Mr Max Izakaya Restaurant

Found this hidden gem while visiting Dallas on business trip. Very cool atmosphere, bar seating, where they pass your dishes to you as they are prepared, and floor seating for remainder of tables. Service was excellent with staff being very friendly. Most menu items are small plates, so would recommend trying many if you are dining with a group. I started out with the bluefin tuna sashimi, grilled beef tongue, grilled squid, and chicken Karaage with sweet and sour. All were great, really like the beef tongue. Next up, I ordered the Taiwan Mazesoba dish. Think ramen without the broth. Very flavorful with the spicy pork sausage adding a bit of heat. Great dinner and look forward to stopping in on next trip!

Mr. Max is the Best Restaurant in Dallas and here is why. I came on a Monday and there was at least an hour wait. I came alone and was seated in the only open seat in the house. I had three different things in the Japanese space that I have never tried and I go to Sushi a lot. Today I started out with the octopus balls. Omg. Light, fluffy balls of gooey goodness. Then I had a extremely fresh selection of sashimi five ways where they served me raw prawns. The Ebi was so sweet and full of flavor. Then I ended with grilled squid that was served like a rock lobster tail with ground ginger root. Prices were not even bad. I spent $61 and it was the best experience I have ever had in a Japanese restaurant hands down. I highly highly recommend Mr. Max. It’s that good. Please don’t change.

Mr Max has been on my to-visit list before moving to Dallas, and I finally had a chance to drop by last Saturday. I tried visiting 2 years ago, but we came at 5:30 PM and it was a 2 hours wait. I was surprised by how busy the place was back then, so I made sure to come a bit earlier this time. We arrived at 4:50 PM on a Saturday, and there was already a long line outside the door to the fence on the left. Judging by the number of people in line, I estimated that we wouldn't make it in and I was right. The group in front of us was the cut-off, so it was an hour's wait. Not bad, but I was set to try it this time. My sister, her boyfriend and I just went shopping around the area for a while, then waited in the parking lot. It was around 6 PM that they called us saying it was ready, and we need to arrive within 10 mins. The restaurant was packed, and there were people coming to add their names to the reservation with a 2-3 hours wait. I wanted to try everything, since who knows the next ti