Max Caffe

I eat here almost every day and I love it. The food is great .. the atmosphere is really nice.. and it's so cheap! I mean $6 dollars for a Crostini with melted brie cheese and a side of salad? I really LOVE the place.. and I think the service is great .. they open the kitchen for me and my friends after midnight so many times!

The only reason I pay $2 for a cup of coffee (without refills) in a neighborhood full of places to read/hand out is for the atmosphere at Max Cafe -- I love the couches and open air feel. The wait staff, however, is unnecessarily nasty and rude -- totally ruins the experience. I will not be returning.

While I genuinely enjoyed the atmosphere and felt that the servers were primarily concerned with their customers' comfort, there was an air of distaste for the guests among the staff. In general, they have been very accommodating, but they are not in any way reserved about expressing their desire for an overabundant tip. One of the first few times I ate here, our server was very pleasant, and the meal was comfortable. However, when I left what I thought was an appropriate tip for my order, she raised an eyebrow and refused to acknowledge us as we waved goodbye. It was only after I recognized that she felt like she did not get tipped that I had a friend go back and give her a few extra dollars. The next time I went here, we were seated and asked if we wanted anything to eat. When we responded yes, our server said that the kitchen was closed, but they would reopen it for us. We thanked her, expressing that we greatly appreciated the gesture. Again, the check came, and we each (out of 3 people) tipped according to how much we had eaten. In the end, we gave a 15% tip. I noticed at one point after we had paid that our server whispered something to the bartender, who looked over in our direction. As we made our way out, the server stopped us at the door and gave an account of how she was inconvenienced by having to reopen the kitchen for us, and that the bartender was about to miss his bus home because he stayed to clean up after the customers (we were by no means the last people leaving, either). After she insisted that what we did was "bad," I tried my best to dissolve the situation, apologized, and gave her an extra 5 dollar bill. At this point, I have no interest in returning.

The place is nice for a drink or a cup of coffee. I prefer sitting on the sidewalk than inside, where patrons with laptops think they are at the library and stare at you annoyed when you talk. The worst thing about this place is the service. Contrary to the very friendly staff at Max Soha down the block, the waitresses here think they are too good to bring you a cup of coffee or that if you need a glass of water you should address the bus boy directly and not her--how dare you!

I walked in, said "Hi" to the waitress and sat down. By the time I got a menu, later arrivals had already had a chance to order. The French toast with strawberries, by the time it came, had been beaten to the table by orders from people who arrived after I had ordered. It tasted like fairly nicely fried bread, although a hint of egginess would have improved it substantially, and I had expected multiple strawberries, rather than the fraction of a strawberry that actually accompanied it. The latte (ordered way back when) that came some time AFTER the eventual arrival of the French toast, was decent. The place was less than half full when I arrived, so I see no reason to cut them any slack on this one.

The food was great, I tasted the Crepes and Nutella, and the French Toast. Both were delicious. I also had a Chai Tea. Very good. Atmosphere was very organic. It was very expensive though. 25 dollars for two people for breakfast.

Very cool place with friendly service and good food! Max caffe is like my living room but better