I had to write a review on Max Fish as the experience and the food were both off for the price it costs to eat here and why we will not be back! I made reservations for Saturday night to celebrate a 50th birthday and mentioned one guest has a garlic allergy. We arrived on time at 4:00 pm (early ) and sat at our table - waiter immediately comes by asking about drinks? I said we will look at wine menu and by the way we have a garlic allergy issue. he disappeared for like 15 minutes and came by again , drinks and what will you have - no personality, very robotic. Meghan, a manager of some sorts was by our table and i mentioned the birthday again and allergy. To finish a long story, person with the allergy got very sick ( so they screwed up his order) and the Food was really NOT good at all, seemed to us that the Quality has nosedived! The waiter gave us our check very kurt , no mention of birthday, how was food --NOTHING! So here it is - anyone who eats here be prepared to pay $$$$ money for mediocre at best food. Actually the table across from us kept sending food back - apparently kept getting the order wrong. from my perspective, seemed like all they cared about was "GET 'EM IN , GET 'EM OUT! I will find another place that appreciates my patronage. read more

Very good food. Have no complain at all. The salmon is cooked to perfection, pink but not raw. Mussels are really good too. We usually go during happy hours and the price is so worth it, the portion is just as big as regular order. Just make sure you get there early to get a seat, they fill up very quickly. read more

The menu selection was great. Ordered the clam chowder and lobster roll and they were both good. The music in the background was loud and we had to ask for it to be turned down several times. Not conducive to a business lunch setting. Service was decent but could've been more attentive at times. Overall I would recommend this place to others if just for the food alone. read more

We've been here several times but very let down Saturday night. Service was awful.waitress came after ten minutes, then 15 minutes for drinks to arrive. And food was a disappointment! Bouillabaisse was Bland! Friend ordered trout and got a tiny piece ov over cooked fish. He sent it back and received a nice portion of well cook trout. How could a good place be this bad read more

Great restaurant. Seated immediately. Server was polite cheerful and prompt. She made great suggestions to changes I wanted to the menu item I selected. The food was served hot and promptly. It was all delicious. When I come back this way I'll definitely eat there again read more

My newest favorite brunch location! Their brunch menu is to die for, and their Bloody Mary bar is the reason I wake up on Sundays (just kidding!). I stuff my Bloody Mary's with so many vegetables that it becomes its own meal. Their lobster scramble was originally a daily special, but so many customers ordered it and loved it that it became a permanent menu item! read more

I've been to Max Fish several times over the years, for happy hour, brunch, and dinner. Happy hour is awesome ($5 Max Manhattans!), brunch has a build your own Bloody Mary bar, and the dinner menu has something for everyone. This past week three girlfriends and I went for the CT Restaurant Week menu and were very pleased. Our server was Chelsea B., who is as professional as servers come. She recommended a great bottle of wine, without trying to push us out of our price range. She explained the restaurant week menu- which is a great deal! $30.15 for an appetizer, entrée, and dessert. I opted for the Fall Chopped Salad, which was a generous portion. Mixed greens, bleu cheese, butternut squash, local apples, walnuts, cranberries... all the good stuff. Served along with the salad was fresh, warm bread, and cucumber slices. My entrée was fantastic. I had the salmon, which came over cauliflower grits. It was a combination that I would have not created myself, but went amazingly well together. The salmon was prepared perfectly, recommended at medium. Dessert was my favorite part. Caramel Apple Blondie Cheesecake. Do I really need to say anything else? Chelsea told us about their pastry chef, who spends every day baking fresh desserts and breads for the restaurant. I would like to be this pastry chef's friend. Overall, a great time was had at Max Fish, and I will continue to enjoy all they have to offer. read more

My parents were in town visiting me a few weeks ago so we decided to try Max Fish. Coming from New York City, we are used to high quality fish restaurants and this place definitely did not disappoint. We came on a Friday night, but were able to easily get a reservation online. The restaurant was packed when we got there, but that didn't stop prompt and excellent service. The second we sat down someone came over to ask our water preference. Shortly after that our server came and took our drink order, then arrived quickly with our drinks. My mom and I had the tuna tartar lettuce cups for an app and my dad had the New England clam chowder. For dinner I had the sesame crusted tuna with a side of mac & cheese. My mom had the scallops a la Pancha and my dad had a steamed lobster. For dessert we had the key lime tart. Best seafood I have ever had in my life and we are still talking about how amazing it was. Prices were reasonable for what you were getting and my parents have said they definitely want to come back to Max Fish the next time they visit. Only downside was that parking was a little hard to find (had to drive around the lot a couple times). read more

I had an excellent shell fish and scallops and shrimp medley in a great broth. Followed it with a cream brûlée's. Both served by a beautiful young waitress who was very attentive and pleasant. I will do it again if I am ever this way. Highly recommend!!! read more

After going to Max Burger, we thought we'd try another Max establishment. I had a hankering for clam chowder. We were in New England after all. I got a salad that was way over dressed. The chowder was really just potatoes and milk. Where were the clams? Service was sad. Atmosphere was ok. Prices would've been fine if the food were good. read more

Has swordfish tacos a few weeks ago. Undercooked, sent it back to verify . Took my entire plate away including my partially eaten beans and rice . Brought back new tacos but none of my sides . I guess they were trying to tell me to eat less maybe. The tacos were solid once cooked . read more

Actually, I think I'd give them 2.5 stars = Meh, it's OK. Hubby and I moved to the area less than 2 weeks ago, and tonight we had a couple BIG things to celebrate. First, the house we sold in our former city closed and recorded today - after being on the market for less than 24 hour, closing 3 weeks after it was listed. SWEET! And second, and probably more monumental, today was officially hubby's last day of employment. Tomorrow he joins the ranks of the retired. Needless to say, I was looking for a really special meal to mark the day. Seafood seemed appropriate, and after search Yelp I chose Max Fish as THE spot based on the great reviews by so many folks. I made reservation through Open Table on the Yelp page and we arrived right on time. We were promptly seated and then greeted by our server, Liz. I order a glass of Rose (special for the summer) and we opted for the sparkling water instead of the still. The Rose was just "meh"; later, when the bill arrived, we discovered there was a charge for the sparkling water (around $5 for about a liter of what was probably club soda from the bar). :/ Wish we would have know that, especially before Liz brought us out a refill of our bottle (and charged us another $5 for the great service). I know that sounds cheap and petty, and we probably would have still ordered it, but it was the fact we were not informed that kinda irked me. :/ I was STARVING when we arrived. I saved up my appetite just for this meal. I ordered the yellowtail poke appetizer to start (hubby had been snacking during the day, so he had one bite of my app and did not order his own). There were chucks of super fresh tuna that had been marinating with scallions, sesame seeds, perhaps a little sesame oil and garlic, and soy sauce, and served on top of thin slices of lotus root that had been fried. In total there were 3 of these morsels - each a large mouthful. Too bad they were overly salty. Really too bad. I've had my share of poke - it's what I live on when I'm in Hawaii - and this was a major FAIL. What a waste of superb fish. What was the chef thinking??? No salt is bad, but too much salt ruins a meal. :p I also ate 2/3s of the bread basket. The bread was OK, but not great. I did really like the caraway crisp bread. It, too, was salty, but just this side of being too salty. For my main course I opted for the seared yellowtail served over a cake of potatoes Anna (they called it something else [potato pave] - basically very thin slices of potato layered in a cast iron skillet with about a stick of butter, covered, and the cooked slowly, undisturbed, until the potatoes are meltingly soft with a crisp crust on the bottom. Flip it over and serve), with fresh yellow beans, and topped with a pickled roasted pepper tappenade. All this was sitting on the plate which had been covered in a buerre rouge sauce. This would have been pretty good if the beans had been pan roasted (they were just steamed and lacked flavor) and if the tappenade had not been so overpowering with vinegar and salt brine. The excellent fish was lost in the vinegar and salt. It ruined the dish. Such a shame! Again, I'm not sure what the chef was thinking. Maybe his taste buds are dead and can only taste the sour pungence of vinegar, and he's overly addicted to salt and can't taste when something is too salty. Really disappointing at $27 a plate; still would have been disappointed if the meal had been free. The potatoes were excellent, as was the glass of pinot noir (from New Zealand!). Hubby ordered their burger (he's got a thing for burgers). The patty was thick and juicy and cooked perfectly med. rare. However, the greens were old and wlited. The french fries were quite good, however. For dessert I ordered my favorite go-to option - creme brulee. it was a generously sized serving, with two small cookies half-dipped in dark chocolate. Again, disappointment awaited me. The burnt sugar was not fully melted and did not have the rich caramel color that is associated with this dish; instead, it was the color of the palest honey. Secondly, the custard was over cooked. It lacked the smooth, velvety texture. Luckily, it did not go so far as to be grainy (which would indicate the egg yokes had not been tempered). I didn't bother finishing the dish. Normally I would lick the plate clean. Dinner for 2 came to $100. That included 1 appetizer, 2 entrees, 1 dessert, a coffee, a cappuccino, 2 glasses of wine, and two bottles of club soda - a steep price for a mediocre meal at best. The best parts of the meal were our server, Liz, the potatoes from my entree, and the glass of pinot noir. I do not plan on going back to Max Fish for dinner, but I will give it a go for happy hour. Hopefully they will not let me down. Still looking for a good restaurant in the area. read more

Great happy hour. I lucked up and arrived right when happy hour started. I got a few things, but the scallops and the quinoa salad was my favorite. Such different ingredients for the salad, hummus, chickpea, radish, and. Lemon type dressing. Very tasty. I got a glass of Shiraz, which was surprisingly a good quality to be on a happy hour menu. Good choices on the menu. read more

Simply put, I wouldn't come back given the amount of other options available. Max Fish is a similar atmosphere to other white table cloth seafood spots and delivered well on some things and not so much on others. The best thing? We had great service, very attentive, informative and helpful without being annoying. The cocktails were really good. The rest? It was freezing. I think they keep their live bar fresh not by the use of ice but by the use of the building's HVAC. I'm from Minnesota and I was one Old Fashioned deep. If I say it was cold, it was damn cold. Uncomfortable to the point of negatively impacting the entire experience. We overheard another table complaining about it and when we left there was a table asking to be moved. The value wasn't there. For the price point, I expect some "oh wow you have to try this" moments. All four of us liked our food. None of us were moved by it. read more

Friday night after shopping with the family was complete with prosecco, dozen oysters, sweet potato fries, and the chopped salad! What great service right at the bar with Alex. The prosecco was flowing. The oysters were ice cold, cleanly, and briny with my favorite mignonette of vinegar and shallots. Perfectly fried sweet potatoes were crispy and soft, perfectly salted and delicious! Topping it off with their signature Chopped Salad with Gorgonzola, apple, sweet potato, sunflower seeds, walnuts, and spring lettuce in a buttermilk dressing. Perfect! Thanks for making Black Friday sensational! After a day of holiday shopping this is the place to go for fantastic food, atmosphere, and good times! read more

Very friendly and excellent service made my first time dining at Max Fish so pleasant. My friend and I got Mahi mahi and special of the day dish, Pasta with grilled veg and scallop. Fish and scallops were very fresh and well cooked. The portion of all dishes are very generous too. Max can let you experience not your ordinary boring seafood, but something different and freshly prepared feeling good meal of the day in your neighborhood. Very spacious and relaxing dining decor inside and out. read more

I'm generally happy with most of my visits here. The service is almost always perfect. The lobster bisque is one of the better ones in the area. There have been a few glitches with the food, but considering my visit:glitch ratio, this place remains on my list of favorites. read more

One of the few Connecticut fish houses that understands that fish tastes better not fried. Of course, it may be one of the few places that does this because the fish is actually fresh! While all of the food is generally solid, I recommend going for small plates. A nice mix of raw bar and appetizers will fill you up while also providing a great deal of variety. The added bonus, of course, is that you can pair a different wine with every plate you get - a food/wine flight, if you will. Therefore, I recommend at least 6 different plates. And a taxi. read more

Group of us met down at the bar after 9 pm on a Wednesday. Bartenders were really nice, great atmosphere and their appetizer specials were ridiculous! 2$ calimari, 2$ clam chowder, 3$ Burger, and a bunch other options at that same price. Food was great, even late night. How can u go wrong. I am so going back! Awesome read more

Can Max's get any better? Best of the best. After my last few inconsistent trips to various local restaurants, my wife and I decided to try a new Max restaurant, Max Fish. We arrived and changed seating twice due to our pickiness - outside was a bit too hot and crowded and the table celebrating a birthday party was a bit too close. But thanks to the helpful hostess, we finally found our spot. After seeing it on the webite, we started with 2 Bee's Knees. Felt about as masculine as if I ordered an Appletini, but, man, this is a drink for a 90 degree day! Order it, men! Strangely enough, on a 90 degree day, I ordered clam chowder...awesome. My wife ordered shrimp cocktail that seemed like it was fresh from the ocean. For dinner, I went with the scallops a la plancha - perfectly cooked - and my wife went with the miso and panko encrusted salmon salmon - extremely flavorful. Apple bread pudding dessert was very good - a bit too much bread for my liking, but I guess that's what I get for ordering bread pudding. The one thing I'll say is that the service was not as attentive as a normal Max experience. Friendly, but not attentive. Would not be happy if it happened again. But, damn, the food was so good, I just could not pull it down to a 4-star. I'll even say that it's reasonably priced - mostly low to mid-20's. And the portions are just right - they resist the temptation like many places these days to give you salmon the size of a porterhouse or fill up your plate with smashed potatoes. They fill you up but leave you wanting more...perfect balance. The thing about any Max restaurant is that you consistently find a good meal. If it's not good enough, Max's does not put it on the menu. Our last 2 nice places out, Dish and J. Gilbert's failed to deliver, but Max, no matter which one, always seems to come through. read more

Finally got to Max Fish last night and the experience was less than I'd expected being a big fan of Max Downtown. First the place is very noisy and my wife and I were put at a very small table for two. It was so small that our knees nearly touched. We started with the tower and while it was fresh it was uninspired. Nothing really stood out and the crab claws tasted as if they'd been frozen. Our server gave me the wrong dinner. There were two preparations of the dish and she asked me which one I wanted. I asked her which she recommended and she still gave me the wrong dish. While the food was good but not great as I'd hoped, our service was below par. Our server never brought bread until I asked for it. Our water was never refilled. We used our bread plates with the tower and they were never replaced. As mentioned I got the wrong preparation of my dinner. A wedge of lemon with my espresso rather than a lemon rind. Overall, less than I'd hoped. We'll probably try it again and hope this was a one time negative experience given all the positive ratings others have given it. We tried it again a couple of weeks ago (12/12) and had a much better experience. People had been telling us we must have hit it on an off night and they were right. The food was very good and the service attentive but not fussy. We had some very fresh and delicious tasting clams and oysters on the half shell. I had Loch Duart salmon that was perfectly prepared and my wife had the Dover sole. I'm glad we gave Max Fish another try. We'll be coming back more often. read more

First time for me dining here, have been to other Max restaurants and this one didn't disappoint. I loved the look inside of the old crazed subway tile in a black and white theme. Very antique looking but meticulously clean. We were greeted by very friendly staff. The place was bustling with lots of vibe. Nice looking lobster tank on the right near the check in desk. The clam chowder with bacon was excellent. I had the strip steak with roasted cauliflower and a potato and onion pave. The steak was cooked perfect, the potato and onion pave with bacon was addicting. The it staff was spot on and met our every need, very professional and very friendly. I had the pumpkin cheesecake for dessert and it was delicious. My partner had the pan roasted lobster and enjoyed it very much. I would definitely go back here. read more

I have only been to Max Fish for dinner a couple of times but we try to make it to their incredible happy hour at least once a month. They have $5 drinks and glasses of wine along with $4 beers. The pomegranate margarita is outstanding. The variety of the food offered on the happy hour menu is excellent and they even have a $3 cheeseburger which is huge! Their clams on the half shell are always very fresh and delicious as well. I highly recommend Max Fish, if even just for their great happy hour. read more

Great place to go for happy hour. Max Fish has the best "happy hour" hours you can ask for! 4-6 PM and again at 10-midnight. This is everyday INCLUDING WEEKENDS! An endless sea of choices! A lot of food and a wonderful bar area. $1 oysters! Yes, $1 oysters during happy hour. I truly enjoy Max Fish over Max Oyster Bar because parking is better, service is better, and the overall atmosphere is much more soothing. We also ordered buffalo shrimp and fried calamari. Great place to catch a quick bite of food and few drinks! read more

I love dining at Max Fish! I usually go alone but order Shellfish Sampler. It is supposed to be for 2 people but I go to town on that thing and it disappears quickly. The seafood is always fresh and delicious and the main menu offers a nice assortment of fish and seafood dishes including soups, sandwiches and pasta. read more

Came here for late night happy hours. Mediocre quality in terms of food. Quick and high quality customer service. Overall very satisfied about this place read more

Well after an unimpressive first visit , My wife and I returned for a second visit on the invite of the manager after reading my review here, and now I am a fan, and a big one at that. I considered 5 stars but I could not justify that but it is a solid 4.5. everything was perfect. the appetizers we had the tuna tartar and the crab cake were perfectly prepared and tasted wonderful. my wife had a sunshine daiquiri which made her smile(no small feat there let me tell you). as for the entrees wife had the cod and that was quite good but the star of the dish was the sweet potato puree, now that was extra super yummy, not to take away from the rest of the plate the cod and veggies were all good it is just the puree deserves special mention.(again smiling wife on her birthday so yay) I had the special of the day fish. I honestly have forgot the name but Ochoa or something close from Hawaii my waitress said, was cooked perfectly and tasted just wonderful. Never had it before and now can't wait to have it again. so happy we decided to return for a second visit and now after this one it looks like we will be back for a 3rd sooner than later. also just as my last visit I can not say enough kind things about the staff the were all great especially the waitress. so it seems that is the standard there great service. read more

Ooooh, this one's tied with Max Amore as my favorite of The Group. Kudos to the Max Restaurant Group for another Hit! We waited until the newness-hype quieted a bit, then enjoyed a great meal at the Shark Bar (so good in fact, we've been back 3 or 4 times since). The oysters are superb - excellent selection and fresh, fresh, fresh! My husband & I ordered a dozen, mixed oysters, a couple of appetizers and one meal (mahi mahi) all were too good to be true. Sadly, they removed the mini- tuna "ice cream cones" from the menu but they were worth writing home about. Next visit, we skipped the shared meal & stuck with oysters & app's - a great choice. Pleanty of food for 2. I really do recommend this spot, as much as some of the other Max's (Oyster Bar & Amore). Only downfall is this has turned out to be yet another one of Glastonbury's middle-aged, divorcee meatmarkets! read more

The only part of the evening that was even remotely worth while was our server and the drinks. The food was badly prepared and, at it's best, mundane. Two other nearby tables sent back food as well. When I see prices in the high 20's for entrees, I expect well prepared and innovative. I will not eat here again. read more

This was the first time i had been there, but my husband has been with co-workers for dinner. We went for lunch. The atmosphere was beautiful. The service excellent. My husband ordered fish and chips and i had scallops on pumpkin puree. He said the fish and chips were "ok". I thought the scallops were good, but not spectacular, like i anticipated. And i thought they were overpriced ($19.00) for 4 scallops (the lunch portion). Lunch overall was $67 before a $12.00 tip. Neither of us had any alcohol. For what we got, i thought it was very pricey. Good, but not great. read more

Max Fish is my go to place for happy hour. Excellent oysters, especially id you can get a seat at the raw bar. Its often crowded during happy hour, and the crowd is pretty classy. The food is outstanding. Their Clam Chowder has got to be one of the best I have ever had. Light and creamy, and you know the clams are as fresh as they can get. The service in the bar area and raw bar is excellent. Very attentive. The drinks are moderately priced, and certainly acceptable for the caliber of this restaurant. I absolutely love the decor in this place. read more

This place is amazing. We had the tuna tartare, an assortment of oysters, the truffle Mac and cheese and the biggest and most tender lobster I've ever tasted. I will travel here from Southern California just to eat here again. read more

Finally, 2-3 years after they opened, I got a chance to go to Max Fish, and like any Max restaurant, they did not disappoint. There were mixed reviews right after they opened, mainly about service, but I'm happy to say I did not notice any issues in that area. From making the reservations (for 10, on the same day!) to the wait staff, everyone was very helpful and friendly. And the food and cocktails were delicious. Nice atmosphere, too...we sat in the "tavern" area, which was a large, open room, but not too noisy. read more

This is a very good and quite consistent restaurant in my opinion, although--just like the current political landscape--people tend to be very polarized about it; they either love it or they hate it. I myself enjoy the ambitious wine list (including usually a nice selection of "real" roses in the summer), the service, which always tends to be good in my opinion, and of course the fish, with each selection available with a variety of different presentations/sauces. Love the bread basket. No drowning the salads in dressing, which I hate. The portions aren't American-excess huge but they don't skimp either. No, a meal here is not cheap in any sense of the word, but in this case you are getting what you pay for. I've never had a bad experience at this restaurant, and we've been visiting it at least a couple of times a year since it opened. read more

This is one of my favorite local spots in Glastonbury. I love seafood to begin with, so obviously this place is right up my alley. I usually just eat in the Shark Bar because that is where most of the action is. Scallops continue to be a favorite in this place. My only request is to bring back the Buffalo Shrimp on the happy hour menu!!! read more

Awesome food. Awesome service. They have a fabulous happy hour!

Had an excellent experience at Max Fish this weekend with my parents who were visiting from out of town. Our server was knowledgeable and friendly without going overboard. The menu is lovely and was hard to chose from with so many good options if you're in the mood for seafood. We all started with some great cocktails and apps. We had oysters, crab cakes and calamari. Crab cakes were great! Calamari was good, nothing to rave about. Our main courses were excellent. Most of us got specials. The fish was cooked to perfection and all were accompanied by creative and delicious pairings. I felt like everything was priced reasonably given how good it all was. My only complaint is sitting in a red plasticy booth at such a nice place. Besides the booths, i like the atmosphere here. read more

I took my husband here for dinner last night to celebrate his birthday. We both agreed that it was THE best meal either of us has had in a long long time! Our server was fantastic, super attentive without being overbearing or annoying. He was so helpful with describing the menu and answering our questions. Everything we ordered was seriously amazing! We are already talking about coming back to try more menu items!! read more

Great food, a bit pricey for the flavor profile but service makes up for it. Great atmosphere also. Make sure to make reservations if you are thinking about going on a Friday or Saturday night, especially for groups over 4 read more

This is my favorite happy hour place in Glastonbury. It's slightly more dress up place, but casual nonetheless. The happy hour specials are great buys - $1 oysters, $2 sweet fries, $3 pork bun (one of their best appetizers!), etc. I have also been there for dinner and the fish has always been well prepared and very fresh. read more