Max & Erma’s Restaurants

I treated my younger sister and kid brother out to dinner, to recognize their high PSSA scores and over all academic success so far this school year. What can I say the kids just love this place.
For me the food was terrible. I wouldn’t even have cooked this way for an enemy. I got the cabo shrimp salad. This was four tiny dried up shrimp served in a bowl with ice berg lettuce an rotten tomatoes.
The kiddies had Beatlejuices which is grape juice and Sprit with a gummy worms. They also had Oreo milk shakes which they demolished and said were super yummy.
Each of them for dinner also had a cheese burger. The burger was juicy and delicious.
I have to comment on th bathrooms. They are in terrible shape. The toilet paper rolls are broken so instead of fixing the toilet paper rolls Max and Erma’s just sit the roll of toilet paper on top of the broken toilet roll. I couldn’t believe it!

Yes, Max & Erma’s is a chain, but not all are created equal. The Max & Erma’s at 630 Stanwix Street in downtown Pittsburgh is a great place for a casual meal. They have very good food and service. If you hit there during rush hour skip the waiting list and go to the bar for faster service. They have great burgers, but I like the choice of a half sandwich and soup or salad. I also like the frequent diner program, which gives you a 5% discount after eating there about 5 times and a larger discount the more often you eat there. They also send you specials via e-​mail from time to time. On Wednesdays they give you two free chocolate chip cookies with your meal. On your birthday month they give you six free chocolate chip cookies. The cookies are usually served hot, right from the kitchen and are delicious. Max & Erma’s also has a great bar. This location is just across the river from PNC Park and Heinz Field. You can grab the T about ½ block from Max & Erma’s and get off at the North Shore stop, which is between the two stadiums. There is also parking on the North Shore that is less expensive than parking in downtown Pittsburgh.

Stopped In before a show at Heinz Hall. It was not crowded, but the waiter was almost useless. He did not know the beer list, drinks went unfilled, etc. Plus I was served teriyaki fajitas. That’s right, these were the oddest fajitas I have ever been served. The taste was OK, but it is not what I expect fajitas to be. That said, my wife’s Reuben and son’s fish and chips were OK. Overall it was just OK food served by an incompetent waiter.

Decent burgers, ribs and salads. I like the pretzel and potato skins. Wings are very small and not worth the price. Glad to see they extended their closing to 9PM on weekdays. This chain came from Columbus/​Dayton Ohio. It’s been around 30 years. Menus are standard across the chain. Their Perks card is a joke. You have to eat there 10 times or so to get 10% off. I have always had good service, but then when I have gone the place is empty.

Normally I wouldn’t give a place like Max & Erma’s three reviews. But my husband Rick and I had taken our niece Allison and nephew Brian to the nearby Fort Pitt Museum and this is the closest restaurant that’s family friendly. Allison is now 12 and Brian is now 10, so they’re no longer ordering off the kids menu.
So Max & Erma’s has enough to keep everyone happy. It’s a place that won’t break your budget either.

Pros: Private parking lot, burger, service
Cons:
Is it a good restaurant for kids? Yes
Is it a good choice for big groups? Maybe
This is a past experience review. On Thanksgiving Day around 8:30PM, we did not have so much effort to find a place to leave our car there. The hostess was very friendly and nice and directed us to our table without any need for waiting. Obviously the restaurant was almost empty due to the holiday.
The dining room was huge and there is a sundae bar that we got very tempted to eat there after the dinner. The waitress was very nice and friendly and was always checking our table to see if we needed something more. Because we were craving for a burger, my wife and I decided to build our own burger.
Overall, the experience was fantastic! The burger was big and juice and not greasy and the fries were delicious too. This is the type of restaurant that I will have as a first option when I go back to the Pittsburgh, PA again.

Incredibly slow, worst club I’ve ever had… hilite was the tortilla soup. That was actually edible. Waiting 40 minutes for a cold club and cup of soup is totally unacceptable. Especially when we were the 2^nd table seated of the day.

I had lunch here with a friend and it was good. The hostess and bartender were great. They great you with a smile and pleasantly wait on you. The food is just OK.
The hostess greated us with a smile and mentioned it would be about 15 minutes. We asked if we could eat at the bar and he said of course. We found a small booth at the bar. On our way back we noticed that there were several empty tables available. We found this strange and that is one reason I gave them 3 stars.
We were greated by the bartender, who was quite nice looking, with a smile. He had alot of tables and still seemed to manage pouring drinks and delivering food. He was great at his job.
I ordered tortilla soup and salad with raspberry vinaigrette and it was good, delivered with a smile, and timely.
The bartender kept our drinks full as well.
I would give the service 5 stars, food 3 stars, size of the restaurant is large but they never seem to be staffed for it so that i would give 1 star.
Great place to go for a quick lunch!

The 3 course combo is a great deal!!! Cheap filling and downtown. You even get chocolate chip cookies. Sundae bar is still in a BATHTUB–
bring a party– there’s room for it and no one here. people forget about it.

I have only one thing to say… Garbage Burger. Max and Erma fans know exactly what I’m talking about. When in the burgh go to Max and Erma’s for a garbage burger!

Food is okay. I’ve only came during lunch to this location. If you want fast service sit in the bar area otherwise your time at lunch can easily double.

I went here for lunch, got the black bean veggie burger and side salad. It was delicious. I would definitely go back.

Alright, I live within waking distance, so that factors into me and my family eating here pretty often. We’re new to the ‘Burgh, so we didn’t know about the chain before we moved here. The food is always good. We’ve explored the menu and have never been unsatisfied. Big plus: the sundae bar!!! It’s worth the trip in and of itself.
The only downer about this location are the hours. They close at 8:00 or something. And only open on Sunday if there’s a Steeler/​Pirate game in town that day. I can’t tell you how many people I’ve seen try and dine here when they’re closed. Also, they’re always understaffed. It’s turned into somewhat of a running joke with us: the staff expect to be slow but they get slammed every night we’re there! So the servers end up with 10 tables or so. And there’s never a hostess to seat guests, so people just end up wandering in and seating anywhere. This adds to the chaos. It’s almost painful to watch. But the staff is very friendly, for the most part. Only once have I been upset at service and it was with a to-​go order. The bartender took my order and didn’t write anything down. I knew it was a bad sign but didn’t say anything. Sure enough, the whole order was f’d up. We called and complained and they comped us a meal. So all was well.
Bottom line, great place to eat, even though it seems its glory days are behind it. But a little patience and a sundae bar go a long way here.

A good bar with OK food.
Fairly diverse menu, so you dont have to have a burger, etc.