I will first say that I usually don't review anything and get frustrated by the people who dish out bad reviews like it's their job. But I felt the need here.
I have been going to Maxwell's for years. It was always a great place to grab good food and drink (plenty of specials). But lately, especially after the expansion, things have changed.
The staff seems overworked since the place expanded, and so the service has gone down. It will take a while to order and receive your food.
I enjoyed attending the place because it was a nice change of pace in the vast sea of "bro" that overwhelms much of Long Island. But that too is changing.
One of our favorite nights to go would be on Wednesday when the special involves half-price bottles of wine. During the summer however, it becomes "Lifeguard Night" and changes completely. Don't expect to bring a group of friends/family and think that you will actually hear conversation. The music cranks, and people fill every walking area.
They started charging a five dollar cover on this particular night, AND they now take your picture at the door, WHILE HOLDING YOUR I.D.! I have been told that this is illegal!
Needless to say, it was once a great place with a relaxed vibe on the weekdays, but it seems obvious that they have fallen into the trap of the typical Long Island bar. Once the clock hits a certain hour, they don't care about you wanting to enjoy time with your friends or family at a table. They want to cater to the party at the bar.
And that's fine if it is what you are looking for. But that's not why I started going there, and I won't be going back.
Since the expansion, Maxwells has become one of my favorite places for a weekend hangout. The new room makes it a lot more spacious and open. Lifeguard night in the summer is always fun. Make sure to check out their lunch specials as well. With not your run-of-the-mill bar food, it's a nice way to spend an afternoon.
Review Source:I frequent Maxwell's a lot with my wife and kids....for the most part since the expansion we have been seated on the quieter side....the noise really never bothered me before maybe because I'm with two little ones.
The food is decent--to me Maxwell's is what it is--I'm not expecting a 4 star meal when I go in...but a friendly place where my family is treated well.
Great place to watch football during the season as well.
Sometimes when you lose two kickball games in a row you need a beer to calm down. When you lose to a team with players nicknames "Unibomber" "Tiny" and "Butch", you need a few pitchers. Enter Maxwell's. As part of the Lessing's crew, they rock a taps and apps special every Tuesday featuring $3 pints, $12 pitchers and $5 apps. Team Yelp kickball squad came here after our most recent defeat and ordered 3 pitchers along with half the menu. Note on the pitchers, they have Local Ale and Local Blonde on tap and they're made by Blue Point specifically for Lessing's restaurants. They are delish, so don't immediately grab a blue moon or whatever else is on the taps menu before you try one of these.
On to the meal! I rocked:
-Chorcos (spicy asian pork, serrano pepper, napa cabbage, citrus chili vinaigrette, crisp wonton shells) from the food truck taco menu $9. They were actually good, although I could've gone with out having a fried wonton shell. Nice flavor on the pork and dressed cabbage on top make it a winning dish. Be warned, since the shell is fried, after one bite this guy crumbles apart.
-Wings $5 - Above average wings, go for the hot. No problem here.
Service was solid. We all had drink refills and when an order came out wrong, another dish was brought out quickly with the mistake corrected.
They recently expanded and now you can hang out around the bar without feeling like you're in a cramped hallway. I can't speak for the crazyness that might go down on a weekend, but for a sulking kickball crew on a Tuesday, Maxwell's did us right.
It's hit or miss. They did add a lot of space which helps. Depending on who is bartending makes a huge difference whether a drink will take a minute to get or at least ten.
I was there on a Wednesday a few months ago. I was one of three people at the bar. The bartender would rather text on her phone then serve a drink or give me a menu
I went here during Yelp's Drink Week. Ugh. Typical Long Island pub I guess- loud, really crowded (not because it's a popular place and everybody who is anybody is there but because the venue is stupidly narrow, so you're really forced to squeeze in), youngish crowd, pop and rock music, annoying cover band. Not going back.
Review Source:I've eaten in and had take out and have always been satisfied with my meal. The portions are good sizes, and the menu is varied. Â I've had burgers, patty melts, various salads and apps. Last time I was there, I had one of their entree specials for the evening - a tasty steak. It is a bar and yes, can get loud, but I Â think that is to be expected in a pub atmosphere. They have a kids menu and crayons, etc for the little ones. A local favorite.
Review Source:Overall the idea of this bar doesn't meet potential at all. I love the look of the bar but the food and lack of space brings this spot down big time.
The feel and look of an Irish pub is the best thing going here. I really haven't had a good meal here its overpriced for the lack of quality this place puts out. The beer prices are a bit overpriced to me. It's  good for going with the guys and watching the Yanks game on a Sunday that's about it. They have a long bar however but walking to the bathroom on a Friday or Saturday night and it turns into a ten minute adventure. There's just not enough room at the bar to make it work the way it should.
My suggestions would be to by the old hooka  bar next door knock the walls down and extend the bar space between the eating area. After that fire the damn cooks and find someone who can make a decent penne alla vodka. Their idea of alla vodka sauce is something I would find in an Arizona Italian restaurant. Now that I think of it I don't know why I'm being so nice to give this two stars I must really like the feel of this bar.
I came here on the Yankees Home openers. Joe the bartender was awesome.
The beers are nice and cold. Plenty of TV to watch the game at the bar or any seat. We only ordered some nachos and wings. Nachos were ok not great, the wings are also just wings.
I enjoyed the place, the food is not to desirable if the nachos are anything like the food they serve. I will come back and try the food.
Okay type of place.
I'm in the boat with the other reviewers who complained about the noise - it was so loud I couldn't hear myself think let alone chat with my hubby at the dinner table. Â
And the food? Ugh. I simply cannot believe this is a Lessing's establishment. Â What is going on? Â We won't be returning to this one...
I happen to really enjoy this place and I'm surprised the reviews weren't so great. Â It's run by the same owners of The Library in Farmingdale and The Post Office in Babylon. Â The menu is the same in all three places, so expect consistency.
The setting is perfect for young professionals. Â It's clean, friendly, and everyone is looking to have a good time without going over the top. Â They have live music on weekends. Â It is a little small, but it creates intimacy. Â The have a huge bar, seasonal beer selections (including their own brew), and a large wine and martini list. Â They feature nightly drink and dinner specials. Â
Order the thai calamari or the buffalo empanadas to start. Â My boyfriend loves their pulled pork sandwich. Â I almost always opt for the blackened crabcake sandwich.
Make sure to also check out the other Lessing's restaurants.
I will admiy I enjoyed a quickie here. I popped in on a thursday evening at like 7, had two seared tuna apps and two pints of Guiness...i know wierd combo. The tuna was fine, nothing special and the Guiness was fresh...+1 star I suppose. There was a decent mixed crowd...singles, couples, guys and gals...mostly my age...~30 . Id go back.
Review Source:Went there for lunch on a Friday and had the roast beef on a garlic hero with mozzarella. Â It was good food at a fair price. Â I agree with other posters that time in between ordering and actually getting something should be cut in half. Â
Also, if you like sweet potato fries, they have some good ones.
I don't know what was up with this place today, but if it's run like this on a constant basis, forget it.
My wife and I stopped in for lunch, and waited to be seated for well over 5 minutes (there was no line mind you, Â just no one standing in the host's area.) Â And to my dismay, that turned out to be the LEAST time consuming problem of the meal.
We were ushered to our table, Â and then we waited.... and waited... and waited. Â Eventually 15 minutes passed and a waitress finally came to take our drink order. Â Â And then we waited some more... about 10 minutes later our drinks (a soda and a beer, nothing complicated) arrived. Â At that point we waited about 15-20 MORE minutes before the waitress decided to grace us with her presence again to take our food order. Â We promptly ordered our food, since we obviously had more than enough time to peruse the menu.
The menu here is similar to the Library Cafe, which I wrote about ( and enjoyed quite a bit) recently. Â So if you're familiar with their selection, that's what you can expect here.
Unfortunately the service here leaves a LOT to be desired. Â The kitchen seemed to be having a serious issue in keeping up with the orders, even though the majority of orders seemed to be not much more complicated than buffalo wings and burgers. Â
We waited for an additional 39 minutes (i timed it with my iPhone) before our food arrived. Â Which, if it had been incredible, Â I might have looked past.
Unfortunately my wife's food was oddly seasoned, and had a very strange flavor to it, Â and my philly cheesesteak was unremarkable at best.
Will I come back? Â Maybe for drinks and wings, Â the atmosphere at the bar seemed pretty good. Â But that's about it.
Beer specials are quite good, as are wing specials. Â And I'll admit the wings smelled amazing.
We shall see, Â maybe it was just a bad day.
I'd like to give this another star or two, but the atmosphere is absolutely horrible. Sure, the decor is attractive, but I'd really like to hear my table's conversation and get my drink within 10 minutes of ordering it.
The food is quite tasty, the portions generous, and overall, well-priced. I'd like to eat here more often, but it's hard to predict when the bar crowd or television noise is not going to overtake your meal.
I'll give it a four, an extra star because it's close to my house.
Maxwell's and I have a happy relationship for many reasons. Â I like the martini menu, I like the unusually seasoned onion soup, and Wednesday Wine night--half-priced bottles of wine, not too shabby.
Also: the wings are pretty excellent. Â The service is spotty, although the waitresses are extremely pleasant and attentive when they, y'know, make it back to the table with my unsweetened iced tea in under fifteen minutes. Â I suspect they are overworked.
Say what you want about the homogeneity of the Lessing's establishments--this is a good one, and it's pleasant for an early dinner, or a raucous time later at the bar, watching a playoff game.
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