Max and Benny's

I've eaten here before and returned today with a very large group of over 20 people. We did not make a reservation but they were able to seat us immediately in a large dining room connected to the main room. It took a while to get all the orders in, and amazingly they were happy to let us all receive a separate check! (That seems almost unheard of!! Thank you Max and Bennies!) The food did not take that long to arrive. I had my beloved Turkey Club which was accompanied by amazing cole slaw. I'm a picky slaw-snob and this slaw is top-notch!! The Turkey Club is one of the best in the area and is actually a little cheaper than many other local places. The half pickle that came with my plate looked about the size of a large bratwurst!! It wasn't super flavorful but was still good. A little more dill and garlic would have made it perfect, but not a big deal in my book. Everyone seemed to enjoy their food - it all looked very appetizing and fresh Everyone got their food fairly quickly - two orders took a little longer but with 20+ orders at the height of rush hour, we were not too surprised or upset about a delay. Max and Bennies know what they are doing and they do it very well. The restaurant was fairly packed and our large group did not seem to make them bat an eye. They got us seated quickly, the food came in a decent amount of time after ordering, and everyone left full and happy! And letting us all get separate checks was a very nice surprise!!

Love this resturant deli bakery resturant! The soup is delicious Potato pancakes Coles slaw Deli sandwiches are the best! The service is friendly and attentive . They clean many times.? It is a spacious resturant with booths and tables and a large deli! ADA accessible: One of my faves I'll be back

I'm trying to be nice by giving this long time deli 2 stars. Let's begin: 1. Called in the order and the guy taking it couldn't have been more condescending. 2. Picked up order and they forgot soup. My wife went back and they rectified that. Too bad as my mushroom barely tasted like water. This was always a good go to soup. Sadley, the local Greek restaurant makes it better. Wife had chicken soup with a matzoh ball that they charged extra for. Dumb! 3. Hot corned beef sandwich- mostly cold. 4. Tuna on challah roll- good. 5. Kettle Chips and Fruit on side for each of our sandwiches that was to come with was missing. WTF! 6. Jumbo chocolate chip cookie that came with the meal deal ( the order guy corrected my wife and said "you mean the giant chocolate chunk cookie". What, excuse me! Try customer service dude. Oh, I took a bite and nearly spit it out. Possibly the worst cookie I've ever eaten. Sad! Just sad.

Old school restaurant and deli with all of the classics -- reubens, hot open faced sandwiches, pastrami -- and most come with coleslaw and a pickle. We were also given a dinner roll with butter. I ordered the San Francisco Reuben which was different in that it had horseradish (no sauerkraut) and Monterey Jack instead of Swiss. It was piled high with corned beef, although a little chewy. It was tasty and I liked the slight changes vs the traditional Reuben. I also enjoyed a potato pancake. My companion had matzo ball soup and a corned beef sandwich. Very pleasant retro setting, popular with the older crowd, and interestingly, we were asked if we were there for the author event (we were not). Nice selections at the deli.

This place is great Every time I go out that way I stop in. I always buy something to take home. Today was lunch meat they have the best and bread and crackers. Yummy staff is great they always are attentive and ready to help

What happened to this place? Over the years, I've been to some of the best delis in the US. Canters, Wexlers, Fromins, Greenblatts, Shermans, DZ Akins, Manny's, Bergsteins, David's, Russ and Daughter, Stage Door, 2nd Avenue......... Max & Benny's used to be on this list. Not anymore. We hadn't been to the restaurant in years, so we stopped en route to Wisconsin for a Friday night dinner. The changes were immediately noticeable. The once-busy marketplace area was empty and quiet, with many empty cabinets and coolers. Once upon a time, you'd have to take a number and wait in line for service. That evening, there was nothing to buy and no one working to serve you. It was bizarre. Even more bizarre: the seating process. We checked in with the host station and waited to be seated. The restaurant was nearly empty -- at dinner time -- which should have been a clue. Still, we were kept waiting for about 10 minutes while the server and his co-worker socialized in front of us. Then, we were seated at a table next to the host station that had been empty and ready the entire time. Why? Another 10 minutes passed with no server. We received water, but no menus. The host continued chitchatting with coworkers right next to us, but nobody waited on us. I finally turned around and asked them if we had a server. They said they'd get someone. A server came racing out to take our order, but we'd never received menus. More waiting. Finally, we placed and received our orders, but there was no silverware, no bread basket, no pickles, nothing. When we asked about this, we were just told "oh, we don't do that anymore, we haven't done that since the pandemic." To which i said, "including silverware?" We each had an old-time favorite: half soup, half sandwich. The sandwich was tiny -- more of an appetizer size than the former portion -- and the bread tasted like it was stale. The soup had zero flavor at all -- none. It just tasted like water. There was no presentation or garnish to the meal at all. My half sandwich came on an enormous plate. It looked almost ridiculously small. Throughout our dinner, we noted that none of the tables were being cleared or cleaned. We also noted a lot of customers waiting for service, some of whom actually got up and left. We were just handed our bill, which turned out to be for another table, and led to another long delay just to leave the restaurant. We were still hungry after spending $50+ for two people. Unreal! It's actually kind of heartbreaking what happened to this place. We used to drive out of our way to visit Max & Benny's for years. Now, I drive by in shock that the restaurant hasn't closed permanently. If you live in Chicago, save your time, save your money, and save your frustrations. The Bagel is far superior in every single way, and they actually care if you come back or not.

It has been years since I found myself in the area for lunch. Had the three sandwich combo (corned beef, brisket, pastrami) with kreplach soup. Everything was awesome. Service was great. Prices fair. It was a Saturday afternoon and the place was busy with families and groups of friends. The deli side had great meats and bagels. Definite iconic place.

There were 13 of us and they easily accommodated a group. Good service, filled water glasses all through the meal which was great. Had a delicious San Francisco Reuben. BLT also great and both came with coleslaw and a pickle. Deli ambience. Casual, clean, relaxed.

I recently hosted a party here for about 18 guests in a private room. Great communication to schedule it, and everything went smoothly the day of the event and all the guests were happily fed. Great place for a small party.

usually my experience is great here. I spend Ami of money and toda EVERYONE was very rude. I couldn't even get my order or and was being rushed and the customer service was shitty today and very much a deterrent to come back. when reporting our complaint the cashier barely acknowledged it and then he was rude . our server was Roberto G. Just a shame!

My friend wanted to treat me to this restaurant. Very nice place, and I will like to return when my friend decides to come to this place again. I ordered a half-corned beef sandwich, and half pastrami sandwich. My mistake was not checking on how it was being prepared. I was expecting just the hot meat on rye bread with Swiss cheese. along with my order fo fries. But it came toasted and not quite sure what bread it was, but it sure didn't look or taste like rye. Anyway, I ate just one half of the sandwich order. I loved the pickle and the fresh Cole slaw. My friend only ate half the corned beef, didn't touch the pickle or Cole slaw. So, the waiter said he would box up the leftovers and put the slaw in a small container. Unfortunately, when I got home, the slaw wasn't the same that we were served, It was already packed in a go-to container and it had runny mayonnaise. Definitely, not what was on the plate. Such a shame and disappointment. I hope to return soon, and make sure my order will be spot on what I want. And maybe, have more time to shop in their bakery/sore.

Max & Benny's is a great deli addition to the area. They have great food options, their corned beef and pastrami sandwiches are on point (not dried out). I like their open face turkey with mashed potatos, gravy, and stuffing. And don't forget that every entree comes with soup. I suggest the matzoball WITH noodles. They can pack in a lot of people. Most. recently, I went on a night that they had Pat Hughes speak. The place was jam packed for the event. We (like everyone else) arrived by 5pm so we could eat before the event began at 6pm. Their servers were on their game. There wasn't a special menu. You could order off the large menu. They brought out bread and pickles to nosh on, then brought our drinks, took our order (we were at a table of 14), brought our order out lickety-split, gave us our individual bills, and we paid either the server or at a register in the bakery/deli part of the restaurant. All done by 6pm. Every order accurate. No mess-ups...in the entire restaurant! I had their black and white cookie for dessert (by far one of the best places to get one). I cannot wait to return here (in a week or so).

Long time customer mostly take out. Great reubens and hot open face sandwiches. Last week decided to try sit-down menu. Big mistake. Service was slow and surly. Food was awful. Chicken in the post was boiled in a tasteless broth. The kreplach were tough and filled with some dried out inedible meat looking substance. The matzo balls were soggy & tasteless. The BLT used bacon that must have been leftover from a few breakfasts ago. Overcooked, Hard and crumbled up. .

Service was meh. Food was terrible. Even if I complained and got a gift certificate for compensation, I would not go back. Aside from the waitress bringing out an entirely different meal than I ordered, the turkey was bone dry. My husband asked for a side of fries and got coleslaw. The brownie ala mode was COLD. The churro sundae was comprised of stale COLD churros and cheap vanilla ice cream. Do not waste your time or hard earned money.

Overall great experience here! The corned beef sandwich was huge and came with slaw on it which we loved. If in this part of town, this place is worth a visit!

What happened to Max and Benny's? Rather, what happened to Customer Service? It's been a long time since I've been here and it will be even longer before I come back because of the surly behavior of the man in the deli and the less-than-helpful older male cashier. I wanted to buy something from the deli and was curtly referred to the pre-packaged ginormous refrigerator case. I asked a followup question and the man repeated what he said but even less friendly than the first time. There wasn't a freshness state or use by date on the item I wished to purchase. His growl, and that of one the less-than-helpful cashiers was, "It's fresh! Packed today!" Perhaps but it is reassuring to see an actual date to be guided by. Giving a vague, "it's good for three or four days" is not helpful nor satisfactory. Additionally, it is not possible to buy the exact amount of what one wishes, like cream cheese. You buy their designated sizes. Again, what happened to Customer Service? I guess they're too busy to deal with actual customers. The last straw was the way-too-cakey black and white cookie. How do you screw that up? Sadly, there is not one item at M&B that's better than at any other good local deli and some items aren't even that good. It was great while it lasted; or maybe it was never as good as I remembered.

We came to this restaurant used to be a favorite what happened to it ??server nowhere to be seen finally came we ordered no bread basket anymore and i should have stayed with a corn beef sandwich thought it would be nice to try a special choose roast chicken came with ok but not completely cooked vegetables and no gravy for the very dry chicken husband had salmon patties and they did not smell or taste fresh the deli was empty and we picked up some bagels the person acted as if we were bothering him by having to wait on us This is not the same place as before and won't be coming back for a long time if ever

We wish this place was closer to home. Still worth the trip. Excellent food and service.

This was not really a terrific dining experience, and I don't think I'll be finding a reason to return to Max and Benny's. The food was very average. Initially, I was looking forward to bringing home a slice of German chocolate cake from the bakery case. After my dinner, though, I thought my dessert might be better sourced elsewhere. Why waste the calories? Ours was a large party, and to make sure the restaurant could accommodate us, we did our due diligence and called ahead. There were no major issues with the seating arrangements, but our server was obviously frazzled and overwhelmed. A more experienced server who wasn't uncomfortable with large groups, or two of them tag-teaming would have been appropriate, but that didn't happen for us. We were frustrated with the situation, and I'm pretty sure our server was as well. There was so much confusion that I completely forgot until days later that I never received the salad that was supposed to come with my dinner. I don't usually have any feedback on the restrooms when I dine out. As long as they're clean and I can do what needs to be done, then I don't 'think they're worth mentioning. More frustration here: two of the three sinks had no hot water. Raise your hand if you don't love washing your hands with ice-cold water in the middle of winter! No toilet seat liners, and I'm not sure what the deal was with the mop bucket taking up part of a stall, but it was definitely weird.

Went for breakfast this morning, was not impressive at all. Breakfast sandwich was not prepared as we asked for. Veggie omelet was greasy and lacked flavor. Overall value was very weak. Will not go back for breakfast, maybe give lunch a 2nd chance. This place used to be to be very crowded, what happened?

One stop shop to meet all your Jewish Deli, restaurant, and bakery needs. You can easily find traditional foods served in generous portions at reasonable prices here. As this place tends to get quite busy, you should be prepared to move quickly and efficiently so that other guests can get served quickly as well (and even consider making a reservation in the restaurant during peak hours). Parking here is fairly easy as the lot is quite large.

Max and Benny's offer such hearty and delicious meal options! I had a soup and half-sandwich, which were both delightful. I even had leftovers because they will definitely fill you up! Can't wait to go back. They also have two back rooms for larger events/parties.

My husband and I met some friends at Max and Benny's Restaurant who recommended it. When I sat down, our server yelled at us to ask us who wanted coffee. I ordered the Ashkenazi French Toast. This was French toast cut and fried. It was petty good. I also ordered a side of sausage. My husband ordered the Corned Beef Hash Eggs Benedict. I was disappointed with this dish as it was pretty flavorless. Overall, the food was OK, but it didn't meet my expectations.

On Thursday 12/26/2024 at approximately 1:10-1:20pm my wife and I visited the restaurant, upon entering the deli side of the restaurant we had to stand and wait for at least five (5) minutes before anyone had acknowledged us to place our order, once we were finally acknowledged by the staff member behind the counter (Robert G.) he was very unprofessional and very short with my wife and I who was trying to place our order. He kept becoming very short with us continually asking us is there anything else and kept rushing us not allowing for us to properly place our order . I would like to conclude that my wife and I dine at this restaurant frequently and when we come we spend a fair amount of money for our order, but after this poor customer service that we received today I think that it will be awhile before want to spend my money for poor service.

I didn't try the dine in part just the walk in bakery side. Initially, upon entering, it looks like a cute mom and pop type bakery. You see the traditional big glass cases with the various products being presented on shelves. The set up is confusing because there's different counters, and I'm not sure if they're independent of each other. The counter where I got my food gave you a ticket to pay at one specific register counter. There aren't any signs or labels, so we had to ask the employee where to pay. There aren't any prices anywhere, so I would ask before you get stuck with anything. To be honest, none of the food items look fresh. However, I will give it to them that most things were more shelf stable type of items like bagel chips and cookies. I got a supreme pretzel dog (filled with a hot dog, cheese, and peppers). I thought I would be able to eat it right away, but it was cold and definitely in need of warming. This was disappointing as I wanted it for a quick snack. It would be nice if there was an option to get it warmed. However, this further increased my thoughts that things have just been sitting in the cases for a while. Later, when I got home I heated my pretzel dog up in an air fryer and it was nothing special. Even after heating it up, the cheese tasted stale and the contents flavorless. I think I could've gotten something better from Auntie Anne's. I'm sure there is good stuff here, maybe I just picked the wrong thing.

Good food and fresh! Sit-down service can be a little slow when they are full (they are usually full), but the waitstaff has always been super nice. There is a ton to choose from and everything we've had has been good.

This is to answer the question "What is Door County chicken salad?" I went online and saw the name comes from a recipe using Door County cherries so I was disappointed that my sandwich didn't have cherries. Our server Emma found out for me that the kitchen uses red grapes and dried cranberries - not bad for texture and taste as opposed to the regular chicken salad ($1 less). Though there was celery in the salad, I wished the sandwich came with some leafy greens. The Cole slaw was nice but not much quantity. The rye bread was delicious and there were generous chunks of chicken. Nice casual atmosphere. We only go this far north to visit a friend so it's not a place we'll visit much but I'd recommend it for the menu variety

Max and Benny's is your typical diner, where they serve everything from breakfast items, like omelets and pancakes, to sandwiches like their famous Rueben sandwiches. The place was pretty packed when we went... I ordered the grilled chicken sandwich, to make myself feel better for eating healthier and it was A-OK. I ordered the matzo ball soup and it was good. Nothing like a hot soup on a hot day. The table came with complimentary bread. I really enjoyed the onion rolls. Coffee was slightly watered-down, but my cup was always full. Service was good, and everything was pleasant. BATHROOM REVIEW: Decent, clean, and it got the job done. Sit or squat? Squat.

Never had a better Reuben. Lean, juicy corned beef stacked high with a slim slice of Swiss cheese on top piled onto perfectly grilled (not toasted) rye bread. Tangy cole slaw and a whopper of a kosher dill pickle on the side. Too much to eat at lunch, took half home. No need to snap a picture -- it looks exactly like the shot from their web site here. If you want the true Reuben experience you'll get it here.

I go there for other people Nostalgia. Food is dos do . Heartburn guaranties . Over priced

Great Matzoh Ball Soup, hot sauce galore. Love the deli and the iconic black/white New York cookie. Taste like bubbie's and Papa's home cooking. Great value for the gelt.

The food at the restaurant was good, but the service was brash. Paid and tipped the waiter, no problem. I was put off when, after buying $65 of high priced food at the deli counter, they asked for a tip between 18% and 25% in their credit card system. I found this incredibly rude. I wont' be back.

When I was growing up in Chicago, there seemed to be a decent Jewish delicatessen nearby. Frances' on Clark used to be a steam kitchen, and Manny's on Jefferson Street. Both have changed. Driving out into the suburban hinterlands of Northbrook, along a nondescript mall next to a highway, is Max and Benny's. This is a flagship deli, a takeout store with a bakery, meats, soups, sandwiches, and frozen food. Next to it is a vast dining area. The menu has all the favorites you would expect in a deli. The service is speedy and friendly. We ordered a pastrami on rye, sweet & sour soup, and matzo ball soup. All were spot on; though, given we are in a shrinkflation age, the servings are smaller than before the pandemic. This place is worth going to.

Max & Benny's is always Dependable, always clean, always friendly, and always really good food. Today, late morning on a Wednesday, it was very slow and pleasant, and quiet. What I'm told is that early mornings it's usually jammed but it has begun to slow down since they are opening later, at 8 a.m. now. The crowd is mixed between business breakfast and senior citizens, the former group annoying and the latter group warms my heart. On weekends, it's absolute mayhem in here... families and babies, zeides and old ladies. It's a wonderful scene, something as great as the food. I believe midweek dinner hour is the same.

Food and service were very good. Overall the breakfast satisfied my cravings. It is your traditional breakfast. The restaurant looked clean and well kept.

I ordered an open-faced, roast turkey dinner. The stuffing was AMAZING, the mashed potatoes and gravy like home-made, and the turkey was tender and delicious. The best hot turkey (and stuffing) I've had. The Pick-up wait on a Friday night was 45 minutes! There was a guy in a hat meeting pick-up customers almost yelling, 'the foods not up yet. ' We all looked at each other, but food was outstanding. I didn't need that guy yelling at us for inquiring about time (that's one star).

A friend who is in the Chicago area more than I am suggested a group of us go to Max and Benny's for lunch. As someone who is not local, I want to be sure my review is about this experience on its own and to not compare it to "similar" experiences elsewhere. This is a combination deli/diner, with a very large seating area (2 separate rooms) and you walk past the deli part on your way to the table (sort of a teaser I guess). We received excellent and friendly service the whole time. I noticed that a number of earlier reviews mention less good service, and I wonder if intentional improvements were made. It was tough knowing what to order, since I wanted to try some of the deli meats. They solved that for me by having a special for the day, a "Triple Threat," which was a 3 sliders, one of roast beef, one of pastrami, and one of corned beef, served with a very small side of cole slaw and a pickle spear. The meats on all the sliders were tasty and VERY lean. Knowing now how small the side of cole slaw was, I would have ordered more as a side dish, because I enjoyed it a lot. We received a plate of the same rolls as our bread for the meal as were used for my sliders - soft inside, slight crispiness to the crust, but room temperature. I think more freshly made rolls, or maybe even microwaved for 10 seconds, would have made them better. Others in my party ordered omelets - these contain a LOT of meat/ingredients in them. Coffee came out quickly and was refilled about every 5 minutes. But with regard to the coffee, I'm in this "scratch my head and smirk" place. When we received our bill (which you can pay online by scanning the QR code on the bill, a nice touch), I noticed it actually said Kona Coffee. I really can't see that in the Chicago suburbs, you're going to receive a full mug of Kona coffee with generous refills for only $2.95. My guess is it's perhaps a Kona blend, but I'm not sure how much Kona you actually get - still good coffee though. If I lived locally, I'd certainly come here often.

Fast, delicious and Friendly. Extensive menu always made fresh. It's always a treat to go to Max and Benny''s.

Update From January 27, 2024 review: Expect some very nice and attentive staff at their deli counter. However, this time after many visits over the years this one was a bit disappointing. The (take out) corned beef had seemed kind of dry for the nearly 25 bucks a lb. The creamy cole slaw, the large kosher pickles, the challah and onion rolls, the chocolate chip cheesecake slice was ALL good though. Troubling was e-mailing them and subsequently phoning them, the defensive position of Sid the "frontline manager" was troubling. Especially in light of how expensive they've become, like many places. Adding to all of this, I found a hair in the coleslaw to go portioned sized container (ewwww!) on Feb. 26th visit. A second chance.

Service is excellent if it's not insanely busy. The food is like home cooked . The turkey is roasted fresh daily. My favorite is hot turkey! Desserts are fresh and delicious.

This joint used to be good and reliable. Last time me and my brother went there. Bout a year ago. Some unfriendly old man treated us like we were the biggest rednecks on earth and the place was dead empty. It was bizarre. The only term I can come up with 4 it is "devastation"

Max and Benny's restaurant just started with a dedicated gluten-free area and gluten-free menu. as someone who has a family member with celiac I really appreciate what they have done. They seem to be taking it really seriously and seem to have trained their staff well and it is great that they have a dedicated fryer and areafor people who need it.

Top notch Matzo balls and matzo ball soup. Love the sandwiches an of course Lox bagels!

Good deli fare. I love me a good soup-and-a-half! Chopped Liver is also pretty good.

This is the best deli I've ever been to! Love the corned beef on rye! Great soup! Service is great, and it's always busy and bustling. They have a wonderful bakery with really cute frosted cookies that my daughter loves to get whenever we go. A definite must if you're out in the burbs. Great food, cozy vibes, and friendly service.

Had an amazing lunch here today! I brought some people who haven't had the deli experience before and this did not disappoint. It was busy, but I had a reservation for 7 so no waiting. The server was great, fast, attentive, polite. Not that many good Jewish delis around anymore, this one is the real deal.

Pros - service at the deli, corned beef, potato pancake, clean space Cons - kinda pricey but most places like this are, super busy lunch time - but nothing wrong with that Heard about this place a million times. Was in the area. I read the mixed reviews took the risk - glad I did. Ordered corned beef reuben, potato pancake, piece of keugel, onion bialy and Mish mosh soup. Reuben was generous and potato pancake was fresh. The 1000 island dressing was on point. Will try out the Mish mosh for dinner. Looks great. Would come here again.

Toni was a lovely server, giving us everything we ordered and then some. The corned beef, pastrami, and brisket were all excellent. High quality meat always shines through. The soups were exquisite - perfect clear chicken broth with a huge matzo ball and optional extras at no charge, such as noodles, rice, and chicken/veggies. Tasty potato pancakes served with sour cream and applesauce. Too stuffed for dessert, but we hopped to the shop on the other side to pick up cookies and macaroons for later.

Food was awesome. Service was great. Ambience is what is supposed to be a deli will definitely go back. Will be going back there soon. It's very good restaurant.