My favorite Japanese Izakaya in DFW!! Unfortunately they don't take reservations for 2 ppl, so if you have 2 in your party make sure to line up right before opening, for bigger parties make sure to call and get a reservation or you won't get a seat. Food and service are both five stars - their ramens are all half size so you can enjoy more of the izakaya dishes! Try their chicken karaage and just ask the servers for recommendations if you've never been to an izakaya, can't go wrong with this place! read more

we always like mr max! this was our second time here! sashimi was amazing--tako wasabi seems like an acquired taste but i've warmed up to it (love the texture! just don't like wasabi much). grilled squid was good as always. i wasn't a fan of the smelt fish but i am not sure if that is just me. yellowtail collar was alright. fried oysters were tasty and fried very well. udon was alright. read more

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I am just so glad my friend told me about this place. I love it when I can find a hole in the wall that has fantastic food and atmosphere. I came in here late in the evening since I work late doing social media for a telecom.... and even at 9:30 pm it was packed.. but then again it was a hole in the wall. Super friendly staff that immediately greets you when you come in. To be honest, I think I was the only one who wasn't Japanese this night. The menu itself is just straight awesomeness. Its like all the food you would grow up with. I love it.... and I loved their tonkatsu ramen, which came out with a thick creamy broth. So delicious. I definitely will be hitting this place up more often. Just a note: If you are hitting this place up after dark... know that its the building behind the computer repair shop or whatever that place is. It is hidden... and it is a hole in the wall.. but if you are good at what you do, then it makes it just so much more exciting to come out and have a great meal. I so love this place... read more

Mr Max - Tonkatsu ramen.. Thick broth - Sushi Bars Near Me - Irving, Texas

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Such an odd place to find this quality of product. Rolling into the parking lot this place looked abandoned and mr max looked to be next door to a hair salon. We got here around 8:30p on a Saturday night. The place was packed and the kitchen was busily away cooking and constructing master piece dishes. We ordered to our hearts content. Bear with me I don't remember the names of the dishes very well. We started out with on tap asahi lager, miso salmon, sakamushi, Washu guy kushi, hokke, katsuo tataki, Daikon salad, kawaebi age, agedashi tofu, tonkotsu ramen, gesso age, ankimo, Ika butter, Taiwan ramen. The hokke and Kama hamachi was incredible. Mouth watering crunch that covered the palate with the right salt and pepper and lemon zest. The service was impeccable and friendly. Our server Tomoko was very knowledgeable as well. Overall the quality and presentation of food was incredible. This is a hidden gem in a crowded category of Japanese food. By far hands down the best kept secret in the dfw metroplex. read more

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So glad they opened again! And remodelled to boot! Had the miso Ramen and the assorted tempura. Da bomb. Very good. I love the atmosphere here.. Small and cozy. Can't wait to bring some friends and family here to eat! read more

Mr Max - Miso Ramen - Sushi Bars Near Me - Irving, Texas

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The fold was terrific, and the service was quick. Despite the small space, you'll love the ambiance, and you feel comfy. I definitely recommend getting the Kobe beef skewers and the yellowtail sashimi! read more

Mr. Max is definitely one of our favorite restaurants in Dallas. The eats are very homestyle and seem authentic when comparing to Japanese places on the west coast. We've never been disappointed by anything we've ordered here. The sashimi has always been fresh and reasonably priced. We usually get salmon and some kind of tuna. The chicken karaage is crispy, flavorful, and authentic. The takoyaki, agadeshi tofu shishito peppers, and Kobe beef skewers are also very good. The tonkotsu ramen is pretty good here. The broth is flavorful and noodles are cooked well. I'd say the chasiu is just average here. I appreciate that they sell a half portion ramen here, since ramen isn't the healthiest. We've also ordered the small Japanese curry here. The curry was good, but doesn't come with meat. I wish they offered Japanese curry with katsu here and just katsu in general. The ambiance here is pretty cozy. The place is pretty small, so I don't recommend coming here with a group larger than four people. We usually get bar seating. Most of the time there is a wait. I don't think you can make reservations here, so be prepared to wait. I think usually we get seated in 20-40 minutes. Parking isn't an issue as there is a lot. Overall, Mr. Max does an impressive job serving great quality ramen, Japanese homestyle eats, and sashimi. I haven't found anywhere in DFW that does it better. As a plus, the prices are extremely reasonable. Mr. Max will remain a part of our regular food rotation! read more

Mr Max - Blue fin fatty tuna and salmon sashimi- fresh - Sushi Bars Near Me - Irving, Texas

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So this was my first experience with Ramen, besides the instant noodle packages. While on my training in Dallas, I came here with a friend for dinner. He was skeptical of the shady strip center and dark tint on the outside but remained open minded. When you walk in it's a small space. We ended up just getting a few spots on the counter. The people here are extremely nice. We both ordered the ramen. You can see them making everything right in front of you. I was not blown away but the pork was good. The serving size was solid. read more

This quaint little restaurant hits with some delicious food. A cultural experience removing your shoes and sitting at little tables the waitress serves the most amazing Japanese bites. Takoyaki to salmon bowls are incredibly tasty. read more

This place is pretty cool. Even if you don't eat sushi, this place is still a cool little hole in the wall. I came with a group of about 8, I think my party leader got a reservation. I heard of stories of two hour waits, but I get it because this place is pretty small. The menu is mostly in Japanese I think but there are some pictures and the staff can guide you, but they aren't the best at speaking English. Things are priced kinda cool, you can get a lot of appetizers like I did for cheap, and it will fill you up. As a table, we got to try a lot of food: tongue, skewers, little baby shrimp, shrimp tempura, chicken wings, ramen, and assorted sushi. I think my two favorites were the ramen and the chicken wings! I would definitely recommend it, probably more so if you like sushi though! read more

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Casual small place dinning. The food are very authentic and the service was good. They're always busy on the weekend. Expect around 45mins wait if you're going on Friday or Saturday night. It's a good place to hang out with your friends or maybe a date? The restaurant is very small and only have 4-5 tables. Recommend to try their ramen, call for the reservation if you want to get the table otherwise you will be sitting at the bar. read more

You have to get here early to get seated if you have a group going with you. The food is great and well priced. I like the agedashi tofu but they have many other great options like the takoyaki balls and grilled mackerel. read more

Mr Max - Grilled mackerel - Sushi Bars Near Me - Irving, Texas

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Super legit spot. I mean, there are not a lot of places in Texas where you walk in and feel immediately transported 15 hours over the Pacific. This took me back to my Japan days. Very authentic appeal with signage, decor and just overall ambiance. They definitely weren't trying...they just decorated and it's authentic. I had the Tonkatsu Ramen (spicy) and it hit home. The noodles were cooked to perfection and were the right density. The broth was thick. I like a stronger flavor in my broth, however, this was still amazing. They have Really good Chu Hi here too. Service was fantastic. Friendly, COVID compliant, clean. All I'm all this is a must go for any Ramen junkie out there read more

First timer, so we tried as many dishes we can stuff ourselves with. Grilled squid, grilled beef tongue, grilled mackerel, takoyaki (octopus puff), oyster in olive oil, karaage (crispy fried chicken), Kobe beef ball, spam and omelette masubi (rice sandwich), pork chashu masubi, shoyu ramen and tonkatsu ramen. My least favorite was the grilled mackerel. It was fishy and bland. The rest of the dishes were excellent. The ramen's were definitely worth coming back for. They take reservations and I would highly suggest it since there's only about 6 tables and a few tables at the "bar". They filled up pretty quickly. Service is pretty fast and since they are so busy we almost felt rush to order and eat, but at least the waitress weren't being too rude about it. Another thing to make note off, don't bother looking through the photos to decide what you want to eat because quite a few things are no longer on the menu (prob new owners). The restaurant is really hidden, not a place you would drive by and see and want to try. It's also a little sketchy on the outside but luckily the inside is nice and clean. Great atmosphere where you can kick off your shoes and sit Indian style (literally!). read more

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- Hamburger Steak (ハンバーグ) could've been more tender. - Don't judge someone just because they're asking if a dish comes with rice or not. It shows. We knew. How? The rice on the side order conveniently forgotten. - Don't judge someone just because they ordered Japanese Curry instead of your Izakayas or Tappas. - Your real Japanese customer isn't the only important guest there. Your higher pitch voice when serving him was more than a sign. read more

My family and I were pleasantly surprised to find a izakaya restaurant just outside of Dallas. My husband had been in Texas for a few months and he was really missing good Japanese food. We walked in and were seated at the bar shortly after we got there. Make a reservation if you can.. we noticed lots of people waiting on our way out. The service was excellent. Our server was very attentive and gave us good recommendations for dinner. She even gave my daughter some Japanese candies for dessert. So sweet! The food was delicious!! We had the sashimi platter (my favorite was the salmon and hamachi), tempura, chicken karaage, misoyaki salmon and spam onigirazu. We thoroughly enjoyed everything. This restaurant was even better than some places back home in Hawai'i. I'd highly recommend Mr. Max. Thank you to the staff and chef for an excellent dinner! read more

Service was great, and Matthew and co. cooked up the best ramen I have ever had, along with other delicious sides. Best Japanese food in the area hands down. Great atmosphere for a meal with a wide range of options. Would love to go back when back in the area. read more

Not the easiest place to get into, you'll need to plan around it but absolutely worth it. Delicious and not overpriced for a date night but super tasty, although you might have to be careful not to order too much or that could change (portions are meant to order multiple). On a Saturday, you'll either want to go at 4:30 to wait before they open at 5, or be prepared to put your name down and go do something else while you wait an hour. You can get a reservation for a table, but that's only 3 or more. The restaurant is too small for parties of 2 to get a table is my guess. Anyway when you do get to the food, fortunately it's fantastic. My udon was some of the best I've had, the sashimi was great, and our ramen was my wife's favorite broth in the city. If I had one complaint about the food it would be that the toro was good, but came with a real price difference. Next time I'd get more yellowtail and maybe the scallops again, and save the extra for drinks or something else. Looking forward to going back! read more

It's Japanese Tapas with no sushi. They don't have have sides like steamed rice. We left early and they charged me $110 for wrong items. Had to have the bill refunded. Horrible service will not be back. read more

Came here for my birthday dinner on a whim and OH MY GOODNESS was it the right call. The servers were very attentive and friendly. The food came out very quickly, and the tapas-style dining allowed for us to all have a taste of everything. The half bowl of ramen was honestly enough for me, and they were bigger than I expected. I left very full and satisfied and loved this hole in the wall. I will most definitely be coming back!! Takoyaki - get. The. Cheese. The crispy cheese really adds to it, a bit too much dough compared to how much octopus was in it. Sauce was great. Karaage chicken - ok, pretty good Grilled squid - perfectly cooked enough to bring out the sweetness, great with cold beer! Would've ordered more if I could Salmon sashimi- tasted and smelled fresh! I'd really recommend it. Fried tentacles - cooked well and great batter to squid ratio Taiwan ramen - got a kick to it, spicy and warms you up, lots of sesame flavor Japanese curry - ok, pretty good and could fill you up Tonkotsu ramen - so rich and fatty and good and it's what good ramen *should* taste like read more

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The is the best little Japanese restaurant we've had in the DFW so far, and authentic. The sashimi was fresh. The ramen was on point, slightly too salty but noodles were perfect. The takoyaki is out of this world and I love takoyaki. Their price is reasonable and we loved the view from the bar, watching the chefs prepare. Will def be back:) great service, too. The only thing is it's in a hidden corner of an old mall, and capacity is small but we loved the intimacy. We came on a weekday 5pm, no lines but definitely customers. read more

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Terrible experience. Got here at 9:18 and they said they couldn't serve us. They were service the others before us and tried to say the kitchen closes at 9:30 and that we could get our food to go when they clearly close at 10:00. Being the only black family in sight, I could only wonder if this was apart of the reason we were turned away from dining in. Will never come back here again! read more

Ah-mazing. This is a tiny hidden gem located randomly on the side of a little shopping plaza. It is super easy to miss, so drive slow and trust your gps. Japanese food is probably my favorite cuisine. After being in Texas for a few days, eating heavy southern meals every meal time, we were on the look out for a lighter meal for dinner. I saw this place, skeptical about the name, but trusting the highly rated Yelp reviews. I immediately called in to make a reservation for later that night and the lady who answered the phone sounded so friendly! I knew it was going to be a great night:) We arrived a little early, obviously very excited for the anticipated meal, but had to wait for the previous party to leave. The ladies working there were very apologetic, but we understood. We were seated at the more traditional seating area....but not so traditional that you have to bend your legs or sit cross legged on the floor, there are nice little cut outs under the table so that you can sit comfortably. Sorry if I am terrible at explaining this... You'll just have to go see and experience it for yourself!! There are also counter seats, were you can watch the cooks in action. The food was delicious; meant for sharing, you'll be able to try many different delicious dishes if you bring a few friends. Favorites included the ramen, tofu, sashimi and ginger pork, but I really enjoyed everything that we ordered. The service was fast and friendly and with plenty of parking and awesome food, you really have no excuse not to come if you're in the area and need some delicious Japanese food. read more

Mr Max - Ginger pork - Sushi Bars Near Me - Irving, Texas

Amazing!! Great authentic find amazing vibes! I feel like I'm eating in Japan! Cutest spot in this area. Fast friendly and always ways fresh. read more

Glad I stopped by this Japanese icon in Dallas:-) The entrance and shopping strip is very misleading. It looks alittle aged. Like others have said, the area is sketchy. The inside is impressive though. I like the simplistic design. Very clean, but also an urban Japanese vibe. :-) the restrooms are very neat:-) there's a lot of attention to detail w the decor and the plates. To the food: I ordered some salmon sashimi from the daily specials. Very fresh:-) loved it. I also had the Tako wasabi (Octopus w wasabi sauce). It was probably the best Tako wasabi I've had:-) the chicken Kara-age is also another must order. They do it really good here. I think next time I would do it w/o tartar sauce though. The sauce was kind of heavy. I also ordered the tonkotsu ramen w extra egg. The ramen broth was very rich and creamy. Soo good. The ramen orders are half orders, they recommend you add extra noodle. (I thought the size was good as is for the amnt of food I was ordering.) Lastly, I wanted to try the rice sandwich. Mine had spam and egg, I think they give you the option w or w/o mayo. I chose no mayo.:-) it probably would have tasted better though:-) I would try their desserts if I had not eaten so much. I was also on a time crunch and was glad everything came out fast. Servers and chef are all nice. The prices aren't bad either. There is so much to try at this restaurant. I hear the menu changes often, excited to try new things:-) I will be coming back. It's my new favorite Japanese restaurant. read more

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Mr. Max is a hole in the wall in Irving. My friend said it reminded them of eating in Japan. I'm glad this place had reopened and I've been back many times since. I love the ramen here but I've notice they only serve them in half portions now. The grilled mackerel is amazing! The sashimi was a great deal and fresh! I would definitely say it's better to eat the cuts individually vs getting the sampler platter of the sashimi. Cha siu sandwich is also very good but wish it had more meat in it and it's also a little greasy but I that's just the seaweed paper if someone knows a better way to eat it than with just your hands please let me know ! This place is very small so I would definitely recommend calling in to make reservations. Even if it's during the same day I've don't that a few times. read more

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Food was delicious, service was great! The wait times are too long at times, but I'd still go back because of the food, service, ambiance and staff. read more

Hands down the best Izakaya restaurant in Dallas. You will have to wait for a seat, but well worth it. Had the Kobe skewers, Chef choice with Beer, Miso Grilled Salmon, spam and egg sandwich, Tonkotsu Ramen, Taiwan Ramen and the Baked Yuzu Cheesecake. Every single item was excellent and exceeded our expectations . Can't wait to go back and taste the rest of the menu. This is a mst try if you're in the metroplex!! read more

Food was ok but not what I expected at all. Too much hype for this place but did not live up to expectations beef bowl was ok but mine is better at home, mackerel was bland so were the beef skewers, the curry was ok nothing special and pork belly was too sweet. I was disappointed and probably won't go back. Service was good. read more

Awesome little place. Go earlier than opening as it opens latter in the afternoon and closes early or wait, small and quaint. Tapas and ramen beers and sake. Very fun place to eat. Staff was excellent as was all we sampled food wise. Highly recommend for the experience. It was like I traveled to Japan went down an ally an found the coolest bar. read more

I made the mistake of not reserving ahead of time and had to wait over an hour, but it was well worth it. I felt like I legitimately walked into a restaurant tucked away in Japan due to the overall ambiance and vibe. My group sat at one of the few low style tables which exemplified the experience. They were at full capacity the entire time which made sense once I ate their food. I tried the fried shumai dumplings, crispy chicken w/sweet and sour sauce, rice sandwich w/spicy cod, beef bowl, and tonkotsu ramen. Literally every bite was delicious. Literally. The dumplings were solid, the sauce on the chicken was phenomenal, the beef in my bowl was super tender, the cod had the right amount of spice, and the ramen was heavenly. Already planning my trip back (plan to call ahead and reserve). read more

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I seriously DREAM about this place. I just wish seating was more available but that's the charm to this restaurant. I seriously want to gatekeep this place so badly but it's too good not to share. Some of the best food in Dallas. read more

If you have a friend in town, take them to Mr Max! They will never be disappointed. Very authentic food, and the service is top notch. Just be there earlier to wait in line before they opens. read more

Great food, good vibes. Get here early or an hour before closing if you don't want to wait too long. read more

I came back again, but this time to try their Nagoya wings and chashu pork sandwich. Both were good, but I prefer the more complex flavors of the wings. It was a good balance of sweet, salty, and a bit of heat. The chashu pork sandwich was good, but not as flavorful as the wings. read more

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An izakaya is a type of informal Japanese bar that serves alcoholic drinks and snacks; similar to a pub, a Spanish tapas bar, or an American saloon. At Mr Max, in the unlikeliest of places, we experienced great food and enjoyed the character of the space. Ramen, tempura, and chopped cabbage were all tops. I plan to visit Mr Max each time I'm in town. read more

The best Izakaya in Dallas. Period. It's like being in Japan. The food and service were well worth the 40-minute wait. Very lively with food being prepared right in front of you. Added benefit: Prices were more than reasonable. Can't say enough good things about this place. read more

This place has the nicest staff. And the food was really good. I had the fried squid legs, cabbage salad, octopus sashimi and the hamachi collar. They were all amazing but my favorite was the hamachi collar. Grilled to perfection and super flaky it melts in your mouth instantly. The squid legs were not over cooked which is also a plus because most places over cook it. However, it got soggy at the end. Other japanese izakaya places I've been to stays crispy for awhile. But I'm not complaining because everything was so good. I personally really liked the service. The ladies were very nice. I would recommend this place to a lot of ppl. The ramen were half bowl sizes which I thought was neat because it allows you to try other dishes without being so full. I'm not from Texas and only visiting and I am very satisfied. read more

Mr Max - Sushi Bars Near Me - Irving, Texas

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Don't be fooled by the location of this restaurant in a run down strip mall. Or for that matter, by the exterior of the place. Or even by the weirdly generic, chain restaurant like name. This place is good - like one of the best Japanese restaurants in DFW area good. Staff is warm, ambience is cozy, sushi and sashimi is fresh and delicious and the price is oh so reasonable! The only problem is that too many people recognize what a great little place this is so good luck in finding a spot through walk-in. For that matter, good luck in even getting a reservation, specially over the weekend. It's worth the hassle though. read more

Mr Max - Bluefin sashimi. - Sushi Bars Near Me - Irving, Texas

This spot feels authentic and staff was very helpful with ordering. It is a small intimate spot which made it an extra fun date night. I would order sashimi a la carte next time instead of the chef sashimi special. I really enjoyed the katsu curry and hamachi Kama - it was perfectly cooked. Highly suggest to make an appointment or arrive right before opening to wait in line before opening to guarantee a spot. read more