This restaurant is very conveniently located within the Holliday Inn Express on the second floor, so that's a bonus for anyone staying here. Nicole was wonderful--friendly, knowledgeable, and attentive. She was on top of our service while recommending menu items and intuitive of the mood. She was a true joy. My husband and I ordered mushroom ravioli and fettuccine alfredo. The sauce is rich and flavorful--guaranteed to send us both happily into food comas this evening. Even though this is a sport's bar, the atmosphere was on the moderately quiet side. There were plenty of couples, and the windows provide an open, airy space with additional seating in the back behind the bar. The menu is very reasonably priced (especially by California standards), and I was very impressed with the level of service. read more

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This is a great place to take the family for a nice relaxing dinner meal. They have a kids menu with some good options. The menu over all has tons of choices. The grilled chicken, the salads, and the apps were all tasting great. Stop by the bakery's showcase to see all the desserts they have. Tons to choose from! Super friendly staff read more

Max's - Burgers Near Me - Auburn, California

Had a delicious dinner here with such a delightful and generous server! Wish I knew her name, she was SO friendly and kind. Everyone was good but she was exceptional. I had the salmon with a baked potato and spinach (she graciously let me tweak the usual to get what I really wanted) and it was extremely good. What a treat! My friend had the salmon dish as it normally came and she loved it. Their hot chocolate was also tasty. Highly recommend! Beautiful setting, too, like a steakhouse lodge. read more

Max's - Baked potato, salmon, spinach. Extremely delicious! This was a customized version of the usual salmon dish (my friend had and loved it). - Burgers Near Me - Auburn, California

We stopped in from out of town and were seriously blown away! Every bite was full of bold, delicious flavor, total comfort food done right! The patty melt was packed with savory flavor and satisfying, with the perfect mix of cheesy, beefy, and a little sweet from the onions. The fries were addictive with just the right kick of seasoning. The cannoli was a standout! Rich and flavorful without being too sweet! And the gluten free lava cake? Sooo good! Deep chocolate flavor, warm and gooey inside, and honestly hard to believe it was gluten free. The whole vibe was relaxed and welcoming, and the service made us feel right at home. We weren't expecting to find a new favorite spot, but this place totally delivered. If you're anywhere nearby, make the stop. read more

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Wow, we were impressed. Great place for lunch, happy hour or dinner. Reasonably priced, quality, fresh food even on a Monday. Modern menu, but also offers lots of favorites. We had half blt sand with soup, veggie wrap (yum), chicken pot pie, French onion soup, salad. Deserts were just o.k. Very good cocktails and service too! read more

Had a family of five go here on March 28, 2026. I ordered the mushroom ravioli. It was so salty it was inedible. Everyone else said their food was ok, not great. The server was very nice and attentive. There was an employee who pulled into the parking lot with his dogs in his car and he left them out in the parking lot while he came inside to work. The dogs spent the whole time we were there trying to get their heads out the crack in the window and you could see they were panting and in a great deal of distress. The male employee went out to the car a couple of times, but did not bring them water or roll the window down any further. I can only imagine those poor dogs were locked in a hot car for this kids whole shift. I couldn't wait to get out of there. read more

Our lunch group of 8 showed up individually about noon so we had to wait a minute while they set up a table in the rear. While waiting by the bar we were able to get beer and have it transferred to our eventual check. We were seated and our server, very friendly, got a couple more beers for us and then she disappeared for a bit. We are not sure what happened but it was a significant wait until she got back. After that all was well, great service and food. Many ordered the Pastrami Sandwich which is very good. The check was correct and handled professionally. The EV chargers are still in the parking lot and Max's is still attached to the Holiday Inn. 3 stars due to the lapse of service. read more

We were meeting a family member at Max's for early dinner at 4 PM. The bar was busy but the restaurant was not. After a while the bartender came over and asked if we had been served. She was extremely apologetic that no one had done anything. She ended up being our waitress our entire meal, while also dealing with a busy bar. I hope Management can figure out staffing because we felt sorry for her and she went out of her way to provide good service. The Bloody Mary's she made were excellent and included a delicious strip of bacon. Our Patty Melts were delicious and my nephew said his chicken sandwich was delicious. All our meals were huge and we took food home. The lady's room was dirty and they seemed to be having issues with plumbing because none of the toilets were flushed. read more

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Pretty good spot especially if you are staying at the holiday inn, the sandwich was dry but the mozzarella sticks and drinks were great! The outdoor patio was lovely read more

Excellent experience at Max's tonight. The Calamari plate was spectacular with sauces, deep fried garnish of jalepenos, carrot, zuc, lemon and more! Black & Blue Sandwich & Key Lime for dessert. Toque tipped Chef. Im wondering though if Max's knows what they've got in Nicole & Daniel. EVERY restaurant needs those 2... theyre running all aspects. Very impressive. AND the Packer game was on!! Thanks we will be back! -Thom & Chef Jenn (ret.) read more

Inside the Holiday Inn at 110 Grass Valley Hwy, Auburn, CA 95603, there is a restaurant named Max's. This is a very clean, family friendly restaurant with a great choice of dishes. There is also a full bar available. Yes I have read the few poor reviews related to how expensive the restaurant is or rude servers. I have eaten here twice and did not experience any problems with the servers. The server on my second visit, COURTNEY, could not have been nicer. I especially liked the way she handled the family at the table next to me, making sure they had booster seats and other items. The prices are fair, considering what you're getting and the amount-which are very generous portions. The two soups they have, french onion and matzo ball, are house made and are fabulous! The rib eye steak is huge, cooked to perfection and the vegetables/bake potato was perfect. The restaurant was fairly crowded but they were not understaffed so everyone was served in a timely matter. I really like this restaurant and the staff. I was treated very well by everyone working there. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND Max's. read more

I was on my way home from Tahoe last Sunday and wanted to get some lunch. First, I thought In N Out here in Auburn ... think again ... whoa way crowded with cars and people. That's what you get on a weekend summer afternoon with all the travelers on the road. So, it's up the hill of the parking lot to Max's located inside the Holiday Inn. This is gonna cost way more, but Max's has always been one of my fave places to stop for food, just not a cheap or fast stop. There's a good amount of cars parked up here too, but we get seated without a wait. Service is fast and we have water right away. I know what I want, cause Max's has always had probably the best Patty Melt I've had in my life. Cooked med rare and served with fries! My friend gets a Cobb Salad. The wait isn't long before our food arrived. My patty Melt looked great, cooked as ordered with lots of melty cheese flowing over the grilled onions and big 1/2 pound patty. My friend's Cobb Salad looked expertly arranged and tasty. OK, this Patty Melt is gonna cost me 3 times what eating at In N Out would have, but OMG, is it worth it! Plus, no waiting in long burger lines! The first bite was one of the best things to eat in my life, I remember how this tasted years ago. I think my friend is gonna have to do the driving after lunch .... I'm in food heaven! I have to remember to come here to Max's Cafe more often when I'm passing through to and from Tahoe. read more

Max's - good 1/2 pound patty - Burgers Near Me - Auburn, California

Mom and went to Max's for lunch. Pretty quiet but we enjoyed the decor and the service. Mom had the Shrimp Louie salad and I had the Jambalaya Fettuccini. Mom loved her salad - lots of shrimp and well dressed. My Jambalaya Fettuccini had nice heat, a good balance of sausage and shrimp and the pasta was well prepared. The Caesar side salad had a nice dressing w a hint of anchovies I think and Kalamata olives. The food was plentiful and we both took containers home for leftovers. Very good straightforward food. read more

Good food, carefully prepared and nicely presented. Ingredients were fresh and tasty. The menu is eclectic and offers interesting choices. Service was friendly, accurate, and quick. The restaurant was easily accessible from Hwy 80 and behind the Holiday Inn. The restaurant is beautiful! Seating is arranged to permit conversation. The ambiance is welcoming and warm. We chose appetizers, and we're quite pleased with portions and flavors. I will definitely stop again tp try other dishes. read more

We discovered Max's a year ago and have returned with family and friends many times since. The restaurant has pleasing decor and friendly and helpful staff. The food is well prepared and portions are generous. I recently had grilled salmon that was cooked to perfection - moist and delicious - another guest had a mountain of hot corned beef on rye - my wife finished her meal with hot Lava cake which she raved about. All in all Max's never disappoints and is worth a try. read more

Unfortunately I can't recommend this restaurant, especially if you're out for a burger and fries. For just under $30 I got a burger and fries. Less than 60 seconds walk from the front door of the hotel is an In-N-Out burger. For 1/3 the price I could have gotten an amazing burger and fresh fries. My Max's burger wasn't bad, but the fries were completely stale. They tasted as though they had been under a warming lamp for at least an hour. I counted four other patrons, and it took almost 22 minutes from the time I was seated until the time I was eating. My server took my drink order, but never brought my drink. Another server ended up bringing my Diet Coke. Service was reasonably friendly, but all of the workers seemed to be tired and dissinterested. If this restaurant were the only restaurant within a 20 mi radius, it would have probably gotten one more star. Related note. I asked the server if their turkey club contains fresh roast, carved turkey or luncheon meat. He verified that it's luncheon meat. No restaurant should serve a turkey club with luncheon meat. I do appreciate the server going to the kitchen to research for me. I would have been very upset had I spent almost $20 for a luncheon meat sandwich. As for ambience, the restaurant is stashed away on the second floor of the hotel. The walk to the restaurant takes you down what looks like a bit of an abandoned hallway to a dark passageway with a partially open door. read more

Max's - Stale fries - Burgers Near Me - Auburn, California

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The he food there is always hot fresh and top notch.Service is always fantastic and fast very friendly. I always get the Rubin. My wife got the Shrimp salad and my daughter got the tuna melt. We all enjoyed the meal very much. I also took half the tuna melt it looked so good. The deserts were heavenly. Thank you for the great food. read more

The service was good, the food was ok but not what Max's use to be. Not sure if it different owner from years ago. Just not a lot of flavor in the Chinese chicken salad. read more

I've been coming here for years. Love the Tuscan Chicken. Dave has been a great server, and we loved when we got him as our waiter. Used to get Cannolis one to two times a week. Unfortunately, they have gotten worse as of late. Tonight will be a last for us. All four Cannolis had about 3/4" of filling at each end and the middle 2"-3" completely hollow. This isn't the first time, but never this bad. We miss the old Max's, maybe Pasquali's will be better. read more

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I often meet my bff with both of her 98-year old parents here for lunch or dinner and we are Never disappointed!! This time, they shared a delicious, hot, crispy on top chicken pot pie- full of roasted chicken. My husband had good chicken saltimbocca (only complaint that the pasta wasn't super hot) and my friend and I split a plate of grilled swordfish with mashed potatoes and sautéed spinach. Very good and generous portions! Best of all was our terrific waiter ROBIN! He was so patient and friendly and helpful. The service is always on point there! Thanks again! read more

This is a nice Zig when everyone Zags to Ikedas, In n Out, etc. on the way to Tahoe. We were on our way home, and we weren't in the mood for fast food or burgers, and we stopped in here. We had a nice sit-down lunch, unrushed, and were back on the road in no time. The servers were friendly and the food was solid - not 5-star quality, but just what the doctor ordered. I could see us stopping by here again on our next trip to or from Tahoe! read more

Our appetizer was served cold, and the patty melts were mediocre at best. This used to be one of our favorite spots, but after a few years away, something seems to have changed. Unfortunately, it's unlikely we will come back. read more

Food was excellent and good portions . No complaints with the service. Casual atmosphere. Restaurant behind holiday inn. read more

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Get the packed chicken pot pie with real pie crust topping! BEAUTIFUL! Delicious round sourdough balls of heaven served as openers. In and outdoor seating. There is a bar. It is a more upscale but relaxed atmosphere of a place. Awesome list of craft drinks, local beers and wines. Very clean. It's connected to a Holiday Inn, but don't let it stop you for dropping in. Glad I gave them a try! read more

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Max's of Auburn Had Xmas business party there. Ambiance: not great, they placed our group of about 30 people in the breakfast area of the hotel. Nice large area but cold and noisy, tile floor, hard wood chairs. It's breakfast area not very comfortable and warm. Food: dinner was so so, I had the jambalaya(I like things hot as jambalaya is supposed to be, asked the server about heat level and she said it was comparable to the shrimp appetizers we had.... Was not even close.) if I go back, I will not get the dish. I only ate a small portion and took the rest home, went home the next day I added a bunch of Cajun spice to it and made it taste really good. My wife had a chicken dish with pasta, the chicken was pretty good but the pasta and the sauce really lack taste. The sad thing was of all the 30 people there, when asked by the boss plan to return or recommend this place for next year Christmas party. Desserts: now here the size of most of the desserts was pretty incredible especially the carrot cake but then it was also $14 apiece. Summary Again, was glad to be able to try a new place. I hadn't gone to Max's in Auburn, but I am also glad that I didn't have to pay the bill. It was OK but not memorable. read more

birthdays, anniversarys, holidays, really any reason to go to Max I'll take it. the food is so good. service is so good I tipped a waitress $100, the restaurant is really cute with a fire place inside. you have to go to Max read more

Met with a group of 15 and sat outside around 4pm. It was almost a perfect setting surrounded by the restaurant and the noisy freeway to the East. The wait staff were on the ball, always there to help us along. The meals were very good for this type of eatery. Inside they havee a large space of booths and tables. We also noticed some outstanding looking desserts hidden in a glass cabinet - next time! read more

This place has such a cozy atmosphere. Came with my family on a Thursday night. We had a reservation for 7. We were seated in a cute back area by a fireplace. Holiday decor everywhere and light Christmas music playing. Our server was a super sweet gentleman, always smiling. -The complimentary bread was different - cinnamon with raisins in the bun. -Ice tea was strong and delicious - black with hints of orange. -Fettucine Alfredo - tasty, had mushrooms and peas to top it. -Banana split with a caramel used banana - looks cute, tastes ok, third scoop is coffee which I liked most. read more

Max's - Burgers Near Me - Auburn, California

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I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the food and service here. The food was perfectly prepared and beautifully presented. I had the rib eye, my wife had the salmon, all delicious! The waitress was excellent, helpful and friendly. This surpassed my expectations for a hotel restaurant. I would definitely return. read more

Max's Restaurant in Auburn CA. Great comfortable upscale interior, pleasant wait staff; but I am left yearning for more flavors in the food. The multiple times I've dined here, it was for brunch and lunch. The food entrees and service have been a hit or miss. The last time we dined here, we were not given the complimentary bread basket. We asked a little later after our food arrived. But still nothing came. The pastrami sandwich $14: loaded with thin slices of delicious pastrami. It comes with French fries, Potato salad, or coleslaw. The meat is suppose to be served slightly warm, but at times it's more like room temp. They bring you a tray of different types of Beaver brand horseradishes and mustards (contains HFCS). Hot Rueben sandwich $15: classic sandwich staying true to the classic recipe of corn beef, Swiss cheese, and sauerkraut with Russian dressing between slices of toasted rye bread. I've ordered this twice. The first time I had this, it was an overloaded greasy mess. The second time, it was fantastic. Hit or miss. Iced tea: they bring you a huge glass filled with ice, a slice of lemon, and a little teapot filled with hot water and a teabag. Fresh brewed indeed! But so awkward to drink. I wait for the hot tea to cool down a bit. I poured a little at the time, so not to cause an overflow. You need to drink it with a straw so not to have the ice spill all over and drown you. If you need to thirst your quench pronto, Ask them for iced tea that is already brewed. Weekend brunch is served 10 am-2 pm, Classic eggs Benedict: it was boring in flavors making it unmemorable. Hollandaise sauce was bland, very basic, and had a thick texture. The Canadian bacon didn't wow me. But at least the eggs were nicely poached to produce an ooze when poked. read more

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It's a good place to stop along the way to Nevada and it's easy to get on and off the freeway in Auburn. Had a delicious chicken pot pie at $17 which is somewhat high but was well made. Wife had a nice looking salad which she changed from salad and sandwich. Our waitress was great as she changed our bill to reflect doing a switch after my wife received her food. Not the same Jewishness like I remember but enough of the type of meals I would come back for. The macaroons looked smaller than I've had but at least they still have them here. Probably our new stopping point as I like this place over all the other places I've tried in Auburn. Keep driving past the hotel parking lot to find this place. read more

Max's - $17 chicken pot pie - Burgers Near Me - Auburn, California

If you're looking for a great burger and fries, this isn't the place to go. The meat on the burger was okay but the tomato was pale and mushy and the single piece of lettuce was limp. The fries were well seasoned but tasted old, like they'd been around a while. At 1:20pm the restaurant had one person at the bar and two tables taken. I was surprised how empty it was until I tasted my $18 burger and fries. read more

Get the burger "fully loaded". You won't regret it. *chefs kiss* it was so good!! 10/10 recommend read more

Max's - Burger with all the toppings. *chefs kiss* 10/10 recommend. - Burgers Near Me - Auburn, California

Due to unfortunate circumstances, the hubs, pup, and i were staying at this holiday inn. We we stressed and hungry. We heard we could bring our pup to the restaurant, so we gave it a shot. Nicole, the bartender/server was awesome!!! She makes a mean margarita! She made us feel great after a very trying day. Hubs has a chicken pot pie, which he totally loved. I had a burger, which was great. It is one of the best hotel restaurants and services we we have been to. Highly recommend! read more

The hostesses were unsmiling, looked unhappy to be there, and gave the minimal greeting. Our waitress was amazing. She was friendly, conversational, helpful, and patient. The food was mediocre and overpriced for the quality. All the meat was undercooked even after requesting medium-well. Flavors were leaning toward bland. Our waitress was the best part of the whole experience. read more

The food is always good here. Baked goods are outstanding. Nice bar, and great service

Great food locally Love the restaurant upper Café when it was located near the Opera House San Francisco and Stanford shopping center so happy to be reunited with a yummy restaurant read more

My family and I have been visiting Max's for years... but stopped visiting a few years ago due to terrible service from both the servers and the management. One of my family members passed away and family from out of town booked a few rooms at the Holiday Inn attached to Max's. We decided to give Max's another try because many of our family members are elderly and had no transportation. Having a hotel restaurant is extremely convenient. We are SO ELATED we came back in! We were sat in the lounge area and we had never sat there in the past. Nicole the bartender is literally one of the most professional and kind people we have come across is years in the restaurant industry!!!! First off, her wine knowledge is quite impressive. My brother works at a winery and is a wine SNOB. Not only did she impress him with her pairing knowledge... but she blew him away with understanding the variety of wine on the Max's wine list. Secondly, Nicole is highly educated in the Max's menu. She knows every single dish from appetizers to entrees and can describe each one with confidence. She is clearly proud of the food Max's produces and she should be. Every single one of the 10 of us was excited and happy with the choices she guided us towards. We watched Nicole go from table to table, customer to customer with grace and and elevated infectious energy. I can't believe how many customers she knew on a first name basis and how many customers she was able to serve effortlessly!!!! Nicole is the BEST bartender in Auburn and because of her absolute care to attention, we will be back to see her. Max's should be grateful to have an employee that cares and goes out of her way to provide customer service, and also makes each and every customer feel special and valued! read more

So sad! This was one of our favorite restaurants to bring friends and family before Covid. I guess it's never coming back to much of anything. We tried again, we won't be back. They cut the menu down to nothing, we had so many favorites! The staff stands around talking and don't care. This place had a great menu, they had great servers, a great dessert bar, great food and service. We have had many great meals here with friends and family, everything was done with great care, and it was such a busy, fun place. Now it's not worth the drive. read more

I have been here a couple times. I went here last Saturday because I was staying at the Holiday Inn. Max's is amazing!!! The entrees are great and the entree size is nice! The employees are very very nice. I got the chicken melt. It was the best chicken melt I've ever had. The restaurant is very clean and spacious. I'm coming back here for sure the next time I do an Auburn vacation. read more