Max Downtown - Hartford

We go annually for our anniversary. Food and service is incredible. We look forward to our next trip.

I'll start by saying the service was absolutely amazing. Every single person we met from the moment we walked in was extremely nice and welcoming, and the place has a really good atmosphere. It just wasn't enough to make up for the food.It obviously wasn't all bad – The surf and turf had good sized portions and the steak and lobster were cooked perfectly. The vanilla bean crème brûlée was good, nothing crazy, and I also had a couple of oysters that were really nice and fresh.But the chorizo that comes with the grilled Spanish octopus was burned to a crisp. We couldn't chew it. The seared scallops were served in a gremolata that was very sweet, with sweet potato nage that were even sweeter, and accompanied by shishito peppers which are, you guessed it, sweet. You could only taste the sweetness – there was no spice, no acid, no relief. I couldn't finish it and I promise I tried to, if only because it was $49. Oh and our side of fries had no salt at all.In short, great service, decent prices, disappointing food.We might go back to try the lunch menu since it's what seems to be recommended by other reviewers, but for the price I just honestly cannot get past how unpalatable the food was.

Subpar food and bad service I went with a party and will never make that mistake again.

Asked the bartender if he could make a margarita and it was one of the best I’d ever had.

From the food drinks to the service, what a fantastic spot for after work. The bar is a very popular spot too. The crab cake was a 10 out of 10, and the rest of the food was incredibly fresh. I highly recommend THE OAXACAN LOVE AFFAIR if you like mezcal/tequila style drinks. Big shout out to Jason- great server.