This will be the most unfortunate review I have left on Yelp. This place has gone downhill fast. Portion sizes are slashed, quality had gone down, and is definitely not worth the prices that are that of a steakhouse. read more

Was super excited to have my birthday dinner here last night with friends. I arrived after my friends. Waiter got me a whiskey. When I ordered the catfish I ask if the Cajun was really hot. He answered no. Plate arrive the catfish was burnt black. I asked him why he said I ordered blackened. I said no i ordered Cajun. He said "it's the same". Took one bite and it was way overly Spicy. I told him that he said it wouldn't be hot. He said "oh" and walked away. Gone for 30 minutes Others wanted plates and drinks. He was just absent. Returned and asked if we wanted dessert. They ordered cappuccino cream. It want even crème. It was runny. No one ate it. They told the waiter about it. Again he said "oh". Left the table and dropped off the bill. Was gone for at least 15 minutes. In other words Poot waiter and crappy food. Pic of my fish is after I scrapped burn black junk off of it I tried to eat it but it was hotter than anything I've ever ate and I love spicy but not kill me hot. Never again. read more

Maxie's - Cajun fish after I scrapped off the black junk - Southern Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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I dined here tonight by myself, and I had what can only be described as an existential dinner experience. This was seriously one of the best meals I've had in a very long time. I walked in at about 6:45 and the dining room was packed, as was the lower bar, so I went upstairs and sat at the small bar there instead. The bartender, Clarissa, was polite and friendly. The meal came with their homemade cornbread and orange-honey butter. Phenomenal. After checking out the menu, I opted to start with the oysters on the half shell, which were obviously fresh and which I'm partial too anyhow. I got a half dozen, 2 of each of the ones they had to offer. They came with fresh lemons, cocktail sauce, horse radish, and mignonette. I then ordered the hot fried chicken dinner, which came with maple collard greens, mashed red bliss potatoes, and a slice of Texas toast. The potatoes were good, but the collard greens were exceptional and the chicken, which consisted of a wing, thigh, drum stick, and breast was some of the best I've ever had anywhere, including Hot Heads in Bayview. The chicken itself was juicy and tender, the breading was savory and flavorful and the hot butter had just the right amount of heat. It was seriously next level. I ended my meal with a slice of the chocolate banana coconut cream pie. I'm not sure who created this dessert, but whoever it was deserves a raise or a round of applause or a nice long hug at least because it totally blew my mind. Huge pieces of banana standing on end, with firm chocolate between each one, coconut custard on top, and whipped cream and toasted coconut garnish. It was a league of its own. For three courses and a Point root beer, it was about 35 bucks. A little over 42 with the tip. Not at all bad for the service and quality of the food. I will definitely return to check out more of the menu, and will definitely recommend to friends and family. Keep up the great work! read more

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Love it!!! Always a great experience! Delicious food. Great menu with a lot of fun options. Good prices. Always great service and wonderul atmosphere. read more

One word: Mojito! I have only been to Maxie's once, but definitely plan to go back in the (hopefully near) future! The mojito's are fantastic, as was my chicken po-boy sandwich! They're also very accommodating, subbing a small caesar salad for the sweet potato fries for me free of charge. Great service and delicious food & drinks will keep me coming back again & again! Did I mention the mojito's?! read more

Maxie's - Mojito! - Southern Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

My husband and I come here just for their wings. They're that good. The rest of the food is also tasty - but the wings blew my mind. They serve genuinely southern food here so yes, a lot of their food is on the spicy side. I love it. If you don't like the spice, make sure you check with your server before you order. You also get unlimited cornbread. If you keep a constant stream of carbohydrates coming to my table, I'll be back. Do yourself a favor and order the key lime pie. read more

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Having visited New Orleans a half dozen times, I can testify that this joint has an authentic Crescent City feel. The food is tasty, the serves knowledgeable, and the bar keep wizardesque. Coming back EVERY time I'm in MKE. read more

Wow, what a place. I grew up eating at the Ithaca, NY, location and was pleasantly surprised to find they had a second location in Milwaukee. I absolutely recommend coming here and pulling out all the stops. The wait staff is great, it's a fun atmosphere, and the food is amazing. read more

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DELICIOUS! The best New Orleans inspired food ever. Start you meal with a tart but sweet Hurricane to drink. My family LOVES the chicken wings and gumbo as appetizers. For the main course its almost impossible to choose because everything is fantastic, you cannot go wrong. The dessert never disappoints and fills in the cracks. In love with Maxie's and would recommend to anyone. read more

Maxie's is somewhat of a gem for a few reasons. 1st being that is hidden away from a district where you might find a lot of great food and second that it's a great Cajun place in West Allis! (Or at least close to). You'll find traditional Cajun fare like gumbo or my personal favorite jambalaya. Both good and everything here is fairly large portions. I don't know that we have ever left without extra food. That's me the meat eater and my vegetarian girlfriend as they have plenty for her as well. I'm looking at you best salad and vegetarian jambalaya! As far as drinks go they have a fair selection of beers, wines, cocktails, mocktails (NA) and soda. There is a bar, the main dining room and extra space upstairs for the overflow which is common. If you think you're having dinner here I suggest using the Yelp app to get a spot in line before you leave the house. In addition to their annual Mardi Gras party that packs the house, their food stands alone and packs the place regularly as well. If your a fan of places like Blues Egg or Story Hill BKC, then you'll be a fan here as it's the same group with the same commitment to great food. Oh and the service is usually pretty great too. So, as the cajuns say, "Laissez les bon temps rouler!" Or for you non French speakers, let the good times roll! read more

The food and service here are to notch! Want a treat of an experience? Look no further!

Best ribs with mac&cheese ever! Friendly, prompt and knowledgeable staff answer questions offer suggestions to guide those not familiar with southern cuisine. Started with fried green tomatoes. Shared two entrees among four people and shared a slice of key lime pie for dessert. Thursday evenings offer deals on beer as well. I'll be back! read more

This food was amazing! We started with the NOLA grilled oysters and they melted in our mouths. I should have ordered those for dinner too. The cornbread was cold and fell apart very easily but great flavor. My boyfriend had a full rack of the baby back ribs and he ate them ALL!! the meat literally fell of the bones and was super tender. They were smoked very well. I had a bowl of the gumbo and a side of the maple-braised collard greens. The gumbo was excellent and a large portion so I am afraid of what the jumbo size would be. The collard greens on the other hand were way too sweet and I did not like the maple flavor. I would also cook mine a little longer so they would not be as tough. Service was great and have no complaints on the drinks. We spent about $74 for everything (not including tip). Overall a great meal and will definitely return. read more

Maxie's - baby back ribs with side of beans and salad; gumbo and collard greens - Southern Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

The food was awesome. I'm so full. My ribs were a little over cooked but Dan compensated or bill. The service was great too! I'm definitely coming back. The lemon drop was great too. Oh but wait the collard greens...... mmmn come try em for yourself, but do me a favor and save me some. Jenn read more

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I had high hopes for this place based on the reviews here and elsewhere, but I left feeling thoroughly disappointed. It feels like the sort of place where people primarily go to drink and hang out with friends, so the food isn't the focus and quality suffers as a result. Everything I tried was decidedly mediocre: - The courtesy cornbread had potential because it was super moist, but it didn't hold up well--it was really crumbly and ended up falling apart. - The BBQ beef brisket was mushy and lacked any distinct smoky flavor (or any other flavor for that matter), simply drowned in bbq sauce. - The mac and cheese was fine, though it seemed reheated. Pretty hard to screw up mac and cheese. - The maple-braised collard greens were bland and uninspiring. Service was mostly fine, until the end when things took a weird turn. Before I had even finished my entree, the server asked about dessert and brought my bill. Then he just disappeared, never came back to pickup the check or top up my water, etc. Luckily I had exact change on me to pay the bill + tip so I could just leave without having to flag him down, but it was just odd and left a bad impression. read more

Excellent fish, excellent crab cakes, excellent ribs macaroni and corn bread!!! This is our go-to restaurant whenever my in-laws come into town. The food is outstanding. The atmosphere is nice and the staff is friendly and accommodating. It's a win win for my family who loves barbeque and myself who loves fish! read more

Loooove the happy hour oysters! Such a reasonable price ($1/piece) and I devour two dozens like a sea otter! Food is pretty good to, southern comfort can't really go wrong with its established cuisine system. read more

First time in and I'm pretty sure Maxie's made my top 5 Milwaukee restaurants... First of all, anywhere that's PACKED on a Monday must be good- so when we were greeted with a 30-45 min wait we snagged a seat at the bar and looked over the menu with great anticipation. The smells of all the food around us were AMAZING. We decided to split everything and get the brisket plate, sub in mac and cheese, and then the crab and corn chowder and a side of fries. We got the chowder out first and oh was it good, creamy and just the right balance of corn and that seafood flavor. It paired amazingly with the cornbread they bring out to every table. Then came the fries and brisket (which they brought out split into two plates for us- without us asking or expecting it) We could have split JUST the brisket plate and left full, SO much food. The brisket was fall apart delish and the mac was so creamy and rich. 10/10 would recommend... you must check them out! read more

Maxie's Fish Fry hidden secret! I never thought of Maxie's as a fish fry place but in a Friday evening moment of despair, they came through for us. We made a critical error by assuming that we could avoid long lines and wait times by ordering a fish fry takeout at 6pm. All of the classic local places for fish fry had long waits for the take out, which were comparable to their waits for seating... 1 hour plus... Or, they just didn't answer their phone. Oh no! This is a KEY LEARNING: you need to go early if you don't want to wait. After some googling and yelping, the solution to this vexing problem presented itself... Maxie's! It turns out that their Friday menu of daily specials includes a fabulous fish fry. Thanks to the help of Yelp's "Waitlist" feature, we were able to get our names on the list and take a leisurely trip to Maxie's. We were seated 5 minutes after arriving and our dashed hopes for Friday Fish Fry were resurrected! Maxie's is already one of our favorite places for romantic dinners and this fish fry was in line with their other excellent food. We ordered their novel crab-infused hush puppies as a starter.. Delicious. The fish fry consisted of 4 battered planks of Pacific Cod, French fries, and cole slaw. Maybe good fortune colored my perspective but this is some of the best fish I have had around here! Cooked to perfection and tasty. Good tartar sauce to dip it in and Great fries! Oh, the slaw was excellent too. The bonus feature about this fish fry is that it's Green! Most fish frys serve Cod, Perch, and/or Walleye. The cod usually served is Atlantic cod with is significantly over-fished, to the extent that it is listed as "vulnerable" to extinction. Even though I love cod, it gives me pause before ordering it at most other fish fries. Not at Maxie's! The Pacific Cod they serve is a sustainably managed fishery and so folks that worry about this sort of thing can eat guilt free! Maxie's may have just displaced the other "classic" fish fry joints for our family. read more

Maxie's - Pacific Cod fish fry - Southern Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

This is a small restaurant filled with elites in hipsters who enjoy Southern Cajun cooking and good beer. The thing I like about this business is that it is in old building and there is not much parking and the street is very old with houses right next to the business in establishment peering maxis had a good selection of good bear which is basically what I did as the prices of the food and menu were outrageous. The people were very well dressed so this looks like a place where the higher income people wine and dine themselves to gluttony read more

This was an amazing find! One of the best meals we've had on our road trip. A whole in the wall that was packed for a very good reason. Definitely worth the wait! read more

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Love. This. Place. Everytime I've been here the food has been great and so has the atmosphere. read more

It's busy, it's loud, the food is delicious and great service. But it's not a place to go if you want quiet conversations.

So the corn bread. Based on these reviews, I have to say it's fairly overrated. It's _okay_. Somewhat crumbly, and not very moist. You'll want to have a few pieces, but it wont draw you to indulge upon it. It's certainly not a highlight here. My wife and I got the The Pork Confit Flatbread appetizer, along with the Crab & Corn Chowder. The pork flatbread was bearable. For flatbread, I prefer a thin, crust with a crunch, as opposed to a soft wholegrain bread. Also, the vinegary BBQ sauce didn't mesh with the dish. The crab and corn chowder was enjoyable. But you must specifically care for chowder, and crab, and must tolerate that seafood taste that permeates the bowl. The NC Pulled Pork dish was large and unimpressive. The coleslaw was made well, and appeared to be homemade. I expected the pork to be bursting with flavor. It was pretty dull, and I had to ask for two sides of KC bbq sauce to give it some life. The beans weren't impressive; nothing to write about there. I was excited to get aboard the Maxie's hype train. I had my ticket in hand, took my seat, and buckled up. The atmosphere was spot on, and seems like a fun place to go with friends, but for actual substance? Well that was lacking. read more

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Amazing as always. Had the venison dish. It was incredible. Also got the happy hour oysters. Great experience.

WOW, we have been here a few times and was pretty good, but tonight was very disappointing. My husband ordered the catfish poboy sandwhich, and sent it back. The fish had a bad taste and was mealy and mushy, not fresh at all. The fried green tomatoes had no flavor, very bland. When we were ready to leave I checked the bill and was charged $19 for an old fashioned. The waiter told us it was an error in the system that hadn't been fixed yet. I am very disappointed and unfortunately will probably not be back. read more

Amazing soul food - great oysters and great service ! Check out the menu you'll enjoy jt

I have never had a bad meal at Maxie's. I have suggested it several times for after work get togethers and everyone has always been pleased. The service is good and menu has great seasonal specials. I just love the home cooked taste and comfort food they offer. There is something for everyone.... including crafted drinks! It's just an overall warm inviting atmosphere. read more

I've came here before on two different occasions. My going away party was here a few years ago and I've been here just for dinner. Both times service was good, and so was the food from what I remember. However -- that gumbo I got to go last yesterday was not good. The seafood and seafood flavor was lacking,and there was little spice. I've worked in Louisiana for while and I worked for creole restaurant for two years in Chicago during college and that gumbo was not what I expected. I will come back, so I'm not giving them a bad rating, but I wouldn't recommend that dish. read more

Maxie's is one of my favorite restaurants in the Milwaukee area. The atmosphere, food, drinks, and service are consistently excellent. You can't go wrong with the peel n eat shrimp, chicken fried chicken or the pork cheeks. It can be slightly on the expensive side for some items, but I believe the quality usually merits the price tag here. For that reason, visiting Maxie's is a bit of a treat for us. Unfortunately, when we decided to treat ourselves this past weekend, our service was very disappointing. On our previous visit, we had actually been talking about how wonderful the service always is here. But our last visit didn't measure up at all. Our server was not knowledgeable about which beers were available. Worse still, she rolled her eyes when my partner mentioned an allergy to certain beers, and said that she wasn't sure she believed him. (!) Her overall demeanor was disinterested and lacking in genuine friendliness. To give a little more context to our experience, my partner and I are both service industry professionals. We aren't demanding or fussy, and we're always exceedingly polite because we understand that service industry jobs are not easy. When we needed a relaxing night out, our server's attitude and lack of professionalism got in the way of that. However, the bottom line is that this particular negative experience was an aberration, not the norm. Like Blue's, Maxie's can nearly always be counted on for superior customer service. Unfortunately, while our last visit is fresh in my mind, I won't be very inclined to go back. At the least, I'll be sure to avoid the waitress we had. read more

We love Maxi's. We try and come every Friday for our date night! Excellent food and drinks every time. Great local restaurant in Wauwatosa! read more

This was my first time here. My waitress, Candice was phenomenal. She was on top of everything, without hovering. She made NO mistakes with my order and I can be difficult. The entire staff was polite. I tried an Abita Pecan Ale - it was awesome. This is going to be my new place. read more

Maxie's - Love the variety of drinks. - Southern Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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I have been going to Maxie's for years. They never disappoint. My favorite item is the Hickory Smoked Wings. They are so amazing! It is the perfect mix of spice, smoke flavor, and heat. Typing this makes me hungry for them. The main entrees don't disappoint either. If you want great southern style food. Go here! read more

You like New Orleans-style cuisine but you are in Milwaukee? No problem!! Head on over to Maxie's for a Hurricane and some fantastic Creole or Cajun cuisine! Great atmosphere to match the food and service. You'll really feel like you're in the Crescent City after a couple Hurricanes or Cyclones. Have Fun! read more

Surprisingly great food here! We decided to visit on a whim on a late Sunday evening. We were welcomed with delicious free corn bread (although it would have been better if served warm). We knew right away that this would prove to be a solid choice! We ordered: - Brisket plate with a side of mac n cheese: the tenderness and the balance of lean/fat on the brisket really surprised us here. With a boyfriend from Kansas City, we know good brisket. I am also quite picky with my mac n cheeses and the mac n cheese was extremely rich and cheesy!! Win. - Full slab of ribs with sweet potato fries: Fall off the bone tender with good char and sauce distribution. The arugula salad that came with both entrees was very light and refreshing. My only semi gripe is with the sweet potato fries and how they weren't very crispy. - Hurricane: $5 special for the night. A little too sugary sweet. It got progressively stronger as I drank it so I would have liked it mixed a bit better at the bar. - Apple Julep: Solid mocktail but primarily ice! Overall, solid food with a few minor items that warrant one star deduction. read more

I have been here a few times. The food and service are always excellent. My go to always seems to be the shrimp and grits with the sausage. I've had a few larger groups here as well. They always manage to do a nice job. read more

We stopped at Maxie's because we had friends in town from out of state, who wanted to try something new. Maxie's is a go-to! Excellent food! I had the tofu sandwich which was delicious. Our table also got the brisket, jambalaya, fish poboy, and raw oysters. Service was great, everyone enjoyed their food, and friends couldn't be happier with their experience. Maxie's is a win! read more

I'm going to start this review by saying I'm a huge fan of everything Blue Shoe Hospitality has to offer, so it pains me to write a less-than-stellar review. However, I have been to Maxie's at least a half-dozen times, for date night, outings with friends, and even a large business dinner, and I never leave feeling impressed. The food always sounds great, but ends up being just okay. The prices are a bit high, and it's generally sooo loud. I will say we always have stellar customer service, though. I would recommend you give Maxie's a try to see what you think- lots of people certainly seem to love it. But even asking around with the people I've dined there with, and no one seems to be dying to go back. I'm more of the Story Hill BKC type, I guess :) read more

This review is soo overdue but yes, I will be back here. I have been here a few times and I've tried a bunch of things off their menu but their brisket and mac and cheese. Oh my gosh. Their mac and cheese is so creamy and decadent, just the way I like it. It will probably will clog up all of your arteries but once in a while it can be worth it. I've also tried some of their non-bbq dishes like fried green tomatoes, mussels, etc but they aren't anything super special. As for service, it has always has been great whether I'm here with one other person or if it's a large group. Overall, this is a place I'd bring friends if I wanted to take them to a MKE spot for a great dinner or happy hour. read more

Went on Wednesday night with my wife to celebrate our 3rd wedding anniversary. Decent crowd for a weekday. Had their hot chicken special. It was awesome. So good. More than I could eat. Just had the leftovers tonight and it was still super good. read more