Maxwells Beach Cafe in Arnolds Park

Perfect summer spot

There is no better way to wrap up a day on the lake than dinner at Maxwells. Consistently wonderful.

Best place to eat in the area

Great coconut shrimp appetizer! The staff is VERY accommodating to customers. Elegant inside seating or comfortable outside seating with a lively vibe and gorgeous lake view.

Great food and service. Steve an team are doing a great job

Horrible ! Do not recommend eating here ! Took our family of 4 to what we thought was " a cafe" like they advertise. To our shock it was not. It is an overpriced, and lousy food quality type of place. Filed a complaint about our order with the management who also was rude, and finally just paid the bill to keep from causing a scene. The shrimp cocktail was nasty with a sour taste, my new York strip was the worst I have EVER seen to include 3/4 of it being gristle and coming out raw when i asked for it to be cooked medium.. There are so many other things i could say but will keep it short. I hope that everyone will read this comment and don't waste your time. Only leaving one star because thats the minimum allowed.

Steak was served completely raw, could not eat it at all. Not only that but it was filled with cartilage. Service was bad- had to wait 40 minutes to get our ticket. Still had to pay full price after spitting out the food, talking to manager, and having to wait.

Always enjoy coming here for lunch. Took my wife, aunt, and grandparents here for an awesome little lunch date. Had the Italian Nachos, and the Iowa Burger. Solid all around. The vibe is probably what you’d go more for. Enjoy!

I got the macadamia crusted halibut. I also made the mistake in thinking it's possible to get good tropical fish in the Midwest.

Food is excellent, wine list offers great options and the service is terrific!

Very disappointed, pasta was hard, hamburger not cooked all the way through, food was ok nothing to brag about!

Food was alright I guess... service horrible...waited forever for everything

I went to Maxwell’s beach cafe for dinner and the food was amazing. The people there were so kind and awesome too! I had the scallops and it was so good! One of the best dishes I have ever had! One of my friends had the pork chop and the dish was huge! The raspberry sauce and crepes that came with it were to die for! Also, the people that work there are super accommodating and friendly and our glasses were always full! I will definitely be going there again!

We dined at the start of their dinner hours in the covered outdoor seating. The staff was friendly and we were seated quickly. Based upon curb appeal, we were quite surprised by the high menu prices. I ended up ordering their cheddar burger (I wasn’t mentally prepared to spend $25-$35+ for an entree). It tasted great, but there was no wow (bun, burger, cheese, lettuce, tomato) and the smallish side of fries didn’t, in my opinion, justify the $15 price. To give Maxwell’s a fair shake, perhaps they have high prices since they are so close to the lake. We may give their lunch menu a try, but I doubt we would do dinner their again due to the mismatch between the dining atmosphere and food pricing.

Have dined here several times, this review is for an 8/27/2018 meal which is towards the end of the visitor season. Granted the Okoboji visitor season is very seasonal and dependent upon college/high school help, our last experience was unfortunately poor in nearly every respect. After receiving our drinks and appetizer, it was 50 minutes until our meals were served. Our food arrived just passably warm and the scallop entree had only three rubbery scallops among a pile of noodles. The salmon entree was very small. It took nearly 5 minutes to have a dropped fork replaced. On this night there were probably better dining experiences available for much better value.Overall the food was overpriced and took far too long to be served.

Good food. Best place to eat at Arnolds Park.

Food was good when we ordered take out 2 week ago but when we tried to order tonight at 4:40 and no one in their restaurant we were told no take tonight. We have tried to support local restaurants during the COVID, but how about Maxwell's supporting customers who aren't comfortable dining in.

Very good would definitely go back.

Best Restaurant on the Lake!!! The food is amazing!! Wheither you want a patio lunch or an elegant meal inside Maxwells is the place to go!! Love taking friends and family to Maxwells!! They never disappoint!! ⚓️

Excellent service for families with small kids on the patio.

We had a lovely dinner tonight with excellent service & a great atmosphere.

Good food and good service!

Fabulous place to eat

Good food nice view of lake

I am a local to the area and Maxwell’s is always my top choice for a great meal! The menu has a great selection from tasty appetizers to filling meals. Overall a great restaurant with delicious food and welcoming service!

They said they couldn’t do separate checks and only allowed us to choose from the patio menu

I consider this the best restaurant in Okoboji. Great food, friendly staff, and thoughtful wine list. You can't beat the view of the beautiful lake, and Arnold's Park. I'd encourage reservations on weekends, the place fills up!

Beware that the menu inside the restaurant is different than outside. This is a review for the inside, which is billed as more of a "classy" and "upscale" restaurant.The food here was permissible; not fantastic but not terrible either. I ate the Halibut which was crusted in macadamia nuts and glazed with some honey sauce. It also came with some bland spring rolls. Overall, the food was overpriced and took over 45 minutes to prepare. To top it off, the place had a mildewy smell, assumed to be from recent flooding. Ultimately if you're looking for good food at a fair price and at an upscale place, you may wish to look elsewhere.

Delicious lakefront dining. Inside for a more elegant experience, outside for a more casual experience.

Great food with an awesome atmosphere! Can't wait to go back already!!

Warm hearted people with welcoming smiles. Pleasant atmosphere that is complimented by excellent service. The seafood selections such as the lobsters were amazing. Chicken breast were tender and sweet. Fine selection of wine and a satisfactory closure with a slice of cake. Compliments to the Chefs and kitchen staff.

Great service and very impressive food. Don't come here for a cheap dinner, come here to treat yourself to something special.

Delicious food and a nice view of the lake. Our server, Sean, was awesome and that made the experience even better. Try the Italian nachos--you won't be disappointed.

Great food and drinks, good service, delightful atmosphere 👍

Went there by myself and they put me in a corner by two large parties. I sat there for almost a half-hour and the waitress didn't even look at me. She was way more concerned about serving wine to the large groups. I walked out and will not go back. I have been there several times this summer with any problems until tonight.

It really is very good. Double bone in pork chop with Iowa pork was cooked perfectly and very delicious. They have a mule flight which I strongly recommend. The arugula watermelon salad was very refreshing.Manager stopped and chatted for a few minutes after which was a nice touch.

We love Maxwell’s! The calamari and italian nachos are amazing appetizers and my family loved them. Can’t go wrong with any of the mules or other summer drinks on the menu. Highly recommend the cucumber mule and the blueberry lemonade. Be sure to ask your waiter what they recommend and for the specials. Best food on the lake. Our go to for special occasions!

Good food, good service

My wife, 2 young children, and I all enjoyed our visit to Maxwell's. I had the Prime Rib, which was exceptional, and my wife had the filet. The servers were very helpful and extremely attentive. We will definitely be coming back in the future.

5 stars for service, 5 for atmosphere. Food so-so & overpriced.

This is the perfect place to eat if you are down by the amusement park. The food is incredible, the service is great, and the views can’t be beat!

Very good food. Plenty of staff, even on a weekday at noon! Our waitress was polite and efficient. An overall nice experience and atmosphere!

Excellent service and food was good. Environment is what it is famous for! Will not disappoint in that regard! Great place for a crowd of friends to go!

This was our first time here. It is a fun, busy, shaded patio with a view of the lake and great people-watching. We loved the coconut shrimp and the shrimp pasta (both feature really large shrimp) and the lobster bisque. The baked Brie was yummy and accompanied by a nice variety of fruit as well as the usual crackers. Everything else was good, however, those four dishes were outstanding. Our server did a nice job, especially considering how busy it was. And, the patio is dog-friendly! We will be back.

My husband and I have been going to Maxwells for as long as I can remember, first in the Emporium and now in the park. It is by far and away the best dining experience in the lakes area! When we heard new owners were taking over we wondered if the excellence in food and service would continue. We were there a month ago and were delighted to see nothing has changed!! Fabulous food and attentive service-we are headed there this week to celebrate our daughter in law’s birthday - congratulations to the new owners!

The new York strip streak was not good at all, we received our meal and my girlfriend took a bite, it was completely raw not even cooked at all. She spit it out immediately!!!

Amazing place. Classy on the inside, bit we choose to sit outside. Great view of the lake. Service was prompt and friendly, food came out quickly, and was absolutely delicious. Will definitely be back to try more of the menu.

I’m a local and I always come here with my family and friends and we love it!😊

The food was delicious, filling, and overall wonderful! I will return here in the future!

Great experience here! Super friendly staff and great food. My dad and I both have celiacs disease; eating gluten makes us very sick. Our waitress, Kailee, knew so much about the menu and was willing to work with the kitchen to make sure our food was gluten free. We are so well and felt very taken care of. Thank you Kailee and Maxwell’s!!