Max's South Seas Hideaway — Restaurant in Grand Rapids

TLDR: This is possibly the best place for cocktails in Grand Rapids (in my opinion), the crab rangoons are pretty choice 👌 and the atmosphere is definitely unique.

We have visited a few times in the last year and keep returning for the delicious tiki bar cocktails! We started with the BOO LOO (It takes two to Boo Loo! This pineapple and rum-laden lovely from the 1960s is designed to be shared - served in a fresh pineapple while supplies last! With fresh lime, honey, rums, and plenty of pineapple. Serves 2 people.) It was definitely strong, so be prepared for that! I let the crushed ice melt a little bit before being able to sip on that, but once I did, the flavors were 👍 👍 👍.

For appetizers we got the Crab Rangoons (jumbo lump crab and cream cheese filling, crispy wonton, furikake, green onion, lemongrass chili sauce) as we are wont to do 😅- we love crab Rangoons; especially these ones (check my photos) as they’re more crab than cheese- a nice departure from most places in GR where it’s mostly cheese and very little crab-especially since this is lump crab and not K-rab 🤤. We also ordered the Sticky Shrimp (crispy fried shrimp, sticky gochujang sauce, cucumber relish) which we very much enjoyed. I don’t love cucumber, but the relish was a very nice complement to the shrimpies! 🍤

We finished our Boo Loo and ordered separate drinks: the PAINKILLER (Direct from the British Virgin Islands comes this addictively popular favorite with Pusser's Original British Royal Navy Rum, pineapple, orange, coconut cream and nutmeg) and the PIÑA COLADA (It's a Pina Colada!). I think the reason we love these drinks so much is the care in which they are crafted- the flavors are just THERE and they remind us of…NOT Michigan 😂.

For dinner, we ordered the Tiki Tacos (poblano & pineapple salsa, cilantro, onion, flour tortilla, side of elote corn salad, choice of smoked jerk chicken, pulled pork, or chorizo) and the Poke Bowl (sushi rice, wakame, avocado mash, pickled carrot, shallot, pickled radish, furikake, poke sauce, choice of raw ahi tuna or salmon, roasted mushrooms or tofu). Both were very good- I took a few photos of the poke bowl so you can see what all goes into it, but the pickled veggies are my fave 🤤.

We ended up ordering the cheesecake, which the server described to us as a New York cheesecake- just plain, but it came out as peanut butter Oreo. It was not what we ordered, so we waited until the server came back (it was dropped off by someone else) to let them know, and they just told us to keep it, which we did, and it was delicious. Because of the mixup (basically they have a rotating selection of cheesecake, and the server wasn’t aware of the switch), they comped the dessert for us- which we did not ask for. It wasn’t necessary, but we appreciated the gesture, considering our service experience here.

While we enjoyed our meal, there were a few things we think Max’s can improve on:

1. It took us almost 2.5 hrs to get our food, which honestly was probably ok because of the strength of the drinks, allowing us to stay to sober up before leaving, but it felt exceptionally long as it was not very busy (at least as far as we could tell). 2)The atmosphere is lovely with the Tiki theme, but the music was just a bit quiet, especially compared to the loud patrons.
2. It is always exceptionally cold in this restaurant, so if I’m visiting in any season, I always make sure to bring my coat/jacket, otherwise I freeze!
3. The servers have always been a bit cold and unfriendly. Not sure if this is a downtown GR thing or not, but I’ve never seen anyone roll their eyes at patrons as much as we’ve experienced it here at Max’s, and it’s been on more than one occasion. It’s not like we’ve ever been rude, loud or carried on, and we’ve never made any rude or inappropriate comments to the staff, so it’s just very strange. We both used to bartend, so we’re not ignorant to when a bartender is just having a bad day, and this isn’t it. If it weren’t for the cocktails, we might not return based on how we were made to feel...

Booth caught on fire, glass shattered, my friend was bleeding, got shards of glass in her legs, terrible management: I came here for dinner for my 30th birthday with my girlfriends. We are not from around here and live about 2.5 hours away. Our server was very nice at first. In some part of the conversation with the waiter, he was told we were celebrating my birthday and told me he would bring out a desert. We were just served alcoholic drinks before the desert came to our table. A young gentleman came out and started to light the smore fire, which is apart of their charcuterie s’more desert(in my opinion he was too young to be doing so) he then got spooked or his hand slips and he knocks the fire over, crashing it with my friends drink and it shatters in her lap(she is wearing a skirt)and the fire then erupts and spreads across the table, booth seat, and floor. It missed her leg being caught on fire by a hair. My friend and I are at this point dumping our waters on the fire to try to quickly put it out. We were all in panic and exited the booth safely. We began laughing because it was shocking and we were trying to make the young kid feel better. It was almost unbelievable which is why we were laughing as well. They then move us to another booth and we then realize my friend is bleeding on her hands and legs and picking out GLASS SHARDS from her legs. She even got blood on my shirt. The waiter asks if we were okay and we said we were. He told us he would get a manager. While we waited for the manager a man came over and said “everything alright? I was told to bring bandaids, I have several” and once we told him yea, he walked away. As he was at the table, my friend was still picking out glass shards and he was aware of that because we said it out loud. Our server then comes back and hands us each our bill IN FULL and we are in a state of shock.. my friend didn’t even get to drink her beverage since it shattered and got the glass remnants in her skin.. the waiter then gets defensive and says “you were just laughing and now I feel like I’ve done something wrong” I assured him that it wasn’t his service. We then ask for the manager to come over and he said he already did. The manager turned out to be the same guy that asked if we were ok with a couple of bandaids.. the manager returned and we confronted him with the issue. He then did not take accountability of his actions, was not remorseful, and didn’t seem to care at all. He ASKED US what he should do.. excuse me? He said he would take care of some things. He comped my friend her meal and took off an appetizer… The waiter then comes back to take our form of payment and went from very nice to very rude. He sat down our bills after he ran them and didn’t say a word. Just walked away. We all still tipped him very well even though his last interaction was less than pleasant. This is the worst interaction we have ever had with management staff. Take accountability and remember the customer is always first. We left feeling guilty for the incident, like we did something wrong. The manager needs a training class. (The photos are the remnants of the booth after, my bloody shirt, and the second smore they brought to our new table...

This is one of our go-to spots in GR for food, drinks, and good vibes. The prices are steep, but when you consider the quality of the food and drinks, it becomes much more worth it. I have been to Max's many times, and each time, I have left satisfied with the food, service and drinks. The atmosphere is unique for Grand Rapids, leaning very heavily into the whole Polynesian and Tiki vibe, and it does it very well. The lighting is low, the music is not too invasive, and the general atmosphere is just fantastic. I would strongly recommend going for their passport, which allows you to "travel polynesia" with its many drinks, and when you have completed the passport, you get your own plaque on the wall!

I have tried quite a few dishes and I am going to list some of my favorites here

Drinks: 5/5. I have not had a bad drink from Max's, some of my favorites are, in no particular order, as follows: Puka Punch, Trade Winds, Painkiller, and Rum Runner. Their Orange Creamsicle Non-Alcoholic Mocktail is fantastic, too. I wish they could make it with alcohol.

Appetizers:

Pimento Cheese Dip: 5/5

Waffle Fry Nachos: 5/5 (can honestly be ordered as an entree)

Sushi:

Musubi Roll: 4/5, was a very interesting take, and the spam was actually very good in the roll.

California Roll: 3/5, was good, just a normal Cali roll, a bit overpriced for what you get, I think

Large Plates: Fried Chicken Entree: 5/5, the Mac and Cheese is very good, and the chicken isn't too dry.

Korean Poutine: 4/5, taste was very good, the fries seemed a bit overcooked, but it wasn't enough to make it a bad dish. Wish there were more Cheese Curds, though!

Chicken and Waffles: 4/5, this item has been one of the main-stays on the menu for the past few years, and it is definitely for a good reason. I am not the biggest fan of this dish, simply because the waffle is stuffed with some miscellaneous veggies, which are good, but just not my style. I was very surprised when I bit into it!

Max's Loco Moco: 5/5, this is by far the best entree I have had at Max's! The combination of what I perceived to be classic American influences, as well as the typical Polynesian faire made for a fantastic experience, and I would definitely order this again!

Max's Hideaway Burger: 5/5, this is the most recent dish I have had at Max's, and it didn't disappoint. The burger was cooked perfectly, and the combination of the gorgonzola, as well as the tomato jam and black garlic mayo just made for such an enjoyable experience. It comes with a side of their waffle fries, which themselves are absolutely fantastic.

In conclusion, I would recommend Max's to anyone stopping by the city, or a local just looking for a change of scenery. The area of the city feels relatively safe, and I have never had any issues in this area. Overall, the prices are high, but Max's is definitely worth experiencing...