Nice atmosphere! Great service and excellent drinks and food! One of my favorite restaurants!

Hadn't been to Max's Es-Ca in three or four years. Upon entry, I noticed that they had redone the entire establishment with a total alteration of the ambience that I had come to know. Sadly, I wasn't impressed with it, huge open layout and everything kind of gray but that's just besides the point. My wife and I were celebrating a 41st wedding anniversary. I had remembered wonderful service and the first time we were there years ago. My wife had the filet mignon and I had the double thick pork chops. Her steak was perfectly cooked and delicious, succulent, and thoroughly enjoyable. My pork chops were phenomenal in flavor, presentation, and volume. But they did get the best of me when I tried to lift it, slipping off my fork and splashing gravy all over my off-white shirt. Thankfully, it came out once we got home. No room for dessert. I think we each had a drink. Service was accommodating. I definitely would go back for those pork chops and will wear a bib next time. read more

Max's Es-Ca - Italian Near Me - Staten Island, New York

Went here with my boyfriend's family on New Year's Day! They ordered two Tomahawks which were so tender and juicy, and also came with two sides each! I also got a lentil soup and black tea! Good family restaurant and our server was very sweet. The interior is very cozy. I like the fact that we can hang our coats on the rack next to the front door! 10/10! read more

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Great food, great atmosphere. Classic cocktails and new age fun. Bartenders who take great care in their craft. A lot of fun read more

Max's Es-Ca - Italian Near Me - Staten Island, New York

My new favorite place to eat!!! Everything from the staff to the food was absolutely perfect!!! Highkey recommend EVERYTHING!!!! read more

Max's Es-Ca - Italian Near Me - Staten Island, New York

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Food is awesome. The portions are large and the taste is unbelievable. Just 100% Delicious. Drinks are great and the staff is attentive and friendly. I would recommend this place for any occasion. read more

The Max's Es-Ca experience was really more than I expected! My husband made reservations for my birthday/date night! The parking lot was packed but they have valet! We started with drinks- I had a cucumber mint martini OMG so freaking good and refreshing! Appetizers I had little neck clams on the half shell! So fresh, yum My husband had the burrata salad so good! For entrees we had zuppe de pesce, and I had the pan seared tuna! Everything was expertly prepared! Our waiter Gregory was so sweet and attentive! The service was impeccable and I cannot wait to go back!!!!! read more

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My ideal night here is eating dinner at the bar with Johnny, the bartender, serving us our food. He gives off such great energy and always remembers our drink orders even if we don't come back for a few months. Special thanks to him for always making my experience here a good one. The food is really good! They have a fairly large menu, so you definitely have options. The tomahawk for 2 was delicious, but sliced a bit too thin in my opinion. I really have never had a bad experience or meal here....It's always been pretty consistent for me. I recommend making a reservation because it's always so crowded. read more

Max's Es-Ca - Jumbo lump crabmeat cocktail & lobster cocktail - Italian Near Me - Staten Island, New York

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My sons & I went for New Years for the first time and The food was delicious & ambience was fun. The staff was also pleasant.

Amazing food and great attentive service! We visited Max's Es-ca in Aug 2022 to celebrate a family event. We were absolutely impressed by the quality of food and service! Every dish we tried was delicious and was served exactly as ordered and at the right time. The place is quite expensive but it is certainly worth it! Appetizers: Tuna Tartare - it was so perfect that we finished it in no time and ordered one more. Burrata Mozzarella - soft and delicious. Fried Calamari - good as it's supposed to be. Mesclun Salad - such a great combo of greens, goat cheese, walnuts, and other ingredients that we ordered a second one. Mains: Beef Wellington - few of us ordered it and we all loved it! Soft, tender, perfectly cooked to order beef in a fresh fluffy pastry, complimented with a bed of extra smooth mashed potatoes and some creamy sauce underneath! Yummy! It was just hands down delicious and the best dish of the night! Rack of Lamb - the meat was so tender that it was melting in the mouth! Though no doubt the dish was overall delicious I would however suggest adding a bit more color with some spices or herbs. Also, the breadcrumbs crust had a very subtle oily taste note which it would be better without. Montreal Crusted NY Strip Steak - the steak was juicy and cooked exactly as ordered. My son gave it 5 stars :) Desserts: Pecan pie, Tiramisu, Fried Ice Cream - all great and delicious. We highly recommend this restaurant. It's outstanding! read more

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This is my favorite place to go on the island with my family. I love the selection bread and bread stick with the butter and dipping sauce that they bring in the beginning it taste's very good. Next is when an employee see's your cup is empty they completely fill it up with ice water! Also an employee named Brianna is so funny and friendly and she is the best! Also the ambience/music in the background and very nice and relaxing! Hope this helps you if you want to find a good restaurant! read more

Food was tasty. A bit over priced. The pork chop was dry. Service was good. Was a bit disappointed with the atmosphere. Too loud, it was hard to have a conversation. Sounds just bounced. We were practically screaming. It's not a relaxing atmosphere with all that noise and try to enjoy a good meal. Been there, done that read more

The ambiance in this restaurant is very welcoming. The service by Johnny is awesome. The food is very well prepared and delicious. read more

Max's Es-Ca - Tuna tartare - Italian Near Me - Staten Island, New York

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Probably my favorite Italian on Staten Island! The food never disappoints, the drinks are good and the staff are always great! Ambiance of an old school eatery. read more

Loved it. Friendly. No rush at all let us sit talk n eat. Great Wednesday specials which we all ordered plus a price fixe which we didn't try but looked good too. Everything was good. Reasonably priced. Nice n clean inside. read more

Order delivery and the best fried shrimp, shrimp parmigiana, raw oysters and esca burger.

Food is ALWAYS top notch, as is the service. Fun, lively atmosphere as well. The go-to Italian restaurant on Staten Island

Great place to dine if you're in Staten Island. Appetizers were varied and plentiful, penne alla vodka was delicious, and the main course was excellent! read more

Max's Es-Ca - Medium steak, mashed potatoes, and veggies. - Italian Near Me - Staten Island, New York

Had dinner with my wife yesterday. She ordered Seafood Paella from the special menu and it was over-cooked. My dish was good. When the food server took away the plates my wife's plate was over half full. He came back in a little while and asked us how everything was? My wife told him her dish was dry and overcooked, he just said I'm sorry and continued on bringing us the check. No empathy at all that we spent a half 100 bucks on that dish. read more

Food is always great. The service is top notch and attentive. The ambiance is soothing and enhances the dining experience. You cannot go wrong at Max's Es-Ca. read more

Max's Es-Ca - Amazing jumbo shrimp cocktail. - Italian Near Me - Staten Island, New York

Unbelievable! The food was delicious, service was amazing,ambiance nice & cozy.The waiter was so nice,she even brought out a bithday candle on his pie he ordered & they sand happy Birthday read more

I decided to take my mom out to dinner so we stopped by Max. this place has a great vibe. no music (or so low you cant hear it) but its obeisance is amazing. the bartender and cooks are great. Christina is the best!! she gave us great service and offered her opinion. ill definitely return for lunch read more

Max's Es-Ca - cucumber mint! - Italian Near Me - Staten Island, New York

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Came here for dinner and we were seated right away. We sat by the bar and were able to hear some music, in other seats you may not be able to do so. This place was recommended for their pasta so I was excited. My expectations were too high. - once seated you get a bowl of bread with oil and butter -the crab cake was delicious, real crab meat and fresh. This was my favorite part of our meal. - the seafood linguini in white sauce was very bland and not pleasurable, got full of the seafood and took the rest to go. - the Rigatoni was recommended by the waiter and it was oily. thank God the prosciutto which gave a flavor and made it salty. Maybe I'll return to give them another chance and try something different. read more

Max's Es-Ca - Seafood linguini - Italian Near Me - Staten Island, New York

The food was phenomenal. Had the beef Wellington. Loved it! Our waitress was knowledgeable and able to remember everything without writing it down. read more

This is actually my second review of Max Esca and another 5-STARS for Max whereby the food/service is excellent and the staff is awesome. Our first dining experience was in Thanksgiving 2021, with JAMIE; that, too was amazing. This time I treated my adult son to a Birthday Lunch at Max Esca. It was amazing. GABRIELLE (Gabby) was our server. She was awesome; she checked back with us during the appetizers to ensure we were satisfied. BRIANA, another server, also awesome, approached us during the main course and prior to dessert to explain that she took over for Gabby and wanted to ensure that we were enjoying our meal. Now this is the "plus" that always defines 5-STAR Restaurant's customer courtesy. In essence, Max Exca's reputation precedes them when it comes to super friendly staff and fine dining. read more

We had a fabulous lobster dinner here on Tuesday night (special lobster menu every Tuesday). We ordered the Angry Lobster (2 lbs lobster with a simple scampi sauce and red pepper flakes), lobster risotto, lobster Pappardelle (freshly made pasta). The lobster was fresh, sweet, and very succulent. The sauces were flavorful. The stand out star was actually the homemade pappardelle. It was SO GOOD-Perfectly chewy, and soaked up the creamy brandy sauce and lobster very nicely. We had beignets for dessert and every bite was delightful. The beignets comes as 4 pieces, filled with jelly and three different sauces-caramel, creme brûlée, and chocolate. It's perfect for sharing to finish off a delicious dinner. The dinner entree portions are really big, so there's really not a lot of room left for dessert...but the beignets are just too good to pass up. read more

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Food is delicious, service is great. The strip steak is great. We go here alot. Even on holidays and it never disappoints. The bartender is on his game. His espresso martini and dirty martini are excellent. Definitely recommend EsCa read more

This review is simply about the experience due to Covid and my personal and honest opinion. I had dinner here a few nights ago and we were a group of 8. The food was amazing as always, our server was amazing and on it the whole time and the place is just a great restaurant for great food and a nice environment overall. Unfortunately I don't think it is doing the best it could do to keep its patrons safe right now. I mean the restaurant was CROWDED. Every table was just about full and there was maybe 1 divider I saw in the entire restaurant and it was between my table and another's... other then that it was a free for all.... They had a 40th Birthday party going on with who knows... maybe 20 People? Then next to that was the table next to me which had approx a party of 10 directly behind us. The waiters all wore masks and they took our temperature at the door and also asked for our home Address and phone number I guess to trace If someone from that evening tests positive. I ate there in the Summer a few times and that experience was not an issue. I get being closed for so long you want to get back into it and be able to continue feeding your family and the families of your employees and I'm all for it... just if you read this please try to adhere to the 50% capacity law for now. I know it was not just me feeling this was since others ar my table commented the same thing. The next night I went to Fushimi on Page Ave. it was eye opening to see how much more they took Covid restrictions serious. They had this fancy body thermometer you walk up to too get your temp taken before entering, this restaurant and I may be wrong but I think it's larger dining wise and there was people but it felt so quiet since we were all So spaced apart. On top of it they had screens between each 2 top Or 4 top table which I thought was really nice to see and it just felt like the complete opposite of what I experienced the night before. I didn't have any anxiety about being in that environment. At the end of the day though if you want a consistent delicious meal whenever going out. This is definitely one of Staten Islands better/best options in the food category. read more

Max's Es-Ca - Italian Near Me - Staten Island, New York

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Love this place. Me and my friends were there a few days ago and had a great time. Would definitely go back

Been here several times.. the food is good. The beef Wellington is the best! They didn't have it on the menu the night I visited for my bday dinner but the chef was willing to make it for me anyway, which was so sweet! I've never had a bad meal as Es-Ca's. I will be back. read more

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Love this place ! Food servings are generous and full of flavor ! Took my girlfriend here last month for her birthday and we were served by Safia ! Amazing and friendly and very welcoming Would return for the food and service - what an amazing time :) read more

Yes yes yes!! It's been so long since I Had a great steak and this was the perfect choice. I got the beef Wellington. The meat is incredibly tender. I mean, a geriatric without teeth could easily gnaw on this wonderfully tenderized steak. The flavor is good and it's paired with spinach and mashed potatoes on a bed of sauce that compliments the entire dish. The atmosphere of the restaurant is clean and the service is excellent. I can't wait to go back. read more

The food is ALWAYS delicious & generous portions. I have many restaurants in my neighborhood. This is definitely THE BEST! Service was great, 5+ STAR rating. MICHELIN quality. read more

Heard such good things about the beef Wellington so of course I had to try that. It was my first time having beef Wellington actually. Steak was super tender and juicy and the pastry was perfectly flaky. Thought it could have used a little more salt though? And I don't know, I wasn't the biggest fan of the sauce that came with it; luckily, they placed it on the side so I could choose not to eat it. Overall food was good, if pricey. read more

Max's Es-Ca - Beef Wellington - Italian Near Me - Staten Island, New York

Went to dinner with a group of fourteen people on a Saturday night after our wedding. We had a reservation and were seated quickly and that was all that was quick. We waited a while for the staff to come over and take our drink order and a bit longer for our dinner order to be taken, then over an hour + to get our food. No one came over with any updates and only came by to asked if we wanted more drinks. The only thing that saves this place is that the food was good, but having dinner served at 10PM is not something that anyone should have to do with an 8PM reservation. read more

Great food , service , Atmosphere, always a great time and place for dinner , the service was great,

Max's Es-Ca is an icon in Staten Island. Their food is amazing. Moreover, our bartender, John, makes an incredible night with his service. He always has our drinks ready. Allison and Max make you feel welcome! I always look forward to next time. read more

Very Disappointed with the food and the service, will not give this place my time and money again

We live relatively nearby and love this place! The tiki bar in the yard is lots of fun and the food is always on point.

Stay away from the smashed veal cutlet glued to the stick. Go with the steaks, any of 'em!! Good place read more

Max's Es-Ca - Jink steak! Took it for the dogs - Italian Near Me - Staten Island, New York