We celebrated my birthday at Maxwell's and had such a wonderful evening! I had the filet with a baked potato and salad, and everything was absolutely delicious--the steak was cooked perfectly. We enjoyed wine, mixed drinks, and espresso martinis, and every drink was excellent. The atmosphere was warm and inviting, the service was outstanding, and the owner was wonderful and made us feel so welcome. Maxwell's made my birthday extra special, and I can't wait to go back! read more

TL; DR: Great place for food and drinks as well as a good late night spot! Great spot for the Turkey Club! The drinks here are amazing! Solid martini, traditional Negroni, classic Old Fashioned, Prickly Pear Marg, and mini beers all hit the mark. They also bring out complimentary bread for dinner, which is a nice touch. I'd love to come back and try more of the menu. Heads up that it turns into a busy bar scene later in the night, so keep that in mind depending on the vibe you're going for. read more

A place I've gone to and will always continue to go to year after year! As this restaurant is only open 3 month a year I always look forward to going! Food is absolutely amazing. I recommend starting out with their calamari or the Italian nachos are truly one of a kind. Their fish is so fresh and their Tuna is always a go to item for me as well as their desserts are always scrumptious. The wait staff is nothing but the kindest people and so attentive. I love eating both inside and on their patio on nice days. Please note this place is never empty and always packed so be prepared to wait a little bit but it is always worth it. Reservations are almost a necessity on the weekends. An Okaboji classic and will continue to eat here year after year. read more

We had a very big group and Maxwell's did a great job at serving all of us. I had the salad with salmon which was perfectly prepared. The burger and honey chicken sandwich were a hit at our table as well. Thank you Maxwells! read more

Love this place located in Arnold's Park. We made reservations for our party of 7 on a Saturday at noon. Highly recommend making reservations. We ate on the outdoor covered patio. Our waitress was so sweet and accommodating. I ordered the Seared Tuna sandwich which comes with a side. I ordered the tuna fully cooked. It is encrusted with sesame seeds and comes with a side of aioli and a yummy tomato bun. Great sandwich. Highly recommend this restaurant! read more

See all

The owner of Maxwells is nuts. Thinks 90 minutes on food is acceptable because it's a nice day out. Took care of the waitress and chased us outside. fyi buy a season pass for kids when you wait for your food. read more

If you read Alec's review and are concerned , rest assured, it is HE and his family that caused an absolute SCENE on Thursday. Yikes, never before have we witnessed a grown man behave so rudely while dining amongst other patrons. He and his family shouting the f word and challenging the proprietor to an old school fist of cuffs like a THUG. Gross behavior. I don't care what his deal was with his dinner-there's ZERO excuse to behave like that. He was asked politely to leave, many times, and wouldn't. We, on the other hand, had a lovely meal and excellent service by Harper. If you come to the lakes over 4th of July weekend and expect fast service you are destined to be disappointed. Dear Alec, do the world a favor, stay home and make your own damn dinner. read more

Always amazing food and incredible service. As others have mentioned, there is a bit of a walk because of parking and you will definitely want dinner reservations as they seem to always be fully booked. read more

See all

We enjoyed the most amazing dinner ever at Maxwells Beach Cafe and our server Sam was fantastic! We started off with their classic calamari and as always it was prepared to perfection. Their feature was Elk with roasted asparagus and creamy mashed potatoes so we just had to have it... we ordered it medium rare but could have done rare. Buttery soft, melt in your mouth and what a treat! For you beef tenderloin lovers this will knock your socks off! Go for it... so good! read more

Maxwell's Beach Cafe - Elk - New American Near Me - Arnolds Park, Iowa

Dined at Maxwell's a few times this past week vacationing in the Iowa Great Lakes. The staff was friend with stellar service and great vibes inside or outside. Never waited too long for food or drinks which is not the case everywhere. The owner, Steven, even stopped by to check on us and say hello. Consistently excellent food and drink on each visit. The views of West Lake Okoboji are the cherry on top! read more

i've never been treated so bad at a restaurant in my life. They yelled at my company when we did nothing wrong. I will never go back. Steve (the owner) was so rude!!! read more

Another wonderful summer of dining at Maxwell's Beach Cafe! Our favorites are the Macadamia Crusted Halibut and Hawaiian Ahi Tuna sandwich. Parking is a bit of a pain, but worth the walk. It's hard to get in for dinner so highly recommend getting a reservation as walk-ins are nearly impossible. read more

Maxwell's Beach Cafe - Macadamia Crusted Halibut - New American Near Me - Arnolds Park, Iowa

See all

We visited with a party of 8 and asked if we could be seated together. The hostess told us they could not accommodate our group -- it wasn't presented as a waitlist option or split seating, just a firm no. The manager came out and confirmed the same. I'm not sure if it was due to space, staffing, or policy, but the interaction felt unusual to me. Sharing this so others know larger groups may not be able to be accommodated here. read more

We come here every year when we are back in the summer and we are consistently amazed about how good it is! They were very busy the night we stopped by (luckily we made reservations in advance) but our waiter was still incredibly attentive. The interior has an upscale East coast beach vibe, in a white linen way. Now for the food - wow. We each ordered something different - shrimp cocktail appetizer, oysters, prime rib, peppercorn, NY steak, and Hawaiian Ahi Tuna and everything was so good! The prime rib is some of the best I've had, and the ahi tuna is made with Ultra Tuna which is literally the best! They also have an incredibly wine and cocktail menu. If you want a great meal, at a great price - you have to try this place! read more

See all

Always great food, always great service. You can always count on a consistently great experience. Eating by the lake is relaxing.

The food took 2hrs to come out and when we told the manager the food was as hard as jerky he told my mother to calm the F down. Absolutely rude and had the audacity to tell us to leave. Never coming back again if this is how I'm getting treated at a restaurant. read more

Now this is what a waterfront dining experience should feel like! Impeccable service with friendly staff and owners, fantastic food, great bar and atmosphere, coupled with a gorgeous sunset view! We sat at the bar, and were greeted by both bartenders quickly. Drinks were prepared to taste, and in our hands within a few minutes. The bar has everything you'll desire (short of espresso). The menu isn't expansive, but each selection appears carefully prepared to maximize taste & experience (plus value). You're in the middle of the country, so the beef is top notch (prime rib is very well prepared here), but their seafood is also nicely taken care of. While we didn't stay for dessert (had to enjoy a bit of Arnold's Park after dinner), this is highly recommended for any summertime visitors to the area. read more

Maxwell's Beach Cafe - a dock with boats at sunset - New American Near Me - Arnolds Park, Iowa

Maxwell's has great food, with a great view, and great service. We had the prime rib, sea bass chef's special, scallops and ribeye for our entrees, would recommend them all! We ordered the prawns, calamari, and coconut shrimp for appetizers. Loved them all! An Okoboji staple! Would highly recommend! read more

See all

Make a reservation! It can be hard to get in without one! We enjoy sitting on the patio so we can see the great views of the lake and their new patio is covered so the sun is off your skin. The food is all quite good! Steak and walleye are our favorites. The kid menu has good options including popcorn shrimp which are a hit with our kiddos. This is always a special treat to eat here and we look forward to it each summer. read more

Really excellent food and service. And what a beautiful view of Lake Okoboji! We had the jumbo scallops pasta, and the tomahawk pork chop, and both of them were prepared perfectly. read more

The best restaurant at the lake! Food is always fresh and tasty. Service is great. The owners, Steven and Leah are so friendly and accommodating. Great for a special occasion or any meal you want great food! Not stuffy at all! Casual ambiance but everything is crisp and clean! Our go to at the lake!! read more

As a resort town, there aren't always a lot of "fine dining" experiences, but Maxwell's provides one. Set in a very classy space, the service was exceptional. Starting off, there is a huge focus on Mules, with some really good variations on the drink. My favorite was the Pear Mule. It was a subtle sweet, so not too much and still tasted like the traditional Mule just enough. From there, we had the Crusted Chicken with Peanut Sauce. It was a solid dish, but I'm also partial to Peanut Sauce so color me a little biased here. For my salad, I had the Caprese. It was good, but lacked the depth of flavor to make it really standout. Lastly, onto the entrees, where the very large Prime Rib stood out fairly well amongst the rest. It was a large hunk of meat, with a nice crust. However, that exceptionally flavorful crust only touched maybe 3-4 bites total. Expanding its reach really would have put this meal above expectations. The walleye was also pretty good, but in the same vein, lacked that extra punch of flavor to move it up another level. All around, Maxwell's was a good dining experience. A slight addition of flavor would have really pushed this close to 5-star (or at least 4.5) territory. read more

See all

The service was great, there must have been 15 servers on staff handling the lunch rush. The fan above their grill was malfunctioning so about half the items on the menu were unavailable. I ordered the prime rib melt, my wife got the soup and my daughter got the grilled cheese. The entre's were all acceptable, nothing to write home about. The calamari appetizer was made how I like it, so that was good. It was lightly battered, crispy and salty, served with a side of remoulade sauce. Pretty solid. All in all it wasn't bad. I really appreciated the prompt service on a busy day. read more

Maxwell's Beach Cafe - New American Near Me - Arnolds Park, Iowa

Best service ever all staff were just amazingly great!! The food and drinks good as well just an amazing wonderful experience read more

See all

The servers are always professional and attentive and the food and vibe is either laid back on the patio or more intimate in the dining room. Enjoyed every item we ever had on the menu..especially the avocado toast with a perfect runny egg read more

We drove so far to get here but unfortunately they were closed with no further notice. It wasn't only us in front of restaurant. There were other cars. I cant understand why these type of restaurants, they are not changing their hours in Yelp. Now days most of people search the restaurant through Yelp! read more

Excellent food and service. The seafood was extremely fresh and delicious. The colossal shrimp cocktail was amazing. The ahi tuna was fantastic as well. It was extremely fresh, had great flavor and was cooked to perfection. Everything about our meal and experience was excellent. Reservations are recommended because they get busy. The wait staff/hostess was very accommodating. We were visiting from out of town and were able to get a reservation day of by being a bit flexible on time. read more

See all

No doubt about it. Maxwells is the best restaurant in the Iowa Great Lakes area. The food is excellent. The service is outstanding, and the atmosphere is delightful.. read more

Had great drinks and great food .Martinis were delicious Wife if pretty pocky about her filet but was spot on .

Brie appetizer came out cold.Yuck.Club crackers and Ritz crackers,plus fruit.Bad start.Pistacio encrusted halibut came out hot,but not cooked inside.Rigatoni was good.Dessert was warm toffee cake and ice crea.Yum! Atmosphere nice. read more

This is our first visit in 2 years due to Covid. I'm happy to say the food, service and ambiance is still top notch. I am pressed to think of any other restaurant where the prime rib is this good. The coconut shrimp appetizer was as impressive as ever. Overall I can't think of a better dining experience. read more

I've been here many times over the years whenever I come to Okoboji and have had no problems, but this time was noticeably bad. The service was incredibly slow even though there were a lot of people working. My aunt had to ask for new silverware multiple times after a server took hers away and promised to bring her new ones, which didn't happen for another 30 minutes. Also, we waited over an hour from the time we sat down for our entrees! For appetizers, we got the coconut shrimp, which was good, but I could tell it likely came frozen and they just heated it up. For my entree, I ordered the chipotle chicken sandwich which was completely devoid of flavor, and their "chipotle mayo" was also flavorless and just looks/tastes like straight mayo. It was also full of bubbles when I received it, which was really weird. The fries were also still white from not being left in the fryer long enough and were very bland. Their mango cheesecake was good. Overall, it's very evident that a lot of the food here is not fresh and for the prices they charge, they should really up their food quality and service. read more

Maxwell's Beach Cafe - Chipotle chicken sandwich. It had been left out so long the cheese was already hardened. - New American Near Me - Arnolds Park, Iowa

See all

Literally smashed half the plate before i remembered to record it, would recommend. Jake was so awesome!! read more

Maxwell's Beach Cafe - Literally smashed half the plate before i remembered to record it, would recommend. Jake was so awesome!! - New American Near Me - Arnolds Park, Iowa

The place is just OK. The service was good, except the busser was eager and took 2 plates off the table of food that wasn't finshed. The food was too expensive for that. Moreover, it was not as good as the price suggested. It wasn't terrible, just not incredible. Nevertheless, we had a great time hanging out on the patio. The location is top notch. read more

Maxwell's Beach Cafe - The burger was dry. - New American Near Me - Arnolds Park, Iowa

See all

Incredible experience. Took my wife to dinner and this has to be one of the best experiences we have had in a long time. Lamb chops were absolutely amazing! So many young people serving and they were all so very eager to make our experience amazing. Their parents should be very proud. Nice job Maxwell's and thank you for a wonderful evening. read more

The service was great; attentive, professional and friendly. For the price, almost without exception, was underwhelming in portion and only lukewarm. My wife's tomahawk pork chops were the exception; cooked and spiced to perfection. Overall, with tip, spent $400 for an experience that was worth roughly $300. read more

Wife and I had lunch here on the 4th- delicious and our server, Lexi was the best! Knowing that they had a prime spot for watching the fireworks that night we asked if they had any late dinner reservations- we were able to get one of the last ones and ended up having an equally fantastic dinner with Liz as our server! Great food, great staff and great location! We definitely recommend Maxwell's! read more

This place is 5 stars every time we go there - doesn't matter if it's lunch or dinner. Good is great. Services is too. Treat yourself to Maxwells - you'll be happy you did. read more

Dear Tom M and Grace M, I was present as a customer during the entire public altercation . There was absolutely no reason for the scene or the foul language your party used or personal assaults on one of the most professional restaurant owners in the lakes area. In my opinion, an apology to the owner is in order. We did witness the owner try to work eith you on seating your large party. What is sad is that you only would have waited 15 minutes to get your requested table! Your response was unfortunate and unprofessional. My entire family respects this restaurant and will always support them through thick and thin. Well worth the wait. read more

Ouch.....this place has gone downhill - haven't been since I was ten years old, maybe I just remember my Shirley temple more than the food. My pregnant wife ordered a medium steak - apparently medium is Pittsburgh blue in okoboji (hold the seasoning) - hopefully our baby is ok lol. The manager asked how our food was and I said the steak was too rare and my wife was pregnant and he became quite disheveled and didn't really know what to do... My advice to the manager, say "oh my goodness, congratulations on your new baby, please let me take that steak from you and I'll prepare it correctly as you keep your future child safe. I will gladly comp the steak." The whipped potatoes had zero seasoning. Not really whipped, more like mashed just shy of a smushed baked potato. My salmon was actually delicious but they decided to overcharge me by $7 so yea, that was annoying. Good sunset view though, the one thing the restaurant couldn't control. I'll probably be back....to the Nutty bar. read more