Max's Seafood Cafe

"My first visit in several years, Max's still has an abundance of warm, charming atmosphere and the staff as friendly as ever. The menu was more limited than before the pandemic, but what they do have is as fresh and well-prepared as ever. We started out sharing the clams casino appetizer, which was excellent. I had the mixed sea food grill and my girlfriend had the clams and linguine, both were impeccable! Our server was friendly and attentive and took excellent care of us. We'll certainly be back, especially when the weather turns cool and we can enjoy the gumbo and jambalaya!"

"Spicy. Red. Mussels. Goodness in a setting that has stayed authentic for over a hundred years. I really hesitated before posting this, because some local treasures deserve to be protected, and not get all kinds of traffic from all over the country; but this bar and restaurant has so many stories from so many generations, evident in the decor, the service, the live music, the neighbors meeting for a drink, and most of all, the incredible spicy red mussels."

"To start off the new year, I would like to share with you a café I’ve heard so much about lately, but have not had a chance to visit until now. Max's Seafood Cafe in Gloucester City, New Jersey. If it wasn’t for our anniversary dinner plans being foiled in Collingswood, we might still have not tried out this local spot. It’s been on my radar, but for one reason or another, we haven’t had the chance to give it a try. Upon driving up to it’s location, we loved it instantly. We are Philly people, my husband (Will Sachs) and I, so street parking rarely bothers us. We did find out from our server later on that they have a parking lot nearby. We did make a reservation just in case because we had issues in Collingswood just before. It appeared we didn’t need them, but they were busy. So it’s definitely a good idea to reserve a table if you are planning to eat there and not at the bar. Max’s dates back to 1890. The wood trim and historic details throughout are a sight to be seen. The lighting and seating is comfortable and inviting for an intimate night out. Food - there were SO many choices, we decided to go with four appetizers: Max’s Famous Mussels in white garlic sauce, their famous Avocado Crab Fritter, Crispy Calamari, and Crab Dip. ALL were delicious! And I don’t want to forget to mention the addictive garlic butter that comes with the complementary warm bread. Yum!! We left enough room for dessert. And I am so happy that we did! We had the chocolate mousse and the cannolis. These are the best cannolis I have had in years! And I’m a bit critical. Will devoured the chocolate mousse. Definitely getting these next time. Each patron we met was absolutely wonderful and confident that we would enjoy your dinner. We gave a thumbs up to one of them as we left! If you haven’t been to Max’s Seafood Café, run to try it out, don’t walk! And you don’t have to like seafood. They had plenty of items on the menu to make any taste bud water. If you follow me on social media, don’t be surprised if you see us tag them a few times more in the future. I feel like we are going to become regulars!"