MAKS Asian Kitchen & Sushi — Restaurant in San Carlos Park

Arrived at 7:45 PM Friday night. At least three maybe four hostesses greet you which I never understood that but OK why do you need three? They asked if I had a reservation which I did not and she said 25 to 30 minutes and I looked around And asked how many people were ahead of us and she said just one couple? So they’ll be no tables in 30 minutes? As we waited, I realize she was mistaken. She forgot to mention that there were many people on the list ahead of me that had a reservation, oops. Not only did the people with reservations, of course, jump in front of us as they should, but any party larger than two was seated ahead of us, even though they arrived after us. They would not even sacrifice a table of four for us if somebody else arrived after us and had four people. I could understand that for maybe one table but continuous flow of people coming in and being seated ahead of us because we only had two and they were trying really hard to get us seated at the counter. My wife went to the hostess, and they immediately sat at a table for four. The prices aren’t bad as the specialty rolls are all under $20 but the specialty rolls are very small order the green monster and summer breeze, pretty tasty but falling apart more than usual for sushi. The food was good but nothing to brag about. I’ve actually had much better sushi at other locations, which I won’t mention to be respectful to MAKS. The server was very nice and polite, but only took our order, dropped it off and didn’t return until it was time for the check which at that point she finally refilled my drink. Didn’t check on us once or even ask how the food was when she first dropped it off. Again, very polite and and smiling, which was appreciated. This place is small and therefore very crowded. I would still recommend it. The hot and sour soup and the house salad were excellent. Make a reservation or you’ll have to wait and this is only the summer so I could imagine even more busy...

BEWARE FALSE ADVERTISEMENT!!!! IF VEGAN DO NOT GO HERE.... I've been ordering the same so called Vegan dish from this establishment for 6mths or more. I was informed that the vegetarian lo-mien would be converted to Vegan. Each time I order the exact same item understanding per Maks that the dish was converted to Vegan. I called on 11/25/2023 to order the same Vegan lo-mien which is originally the Vegetarian lo-mien converted to Vegan. While placing my order the employee asks for my phone number to look me up in their system. I provided my phone number and then she proceeded to inform me that the noodle in the dish has eggs. I informed her that this couldn't be the case because I've been ordering the same exact dish for months and was informed that it was vegan. I even informed her that when I pick my dish up that the container is labeled with a Vegan sticker and the receipt at the top, the word Vegan is handwritten. I then asked to speak with management because I informed her that I'm Vegan for health reasons and have been ingesting dairy for over 6 months due to Maks promoting that any dish can be converted to Vegan and I'm still being served egg noodles. I was then placed on the phone with Billy, and he informed that he owns the establishment with his brother. He then informed that the brother wasn't there and that he would need to speak with another manager. Billy placed the call on-hold, he never apologized or informed that this would never happen again. I then spoke with Julie, and she never apologized and informed me that she would send the information to upper management. She then informed me that she didn't have an answer for me, which I never asked for an answer. My number was taken, and I was informed that I would receive a call-back with NO EMPATHY, NOR CONCERN FOR MY HEALTH, and NOT EVEN...

The stock of ethnic restaurants in Ft. Myers is growing. This higher-end Asian-fusion spot adds to them with a stylish interior, solicitous service and faithful iterations of southeast Asian dishes. It had great star ratings, so I was super excited to find a new spot. I found a table quickly, and the server was front and center with drinks and taking the order. All good!

We had the kung pao tofu as an appetizer, so a slightly novel twist on the classic. We added the crispy spring rolls, too. This dish had crispy tofu, plus the standard spicy sweet sauce. The spring rolls were re-heated, not fresh out of the fryer. Further, asian spring rolls tend to be flaky rollers, where Chinese spring rolls have a distinctive pastiness due to the doughy crust. Disappointing. Strike 1.

For the entrees we had the green curry chicken and drunken noodles. For the average mid-western diner, with a palate less sensitive to spices, the food was quick and solid - very mild. However, expecting authentic, I was quite disappointed. This is a Chinese restaurant with some Southeast Asian dishes. Bland and oily, my drunken noodles were served with boiled egg noodles - pasta noodles - not rice noodles. It was bland, too. Strike 2. Drunken noodles are supposed to be endorphins boosting spicy. I asked for a side of hot spices, but this never appeared. Strike 3 really. My dining partner's green curry was fine, but also bland.

Overall, this place has promise, but would never make it where diners were more aware of...