MAX's Wine Dive Enjoy serious gourmet comfort food and amazing wines in a chic, dive-bar atmosphere. Hours: See Profile   4720 Washington Ave Houston TX 77007 713.880.8737 Profile Description: MAX's is a shotgun bar with a drinking/dining counter overlooking the open kitchen on one side, and a brick wall lined with big black leather booths down the other. We take our wine and food seriously (gourmet ingredients and Riedel stemware), but otherwise we don't take anything serious which is why we're the funkiest, most fun hang out on Washington Ave. Our staff is tattooed, our jukebox is full of rock 'n roll, and we have great beer too. See you soon.   Add Review PROFILE   Website  Menu MY REVIEW: new to the area, and love a great place. I like the atmosphere, but $15 for a bowl of macaroni and cheese was a little ridiculous. Great selection of wine and even the beer choices are good. NAME: eric SUBMITTED: 3/10/2008   LAST VISIT WAS: 03/08 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: Stopped in for a glass of wine with my husband and a friend before we were off to somewhere else. It is a very yuppy dive and the wines by the glass are quite expensive. However, we hit happy hour and the prices were very reasonable. The bartender/server was a little interesting with tatoos covering his arms, but it is a dive, right? We enjoyed our wine and it was a good pour. The bartender/server was kind to let us have a small taste first before making our decision. We also tried the alligator appetizer which was very chewy (but, it is alligator) and it had a nice sweeet Thai sauce. It hit the spot. My compliments to the bartender's helper who, initially taking my wine glass, put it back noting that I had a very tiny sip left. I personally applauded him (with a smile and a nod of the head) on that. I have always been a believer that you never take a plate or glass away without first asking, even if it appears to be empty. Bottom line, it was fun to try a new place and we would go back. NAME: llitl025 SUBMITTED: 2/13/2008   LAST VISIT WAS: 2/2008 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: We finally tried Max's Wine Dive over the weekend. I ordered the Kobe burger (I love a great burger) and my girlfriend had the fried chicken. The chicken was OK, not bad, but nothing special at all, and not remotely worth $18. The burger was good, but not stellar, and not worth the price ($18). Very juicy but ultimately somewhat bland. For this style of burger, there are better options around town, and none cost over $12. The fries, on the other hand, were outstanding, better even than Barnaby's benchmark. But the worst thing was the service. The restaurant was not busy, our order was wrong (and dropped off by someone else) and we never saw the waitress until we had to track someone else down to get our check. It's a pity. Max's is a clever concept, but its execution falls short. NAME: Tiger SUBMITTED: 1/7/2008   LAST VISIT WAS: 1/2008 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: Amazing service, friendly staff, and an incredible variety of fusion foods. The baby back ribs, nacho oysters, "max" macaroni and cheese, gator bites...everything had the perfect balance of flavors. A little bit of mama's home cooking in the city. Will definitely return for a party!!! NAME: JCB SUBMITTED: 12/26/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 12/2007 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: Seated promptly with reservation. Attended a bday party and sampled a variety of appetizers. Delicious inventive comfort food. Take a chance and try the fried alligator. Uber hip yet friendly atmosphere. Will go back for more. NAME: DJR SUBMITTED: 12/24/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 12/2007 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: What a great place , at first you feel like this is another wine bar with average wines and overdone cheese plates.....Great surprise when you see the incredible wine list and the Texas style gourmet menu!!! I had the Kobe Beef burger and my wife had the Tomato Salad, they were both outstanding with lots of flavor, the attentive bartender suggested the Tolosa Pinot which complemented our meals great. This place is small but if you can get to sit down and enjoy great food and wines, you wont be dissapointed. Great place in the Washington St. corridor!!!!!!! NAME: Washington Area Foodie SUBMITTED: 12/15/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: november FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times MY REVIEW: Cool place -- ambience is great. Yes, it's loud, but sometimes that is what you are looking for! Seating reminds me of restaurants in NYC. Wine was excellent, buffalo burger app was delicious!!! Service was pretty good. Had the salmon entree and was a little underwhelmed...fish tasted a little fishy - not what you would expect out of a $23 entree. Husband had the cheese steak entree, which is enough to feed like 3 people. It was good, but I don't think necessarily worth the $30 price tag. They do have some of the best fries in the world!! I think I will stick with wine and apps at this restaurant in the future. NAME: jm SUBMITTED: 12/6/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 12/07 FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times MY REVIEW: Went to this incredible place last night and experinced their whole new menu. The bartender informed about the new Chef heading the kitchen there. This guys got it going on! Gone are all the fried platters and in are great dishes like Brown Bag Fish (bass cooked in a parchment paper bag with spices and shrimp) The atmosphere is great with all the "pretty" people from washington corridor enjoying great wines and listening to rock and roll and old country. I will be back again and again to this place. It is a little hard to park but they have valet service and plenty of space to park on the back along the road. NAME: Foodie Wino SUBMITTED: 11/1/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: sept/2007 FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times MY REVIEW: I always order the same thing at Max's but tried the Kobe Beef Burger and fries for the first time and thought it was truly outstanding...and I'm not easy to please. I love the decor/lighting but most of all, love the extensive wine list. Always a great place to go when you want some comfort food!!! NAME: Lori B SUBMITTED: 10/20/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: October, 2007 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times MY REVIEW: This place is not the same with Chef JJ gone, and by the way, where did he go? The food is not up to the standard as when he was there, on our recent visit,chicken soup did not taste of anything vaguely resembling chicken,only of lime and jalapeno, the salad was drenched in dressing (very acidic) and wilted, the meat balls were just a homogenous ball tasting of your average ground beef with no seasonings, let alone the special meats listed on the menu. Also, it seems the kitchen and waitstaff have also left with JJ, not only has the place lost it's great food, but the character of the place has totally changed as well. Like I said, Where has JJ gone, the flavor has left the restaurant. NAME: IMNETR SUBMITTED: 10/18/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 10/2007 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times MY REVIEW: I love this place, a close friend of mine took me there for my Birthday. Had the fried chicken which is out of this world. The bread pudding was awesome as well. This is a fun, interesting, and laid back place to have dinner albeit a bit pricey. NAME: MPK SUBMITTED: 10/14/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 09-05-2007 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: Oh where oh where has JJ gone.... the taste has left the house. I'm going to miss the place. NAME: IMNETR SUBMITTED: 10/13/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 10/07 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times MY REVIEW: What a welcome addition to the Houston Brunch scene! Max's now does brunch on Sunday, in addition to their great evening meals. Chef JJ knows what he's doing, with attention to details and it's all about flavor. Light buttermilk pancakes with a hint of vanilla, just the right texture to soak up the syrup; an updated version of SOS (or chipped beef on toast) done with buffalo and topped with duck eggs, omelets with a variety of wonderful fillings...can't wait to go back to try more of the menu! Great friendly service. If it's boring, stodgy, food that you want DON'T go to Max's; If it's innovative, TASTY, well prepared food, served by a great, friendly staff, head to Max's(they know how to properly cook a SOFT poached egg, though it sounds simple, I keep getting served HARD boiled when I've ordered soft poached at various other places) It's all about great flavor here. NAME: IMNETR SUBMITTED: 9/17/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 09/07 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times MY REVIEW: I dined at Max's last week with a party of four. We had a reservation and were seated immediately. The service was prompt and constant throughout the evening. The ambiance was great, very high energy with an attractive crowd. We ordered scallops-best I've had in Houston, maybe anywhere. The alligator bites were great, if perhaps overly spicy. The ostrich satays were tender, with a unique flavor. The stars of the show were the fried chicken, which was perfectly cooked and seasoned, the steak sandwich--tried and loved by all at the table, and the chicken fried steak--which was tender and juicy. I feel like the wine selection is exeptional, and we enjoyed several recommendations ($25-$50 range) that were great values. We also noted that their high end wines were cheaper than anywhere we've ever seen (case in point, who else sells Silver Oak Napa for under 100 bucks?) We continue to thoroughly enjoy this place. NAME: jerry b SUBMITTED: 9/13/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 9/2007 FREQUENCY: Everybody here knows my name... MY REVIEW: A very chilly greeting was followed by the news that we could not have a booth table because they were saved for parties of 4 or more. Immediately after we were seated at a small round table with barstools, the booths were populated by first a party of two, then a party of three, then another party of two. Both the hamburger and the fried chicken we ordered were unremarkable. A place that represents itself as a wine dive might benefit from offering their diners another glass instead of just walking by their empty glasses numerous times. Great location, cool look, too bad about the cuisine and service. NAME: DJSC SUBMITTED: 9/5/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: august 2007 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: It's definitely a "hot spot", a crowd that likes to be seen....however I was not pleased with this experience. The service was rude....All tables are "reserved", and they would not allow us to sit until our entire party arrived. We honestly stood for 30 minutes or so outside, and no drinks or menus were offered. Once we finally received a table, we were told to note that our table was only good until 10pm, at which time they needed it again. (Excuse me? You want to kick out paying customers?...This will not go over well with most.) I've never heard of such. We did not experience dinner; only wine and appetizers. We shared two cheese platters, the oyster nachos, the scallops, and the alligator. Alligator was delicious, oysters were great, but their chips were greasy and unappealing, cheese platters were average, but expensive. Scallops were great, but came out with two on a massive plate (insultingly small portion). For about 2 glasses of wine and small tastes of each plate, get ready to pay $50/person. They kicked in the 20% gratuity for our party of 7, when the menu says they do not require that until parties reach 8. I will not return. There are too many other establishments in Houston with much better food, and phenomenally better service. NAME: watson SUBMITTED: 7/6/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: July/2007 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: Overall I enjoy Max's for the food. But I am finding that over time the customer service is getting worse. I realize it is a small restaurant and they need to make their money so I will cut them some slack. However, there is no excuse for rudeness. On one occasion, a friend and I were enjoying dinner and wine while all of a sudden the hostess slammed a 'reserved' sign on our table, with no explanation. We asked the manager and he said there was no time limit on the seating. On the most recent occasion, we had reserved a table for 6 people to celebrate a bachelorette party. (BTW, when I made the reservation they said that we needed to be out by 10:00 as they needed to reserve the table for other parties.) Unfortunately 2 of our guests cancelled at the last minute so Max's would not honor our reservation since there were only 4 of us. While one of the managers was explaining that they have to save their tables for parties of 6 or more, the other manager was busy seating a table of 5 right behind him!! It worked out though since we are people that have fun anywhere. We were able to grab 4 seats at the bar. And the tables they were holding were empty for quite awhile until they started opening the seating to groups of 4. I think that if they continue this behavior, they will be losing alot of customers. Houstonians are a picky crowd. The food may be excellent (thanks to their wonderful chef!) but I really hope they improve their customer service. NAME: MJM SUBMITTED: 5/14/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: May/2007 FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times MY REVIEW: I just have to say, you need to check this place out. So many restaurants make the mistake of over cooking their mussels, making them hard and chewy. The mussels that I had here are the best!!!!!! They were very succulent with a wonderful taste and perfect amount jalopenos that gave it just enough heat. I will definitely go back for seconds. What a great place to have in an area where more restaurants are needed..Job well done!!!! NAME: Marcela Donnelly SUBMITTED: 3/23/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 03/2007 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: I never knew I could walk to heaven as I was on my way to Max's Wine Dive! Let's just say I eat out a lot and belong to a dinner club that has been sampling the great steakhouses in Houston. I've only had the urge to write about two other restaurants (M*ockingbird Bistro & S*pencer's Steakhouse) until now. Chef Jonathan James in an angel in disguise! His menu is so ecclectic, so unique and original. Where can u find mussels, truffles, caviar, fried chicken, hamburgers, and duck paired with the most equisite wines under one roof? Make no mistake the food is THE BEST. The only drawback, the space is too small to accommadate the droves of people that will be showing up. It only holds 75 people. I know where I'll be eating most nigts of the week. Oh, try the Big Ass Brownie. With a name like that who could refuse? NAME: kittythomas3 SUBMITTED: 3/13/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: March 2007 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: I love this place. A nice laid back bar that has a wonderful amount of class. Definitely not a pick up place but a wonderful place to explore wine. Last night I stopped and had a glass of a Pinot Nero and some of their fries. Aside from being dusty because of the seasoning, the fries were not bad at all. The Pinot was not something that I would have bought a bottle of at a retailer, but I may now since I have tasted it. Tonight I had a bad night at work, so a co worker and I stopped there to unwind. I had a French Chardonnay and he started a bottle of Prosecco. We split the cheese plate. The Triple cream cheese was heavenly and the Oregonzola went very well witht the fig preserves. A great place to relax with out all of the hustle and bustle of other bars. Now, since I have only been there just before closing I may be wrong about the ambiance. But it does seem to be a very friendly place to unwind. Now if I could have been introduced to the brunette in the black Mercedes wagon, it would have been perfect. NAME: Etype Lover SUBMITTED: 2/25/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 2/07 FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times MY REVIEW: Chef Jonathan has a vision and the presentation of his vision is spot on (french fries served in a paper cone, hot dog with venison chili, Kraftsman Bakery hot dog bun on a bed of fries). But his vision is not my vision as the food flavor does not live up to the idea. Stick with the fried chicken, I suggest, as it was moist and the skin was light and crispy. The fries were a mess and I had to ask him why he didn't peel them. He advised me that he likes them that way. Well, I don't. I want my potatoes peeled so that all of the starches can caramelize in the hot oil and none of the bitter outer skin gets into my mouth. The venison chili was flavorless at best, like it had been sitting a long long long time. Chili has a few flavor components that go away in time (cumin, the oils in the ancho chile that is the base of a good chili powder) and I was also surprised that there wasn't a sweetness from onions in the chili. But it looked great on the plate. I tasted a bit of the bun, had a few fries, ate the excellent sausage, and a bit of the chili. The couple next to me had the duck confit that is done like a sloppy joe. I got to have a taste and was surprised how sweet the sauce was. Again, I like his idea of a duck sloppy joe but, why bury good duck meat in a syrupy sauce? Oh well. So, I came away thinking I could plagiarize these clever ideas but improve on them. I would peel my potatoes and I would make a batch that was a blend or Idaho russet, some type of red potato and maybe try a Yukon Gold altogether. I would use my favorite ketchup from Leibman's on Memorial, which is a South African ketchup sweetened with cane sugar instead of corn syrup. For the sloppy joe, I liked the fact that they used Texas toast. But I would prefer to hide some smoky brisket under a slightly less sweet sauce. About the wines. Well, they are out of my budget, so, I had to pass on ordering even a glass. I would recommend beer here as a cost saving opportunity. Jonathan is a great guy, a big bear of a guy, and he certainly knows food and wine. We had a very interesting conversation about this and that. So, definitely give this place a try at least once. And order the chicken, or some other dish that I didn't try. NAME: Jay Francis SUBMITTED: 2/14/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: February 2007 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: We went on a Saturday night with 10 girls (bachlorette party). We were late for our reservations and informed that they gave away our table. They quickly found us another booth that 2 other couples were already sitting at. We all shared and had a GREAT time with them. The music was pumping and we had the best waiter (Jesus). "THANK YOU JESUS!" He made the night a blast. The food was great (meatballs, tuna tartar and french fries), wine spectacular and desert to die for! Jesus helped us with wine suggestions and was right on! I highly recommend this place! Young crowd but fun crowd! Make reservations on the weekend unless you want to mingle in the bar area. One suggestion...get more bathrooms! NAME: CRC SUBMITTED: 2/12/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 02/2007 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: I love this place! Obviously many others do as well. It is crowded, and very lively. If you don't have a reservation, don't expect to get a table (however, I'm told that Sundays are the best bet) the bar is a very cool place to sit and eat if you can get a seat--note to staff, put barstools at your outside bar! The blackened redfish and shrimp with grits rocks, however, they shouldn't put the collard greens on top of the grits (looks good, but just not right) The chilly dog is the perfect late night snack, however, the chili could be spicier for my taste. I've been there 3 times, and the staff has improved each time. It's a very good addition to our neighborhood. NAME: livin'theheights SUBMITTED: 2/9/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 02/07 FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times MY REVIEW: Don't bother visiting if you are a party of four. I called to make reservations, and was told that they only take reservations for parties of 6 or more, but otherwise the tables were first come first serve. Arrived shortly after 6 pm to find that all the tables were reserved for the entire evening, the two small tables at the back of the restaurant appeared to be for parties of four, however they were quickly converted to tables of 6. We were told that we were "first on the list" to be seated. Two and a half hours later we finally wrangled four seats together at the bar. Ordered food. Two of the orders were brought out after about 15 minutes....the remaining two orders were delivered 20 minutes later. Although the staff was friendly, the entire experience was poor at best. Won't be back. NAME: hart SUBMITTED: 2/5/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 1-07 FREQUENCY: Visited once MY REVIEW: Great wine, great food. The menu features quality ingredients and a modern take on comfort food. Service was good. We sat at the bar and ordered food and wine both times. They will open any bottle and sell by the glass as long as you buy two glasses, which is great. It gets crowded and is loud, but other than that a solid new addition. NAME: Representinheightsfolifefoolz SUBMITTED: 2/1/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 1/07 FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times ©Copyright 1991 - 2008 B4-U-EAT.COM. All rights reserved. Design and database by B4-U-BUY