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Max Downtown - Hartford, Hartford, CT

Max Downtown - Hartford

4.8
4.8
164 Reviews
$50 and over
American

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 40 times today
Experiences are available.
  • Good for special occasions
  • Good for business meals
  • Great for happy hour
Located right in downtown Hartford since 1996, Max Downtown continues to add to all that the city has to offer with its legendary service, food and drink selection. Max Downtown has won a number of awards including Connecticut Magazine's Best for Overall Excellence, Hartford Magazine's Best Power Lunch Spot, Best for Business Entertaining and Best Wine List; has been featured in the Hartford Courant's Great Steaks: The State's Sizzling Best and was rated "Don't Miss" by the New York Times.

With a significant list of vintage and non-vintage wines stored in-house, Max Downtown is excited to additionally offer its stunning wine mezzanine as a focal point. Our selection is bound to have the perfect accompaniment for your occasion whether it’s by the glass or by the bottle.

If spirits are more your style, Max Downtown's whiskey bar features a broad selection of international bourbons, ryes, scotches and whiskeys crafted across the globe, from Kentucky to Japan.

Order delivery or takeout

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Fine Dining
  • Price
    $50 and over
  • Cuisines
    American, Steakhouse
  • Hours of operation
    Mon–Thu 11:30 am–9:00 pm Fri 11:30 am–10:00 pm Sat 4:00 pm–10:00 pm
  • Phone number
    (860) 522-2530
  • Dress code
    Business Casual
  • Neighborhood
    Hartford
  • Cross street
    Between Trumbull and Haynes St
  • Parking details
    Valet
  • Public transit
    Asylum St.
  • Additional
    Gender Neutral Restroom, Non-Smoking, Private Room, Takeout, Wheelchair Access

Experiences

  • New Year's Eve Prix Fixe Menu

    $125.00 per person

    Dec 31, 2024 only
    Come Celebrate New Year's Eve with Max Downtown. Ring in the New Year with our singular offering of specially designed 3 course menu from our Executive Chef Chris Sheehan. Each guest will get a choice of an appetizer, entrée, and dessert for $125. Selections will be based off of our dinner menu with a few New Year's addition's to bring the Max Downtown experience into the new year!

What 164 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.8
4.8 based on recent ratings
  • 4.8Food
  • 4.7Service
  • 4.7Ambience
  • 4.4Value

NoiseModerate

Loved For

  • Connecticut

    American

  • Hartford

    Best Overall

  • Hartford

    Best Food

  • Hartford

    Best Ambiance

  • Hartford

    Great for fine wines

  • Hartford

    Lively

  • Hartford

    American

  • Hartford

    Most Booked

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Max Downtown in Hartford is a "favorite restaurant" known for its outstanding food and service. Guests rave about the "amazing Tomahawk Friday special" and consistently "exceptional dining experiences." The atmosphere is perfect for both casual and business occasions. Attentive staff and "fantastic cocktails" enhance every visit.

165 Reviews
  1. Janice

    Vancouver

    22 reviews

    3.0

    22 reviews

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 2
    Max Downtown is usually so great. But tonight the restaurant was between 60 and 65 degrees. The staff explained that the building managers did not turn on the heat. But to me, it represented very poor customer service. I thought they should have given us a discount. No such luck. Service was not particularly fast or accommodating and one plate had to be sent back because it was cold. Not that fun to be charged 40 to 60 per plate to eat with our coats on.

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  2. Mario

    New York City

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    I’ve been a Max’s customer for years. Never disappoints

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  3. Matthew

    New York City

    4 reviews

    5.0

    4 reviews

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great food and wine. Staff is great would definitely go again.

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  4. John

    New York City

    65 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    65 reviews

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    The food and service were excellent. The only problem was, I had to ask the server their name. I like to address the server by name instead of saying hey, or waving to them.

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  5. Carrie

    Greater Boston

    11 reviews

    vip
    4.0

    11 reviews

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Had dinner for a holiday celebration at Max's. They gave us a great table by the window. Service from Ian was great and the food was also good! Definitely be back for another gathering.

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  6. Salvatore

    Connecticut

    17 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    17 reviews

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great place for fine dining in downtown Hartford.

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  7. Colleen

    Chicago

    12 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    12 reviews

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    It is an annual tradition that never disappoints. Thank you

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  8. Tammy

    New York City

    20 reviews

    vip
    1.0

    20 reviews

    Dined on December 8, 2024

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 3
    This was the WORST experience I have ever had at a Max restaurant! 30 minutes from ordering drinks to receiving them - 2 requests for when we would receive them later! 2.5 hours from sitting down to end of meal - unacceptable delays and waits. All entrees came out cold and one dish looked like it had been dropped and put back together, another Prime rib was tasteless, a third - sliced filet Oscar was over done. 7 people for dinner with a bill over $800 - with drinks comped for a horrible experience and complaining became tireless and frustrating. A family gathering meal turned into a disaster and took away from the celebratory experience we were anticipating. I am a Max rewards member and eat at theirs restaurants frequently. Ugh - after spending that kind of money it is really unacceptable. There was no acknowledgement from management at the end of the meal on what went wrong or what they would change to make sure this issue was rectified.

    2 people found this helpful

  9. Michael

    Greater Boston

    2 reviews

    1.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on December 7, 2024

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 1
    Made reservations a week in advance for 6:30 on Saturday. Showed up and was told by the host they were behind schedule. Waited 25 minutes along with what seemed to be 7-8 other groups waiting to be seated. Only one couple was seated during this time frame. Restaurant either overbooked or sat too many without reservations. We left after 25 minutes, I spoke with the host to make sure they knew we were leaving. About two hours later I get a notice on Open table that this place reported me as a no-show. Clearly front end of the house needs some work.

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  10. Doug

    New York City

    47 reviews

    vip
    4.0

    47 reviews

    Dined on December 7, 2024

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 5
    Our dinner at Max Downtown was mostly positive. The food was excellent, particularly the Swordfish and Shrimp entrees and the salads we had. Our server Jason and the support staff were very attentive and friendly. We were there to celebrate my wife's birthday and they brought out a candle with dessert with a happy birthday message as well as getting her a card, both of which were greatly appreciated. There is one area for improvement and the reason I rated the service as I did. We arrived about 10 minutes early for our reservation and were told we were early and our table was not quite ready yet. From that point we had to wait 30 minutes (or 20 minutes past our reservation time) to be seated. While the restaurant was very crowded (our server told us later that it was driven by 3 events downtown that evening), the front desk staff didn't let us know they were running behind, nor recommend we have drink at the bar given that. We have been to Max Downtown many times over the years, and had never experienced this before.

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FAQs

Max Downtown - Hartford offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (860) 522-2530.

Max Downtown - Hartford is rated 4.8 stars by 164 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 40 times today
Experiences are available.

Order delivery or takeout

Google Map for Max Downtown - Hartford

185 Asylum St, Hartford, CT 06103-3408

Additional information

  • Cross street
    Between Trumbull and Haynes St
  • Neighborhood
    Hartford
  • Hours of operation
    Mon–Thu 11:30 am–9:00 pm Fri 11:30 am–10:00 pm Sat 4:00 pm–10:00 pm
  • Price
    $50 and over
  • Cuisines
    American, Steakhouse
  • Dining style
    Fine Dining
  • Dress code
    Business Casual
  • Parking details
    Valet
  • Public transit
    Asylum St.
  • Additional
    Gender Neutral Restroom, Non-Smoking, Private Room, Takeout, Wheelchair Access
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  • Terms of Use
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  • Cookie Preferences
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