Max’s Brasserie — Restaurant in Southampton

Service was good and friendly but the food was terrible. I didn’t have the heart to say at the time but I wish I had. I ordered the pistachio pasta that tasted nothing like pistachio. A pistachio crumb or a nice olive oil drizzle was expected but it came out looking like a school meal with insipid tomatoes chopped up as a garnish. I got the chicken added which was very “chickeny” tasty, no dressing just chicken cooked on its own, making very little sense to the dish overall. Very disappointing for a plate worth £30! Out of the packet dry pasta no doubt. My partner got the carbonara which was dry and tasteless. I’d been planning on coming here for a while and maybe we caught it at a bad time. The wine was very good, but that’s about it. For £100 for two mains and one dessert I feel quite ripped off to say the least. Maybe good for a drink but definitely not fresh or authentic food. Categorically won’t be returning.

Edit: in response to owner - I didn’t complain that the carbonara wasn’t laden with sauce, I’ve had real carbonara and not seeking a lesson here. I’m giving honest feedback - it lacked any taste. In regards to your pistachio dish, I wasn’t going to pair it with anything and was given the option of chicken or shrimp. I asked for suggestion and wasn’t given any advice. But I should think the very least you cook your chicken in a nice way. I didn’t know you could request olive oil, this wasn’t evident. And yes, I hadn’t eaten all day and I paid £30 for a dish so I wanted to eat it all. Surprised by your response but hope you take the constructive criticism on board, which you most definitely need for those dishes. And I agree I wish I’d said something...

My daughter and I stumbled across Max's Brasserie when trying to find a restaurant close to St Mary's Stadium (we went to see Robbie Williams). Max is full of energy and is extremely helpful and made us feel so welcome. His wife is lovely and very welcoming too. The food was out of this world and I toyed between having the roast turbot or fillet steak. I had the steak with peppercorn sauce and it was the best steak ever! It totally melted in the mouth and the flavour of the whole dish was fantastic! Max does not scrimp on the quality of ingredients and has the most tastiest olive oil and balsamic which I have ever had outside Italy. I commented to him about this and he said he has it sent over from Italy. These two products are nothing like you buy here in England and the depth of flavour of the 10 year old balsamic is outstanding. We found the whole experience at Max's so amazing and we just loved the whole ambience of the restaurant. Max is very passionate about what he does and that comes across very clearly. We are not local to Southampton but I will make sure I go back for the roast turbot and more of his great cocktails soon! Do not hesitate to try this lovely restaurant if you want to taste a bit of the true Italy. It doesn't offer the bog standard carbonara, lasagna or Pizza but there are risottos, pasta, seafood, steak, veal dishes to choose from as well as Tapas. Even if you fancied a dish off menu Max would happily rustle up something for you. Thank you Max and Yanna for the wonderful meal and drinks. I feel we walked in as strangers and left...

I was not going to give a review to the place as at the moment of the dinner I didn't complain and thought it was not fair.However, after the response my partner's review got from the owner it is not ok to remain silent. My spaghetti carbonara was tasteless, it was made with no flavour, no egg, cheese, no pepper, no salt...bland pasta that was overcooked. Did I eat all? Yes, it was £20 for a simple pasta plate that was ridiculously small. My partner's pistachio rigattone looked awful. A sauce that looks like tomato soup. Probably the owner will come back to give me some lessons about Italian food, but I have been to Italy many times, have Italian relatives and those dishes were as close to Palermo as the Pope at a gay wedding. PS: we asked for recommendations for the pistachio rigatoni (chicken or shrimp...) and we had no answer from the waitress. I understand this is a family business and they care about it, but it was unacceptable their response to an honest criticism. From this situation I have to thank them that I've learnt my lesson; it is better to have a bad time and telling the waiters how bad the food was, than going through this process.I'll be more honest next time....