Max’s Restaurants, with multiple Bay Area locations, combine family-friendly eating with a blithe attitude. At Max’s Opera Cafe in Palo Alto, the waitstaff occasionally breaks into song, and Max’s Cafe in Redwood City is energetic and carefree, with a sign on the door reading “This is a bad place for a diet.” Indeed, the menus, which vary slightly at each restaurant, feature oversized plates of sandwiches, snacks, burgers, pastas, salads, seafood, meat loaf, and carb-conscious meals. The sandwiches are undoubtedly the favorite, including the chicken muffuletta, the Reuben, and club sandwiches named after local celebrities that frequent the restaurants. Entrée specialties include Roma tomatoes on fettuccine regatta, and the blackened rib eye. Desserts include the Niagara Falls chocolate cake layered with warm fudge and buttercream, Max’s Fantasy Torte with three flourless treats, and create-your-own sundaes. Full bar. Kids menu. Serving lunch and dinner daily.