In a society without comfort food, potatoes would go unmashed, cheese unmelted, and empty ice cream cones would be repurposed to store car keys. Melt your hunger away with today's Groupon: for $15, you get $30 worth of gourmet comfort food at Max's Wine Dive on San Jacinto Boulevard. Though this Groupon is not valid for alcohol, stop in for Max's Sunday brunch, happy-hour food specials, or dinner.

Max's Wine Dive is renowned for its culinary-chutzpah-filled dinner menu, which turns chili dogs and burgers into gourmet flavors. Their fried chicken was deemed one of America's Best by Travel + Leisure. Try the signature Texas haute dog (a Strube Ranch Wagyu hot dog topped with your choice of beer-braised sauerkraut, Dijon mustard, pickles or chili, jalapenos, and cotija cheese, served with fried onion strings and frites; $14). Or opt for the Kobe beef burger (a Strube Ranch Wagyu Kobe beef burger with Belletoile triple-cream brie, in-house pickled jalapenos, local hothouse tomatoes, and organic Bibb lettuce, served with frites; $17), another favorite. If you're feeling ravenous, hang a fang in the all-you-can-eat fried chicken and waffles (chicken thigh, leg, and breast with jalapeno and buttermilk marinade, deep fried, served with a waffle; $19) during Sunday brunch. Woman's Day once named Max's grilled cheese (Gruyère, provolone, and roasted red pepper, served with a cup of tomato soup; $13) one of the 10 best in the nation.

Max's is an easygoing spot with attentive servers who are friendly without always creepily hugging you and boasts a spacious, airy dining room with a jukebox pumping killer tunes. Private or corporate events (not included with this Groupon) such as Civil War reenactment meetings and CEO pillow fights can retreat underground to Max's Underground—a basement-level 2,000-square-foot private dining space.

Valid at Austin location only.

Reviews

Max's original Houston location is one of Bon Appetit's 10 hottest wine bars in the country. Texas Monthly named Max's Kobe burger one of the top 20 burgers in the state, and Woman's Day named Max's one of the 10 Greatest Grilled Cheese Sandwiches. Max's was also featured on Austinist, and in the Austin American-Statesman and Austin Business Journal. Travel + Leisure awarded Max's for having one of America's Best Fried Chicken:

• Cooks soak the chicken for 24 to 36 hours in a jalapeño buttermilk marinade before deep-frying to order, which allows just enough kick to pair surprisingly well with a flute of champagne. – Travel + Leisure

Eighty-four percent of more than 85 Urbanspooners like the Austin location, and more than 100 Yelpers give it an average of 3.5 stars:

• The food a [_sic _] great deal, super quality, and nice portions. Will definitely go again! – 78703foodie, Urbanspoon
• Burger...was drippy, and spicy, and juicy, and omigod. And huge. Plus the meat was ultra high quality which was immediately obvious upon first bloody bite...Haven't had a burger like this in Austin that I can remember. – I'll Try It, Urbanspoon