Maxine's On Shine

Amazing food, service, and ambience! Kirt was the most gracious owner/host, welcoming everyone -- both regulars and first-timers -- like we and they are lifelong friends! Thank you, Maxine & Kirt, for making the world a better, more deliciously fun place! Cheers!

What a fantastic little gem! Was looking for a quaint spot for a Sunday Brunch to bring my parents to celebrate their 52nd Anniversary and Maxine's On Shine did not disappoint. The service was top notch, the drinks and food were excellent, and the overall experience was so enjoyable. Thank you Kirt for such an amazing experience and for making the morning a special one for my folks. If you have not met Kirt, he is so personable and you can tell how passionate he is about caring for his clientele, strong mark of a great establishment. I'm from out of town but my folks had such a great time and are so excited about Maxine's, that they are already planning to return sometime soon for the dinner experience. My brother ordered Thee Burger and thoroughly enjoyed it. My Bloody Mary was so flavorful. I had the Lobster Omelette and loved every last scrumptious bite of it; talk about decadent with plenty of real claw and lump lobster meat plus Andouille sausage! Mom had the veggie omelette with egg whites and Dad had the biscuits and gravy, which we all could tell were made from scratch, like so much of their menu. It's so apparent the amount of love and craft Maxine and Kirt have put into their menu as well as the establishment itself. The icing on the cake was the champagne toast, so delicious with a little drop of amaretto mixed in with the bubbly, we just had to get another round. The espresso martinis at the end were on point. My other brother showed up a little later with his family and dog, and Kirt and the staff were so accommodating and made it into such a pleasant experience for us all. If you have never been to Maxine's On Shine, I highly encourage you to check them out. I doubt you will be disappointed. Reservations recommended. Personally, I can't wait to return the next time I come back into town. I will definitely be back! Thank you Kirt, Steve behind the bar, and the entire service team for such a wonderful brunch. You guys are the best!

This place is tucked away in a quiet neighborhood in DT Orlando. The atmosphere in and out are terrific and the staff is attentive, polite, and committed to being present without being over bearing. That's the great part. The not so great part unfortunately was the food. I'd been wanting to try this place for a long time and magical dining was the perfect excuse. Ordered a glass of Sangria. it was pictured with fruit and expected to be refreshing but the wine was a bit dry and no fruit as pictured. We requested wine pairing but never noticed that it did not come but that's okay. Starter was the Green Turtle Cay Conch Chowder and the Lobster Roll Half - House Roll. The soup was okay but was a bit over seasoned but it be just be that way. The lobster roll was delicious, cool, light and tasty. The main course was 10oz NY Strip Steak and the Chef's selection Wahoo with seafood stuffed manicotti over red tomato sauces. The steak tasted like meat. There was no seasoning to speak of and the temp was right and the meat was tender it just lacked flavor and I probably could have had some steak sauce (but a good steak wouldn't need that). The mashed and asparagus were also okay but this was nothing special, a let down. The Wahoo Chefs special was over cooked and the green was extremely salty. The center of the fish was more flaky and delicate but too chewy. The manicotti was not hot, likely plated before the rest of the meal was ready. Desert. Kahlua Chocolate Mousse and Key Lime Pie. The pie was good though the crust had too much moisture so it had trouble retaining its structure. The mousse was okay, nothing really special with bits of chocolate mixed in that threw it off since a great mousse is a silky smooth texture enveloping the palate. Wife did not finish it. Towards the end of the meal the waiter notice the sangria not really touched and replaced the drink. Final thoughts: 2/5 for food; service 4/5 (a little slow but could have been busier than appeared); and atmosphere 5/5. We really wanted to love this place but left felling under whelmed and disappointed. Also, this is not a chain and though we could have asked to redo items or changed we didn't because honestly, we just wanted a relaxed and uneventful time. We may give it a chance in the future but likely not for a good while. This experience was really surprising given the high reviews. Maybe it was an off night.

The ambiance of this place is amazing! The lights are pretty. Mr. Maxine came to our table and thanked us for bringing our good vibes to the restaurant and that that was far out! He was great. Some of the drinks come delivered on a tray with a tiara, which is cute. Chicken pimento sandwich was very good! Very quality. No honey mustard or ranch for French fries, but no big deal. The chicken Maxine was fine, but not as good as the sandwich. It's a cute little hidden gem in a neighborhood. It's all street parking, but plenty of it and a wide street so no risk for your car getting hit. Service was top notch, very attentive. It's pretty pricey, but not terrible. Overall, a cool unique place to check out!

I want to love this place, but I just can't. I've had the tuna with mango salsa or whatever during magical dining and it tasted just like the time i slightly overcooked it at home (just mid, and something I regret ordering). I've been to brunch, also just mid, including the cocktails. Mid on Shine would be a more accurate name because there's nothing I've ever had that wowed me or made me want to go back. The service is fantastic, as is the ambiance, but I want the food to match those.

Great brunch! Love the friendly service and the home like environment! The owners are the best!

I love this place. I used to come here when it was an Italian restaurant way back in the 90s. I love what Maxine has done with it. Food is OK. Service is outstanding. It's intimate yet inviting I always meet the most interesting people when I'm here. Don't take my word for it. Come see for yourself.

We made a reservation for our anniversary dinner and I'm so glad we finally made it to this restaurant. Not only was the service AMAZING but the owner and her husband took time to welcome us and wish us a happy anniversary. They had plenty of local artwork featured which was very cool. The food was incredible too. Everything came out in a timely manner and freshly made. We also spoke to one of the chefs who told us more about each dish. All in all, you don't find restaurants like this anymore. Everyone made us feel so comfortable that we were happy to spend our money to support this restaurant. This is a hidden gem for sure. We will gladly be back soon!! HIGHLY RECOMMEND.

This place is super cute and in a lovely part of town. The service was fantastic and the ambiance was very artsy and cool. We sat outside and it was perfect for a 75 degree sunny day. My friend and I went there for brunch and shared the biscuits and gravy, cheese cigars and the fried green tomatoes and crab cakes. All of it was good but next time I'm going all in on the fried green tomatoes and crab cakes. Every part of that dish was so right.

Worst dining experience ever!!! The 6 of us were seated in the small room which was great; however, it went from great to horrible very quickly. We waited over an hour for food to arrive (never saw server once during this time) and when it did arrive it was awful - all six of us complained about the quality of the food (can you image a hard and very crispy omelette?). None of us are picky eaters. Maxine and the chef did try to make things right but you can't make our dining experience a good experience when the food and the service were dismal. All of us agreed this is a place we will not again patronize.