Max Soha recently reopened after a complete renovation. They're still getting their sea-legs back, but I'm so happy to see a neighborhood gem return. From 9 to 3:30, they're serving breakfast and coffee with old favorites from Maxx Cafe. As someone who LOVED that cafe, I am happy to say that the almond biscotti is just as good as I remember. The service here is kind and efficient. If you miss the cafe as much as I do, consider stopping by for coffee.

The lamb ragu was divine bliss. One of those dishes you can close your eyes and taste after not having been in town for a few years. Where has it gone? Max Soha is a go-to. Beautiful, complex tastes. I discovered this place as a teen and it's been drawing me back for 20 years.

Excellent little Italian spot in the that’s stood the test of time - I have been frequenting it for going on 20 years. Reasonable prices, delicious fresh pasta and a cute cozy vibe. Great choice if you’re in the neighborhood.

My family is very fond of Max Soha, our homey Italian bistro. For three years my son and I met here for an early dinner before his school musicals, parent teacher conferences and school events. We like the salads and handmade pastas. Always found waitstaff very friendly and attentive. Nice place also to wait late afternoons over a coffee or tea. Kitchen also adapted offerings for a vegetarian.

Rustic Italian eatery with a great raised patio seating area. Food is delivered quickly and it's magnificent. Make sure to check out the specials - I had a heartwarming risotto with broccoli rabe and prosciutto. The eggplant appetizer is highly recommended, too. Dogs are allowed to be tied to the outside of the patio area, but not allowed on the wooden platform itself (and they allow pups to sit beside tables when they expand beyond the raised patio in warmer weather).

Reliably well-made Italian food with an authentic "home-cooked" feel to it, so this is a frequent favourite for me. Portions are very generous, and the prices are reasonable by NYC standards. Cash only, as many others have mentioned. Service is brusque but efficient.

One of the best neighborhood restaurants in all of New York. The food is consistently amazing, and the restaurant is cheap and cheerful. The most expensive thing on the menu is the steak dinner at $25. Couldn't ask for a nicer staff! We've had to birthday parties they're already. Bring cash only.

Max Soha is a classic, homey, and nice Italian restaurant in Morningside Heights. Whenever I am craving a good "homemade" italian style meal I visit Max Soha. The food is good, the pasta is fresh and the service is always good. I love their tomato sauce and the meatballs as a starter. The restaurant offers a selection of $20.00 wines which are always nice. The atmosphere is very relax and laid back. Do not expect anything out of the ordinary, this is just good, laidback, and homey food. My favorite pasta is the casarecce a la norcina a creamy and lightly flavored truffle and sausage pasta that is 10/10!! Did I mention the fresh bread??!

A very pleasant experience! I had the Fettuccine Al Sugo Toscano. The pasta was divine and the meat sauce.... I wish I could eat this for every meal. For dessert we had the red velvet cheesecake which was an experience in itself. The atmosphere was wonderful and I will readily return any time I'm in the area.

The service was great the food was delicious. Had the fettuccine with Italian sausage and chicken with tomato sauce so yummy. Portions were just enough. Had the creme brulee as a dessert and they played happy birthday for my mom thank you guys so much. Definitely will be coming back.

This is one of my absolutely most favorite restaurants anywhere! And we travel a lot. I love the intimacy of size, the service is always wonderful, the food is fabulous! I have never had a bad dish here! My favorite will always be the carpaccio!! Great presentation and wonderful flavors! Portions are excellent and the freshness is much appreciated. Don't let the "cash only" be a distraction!! This is a delightful place to eat no matter what the reason is why you're there!!

Accepted my credit card! Not cash only as of 01/22/23. Incredible spaghetti Al pomodoro, I am in a state of euphoria afterwards. And it was only $14 for a very good portion size! Highly recommend stopping in, the natural light and interior is beautiful as well. Service with a smile here!

First time back to Max Soha since the pandemic hit. Food and service is still excellent and at fantastic prices, as usual. While I skipped the outdoor seating this time, it looks well constructed and has heaters - certainly I will be back for it one day. Looking forward to continuing supporting this local business in the neighborhood.

My favorite spot since 2016!! I’m a loyal customer. The food is always good. I love the penne vodka and pasta carbonara 🙌🏻 During the pandemic they followed all the guidelines and still managed to make their customers happy. They use to be cash only but I think they changed that due to the pandemic for convenience.

We had dinner here and the food was absolutely amazing. Staff were very accommodating to our wishes (we ate outside despite the weather and altered our dishes slightly). Food is very affordable and portions are perfect. We will definitely be coming back and bringing friends!

The fettuccine lamb dish was perfect as was the caprese appetizer and mixed green salad. The flavor of the tiramisu was on point. The service was quick and very personable even with a busy time. But there is limited seating, so reservations would be ideal for a larger group. Can’t wait to return.

Very cosy and quaint atmosphere with amazing Italian food!

The food here was INCREDIBLE. The drinks were good but not great, but the food. Holy mother the food. I will be eating here at least once a week for my remaining time in NYC.

It's a little small inside but it's quaint. The only thing that sucks is the bathroom is downstairs and very small. So if you're older or handicap is not the place for you but the food is good.

I love this place the pastas are so fresh and the bruschetta is always wonderful

Delicious food. Excellent service. Cozy setting. Nice music.

Cute little restaurant, reasonable prices for great pasta, and friendly service!!!

Beet salad was amazing - lamb ragu, exquisite!

Best pasta I’ve eaten in ages! Had the daily special of spicy nduja sausage, mushrooms, a little cream - amazing. My husband had the carbonara and loved it. Good beer and wine selection too. Nice cozy and familiar atmosphere. My kind of place!

I came in for lunch on a Thursday with a friend and had a great meal. I ordered the Chipotle Chicken Panini and my friend ordered their pasta special. The server was very attentive and the food was delicious. Even though there was a couple at the table next to us, we were able to have conversations without it feeling like we were raising our voices despite the crowded dining room. The prices are extremely reasonable and I look forward to coming back very soon!

Delicious food but above all some of the best service I’ve ever received at a restaurant, my party of 6 felt so comfortable and thoroughly enjoyed our brunch as if we were at home. Thanks Lily and Juan for your excellent attention!

Great food, pistachio and ricotta cake is amazing, staff are wonderful! Lovely, relaxed atmosphere too.

Enjoyed the eggplant parmigiana and pistachio profiteroles! Delicious!

Me and my friends went for some food the restaurant has great vibes and the employees are so sweet and the food was amazing !.

It is a very beautiful place, you can appreciate very rich dishes and not very expensive, you can also try good wines!Desserts are made at home! the best of the day!

nice and cute place with super delicious food

Best pasta near Columbia.. I love this place

So good. Homemade pasta. Sauces are on point. Good wine selection. Be advised the only take cash. So worth it

I love this place - they have affordable everyday deals on wine (~$20 bottles). Every dish I've had is fantastic and well portioned - great flavors (sometimes a little tiny bit too salty, if I'm being particular). The staff hasn't changed in my 3+ years going, which seems like a good sign! I'm a huge fan of their grilled calamari appetizer and their squid ink pasta main dish. Rarely a wait - but be warned, it is cash only.

The place is small, but the tables are not bunched to close to each other. The food & service were fantastic. I will definitely keep going back until I have had every menu item.

Love this place. the pasta is AMAZING--the penne alla vodka, the gnocchi, and the eggplant tomato pasta. The service is attentive and the prices are so reasonable and a breath of fresh air for city prices. Takeout is also very quick and efficient. Definitely recommend if you are in the Morningside Heights area.

We came in for tea and a small bite to eat. The rustic eggs were absolutely amazing. The atmosphere was calm yet invigorating. Lily, our server was so attentive and nice! Definitely recommend

Great food, good ambiance and amazing staff, big shout-out to Juan who made our Valentine’s Day special with his friendliness and warmth.

Fabiola Rojas

Such a friendly place with warm ambience and delicious food. We ordered their beet salad, a chicken pesto panini, and a fig and cheese bruschetta. I don't think we left a single leaf on the plate. So delicious. And again, very kind and helpful people working there.

Ireena Gurvich

We’ve been eating at Max for over 15 years. Love it 100%. Totally yummy. And the nicest people.

+1

Shanice Aaron

I come here almost all the time to eat breakfast as a student. It’s such a cute ambience cafe and I love your breakfast. The staff are very kind and especially the eggs and coffee here are so good. Support your local business ❤️☀️🍊

Olcay Sert

friendly staff, delicious food. great for breakfast and lunch. Highly recommended. I had their lunch spaghetti with vegetables (topped with shrimps). My friend had avocado solmon toast. All amazing.

Jessica Ordeñana

Wow wow wow, what a spectacular gem in Harlem! We had a great bday dinner, had chicken parm , fettuccine pesto shrimp pasta and chicken risotto. Outstanding service, food, desserts. Let me tell you, every single dessert is light, decadent, just enough sweet. We had chocolate moose cake, hazelnut cream cake and my favorite banana Nutella gelato with cafe lattes. You won't be disappointed, come and support. Thank you so much Nick

+2

Neal Wilkinson

We love Max Soha. Our trip to NY was made extra special by our exquisite breakfasts. Amazing French Toast and coffee. Looked after by our host and his staff. What a treat. Thank you!

扣子Coconuts

I really hope no one finds this gem ever — great vibe, great homemade pasta specials, great daily fresh juice, lovely furnitures, staff and music. Woah. I will come every night if I can. But again, I really hope no one finds this place ever, so I can keep it to my heart.

Francisco Santibañez

Haven't been here since early last year. This is my new regular now. After going to Via Carota yesterday and being extremely disappointed I wanted to come back to Max Soha and see if my first impression was blinded by not having tried many restaurants in NY at that time. With my wife we had 2 pasta specials, 1 bruschetta and 2 desserts and I have to say everything was extremely superior to the highly hyped Via Carota (not to mention price friendly). Pastas were extremely good and the desserts were impressive...would highly benefit from having more cocktails though!

+2

Nicole Louie

Came here as a group of 5 people. We got a couple salads, pasta dishes and the salmon. It was very tasty and well cooked.

+4

AGG

Wonderful food. Very unique pasta smell and taste. Very surprised to have a powerful sensory experience from takeout food. Much recommended!

Kyle Wilkinson

13/10 this place will blow your socks off. The three of us couldn't decide on 3 entrees so we got four. The seafood risotto was today's special and it was exquisite. We also got lasagna, black seafood linguine, and linguine calabrese. Would 100% recommend you check this place out

Tony Zhang

The gnocchi is really delicious! And the service is good and decoration is comfortable. We also took house tea which is less sweet than I expected. The restaurant is cash only so you need to notice it and bring enough cash.

Delicious Italian food in Harlem. It honestly could be one of my top pasta places in the city (and that says a lot) its has a great homemade, cozy quality with great specials. Everything tastes fresh and authentic. The only negative is that its cash only, so make sure to hit the ATM before you go! (The Risotto is highly recommended)

Excellent unpretentious Italian food. Very affordable for the quality. We (four of us) had the beet salad, grilled vegetables, porcini risotto, a very tasty ravioli, all washed down with a fine Nebbiolo. We shared a truly outstanding chocolate cake. All in all, a great meal.

The gnocchi is great. I find it really hard to find well made gnocchi in the city. They thankfully take credit cards now (previously they were cash only). The wine list isn't great but it's a college area place.

Arrived around 10pm Sunday night. We were seated within a minute or two. We ordered a bottle of wine, which arrived promptly. The food came out in a reasonable amount of time and was all fresh and tasty. The only downside to this place was the wait staff... they were fairly prompt but very unsociable and made us feel borderline uncomfortable. If you just want tasty food and not to have to talk to anyone, this is your place.

Friendly, unassuming, nice service. Fabulous wine list if you like (relatively) ultra-cheap bottles of good quality. Our 2 pasta dishes were excellent, octopus salad very good. Bread of high quality. Espresso very good. Tiramisu decent and big enough for 2 to 4. Excellent “rapport prix-qualite” as the French would say.

My son and I had the bruschetta with mozzarella which was delicious. My son had the special ( sausage, shrimp, pasta and vegetables). I had the carbonara. The carbonara was a little too oily but other than that our meal was great. Great intimate atmosphere as we dined out by the street. The inside looked felt like this restaurant could have been easily set up in Sorrento or positano.

Perched on a corner, they have survived the recession and a changing neighborhood to become a valuable asset to a hungry international clientele. In the beginning, they were either fabulous or terrible depending on who was in charge on any given night. Even then it was fun to squeeze into one of their tiny tables, and now that those turbulent times are in the very distant past you can eat their great food. Good food is a creative process. Good wines too!!!

Great atmosphere and pasta! It took me back to my vacation to Italy. Service was friendly and desserts were yummy! Lost one star because they are "cash only".

Great Italian spot in the neighborhood. Only complaint is chicken was a bit dry. Other than that great food and service

Great italian place not far from Columbia, good options and affordable. Nice staff but only accept cash which is odd in the 21st century.

Nice and cozy restaurant …. I expected a bit bigger portions however food was tasty

I live next to Max Soha. I enjoy sitting outdoor at the happy hour. The pasta dishes cost $12 each and the drinks are as low as $5. Their service could be better. I stood outside for 10 min before the waiter came. He was not friendly, and he made me feel unwelcoming.

Loved the pasta and salad that I ordered. My friend ordered the lasagne (again) and also enjoyed that. Definitely coming back. My only issue was when I first arrived, I informed the host that XXX had placed the reservation, and that I did not see her. There was an outdoor sitting area, but it was not visible from where we were standing. So I asked if he could check if she had arrived. His response? "Well, I don't know!" (rolled eyes and all). I'd thought he had a tablet or computer he could guess. Even if no, the reply was unprofessional and most unexpected. Our waiter was also a little too pushy on the wines. My friend had a glass, but I was not drinking that night - the waiter kept asking me WHY I was not drinking throughout the night. The joke wore off quickly. I hope I just got unlucky that night, service-wise.

Splendid lasagna, though size was small. Cheesecake similar. Background music somewhat too loud for our taste. My date said that years ago, servings were larger. Oh, and price was a bit high considering the quantity.

Kevin Solano

The overall experience was good. I brought my family for Sunday lunch. It was a bit tight, but we made it work. The food was simple but good. Definitely a spot if you're coming with 2-3 people and is a casual setting.

Monica Puri Bangia

Decent food for lunch. We went there on a Sunday and had a beet salad with chicken which was a bit bland and nothing special. Had the pasta with tomato sauce which was decent and the lasagna which was quite good. It's average food for a quick lunch.

Keefe Ng

Ordered the lamb ragu pasta which was absolutely fantastic – pasta was cooked just nicely and the lamb was so tender it melted in my mouth. However, servers were pretty impolite and uninterested in service.

Maria Fernanda Alonso

Delicious Italian restaurant. The lasagna may be better if it has a thinner pasta. The salad was good, but nothing spectacular, just salad. The desserts were really good. We have a creme brulee and a mango cake.

My partner and I went here for lunch today. At the end of our meal, we were stared at by the female waitress whom we had while paying. She proceeded to throw my card on the table after seeing we weren't tipping more than 15%. It was unprofessional and made everyone involved uncomfortable. There were zero to little service interactions, so what did she expect? She didn't offer us water when we sat down. We asked and poured our own water after waiting a while. She didn't bring out our food. Someone else did. Heck, we don't even know her name 'cause there was no introduction! If there was barely any service, why would we tip more? It was also just plain rude to stare while a customer is paying, not sure if it's an NYC thing because I haven't seen it in Cali or elsewhere. Anyways, we won't be pressured in forking over more than what's fair just 'cause we're getting stared at. It only incentivizes us to tip less next time 'cause tipping is not an obligation, and it's really been getting out of control in our country. Just a shame since the food was pretty good, but we probably won't dine there again.

You get what you pay for here. You can’t order a NY strip for less than $30 and really expect much more than you get here. I find it hard to criticize too much at the price point but I got the Strip steak, girlfriend got the Marsala & we shared the Bruschetta app. Steak was under-salted, extremely undercooked (and I ordered medium rare), the sauce didn’t complement it well, and the potato side wasn’t memorable. Marsala was O.K.. I liked the sauce, the chicken was a little dry though and the mashed potatoes definitely came out of a cardboard box. Bruschetta was almost great, tomatoes could have been a bit more fresh. I’d still recommend this dish however. Overall, I probably wouldn’t come back here but wouldn’t say the food is bad. It’s affordable and if you don’t have a snobby palate you could enjoy it.

Very cute place, good prices. The people who work there are nice. 3 stars because the pasta I ordered (spaghetti with ragu) was overcooked and the sauce lacked flavor and salt- disappointing. The beet salad was good. If they could make their pasta better I would be going back all the time! Have also been for brunch, which is nice.

Cute and quaint place. Lunch pasta portion was really small though, felt like kids size and was hungry really quickly. Pasta taste-wise was quite authentic.

Had a reasonably good meal at Max Soha. What really stood out was the coffee ($2), which was strong and good tasting, and the diced eggplant in tomato sauce and basil ($6.95). That was a scrumptious dish. It went well with the nicely toasted bread that came with it. The grilled mixed vegetables ($9.95) were OK. A bit thin and not much to munch on. They were in a good tasting oil. That dish was not worth the money. My dining companion had the spinach pappardelle con funghi ($13.95) (crimini mushrooms & truffle-cream sauce) that he said was OK and at moments good. The bread that came with the meal was good. It came with a salsa. I was disappointed in the salad offerings which for $11.95 didn’t offer much. I would have liked to have ordered a dinner sized salad, but they had maybe 3 ingredients. Nice setting. Attentive staff. Has a neighborhood feel to it.

R D

The food was delicious and the service was good, but don't bother taking anyone for their birthday. Not only did I call ahead of time to let them know, but I also had to tell them again in person so that they could arrange something for my partner. (Of course, the person that I spoke to over the phone did not communicate this with the other staff). Even then they couldn't even simply write a happy birthday or even an hbd on the dessert. I was highly disappointed in that being that that was the most important aspect of the night.

We’ve lived on this street for 19 years. This was the only recommend place back then. And we used to come weekly for the amazing food and friendly service. Now - they’ve either sold out to a cheap restaurant group that cuts corners to pay rent - or else they still control the business and just don’t care. In any case the food is far inferior to what it used to be. Far more expensive for what it was. And the service is chilly - at best.

I’m still in shock lol I haven’t been here since the most recent revision.. otherwise I’ve been eating from this place for 7 years. I have never left here feeling hungry (but alas I was) I had one of the worst meals from a restaurant ever from one of my favorite spots. It’s a shame what covid, inflation etc has done to this city .. it’s obvious corners are being cut and the food just isn’t the same. I don’t think I’ll be back..

Once this was a great restaurant, but no more. I ate here recently wanting to revisit one of my favorite restaurants, but was appalled by what it has become. The revised MaxSoHa is just terrible, food uninspired and the place has lost the character it once had. I recall a time when you have to call a week or two ahead of time for a reservation, I should have been tipped off when I called and the hostess told me I should have no problem getting a table at 6pm. Years ago when I lived on the block this was my go to place, but sadly I will never return again. I got the carbonara, which ended up being a bowl of cream soup with cut up deli ham and overcooked pasta. The dinner was not just bad, it was crushing. Although the service was pretty attentive, so I do give them credit for that.

I have been to Max Soha three times now. The first two times the experience was great and the wait staff was very attentive and kind. However when I went there on Saturday (June 3) the white lady server was not only very impolite but didn’t even come once to our table despite us calling her over and over again. After seeing that we are asking for assistance repeatedly she just decided to send the person in the bar instead. Also the Chai Tea latte on this specific day tasted like sweet milk. I couldn’t taste the chai at all. Since the waitress wasn’t showing up I had to go to the bar to request someone to make my chai stronger and the person just added some tea concentrate in front of me and said that it was fixed.

The food was okay. However, for our group of 3, the restaurant requested a mandatory tip of 20% in the name of “college students tend to not leave tips”, which is ridiculous. The restaurant is not supposed to be dictate what’s the tip rate. It doesn’t matter who the restaurant is serving. What was also frustrating was that the restaurant messed up my bill with my friend’s (we paid for ourselves). So unprofessional! The food is mediocre for its price too. Really terrible experience.

Laura Colban

Great atmosphere. Sweet server. Disappointing food. Small servings of mediocre pasta and nice salad. The pasta was not homemade as promised. The pesto sauce was not authentic or good in any way.

We ordered takeout from this restaurant upon visiting the city because we were too tired to venture out for our first evening. We were disheartened to receive overcooked pasta with a bland sauce, and we both ordered different dishes with the same complaints. I took only a few bites and had to throw it out. Too bad with all the positive reviews.

After waiting for ten minutes to pick up my food at the door I wasn't greeted by any of the staff that breezed past me. I stopped one of them and gave him my name and told him I was there to pickup my order. Both staff members I spoke to seemed reluctant to give me the food I had paid for. My name was clearly printed on the ticket on the bag and uncommon enough to not be confused. The staff were rude and unprofessional. I immediately regretted spending my money here based upon their behavior and will not return.

I had loved the restaurant, but one of the waiters (the same person) refused to add hot water to my cup twice, maybe because I am Asian and was eating alone. I had never expected such a discriminatory treatment in the vicinity of Columbia University. I will never go there again.

Very weak air conditioning, food portions incredibly small, and had no plastic cutlery for me to take the food out of the hot restaurant to my hotel room.

The chicken Marsala was an incredibly basic meal. Dry grilled chicken and mashed potatoes with very little flavor. My wife and guests were VERY disappointed. Small portion size. We ended up eating leftovers afterwards. There are many options to choose from in UWS/Harlem and we really had high hopes for Max Soha. We will NOT go again.

The food was decent. It was overpriced. My friend and I had to leave and early and we left one friend to pay for us. The waiter directly told her to pay 10 more dollars in tip even though she paid 15%. The waiter took advantage of her being there alone and us being tourists. My other friend got food poisoning. I would go back to get our money back but never to eat again. Don't eat here unless you want to be taken advantage of.

The first time there I ordered a mashed lamb pasta with tomato sauce. It was decent, nothing spectacular but quite pleasant to my palette. But my second time ordering from them was a disaster. The spinach spaghetti with cream sauce is the worst pasta I have ever eaten. I almost threw up because the cream sauce tasted more like cream soup and incredibly nauseating. I will not order from them again given this bad experience.

Really not good pasta. We ordered lamb and bolognaise sauce pastas. Very disappointing. It was no lamb meat in the pasta or sauce. Bolognaise pasta was tasteless. Really don’t understand the good reviews???Also small portions for the price and it’s not cheap considering the quality and size. Much better Italian pasta for the same price in the neighbourhood. As someone said, go somewhere else. The place is small but cozy.

B Harrington

Closed for a private event on a very cold evening. There was no notice posted online or at the restaurant. This is the first time I am returning to this restaurant since I frequented the former Max Cafe up the street. It would have been courteous to guests to post something online that there would be a closure for a private event. Knowing that this is not part of the standard of service Max Soha purports, I will not risk trying this spot in the future.

Emi

This restaurant is very awful.I ordered carbonara but was served a pollo mode. Also I ordered my pasta al dente but it was too soft like a baby food, and so disgusting I couldn't eat it. I wasn't planning on tipping because terrible service, but when I got the bill,they told me the tip is included already 20%. Not acceptable with this service and quality. This is a restaurant you should not go to.I just wasted my time and money.