max lager's wood-fired grill & brewery

awesome, great, you've got to try it. we had the snapper with spinach and creamy grits ...to die for. and the wood fired pizza! we ate outside and loved it!

table waiting on our reservation. when does that ever happen? service was attentive but not obnoxious. food was great (big enough that could've split the entree with my wife). and the good beer...

the southwestern cesar salad was great! it was topped with a generous portion of perfectly blackened salmon. the second dish was a classic-fish & chips, lightly battered & "fried" just right. so if your in town or having a stay-cation go to max's & don't forget the house beers. they were happy to give a taste of their handy brew work.

adequate food, lousy service. went with a party of twelve (for which we had reservations). to be fair, we were in town with a convention and there were a number of similarly-sized parties.

the service was truly subpar: slow, inattentive, even shambling. i say this as someone with extensive restaurant work experience (server, bartender, manager, trainer). we didn't get a stitch of service that we didn't have to flag someone down and beg for. we were there for 4+ hours and spent hundreds of dollars on food and beverages, and never once did anyone even come by to refill our water glasses (several of us never got any to start with). average tab for those who ate was around $50-$70 per person, including automatic gratuity.

the food quality was decent, though the selection was poor. a shame they overcooked my steak, but it was tasty (ny strip). absolutely no options on the sides: plopped my steak down on top of a bed of boiled spinach and virtually unseasoned mashed potatoes.

needless to say, if i find myself in atlanta again, i'll avoid this restaurant.

this is my first urbanspoon review. my family and i had such a pleasant experience at max lagar's that i felt compelled to finally post a review. the food, service, atmosphere,and beer were top notch. i was afraid that this was going to be a tourist trap, but that fear was quickly dispelled after my first bite of the pork chop. it was perfectly accompanied by whipped potatoes and collard greens. my wife and kids loved the pizza as well. our waiter was one of the best i've ever had at a restaurant. i highly recommend this restaurant if your in downtown atl.

we had an excellent dinner at max lagers. i agree that the beer was a little flat, but the food was superb. we had the pork chop, the ribs, the kids mac and cheese and west coast pasta primavera with chicken. we didnt leave a crumb on our plates. service was quick and friendly. very nice.

good brews and burgers! i didn't try anything else, but they make their own beer and i really enjoyed it.

laid back and relaxing with a friendly staff. our party of 4 started at the bar with cocktails (sorry max, no beer drinkers here, but the vodka mint sweet teas were awesome) with lively conversation including the locals and the bartenders who were slammed, but still managed to visit with us. we then moved on to the quaint lil' patio where the service was intuitive (i know, not expected at a brewery). we enjoyed the pick your own ingredients pizza and the grilled salmon, which were very good. we all agreed we would definitely be back. see you in jamuary!

best pork chop. the pork chop is killer. completely hit the spot. i will go back just for this! beer was great. i had the max red and my husband had the common. we will be visiting again!

decent beer; don't bet on the food. visit date: 6/25/10

my girlfriend and i went for a late lunch (approximately 2 pm) because it was near to our hotel and i was craving a cold beer relief from the hot weather. the place was dead...the only other two people were sitting at the bar, which is we decided to sit as well. the bar ha several hd tv's where we could watch the world cup.

the bartender took our drink orders right away. he was certainly an extrovert in a loud, commanding kind of way. at first, it was entertaining but eventually got to be a little too much. i started with their red and my girlfriend went with the kolsch. i'd say both were good, solid representatives of their styles. i went on to try the common (a steam beer) and the wit. again, i was pleased with all 3 but the red was my favorite.

for lunch, my girlfriend ordered the alaskan wedge and 10 wings our way with chipotle seasoning. i went with the peachtree special. the alaskan wedge was very good with great, fresh tasting blue cheese. my girlfriend was disappointed in the wings because they came breaded. she has to watch the amount and type of carbs she eats which is why she chose the wings as the menu did not indicate that they were breaded. lesson learned: definitely need to ask rather than assume... my peachtree sandwich was definitely one where you could tell it was cooked in wood-fired oven with plenty of smoke undertones. i had read reviews that the salt content in the meals can be high and i will agree that is the case for this sandwich. the bacon itself is salty and the additional other seasoning adds more.

as i mentioned, it was very quite while we were there though it is large, story location. obviously, they have invested a considerable sum in building out the location. i can't comment on the atmosphere when it's busy but i'd imagine it might have a lot of energy.

overall, i would say this one visit was rather average. the beer was the highlight while the food was definitely second fiddle. the service was fine but a bit over the top.

food: 5; beer: 7; service 7; atmosphere: 8

still can't decide. don't plan on returning.
beer = ok, food = ok, service = left something to be desired.
on a weekend trip, my husband and i visited max lager's on friday night. we were tired from a day of traveling and ready for some good food and beers. we were slightly disappointed with max's local brews. they were ok, but nothing special. the food was decent, but nothing you couldn't get somewhere else. the service was not so hot. the server was odd and socially awkward. she was not helpful with menu selections and gave us little attention as our water glasses stood empty for most of the dinner. don't think we will return.

great steak. i had the manhattan and my wife had the filet. both steaks are well portioned. we loved the steak and the beer. the max red brew was awesome! we don't visit atlanta often so we really enjoyed the experience. they have a really nice patio. it felt great to be able to sit outside and drink a beer!

fabulous food!. we had a very pleasant experience at max lager's this weekend. i had the filet and it was cooked to perfection. they have a great wine selection that i appreciated! i will recommend this restaurant to everyone that visits downtown atlanta. the service was great too!

wonderful experience!. i visit atl multiple times a year, and absolutly live for the great food experience the area provides. top notch around the nation, and it would be disppointing if i didn't write up my first visit to max's. i wasn't expecting much at the time, but came upon excellent service and a tremendous value for my time and dollar. while it won't qualify as a bucket list type of destination, it's already on my hit list for the next visit.

loving the dinner at max lager's americans grill & brewery. amazing beer. i had the red an the brown. i had ribs on the wood fired grill. try were a little dry but tasty. their mac and cheese was exceptional. it has a great feel.