Max’s Brasserie in Southampton

Can’t recommend Max’s enough! We ate here before a show at the mayflower and it was perfect. Food was amazing and the service was impeccable! Thanks so much, we’ll be back!

What a find! Max restaurant. We attended for a pre opera performance. The food was genuine Sicilian. Authentically presented. We all commented about the quality of the food and my Lasagne was to die for. There was an excellent wine list. The service was tops. Next time we visit the Mermaid theatre Max is where we go to eat. Thankyou for the memory.

Cosy, great staff, amazing food.

We ate here yesterday and had a wonderful dining experience. We had the 3 course pre theatre set menu. Excellent value, delicious food and friendly and efficient service. Would highly recommend this restaurant. Thank you

The town was very busy, everywhere was booked up, but I managed to get a table here (and there were several available), whilst concerned I needed to eat. Fussy as I am, nowhere serves a good stake, I ordered stake and wine… it’s certainly not cheap (and is probably why it wasn’t as busy) however, my fears were put to rest as one of the nicest stakes was served - all it needed was some tender stem broccoli or French beans, but that didn’t matter. The stake and mushrooms were lovely as was the wine. Hesitantly I ordered espresso, but again one of the best restaurant served espresso’s I’d ever had turned up. Thank god Premier Inn were that busy I’d have had to have waited another hour. Thank you fate for getting me to try out MB’s. Not the greatest environment in the back, certainly not reasonably priced, but certainly hit the VFM spot - sometimes you get what you pay for. Thank you

I visited this restaurant with friends this weekend as we were going to see a show at the Mayflower, so Max’s was a perfect location. We were given a table on arrival and left for quite a while to order due to the waiter not being present in the main restaurant. We eventually placed our orders with a friendly waitress who was very welcoming. When my food arrived at the table my food was luke warm, so I asked them to return it to the kitchen for a hot serving. When our desserts arrived the waiter made a very sarcastic breezing comment “ can you check your ice cream is cold enough”!, not professional on any level towards paying customers, hence a tip was not given which was a shame as the waitress deserved to receive one!.

We joined friends for a pre theatre meal late afternoon on Sunday. The restaurant is small, cosy and remarkably friendly. We ordered from the pre theatre menu and had a really nice meal with our friends who we hadn’t seen for some time. We were able to chat and catch up with not being hurried and being looked after so nicely. If we revisit the Mayflower again we will be sure to book Max’s

Fantastic place, friendly and fabulous staff, eating here is like truly feeling like you're in Italy, I highly recommend it if you're here in Southampton.

We had a trip to the theatre and popped in for food. Waitress was lovely. Waiter very loud and a bit rushy. We had pizza and it was very tasteless. We had 2 different ones and both not good. Chilli oil never had a kick and. Was just like normal oil but not nice.

We had a lovely visit to this restaurant on a recent trip to Southampton with our Daughter and her boyfriend. The youngsters opted for the authentic pizza which was not only mouth wateringly delicious but also had the added bonus of us taking a look at them being made through the hatch. Highly recommended dish. Everything from the ambience, food, service and right through to the excellent choices of wine, were spot on for us. We would highly recommend Max's if you're in Southampton, the authentic pizza and the delicious Pinot Blush. We will definitely be back.

Found Max's on Google, so pleased we visited. Food was outstanding, the service was amazing and such a great atmosphere. We will definitely be making a return visit!

Amazing!! Warm friendly welcome, even though were running late. Fantastic food.

Fantastic!! Food was excellent, staff were lovely, quick service. Grazie Max e staff. eccellente!!! Arrivederci.

Really delicious pizza and pasta. Authentic Italian ingredients and warm and welcoming service. Came back twice, cos it was so good.

Amazing place good customer service

We went in whilst staying in Southampton for the night with my wife and grandparent's. The staff were amazing, very kinda, friendly and professional. The food was amazing and some of the best Italian food we have had and everyone had a great time. If we come to Southampton again we will be paying another visit.

Great food and service. We visited on a quiet midweek night so hard to give 5 stars for atmosphere, but the proprietor was very friendly and attentive.

Bar staff tonight were absolutely fantastic and very welcoming and dog friendly. The waitress with the glasses was amazing. It's got to be five stars five stars five stars

Had an excellent meal on Saturday night before going to the theatre. Will definatly use again.

Excellent pre theatre dinner before an easy stroll to the Mayflower Theatre. The restaurant has a very good set pre theatre menu as well as an extensive a la carte choice and a very good wine list.Would recommend but you must book on Theatre nights to avoid disappointment.

Wonderful experience 😁 would definitely go back if that way again

Excellent service and delicious food. Best i have had in years!!!

Great food ...Nice wine and waitresses were spot on .. Next to the mayflower for a pre theatre dinner

Came for a pre theatre meal with my parents and ate off that menu. Food was fresh and tasty and service was very friendly. Lovely table by the window too. Will be back!

My friend and I both agreed this was some of the best food we’ve ever had, the crab tortolini was absolutely delicious and the creme brûlée was huge as well as light and delicious. We’d just come from the theatre but despite being so busy the staff were absolutely amazing, so friendly and welcoming we are so glad we came across this place and will definitely be back next time we are in southampton.

Had a great time at this Italian restaurant. The dessert was delicious, and the service was excellent. The seafood was very fresh and tasty. Highly recommend their tiramisu, crème brulée and seafood pasta!

Booked for pre theatre meal and was not disappointed. Great starters followed by superb mains and finished with waist expanding deserts. Fantastic food with exemplary service. Will definitely be back.

A warm welcome and great menu. Not the cheapest but great quality. One of our party wasn't happy with her Merlot and received a discount without discussion. All in all a lovely restaurant and so convenient for the Mayflower. Suggestion - maybe a discount on the bill if can show tickets to the performance.

Great Italian food. Great service The staff made the dining experience very enjoyable. Worth a visit for dinner

Excellent meal prior to seeing wicked, great service and food will definitely be back again. Theatre menu very good and quick service

An excellent restaurant, fantastic service, very good food reasonable portions and very well located. Would visit again!

This was our first visit, the staff were very welcoming, attentive & friendly and the food was delicious. Will definitely be back 😊

Extremely warm welcome and fabulous food

Food was amazing. Hot and very tasty. We had an adult and child's meal before heading to the theatre. Service was super friendly and quick. Only negative is it was a little expensive for an adult and 1 child. Service charge added.

Absolutely brilliant. Tucked in a row of unassuming shops this place is as authentic as it can get. Fantastic pasta choices and drinks list to pair with. Spoilt for choice as everything on the menu looked great! Do keep a lookout for their specials which have some very unique but well paired dishes! Had the lobster ravioli with shrimps added at an extra £4.50, but was well worth it. Ravioli was full of flavour and the cream sauce wrapped it all up nicely. Shrimp was well done and had great texture!

On a trip down from Hull to see family and see a show. Decided to have a meal out before seeing Wicked and Max’s looked perfect. How right we were, we couldn’t have had a better experience, service, food and very very friendly. We ate in the front part of the Brasserie, there is also a rear room but can’t comment on that. The atmosphere was great, stylish decor and perfect seating arrangements. My wife is celiac and has to be completely gluten free, not a problem at Max’s, they cater perfectly for this with gluten free bread, pasta and meal choice. Me and my daughter had a sharing starter of mozzarella, Parma ham and bread, my wife had Capescante - scallops, all tasty and high quality. My daughter and wife both had 8oz fillet steak, cooked how they wanted them to perfection. My choice was monkfish and I don’t remember ever having better, perfectly cooked. My daughter, who’s 10, loved everything. Don’t be afraid to ask for a recommended wine for your choice of dish, we did and were absolutely delighted with the outcome. All I can’t say is don’t hesitate to book, you will not be disappointed!

The food is very good and well presented. It’s definitely quality over quantity but a bit on the pricy side! I was surprised to find only 1 profiterole with half a scoop of ice cream on my plate for dessert, also the lasagne was delicious but came on its own, no side salad etc, but I guess that’s how the Italians serve it! This is a special occasion restaurant rather than a frequent visit place. My wife and I loved the food and the service and would book again in the future. It’s definitely worth a visit.

Pre theatre meal with family and friends. It was quiet when we visited however there was still a lovely atmosphere. Gorgeous food with attentive staff. We all loved our meal and we'll come back next time we are visiting Southampton.

2nd time in 2 months and the standard or food and service is exactly the same on both occasions....Fabulous!

Amazing time, amazing food, amazing place

Amazing good service outstanding thank you

Pre theatre dinner. Staff were charming and the food is excellent. Menu very traditional Italien - no quirks - but all very enjoyable.

Lovely service and very obliging. Food fresh and tasty.

Superb meal and excellent service.

Really friendly great service, food always superb

Always very welcoming and food delicious.

After an amazing visit last Sunday we visited again for my sons birthday treat, it was disappointing, we were seated in the back room, mostly there on our own, until a few more diners arrived, it was cold and I kept my coat on, along with our meals we ordered a side of olives £4.20 there were only 8 green olives!

As usual lovely food but the service was not it usual quality on Friday night. They were busy but we seemed to be forgotten both when taking the order and then getting our food.

Came here last night...my friend said it was the best risotto she'd ever eaten...I had King Prawn linguine...absolutely lovely. X

Excellent restaurant. Very fine dining. Great atmosphere. The host is a top gentleman also. Will certainly be back. Excellent cigar selection. Finally it was fantastic for gluten free and dairy free - that is quite something these days.

Absolutely excellent service, food, and a lovely time! Would go again and recommend to friends.

From the moment we entered we were made to feel welcome . Their Service was simply superb and the food (home cooked Italian) and wine were excellent as was their own Balsamic G & T , try it ! Zuchinni pasta simple ingredients but expertly cooked Mmmm 😋!

Ate here before going to the Theatre and had a lovely meal with excellent food. Service was good even though it was very busy with extremely friendly staff and had a lovely atmosphere too.

A fantastic restaurant - quality food, quality service and a relaxed, enjoyable atmosphere - highly recommended!

We enjoyed are meals, staff were very friendly and efficient . We had salmon pasta and prawn and lobster pasta, both nice but for £25.50 my prawn and lobster was a small portion with not a lot of filling (would give 3☆), luckily I don't have a big appetite. You only get 1.15 time slot, so would of been very rushed to have 3 course's. We eat out quite a bit, in all sorts of restaurants, so thought for just over £83 for 2 pasta dishes and a bottle of your cheaper priced wine was quite expensive.

Very nice - but pricey for what it was. Would seriously consider whether we make a repeat visit.

Best cooked pasta in town. Not overcooked as most places do. Excellent rib-eye steak

Great place for a meal before the theatre. The food is very good, and their balsamic gin and tonic is worth trying.

Great food, great vibes perfect

Came here for a pre-theatre dinner last Friday. Lovely atmosphere, delicious food (our ribeye steaks were cooked to perfection) and the service, especially from Nives, was brilliant. Nives is a credit to this restaurant, she was attentive and made us laugh! Very relaxed atmosphere and would definitely eat here again if back in Southampton.

I highly recommend Max's and we had a wonderful evening. The atmosphere was bubbly the wine selection excellent and the food fabulous. If I had one point to highlight its the fact the scallops in the starter were sliced. This is either to make the portion size look bigger or for some other unknown reason. That aside as I say the food was fabulous. The staff were attentive without being in your face and fussy. We will certainly be back

Been here several times, always great food. Service very good and Max very friendly and attentive. Thoroughly recommended.

Returned once again and had another fabulous meal, food excellent with superb choice of wine. Great atmosphere and hospitality as usual, we'll be back soon for sure.

Lovely pre-theatre meal. Only negative was that the smoked salmon salad was a lot more rocket and less smoked salmon than would be expected. Left the diner a little underwhelmed sadly.

Great place lovely staff would use again for the theatre. Only comment being my confirmation email stated the price of the menu being £26.90 and we were charged £28.90 I feel this should have been honoured

An amazing find close to the Mayflower. And when they didn’t have any non dairy for a coffee they went out and bought some! Highly recommend. Great pre theatre set menu but sadly they forgot to charge me the set price so it was a lot more expensive than it should have been but we were in a hurry and I didn’t notice until I got home so ended up paying over £40 more than I should have.

A fantastic dining experience with great food and some of the best service i've experienced anywhere. The food was excellent i would definately recommend you visit, but make sure you book in advance as it fills up quickly.

Excellent food, great service, good value Best Italian in Southampton

Very friendly staff, great food nicely presented. Had a meal before the theatre. Very relaxed and ideal start to the evening.

Loved our meal here tonight, staff were friendly and accommodating too. Many thanks, we will be back for sure =)

Lovely food - and given the reaction of other customers, that seemed to be their view too. Friendly, attentive service. Also, conveniently located for theatre and Guildhall.

Enjoyed our first visit here. Food and service were excellent.

Again, my wife and I enjoyed a delicious dinner, this time comprising a monkfish special with mixed veg. and a creamy chilli sauce. Max himself advised which wine we might enjoy, and he was spot on We'll be back. Highly recommended.

Amazing food and wonderful service

First visit, but will definitely be back. Food was delicious and we were served in plenty of time for the theatre. Still thinking about my Pollo Vesuvio (forgive spelling)!

Excellent pre/theatre meal.Prompt friendly service. Great atmosphere &welcome. Will be back.

Excellent service, We went for the two course Theatre menu, starter and a main piping hot and served at just the right times. Only downside that we were seated very close to the entrance to the toilets where there wasn't a lot of room for people to get through, But all in all a lovely place to eat.

Max and the team created a lovely friendly atmosphere! The food and wine were amazing as always !The veal dish and mushroom risotto with truffle oil were particularly delicious! You always give attention to detail and all the staff are friendly and attentive ! I’m so pleased you moved Max as the venue is now more spacious and yet still cosy, close to the theatre and closer to me! 😘 My friend, who hadn’t been before was also impressed and it was good value for money she said! Can’t wait for the summer as the BBQ area looks fab

Well I did not like my pasta it had no salt pepper or any taste But the staff were all friendly and amazing

Lovely restaurant, great food, lovely people - we will definitely go back.

Honestly? Just slightly underwhelmed. Don't get me wrong, the staff were great, good service, quick and attentive. But the meals were just... ok. I never add salt to my food but my fairly basic ragu just lacked any flavour and my girfriend's prawn dish was the same. Desert was better but at £9 would have expected more. And the breakfast tea to finish, we both left on the table - which we never do. It had that aftertaste of hard/scaley water and just wasn't enjoyable at all. I didn't raise anything with the staff as nothing was devastingly upsetting and we were out to have a fun evening but when you come away from a restaurant knowing you can do better at home it's a bit disappointing. I would also just suggest that restaurants generally need to do more now. Eating out has become a real luxury for many (this wasn't cheap for what it was) but there was nothing to entice us back - no bread while we were waiting, or mints with the coffee/tea, again just nothing special and it should be, right?

The food, atmosphere, ambience and service was exemplary for a pre-theatre dining experience. Highly recommended

Really enjoyed our dining experience the staff were attentive but non obtrusive and the food delicious. Will be back

We had a great meal. No starters but the main meals were excellent- portions were nearly enough for us but bigger eaters would find them too small. My chocolate souffle was excellent but my wife's cassata scicilliana was 90% icing. This may be how it is normally made but far too sweet for us. Great atmosphere and very friendly and efficient staff.

Very very small portions and defacto service charge. Food and service were good.

Everything was excellent. Would highly recommend. Service was attentive, food fantastic!

Friendly and welcoming restaurant. Excellent choices of Italian dishes very well presented and prepared. Our second visit and looking forward to the next. Thank you.

Absolutely brilliant. Second time we have been here pre-theatre. I will never go anywhere else just excellent. Thank you so much.

Very good food and very hospitable staff

First timers. Lovely lovely food (plaudits for the risotto) in a cosy restaurant with a nice atmosphere, tasteful decor, and good service. Will come again when next at the theatre .

First class as always - the waitress from Croatia is just perfect x

Our first visit and won’t be our last. Wonderful food, excellent service and a lovely venue. Would highly recommend

A restaurant in the center. Lovely design. Delicious food, not cheap. But it takes a long time for the food to be ready. Very close to the theater, worth eating before the show..

Very friendly, traditional in a good way brasserie. Lovely staff, very good service.

Great service, excellent food would thoroughly recommend

Lovely little restaurant, friendly service and delicious food. Our daughter is vegetarian and she had quite a few options to choose from which is a nice change. Highly recommended 👌🏻

We have been a few times before & were disappointed this time by the standard of food. Also, not that you could help it but we were seated right next to a large table of women who were so noisy we cldnt hear ourselves speak, overall wasn't our best evening at Max' s

Fantastic little place staff were exceptionally nice and the menu was a good selection. A perfect restaurant if you are visiting the Mayflower theatre across the road. Staff were very helpful especially when I mixed up the opening times for the theatre they managed to fit us in after the show. Really nice people.

Great Restaurant, could not fault anything, staff very welcoming and friendly, very informative on food and wine choices, loved the whole experience 5*

Great restaurant, I hadn't been since they moved but still so good. Delicious food, I had the penne alla norma with tomato and aubergine sauce which I'd definitely recommend. Great service, great staff, can't wait to go back!