Maxine's Chicken and Waffles

132 North East Street
Indianapolis, IN 46204
(317) 423-3300
Maxine's Chicken and Waffles


I have been wanting to try this place for a while. As a new Indiana Pacers season ticket holder, I have begun to frequent the downtown area and its many new restaurants. Maxine's has been open since 2007. It is a family owned restaurant. My first impression when I walked in was that it was a lot bigger than I had thought.  To me, the decor seemed sort of cluttered.  Anyways, we arrived around 11am and were seated right away. I could see how Maxine's would be really busy when it isn't blizzard conditions outside.


If I could use one word to describe the atmosphere in Maxine's it would be busy. It seemed like they were overstaffed. The wait staff was running all over the place. This was a good thing because we never had to wait for help. In our case, we did need the extra help as a full glass of water was knocked over onto the table (motor skills were hindered from the previous night's activities). Our drinks were always full and our waitress was constantly coming over to see if we needed anything, but it wasn't to the point where she was annoying. She was very friendly and accommodating.

I decided to order off of the $5 menu. I felt obligated to order the dish for which the restaurant was named. I had 1 jumbo fried chicken wing and a blueberry waffle. Our food came out pretty quickly. The waffle was delicious. Only drawback was that I like my waffles with a little bit of a crispiness to them. This waffle was very soft. It was full of blueberry flavor though. As for the chicken, it was seasoned well and the meat was juicy and tender.  I would have preferred a different type of cut of chicken, but there is a disclaimer warning that other cuts are made to order and will take 20-35 minutes.  In order for me to rate this fried chicken as one of the best in the city, I will have to try the other cuts. In my humble opinion, some of the best fried chicken is from Jugs Catering. Just the thought of the big white truck with the man in the chef hat brings me back to the days of our church picnics, high school open house, and more recently working at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the Beverage Catering department.  (On a side note, if you crave fried biscuits and apple butter, you have to go to Squealers on W. 86th street and Moller Road. Review to come later) The cup you see is peach butter. I had no idea what it was, and assumed it was regular butter. To be honest, I thought it looked like a cup of scrambled eggs, and it wasn't too appealing. Also, I usually don't put butter on my waffles and upon leaving and hearing that it was peach butter, I was disappointed in myself in neglecting the peach butter. Next time will be different. Fool me once peach butter, shame on me. Fool me twice, strike two.

All in all, I would definitely consider a return trip. Knowing that the non-wing fried chicken is made to order, I will either call in for carryout or plan to be there for at least an hour. I recommend Maxine's if you are looking for a good homestyle meal or you are looking to cure the hangover blues (If the hair of the dog isn't around, I always fight the demons with something a little more heavy and on the greasy end of the food spectrum). In my case, it was the latter and it hit the spot.

Merry EAting!