Saved by the Max: Jesse Approved!

Time out! We interrupt this normal food blog to bring you a bit of fun, silliness and neon lights galore. Bayside Tigers, grab your pom poms and secure your scrunchies. Turn up 'Friends Forever' on the radio, grab your books and get yourself a look.

Ok, time in!

It's kinda strange how many things from my childhood are coming back around. Full House has a successful reboot. Jurassic Park is still going. And now, you can even dine at the Saved by the Bell hang out spot: The Max. Today I share the vegan options I found at Bayside, and plentiful silly photo ops during my visit to the Saved by the Max Pop-Up Restaurant in West Hollywood.

Paging the 90's. Report to Belding's Office immediately!

Seven Things.

1) How does it work? Reserve your dining date and time online. Pay when you reserve. Reservations cannot be canceled but you can transfer to another person. You can choose dinner or brunch. We did dinner. You can choose Belding's Office or "at the Max" for your dining location. Belding's Office is right next to the main dining room, so it's not a big deal which "room" you dine in, however, if you have a choice - go for the "dinner at the Max' reservations.

After you are seated and sit down to order, then you can get up and walk around for photo ops. Sip some drinks. Water. Soda. cocktails. Whatever. Eat. Take more pics. People watch. Laugh. Sip drinks. Listen to awesome 90's music by the in-house DJ. Watch "saved by the Bell" show clips on the TV screens. Rummage through Kelly's locker. Check out the 'museum' of vintage props and goodies. Take more pics. Break the fourth wall and start narrating to your phone. Hang by the juke box and hope Kelly/Zack/Slater/Jesse shows up. Repeat and head home. Memories forever guys. Buddy bands not included.

2) Lighting Probs. It's not you, it's the lighting. Promise. For a restaurant that is basically made for Instagram photo ops, the lighting was pretty disappointing. Overheard spotlights and yellow tones everywhere. It definitely had the look and feel of a real burger joint, but still. Maybe a few crisp white lights or something where people are likely taking their pics. Or maybe even one of those fancy photo booths with really good lighting so people can have at least one pic that they feel good about. I heard numerous people complain about the lighting quality for pics while I was there. And I feel like I had to take a lot of shots to figure out the lighting a bit.

I saw one girl, in a spot-on Lisa jacket, taking photos with a "real" camera and her buddy photographer. Pro-blogging right there. I just did the scrappy thing and used my iPhone. If you really want great shots, be bold and bring a DSLR camera.

3) The drinks are extra. The pre-paid price to reserve your table is $40 per person. That includes and appetizer and entree. Anything else is extra. Our drinks were very good and worth the extra splurge for our Friday night out.

4) Ask about vegan options. When I first heard about Saved by The Max, I pretty much assumed vegan options would be out. But hooray for 2018. Even in Bayside, circa the 90's, vegan options abound. Pro-Tip: Plan ahead by emailing the restaurant your vegan status - tell them how many vegan diners you have - to give them a heads up. Then when you are there, your waiter/waitress should be able to easily explain to you your vegan options. No surprises. Funny fact: When you email them ahead of time the emails come from AC Slater, and whoever writes the emails stays in character. Fun.

5) Was the food good? It was definitely good. I think non-vegans have an easier, more flavorful time. But the quality of veggies was exceptional, so that was a huge win. My salad was technically slightly bland upon first glance, but I actually really enjoyed it. Pro-tip: Ask for avocado on your salad to boost the flavor and texture a bit. The burger I ordered (the vegan Impossible Burger) was good! However I was reallllly craving a bun and my vegan version burger only came on lettuce. Luckily, the fries were amazing and made up for it. If you are vegetarian you will still get an awesome regular-looking burger with bun and cheese. Vegans, you will have to do a lettuce bun. Note: I actually didn't double check on WHY they gave me lettuce instead of bread, but I am assuming there is a tiny bit of milk or even eggs in the bun. Which is actually pretty cool that they KNEW that without me even needing to ask.

And finally, our vegan dessert was AMAZING. Vegan brownie and ice cream with chocolate sauce. It tasted like coconut nut milk based ice cream. Whatever it was, it was dreamy. You will definitely have to special request that dessert (maybe in advanve via email! Slater should take care of you, but no promises...) - I am just not sure if they always have the vegan dessert options on hand. Off the menu.

6) Was it worth it? YES! Look, the food wasn't mind blowing, but I was just really happy that they easily and cheerfully accommodated a vegan. I definitely had a lot of fun and if you were a Saved by the Bell fan, you will be in awe. If you can snag reservations in LA, definitely go for it. Pro-Tip: If you can wrangle your friends, grab a group of 3-6 people and hope for a cozy booth. And dress up! Go all in. Wearing my Bayside tee definitely made me have a bit more fun.

7) How did you get reservations???? Ok, it may seem really hard to get reservations if you check For more info + reservations, visit: the site. But my trick was to get on the waitlist and as soon as you get an email, snag a spot. Also, if you live nearby, check for walk-in openings. There was definitely a 10pm lull the night we dined there. I am guessing they would've let people in.

Another trick: Go for Belding's Office. It is literally right next door to the main dining room. It definitely has a funny 'principal's office' vibe, but you still get a good view of the main space.

But best bet: Waitlist for 'Dinner at the Max." It's what Jesse would do. And as Slater knows, Jesse is always right.

Welcome to Bayside. Or as close to it as you can ever get...

Front lockers filled with fun items like Kelly's pom poms..

The video games ..

The front door is definitely my fave 'photo op' spot..

At the corner just in time to see the bus fly by. It's alright...

The back lockers.

Belding's Office...

Zack-head photo bomb back there...

Commence menu-browsing. "What can I make vegan on here???"...

Menu. The sliders, both salads, the burger and a few sides can be made #vegan...

Food!..

My salad. Yes, it is super simple, but the greens were so fresh and lovely. I didn't mind the simplicity.

(Vegan) Dinner at The Max.. Impossible Burger and Fries.

#FUN

And then came this... A vegan ice cream brownie sundae. I was "so excited" for this...

Not having fun at all...

Excuse me while I graffitti Belding's calendar. That "Kathy" was me..

Girl: Am I a Kelly or a Jesse?
Boy: A Jesse.
Girl: (Head tilt.)
Boy: A Kelly!
Girl: I think I'm a Jesse, with Kelly undertones.
Boy: Who am I?
Girl: Hmmmmmmm.
Girl: You are a Zack, I guess.
Boy: I'm the trash?

...You have all seen "Zack Morris is Trash" right? It's pretty funny.

Thank goodness for pink neon lights and the loudest table pattern ever.