Maxela

We live just round the corner from this restaurant and I do not know why we had not tried it before. We had a superb meal and will definitely be coming back. The food was superb and it had a wonderfully friendly (very Italian) atmosphere. Don't tell anyone though, or we will never be able to get a table.

I go very often to Maxela because it is a very nice restaurant with a typically Italian atmosphere and delicious food. Sometimes I feel like having a carpaccio or steak tartare and this is the very only place where I would have it outside Italy! Then I love the costata, fantastic to share with other people, sided by caponata, my favourite side dish. Poggio alla Scottona is a wonderful and convenient wine, and finally the desserts are amazing, they really remind me of my home country and make me wish I could have them every single day! I have been to Maxela yesterday but I think I'm going back soon again, I feel like I should have an everyday reservation!!

This is a strange little place, half butcher shop half restaurant but ending up being somewhat neither … The food itself is actually fairly good (alhough the menu being rather limited), the atmosphere pretty lacklustre though also driven by lack of people (place seems fairly empty most of the times). If you want good top-quality steaks you're probably better off heading to the likes of Hawksmoor, Goodman or Gaucho although they are all substantially more pricey and one of the best things you can say about this place is it's fairly good value for money

What can I say…the usual stereotypes apply. Don't go there if you are vegetarian etc…Maxela is a paradise for meat lovers. This is the outpost of a very successful Italian mini-chain. The beef comes from their own farm near Alba and it's aged 30 days and then shipped over. When it's received it is aged an additional 8 days at the restaruant site. And the result shows. Some of the cuts are in display (the restaurant doubles up as a butcher as well) and there isn't a single drop of blood in sight. My tagliata was very good although a bit more well done than I would I liked. My guests had the burger with melted lard and walnuts (yes it is as posh as it sounds) and the rib-eye (big slab of meat with just about the right level of salinity). The side dishes are a let down. They are slapped banged together. My cannellini beans were overcooked, the fries were the skinny type not well made at all. The service is a bit careless: we had to ask for bread twice, one of the side dishes was lost in transit and after we requested it twice it was cold when it reached us. Two espresso never materialized. The atmosphere was relaxed although not busy at all so we would have expected a much better service. We were told that lunchtime is quieter but the evenings are always fully booked. The bill was acceptable for this part of the world. Average experience. It could be a success but it needs to really sort out some basics before it's too late.