evening of Labor Day weekend. My wife and I had given another couple a gift certificate to Max Chophouse. The décor is drab and the mirrors behind the booths an unwelcome distraction. The hostess, bartender, and our waitress were pretentious at best and arrogant at worst. They seemed unhappy to be there and were given to formulaic responses - "Thank you so much for asking how I am today." My shrimp cocktail was excellent and 3 entrees were acceptable but not in any way outstanding, commensurate with the prices. My 41 dollar rib eye which was ordered rare came out unevenly cooked and mostly medium. The exasperated, snarky waitress looked at it and said, "Well I can't remember how you ordered it!" She took it back as my wife and friends began to eat. After being ignored for 10-15 minutes she came back to tell me it would be about another 6 minutes. We all thought that this did not bode well for a rare outcome. My wife and friends generously offered pieces of their entrees while I nibbled on the very good French fries. My compatriots finished as my second steak arrived; just as the first - unevenly cooked and not rare. The now borderline rude waitress tried to look at it while saying that the poor lighting made it difficult for her to see. Then, believe it or not, she picked up my knife and fork and cut into the middle of the steak, looking for rare! We were all embarrassed for her desperation. Then she played the guilt card by saying if she took it back to the kitchen she would dump it in the trash. In order to avoid any scene I asked for a box to take it home. The next day I put some of the "steak" in a salad and drowned it with French dressing. My Basset Hound ate the rest; but of course, he'll eat anything! read more