I wasn't excited about Max's when I first walked in. There were no servers in evidence and I wandered through the entire restaurant looking for an employee to seat me before finally asking the bartender to help. After that, though, things definitely improved. I loved the slightly shabby, old-world vibe. The old photos on the wall were interesting, and the menu slash old newspaper was a pretty cute presentation.
We got appetizers for dinner, and my favorite by miles was the potato pocket with grilled onions on top. (Basically a pierogi.) So good. So, so good. I actually wasn't as excited about the potato pancakes as I expected - maybe because I was expecting more of a latke style flavor profile? Not sure. We also got the stuffed pretzels - total heart attack on a plate - in a good way! I loved that everything we got came with dipping sauces. So fun.
Overall a positive experience. I'd go back.