Since moving to Watertown in mid-August I have been having an absolute blast exploring my new neighborhood. On Mt. Auburn Street, just steps from my front door, is a lunch and dinner spot called Maximo's.
When you walk in, directly in front of you is the counter. The menu is written in chalk behind the register and people come in and out picking up take out.
At the counter you can buy Lindt truffles for 50 cents or York Peppermint patties for 10 cents. My kind of place!
We were having a tough time deciding what to order, so one of the friendly servers offered us menus to take with us to our table (it's seat yourself). The menu had so many fantastic options we were totally overwhelmed.
Maximo's has six tables in their dining area, all with great views of Mt. Auburn Street.
After we ordered and were waiting for our grub, I started to notice the decor. One whole wall of the restaurant is covered in photographs of famous musicians. I wasn't quite sure how that connected with the rest of the space or the menu, I'll have to ask the next time I go in.
On the left side of the restaurant is a smaller counter with free water, ketchup, mustard, hot sauce and more.
Our first course was delivered to our table and we were ready to dive in. We decided on the hummus and falafel chips. The hummus was clearly made in house. It had a great texture and a little less garlic flavor than I'm used to. The falafel chips tasted like my favorite Food Should Taste Good multigrain chips, but twice as thick.
For the main course my dinner date ordered the Thai peanut salad which came with spinach, red cabbage, soba noodles, carrots, roasted red peppers, cucumbers, broccoli and big chunks of tofu. The salad came with a side of thai peanut dressing.
I could not get over how beautiful and fresh this salad looked! Vegetarian or not, you have to appreciate a dish this bountiful.
I was tempted by many things on the menu - white bean bruschetta, the grilled vegetable sandwich, the tofu burrito, the portabello burger - but ultimately decided on the grilled cheese sandwich. Unlike most restaurants who put tomato, avocado or bacon in their grilled cheese, Maximo's adds mushrooms and sage. The flavor combination was incredible!
Instead of french fries (which aren't even on the menu), Maximo's puts a side of quinoa salad which includes tomatoes, black beans and corn. The salad was super delicious.
I had been wanting to try Maximo's since I first moved to the area and boy did they deliver! The restaurant atmosphere was very relaxed, the servers were noticeably friendly and the fresh, veg-centric food was awesome.
Visit Maximo's at 584 Mt. Auburn Street in Watertown and if you live locally, dial them up for free delivery!
