Max Lager's American Grill & Brewery

NWer

Washington

4.55/5  rDev +26.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4 | food: 5 | $$

Four guys in town for a weekend of baseball and beer.
The only place downtown worth going back to was Max Lager's.
Starting with the owner/proprietor. Attention to detail is exceptional. I even saw him bus tables to help out where needed.
They had a pork tenderloin special that was to die for. Only in the South do you find great pork and this set the bar to a new level. It was succulent! The pork melted in your mouth and the flavors of the sauce with potato and asparagus left me wanting it again the next night.
The beer is very good and compares well to any to be had anywhere. Especially the Hopsplosion. But then I'm a hophead with attendant bias.
The one minor issue is with how a beer is drafted upstairs. Not quite right - I should have asked for an empty glass to re-pour it more vigorously in order to liven it up a little.

08-17-2010 02:22:09 | More by NWer

mwar

Kentucky

4.53/5  rDev +26.2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3.5 | $$

In town on business and this seemed to be one of the few brew pubs downtown. It was 5:30 on a Tuesday. Not more than 10 people in the place. They have a huge upstairs, so I assume when an event is going on in downtown they are packed.

Let me start by saying the service was superb! Very personable bartender who knew his beer. Happy to let you sample before committing to a pint.

Tried four of their home brews, all were well above average. I am a stout/porter guy and the Max Black was one of the best I have had. Very easy drinking. The Collaborator Wheat Wine was unlike any other beer I have ever had. Don't pass up the chance to sample it. Though I am not fond of IPA's, the Keller Pils was better than most.

An impressive selection of bottles were available as well.

I ordered a arugula salad. It was tasty, but very small for the price ($9). No bread accompanied the salad. What the hell...I was here for the beer, and at $5 a pint the overall value was more than fair!

12-20-2012 01:03:29 | More by mwar

Cyberkedi

Georgia

4.47/5  rDev +24.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

Located in downtown Atlanta just a couple blocks from two MARTA rail stations (nice if you want to avoid DUI!), Max Lager's has a rough look outside and in. However, don't be put off by the industrial decor - their beers and food are excellent. They offer only a few brews, but what they do make is absolutely wonderful.

Their menu has plenty of variety, and the food is delicious. They have some good selections for vegetarians. You can have a wood-grilled steak or pizza, a sumptuous burger, or a crisp salad with your brew.

As for the beer, quality more than makes up for quantity. Even if they have just a few brews pouring, every one that I have tried has been fabulous. They have some other brands in bottles, but you will do yourself a disservice if you order anything other than one of their beers.

12-25-2006 17:14:40 | More by Cyberkedi

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4.22/5  rDev +17.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 5 | $$

Stopped in here for dinner while I was out as I had remembered seeing the name on BA and thought there might be something worthwhile inside. Walked in and the place was fairly crowded, but sat down and ordered right away. Food was very good and the service was extremely quick. I was actually shocked by how fast the food came out. Pretty good selection of taps, including some IBA, which is just great as I had not had any in the longest time. Was in and out rather quickly which was cool with me as it gave me time to make a couple more stops before heading in. Overall a pretty respectable place to eat that has some good brew inside too. I would stop in here again for sure.

11-29-2007 00:29:32 | More by mikesgroove

rjochman

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev +14.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 5 | $$

Atmosphere is good. Great bar/restaurant set up. Awesome to see the pipes and brewing equipment throughout the building, especially on the second floor.

Good selection of local beers. Had the Max Red brewed by them. Really enjoyed it with my food.

Food: great selection of different dinner choices. Got the buffalo burger and enjoyed every bit of it.

Would definitely go again for a night outing with a group or to get some drinks and watch a sporting event.

It would be nice to have everything(brewing equipment) on the first floor but it is nice to have the option to go upstairs to the other bar.

12-11-2010 22:59:31 | More by rjochman

aracauna

Georgia

4.08/5  rDev +13.6%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4

I wasn't sure what to expect of this place. It's right downtown within easy walking distance of all the downtown hotels and businesses so I was expecting something that catered to businessmen. You know bland interpretations of a few universal brewpub styles. I expected the food to be typical and overpriced.

What I got was pretty solid beer, good food at a really reasonable price (at least for the part of town you're in. Go a little further up the street to Gordon Biersch or Noodle and you'll see what I mean). None of the beer was knock me down to die for, but none of it was bad (except the Abbey which I think had been allowed to go flat because it's supposed to be pretty good.) Any brewpub that tries a Belgian Dubbel style ale (and a Scotch ale in a little bit) is far from just in it to lure in the tourists and skyscraper workers.

The food was american fare, burgers, gourmet pizzas (my wife's barbecue chicken pizza), etc., with some southern inflections (like my pulled-pork barbecue sandwhich.) My sandwich with potato salad and baked beans ran me just over $7 including drink. My wife's pizza was just over $8. Not exactly cheap eats, but like I said, you expect more in that part of town.

I also have to say that our waiter was excellent. He was very helpful and always checking in on us. He was friendly but not annoying and actually knew something about beer having worked in another brewpub and actually being a homebrewer himself.

I'd recommend anyone this place to anyone in Atlanta for a convention when your hotel is in downtown. You can walk there get some good beer and good food and be on your way.

01-20-2003 21:03:08 | More by aracauna

tigerpaws

South Carolina

4.08/5  rDev +13.6%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4

I have been to both locations but this review is of the one at The Mall of Georgia. The atmosphere was nothing spectacular but it was very quite and roomy. I did like the large bar area being that is where I prefer to eat. Being the sports fan that I am I do recommend a few more TV's in strategic places.

The quality and selection of the beer and food was very good. The service was outstanding our bartender knew her beers very well and offered me ample samples of anything I desired.

The food was very good, I had the baked potatoe soup which I claim to be an expert on and it was one of the best I've had. Also the bleau cheeseburger was coooked to perfection just as I had requested. My wife and I also ordered a margarite pizza to go which was prepared wonderfully but the very small for the price.

I recommend this place whether you want to go for beer or food or in my case both...CHEERS

12-20-2003 15:31:10 | More by tigerpaws

RoyalT

Ohio

4.03/5  rDev +12.3%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 5

Atmosphere – This set-up is awesome. The building is old school, with solid brick making up the outside walls and a bare cement floor. The bar and restaurant are very open, so everything including the kitchen is visible. There’s a giant US flag covering one wall, and the large wooden tables, chairs, and booths exude old world charm.

Quality – They don’t make buildings like this anymore. There’s nothing modern or updated here. If a giant windstorm hit Atlanta, this is where I’d want to be.

Service – “Down home” friendly defines the service here. No one’s ever too busy to chat or help out. I love the “customer first” service philosophy promised by all but delivered by few.

Selection – How to rate a brewpub that (mostly) only serves their own beers. I guess you can’t knock them too much for focusing on their own ales, especially when they’re so good. They only had six styles on tap though.

Food – Man, oh man. I’ll update more later, but on my first visit I had to order the fried chicken appetizer which, by the way, comes on a bed of French Fries. The delicate, lightly-brown meat literally melted in your mouth. What a treat! The dipping sauces were great, especially the BBQ. It’s got to be homemade.

Update: The Duck Spring Rolls were incredible. The meat was very flavorful and the rolls themselves were lightly-fried to perfection. They came atop Asian-style noodles mixed with cabbage and a wonderful sweet ‘n sour dipping sauce on the side. The lip of the plate was decorated with a spicy pink sauce. Awesome!

Update: The Georgia Peanut Sticks kept the good times rollin’. The chicken was pressed with crushed peanuts and served on skewers. This was served with a soy/peanut kind of dipping sauce along with the noodles, cabbage, and spicy sauce discussed in the Duck Spring Roll review (see above).

04-18-2004 20:05:06 | More by RoyalT

brewtopia88

Georgia

4/5  rDev +11.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

Max Lager's is a pioneering brewpub in downtown Atlanta. They have a great new chef now, and this has allowed the brewer/manager to concentrate on his range of house beers once again. The current atmosphere, food and beers are very nice. The Hopslosion IPA contains a really pleasing hop character, and all the seasonal beers are tasty. Be sure to get a sampler of all the beers and drink alongside the menu items of the new chef. There is an upstairs bar and meeting space surrounded by the brewhouse.

06-09-2010 20:41:44 | More by brewtopia88

joedon

Minnesota

4/5  rDev +11.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$$

An old brick building converted into an upscale downtown pub. Vibe was brick and copper with dim lighting.

Six house-made beers on tap and about 30 in bottles; almost all craft beers and imports. I tried the "Hopsplosion" IPA and a Belgian dubbel. Very tasty IPA, about equal to a SN Celebration. The Belgian was below average: very weak carbonation and dark/cloudy/murky beer.

Food was about typical pub menu with some special pastas, and steaks. I had a very good cheeseburger and my friend had pulled pork quesadillas. Both were good choices.

I thought the prices were a bit high: six dollar pints and nine dollars for the house wines. More like New York prices than Atlanta.

Service was timely and friendly but I didn't make any beer-talk with the bar keep.

Overall, a decent place for beer but not outstanding.

11-10-2010 03:09:49 | More by joedon