max london's restaurant + bar

delicious food and amazing service, one of my favorites in saratoga!

fancy, fresh pizza joint...i will admit i was a little intimidated by the menu choices, however, everything we tried i loved. perfect dinner date spot.

amazing as usual!

this place is the most consistent in saratoga in their original offerings, local food and quality.

appetizer - wedge salad - classic ingredients however the lettuce was cut in fours with chunky blue cheese and bacon.

entree
burger - cooked to order (medium) and was full of flavor and juice.

no room for desert.

cheers!

amazing waitstaff and mouthwatering food (went there for brunch). one of the best dining experiences i've ever had. warm and welcoming atmosphere and a very eclectic and locally sourced menu. makes delicious drinks as well with all fresh ingredients, and derek (the bar tender) is extremely welcoming and friendly. this is the first time i've ever felt strongly enough to actually write a review for any restaurant...take note!

without being stuffy or overpriced, the restaurant feels like it belongs in a bigger city. the modern but rustic interiors are more urban than small-town; probably due to the exposed brick walls and the copper pots lining the shelves. yet it still manages to have some of that small-town charm with its friendly and cheerful green awning welcoming patrons inside, and shading those who

----- 11/11/16 -----
max london’s is closed for lunch, but serves brunch on fridays and weekends. so our occasional gathering of retired geezers was able to brunch here without eating into weekend plans. maybe it being veterans day accounted for the decent number of people who also decided to dine at this time.

the menu is quite varied with everything from classic breakfast dishes like french toast, belgian waffle, omelets, and blue corn buttermilk pancakes, to typical lunch items like soups, salads, sandwiches, and pizza. of course they also have a decent full bar with craft beers on tap.

i ordered a southern tier warlock imperial stout ($7) along with my croissant breakfast sandwich ($10). mrs. london’s croissants are always delicious, light and flaky. adding scrambled eggs, smoked ham and fontina cheese to it simply elevates one’s enjoyment to the next level. i chose the 3-potato hash for my included side and was very pleased with the small cubed potatoes crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. some lightly sautéed onion petals added the perfect contrasting texture and additional flavor to the hash.

companion #1 ordered the belgian waffle ($12) with real maple syrup, and a side of sausage, but passed up on the included whipped cream, while companion #2 had the pizza margherita ($13) with tomato, basil, and house made mozzarella. both of them were pleased with their meals along with saratoga sparkling water ($3.50) and iced tea ($3.25). i thought the pizza looked really good! i should really return soon.

june 25, 2013

creativeness, quality and service in a casual type restaurant.. unwilling to wait the announced forty minutes for a table at druther's, (a concert at spac would likely clear out most tables at that time) we decided to walk over to max london's where we probably had not been in well over a year. they looked pretty busy also, but our willingness to sit at a high-top table allowed us to be seated immediately.

we had a good view of all that was going on throughout the restaurant - bar, kitchen and dining room. more on that later. we were promptly provided with water and two different kinds of bread in a basket. my only complaint of the evening was not knowing which container had the vinegar and which had the oil.

my wife decided to try one of the more interesting sounding cocktails, a strawberry basil sour ($11), while i chose a new york craft draft, captain lawrence ipa ($7). the sour, interestingly, was made with rum and the strawberry flavor did not make it overly sweet. the ipa had a very nice hoppy flavor and would have only cost $4 if we had arrived 20 minutes earlier prior to 6 pm during happy hour.

neither one of us was immensely hungry, but there were a couple of appetizers that we were very interested in trying before we selected our entrees. our server was more than helpful at this point as we asked her about the portion sizes. she advised us that both of our app considerations were large enough and filling to serve two people prior to entrees. she recommended ordering only one app. but our desire to try interesting sounding food caused us to still order both apps with the caveat that we could always take home what we didn't finish of our entrees. our server agreed.

so what was it that had such a strong temptation to our taste buds? chickpea polenta fries ($9.50) with a black olive aioli, and bolinhos de bacalhau ($9) with an aioli. the chickpea and polenta mix was shaped to look like large french fries, 6 to an order (see my photo for the four remaining). they had a nice crispy outside and a soft inside. the flavor was good even before dipping them into the black olive aioli. the bolinhos (salt codfish cakes), 5 to an order (all intact for the photo), were light and flavorful with just a hint of spiciness to the aioli. and it turns out our server's advise was accurate, we both could probably have stopped eating at this point, but we would persevere.

my wife ordered the shrimp & chorizo pizza ($16) - wood-fired with shrimp, chorizo, idiazabal cheese, romesco crema, and serrano chilies. this was a wonderful mix of flavors and textures with a good amount of spiciness on a typically thin crust for wood firing. most of it came home with us.

i had the night's special burger ($16), with lettuce, tomato, bacon (really good bacon!) and a sauce of which i don't recall the name or ingredients. i ordered it medium-rare and my picture will let you decide if that is what i received. i've had more flavorful meat, but the consistency and juiciness were right-on. there had to easily be three-quarters of a pound of burger here. it was billed as being raised locally, and as good as it was i didn't mind how messy it was to eat. did i mention the delicious bacon in it?

a large cup of coffee was $3. my wife saw french presses on a shelf and was expecting to receive one of those, so she was a bit disappointed when she didn't. but it was a full-bodied coffee with good flavor.

i've mentioned how helpful our server was as i had been taking special note of the staff since i'd read a number of reviews that focused on the poor service here. every worker i observed was fully attentive to each of his or her customers. there was no ignoring customers or socializing among staff. our server becky, seemed to be taking charge at times, letting the rest of the staff know how many burgers were left and when they were 86'd. she was very familiar with each of the dishes we were ordering and even described a variation in the preparation of one dish if we were to ever come for brunch.

the food is fantastic. it's a cool space, although the decor on the walls is outdated and confusing (modern space with baskets and fake flowers). great service.

i also taste tested the breakfast calzone which housed egg, cheddar, and ham. it was also very good and came with a nice mild salsa/marinara dipping sauce.

had an awesome burger. ididn't even use ketchup! excellent service at the bar.

i work often in saratoga, max's is by far my favorite place to eat. local ingredients, many organics, high quality for reasonable price. small menu but it changes daily. best pizza in the area. great cocktails and great wine. i rarely like a restaurant this much. a definite when in saratoga springs

hands down the best restaurant in saratoga. amazing food and prices are so fare for what you get. the $20 3 course meal is the best deal in town. ingredients couldn't be fresher, preperation is top notch, and great reasonable wine list. and with mrs. london's next door, the deserts are out of this world.

great!. went there to grab a quick bite with friends and was really surprised. we ordered a couple of pizzas and they were fantastic. some fun uncommon beers too. service was ok, prices were about what i expected. not too bad. this could become one of my favorites

take it from a real pair of foodies...this place rocks the tastebuds! started with apple salad and the goat cheese stuffed figs wrapped in prosciutto., omg...the figs are a must have! lightly grilled, the flavor combo was out of this world. next came a crab in tomato cream sauce over tagliatelle and pappardelle with leek, mushroom and goat cheese. lastly my wife requested to be buried face down - moth open - in the flourless chocolate cake. we've had at other places, and this one was one of the vey best!

awesome food. had ramps salad, skirt steak that was among the best i ever had. my

the best of north country. not just saratoga.. north country, by which i mean anything north of manhattan, and south of the canadian border in nys, is lucky to have mrs. london's and now max london's in its fold.

a meal at max london's will bring you to food that is dreamy, local, tasty, delicious, sexy, simple, comforting and honest. cooked with care and pride, it is the kind of food, that one ought to eat and consider nothing beyond the ordinary. sadly, we have lost a connection in our country to good food. today, processed food equals comfort food. but for some, honest food, cooked without much fuss and torture, still is the comfort food that is good for mind, body and soul. it is this that you find at max london's and i urge you to rush to get there, and find a table, and then wine and dine away to culinary lands near and far, where food was never compromised.

beyond serving delicious food, this is a restaurant where attention to detail is part of their dna, not unlike 2 or 3 or 4 star nyc restaurants. transfer it into nyc, and you will find a hugely popular and a legendary business, feeding people food they love everyday with a very loyal and hungry following.

a meal at max london's is like a visit to nyc, paris, chicago, london, tokyo or some such city with special and wondrous dining experiences. whilst being situated in the charming environs of saratoga, you slip away to a culinary journey, that is hardly limited as the area surrounding the locale.

things are different in saratoga and especially other small towns around. food is not always about quality.
dining is rather about compromises. the many made by owners of restaurants, and those made by diners, who have to choose a lesser evil each time they decide on a place to eat. but going to max london's is not that way. going there is a pleasure, a treat, a delight, a celebration.
max london's is a place to dine with a loved one, to enjoy a neighborhood meal, a special celebration, or a private party. it works for all occasions, hence it could be called a classic.

there is a beauty to north country, and that certainly does not take into account the dining experiences. they are sadly, of a different standard. great local produce is easy to find, but food somehow is still the tortured and processed garbage, that came to be accepted as home-town/small-town fare.

max london's has superb food offerings, inventive-but-grounded-to-reality fare that is at once comforting and also sophisticated enough without being over the top.

they also have some of the best wines money can buy, and buy reasonably, for which we have michael london to thank.

the desserts, made by wendy london, are ethereal, memorable for a lifetime, and treats you could hardly find even in some of the most celebrated food capitals of the world.

best of all, max london's has max london, cliff booth (executive-sous-chef) and a team of inspired, talented and visionary cooks and chefs and front-of-the-house talent. nothing here is ordinary. but nothing here is that special either. it is just what it ought to be at a fine restaurant. the difference is that in north country (as in most towns and cities across america) one never sees world-class anything. especially not when it comes to food. we have great potential, and sadly, often it just stops at that. at max london's potential was seen, achieved and maintained. something that hardly happens around us often.

why am i such a fan? why do i share such a lengthy review just about standards and the food in general? because i have come to make north country my home. i believe in the potential of our community, and i will not stand by mediocrity. i celebrate max london's as a beginning of a new chapter in the dining experiences that will inform how one eats across america. if saratoga can have max london's, it is now time for every town, every small city, and every region of this country to encourage someone like max london, to do what is correct, cook what is real, cook what is fresh and seasonal, and cook it with care, with pride and with correct attitude.

max deserves all the support, all the acclaim, all the business and patronage, and most of all, all the encouragement to keep doing what he does so beautifully - feeding people simple and honest foods, prepared with great attention to quality and "local", but served without ego and in a beautiful setting.

max, thanks for gifting our community a restaurant as brilliant as yours. charlie and i wish you years and decades and a lifetime of success and happiness. you certainly have brought it into our lives.

from two huge fans of yours.

suvir and charlie