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Mon-Thu. 10:30 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Fri. 10:30 a.m. - 1:00 a.m.
Sat. 9:30 a.m. - 1:00 a.m.
Sun. 8:30 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
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I love Filipino food....and while I don't love the heart attack it's served with, I do come here every now and then to indulge on plate of fried chicken, rice and my special concoction of banana ketchup sauce mixed with Tabasco.
The service here is as you would expect from a culture that is hospitable by nature and upbringing.
Now I know Filipino food is not among the most popular of eastern cuisine...and I'm aware of the stigma it carries from fear factor episodes of contestants challenged to chug nearly developed embryos...but that's not the only thing we serve...at a minimum, give it a try...come on...I'll go with you =)
I'm not a picky eater- I love all types of food. There are very few places where I actually wish I had eaten a frozen dinner instead, and this is one of them.
I'm Filipino, and maybe it's not fair for me to rate this place because my parents and relatives are EXCELLENT Filipino cooks. I ate here with my family and they agreed that the food was just okay- nothing more. We just decided to try this place because my Mom had heard about it from a co-worker who claimed it was really good.
Maybe non-Filipino's can rave about this place, but I am surprised when Filipino's think the food is something to get excited about. My mom pointed out that her co-worker who recommended this place is Filipino and does not know how to cook, so that explains why her co-worker thinks this place is pretty good.
Also, my mom's co-worker mentioned to my mom that one of her nephews (who is blind) came here with family and had a guide dog with him. They would not allow them to eat and let the guide dog inside. WTF? Isn't that discrimination? I hope they reported them to the city, and maybe even filed a lawsuit. I hope this place isn't like that anymore...and maybe someone needs to remind the owners/managers that THIS IS AMERICA....they better learn the law or go back to the Philippines.
The food sucks anyway, but even if it didn't, I can't give this place a good rating after hearing that story. What kind of place would turn down a blind boy and his guide dog? Shame on Max's Crappy Restaurant of Manila!
From 4 stars, to 1 star, to back to 4 stars again. What can I say redemption is a good thing. I keep coming here and 1 bad incident hasn't kept me out, the service is faster and I'll take the bad service I got here once as a fluke incident.
Oh-Kay na naman tayo, salamat naman.
I never thought I would give 1 star to any establishment, but there is a first time for everything.… Read more »
They call this place "The House Fried Chicken Built!"
Well, I would love to see a chicken build a house...especially a fried one.
This place looks like a log cabin Paul Bunyan created when he got hungry enough to cook his blue carabao, Babe. Bet he enjoyed that kare-kare! I'm tellin ya, PB musta been filipino.
Anyway, this place is known for its fried chicken so that's what we got. And not just one, but "3 whole chickens!!" DAMN! Ok, there was 7 of us and we took one chicken home for leftovers but 2 was quite a bit.
What makes it good is the skin(yeah, I said it. I ate the skin!) The seasoning on it is what makes it so popular. You get a nice crunch when you take a bite and the chicken is very tender and well cooked. I thoroughly enjoyed it, but I'm not really a fan of clogging my arteries often with fried food. However, this was my first time here so I had to give it a try. Plus, the food smelled really good when they brought it to our table.
We also got some pancit palabok and kare-kare which were not bad but nothing to scream about. I have to say though, that I enjoyed the lumpia as our appetizer. It was very meaty and different from what I've normally had. There were tons of rice(because what Filipino doesn't enjoy rice) and we picked up some of the garlic rice which was good stuff.
Service was friendly and quick. Everyone greeted us as we entered and they thanked us as we left. We came here for lunch at about 1130 and it wasn't crowded at all. I could see this being a pain though later in the evening since the parking area is not that big. You may be SOL if you don't find a spot.
I give this a 3.5 star. I've had better filipino food but the chicken is a must try. If you are into fried stuff, then this is a joint for you. I personally just don't see myself coming back here often though just for the chicken.
I love me some filipino food, being a halfy and all. They have good fried chicken and eggrolls. I love the crispy pata, that's my favorite dish there along with the bangus dish. I would stay away from the kare kare, doesn't have enough flavor for me. My mom's kare kare is way better. Pretty good service. I've been going here since I was a kid, and now I am a part time server along with another job, and I have never had bad service here.
This was my first time in a Filipino restaurant and I had a great time! Luckily, I was with some of my Filipino friends who knew exactly what to order!!
Ambiance: We went on a Friday night so there was a little bit of a wait. All of a sudden we hear Karaoke blasting from the speakers. Oooh lordy, we ARE in an Asian restaurant! However, the music is somewhat contained in a private event room within the restaurant. It is a fairly big restaurant so there are plenty of tables.
Service: Our waitress was extremely nice to our group and made a few suggestions for us from the menu. In addition, they do give a free dessert to anyone who is celebrating a birthday (no song included). As far as parking goes, it's pretty limited but they do offer valet service for only $2.50. My suggestion is to take it if you're here on a busy evening just because you're probably not going to have much luck out on the streets.
Food: Their infamous fried chicken was good. Not the best I've ever had, it was a tiny bit on the dry side but it was still tasty. For appetizers we had the Max's Teaser, which included their Lumpiang Shanghai (egg rolls), Calamares, and breaded shrimp. Their egg rolls were delicious paired with their sweet and sour sauce. The Calamares, which are deep battered fried squid rings were just as good, especially when dipped in their vinegar garlic sauce. We had the "soup of the day" which was salty enough to have you craving more throughout your meal. My favorite dish was their Crispy Pata, which is their deep fried pork knuckle. It goes well with their garlic rice! Be prepared to gain a few pounds at this place. Their best dishes are fried (but I guess that's food in general). Their desserts are also yummy too - the traditional Halo-Halo and the Buko Pandan.
This place is great and I'm looking forward to coming back next time I'm in Glendale! Enjoy!
Been here a few times. Food is good. Service is a crap shoot, but the last time I went, service was great. I would have given this place 3 stars if it weren't for the tiny tables they have. Just amazing how a place like this, trying to utilize the space, gives you the smallest tables possible. Most of the people here come in big groups. It's funny seeing everyone struggling to fit the entrees on the table.
I liked the beefsteak a lot. The chicken of course is a must, although I still think KFC beats the crap out of their chicken. lol
I prefer going to Salo-Salo. Prices are very reasonable. Try that one out. It's in Glendale as well. Good service... larger tables and cleaner than Max's.
mmmmm lard... Everything fried is good at Max's.
The fried rice, the crispy pata, the fried chicken with banana sauce, the lumpia shanghai super good... just wash it down with some calamansi juice and top it off with a halo-halo and you will be so happy the drive through Glendale wont drive you insane.
It's usually packed around dinner time and there's at least a 30 minute wait, it's valet only so park across the street at the mall if you don't want to deal with that.
Obviously this food clogs all of my arteries so I only come here about once a year... it's a fun place to celebrate a birthday and the Maligayang Bati song is not that annoying!!
Ok so Max's has stepped up their game in the past couple of years.
They now offer Laing (taro leaves cooked in chilli's and coconut milk), and now an ever yummier Crispy Pata (deep fried pork knuckle or pork leg) and Fried Chicken.
I had this yesterday and loved iiiitttt..............!!!
and dude, their service wasnt retarded like before. Our waiter was this older gentleman who was on top of his Game man..!!! he was cool, made suggestions, knew what we wanted and didnt mess anything up. plus if he had an attitude problem... we wouldnt have known. he was super cool.
Maybe Max's has a fighting chance huh..??? i would say so...!!!
Max's has really great tasting fried chicken, that, mixed with garlic fried rice and you have an ok… Read more »
It's a good place to take people who have never had Filipino food before. They have a bit of everything here. The problem with having such an extensive menu is that it is rare that you get everything right.
I stick with the signature fried chicken, garlic rice, grilled eggplant, and fresh lumpia here. Everything else is kinda ehh. Oh, and the halo-halo (good for sharing) is pretty awesome too-- it comes in a big goblet that will make all the titos, titas, and young'uns in your general vicinity point with their lips to the server and ask if they can get one too.
Service used to suck pretty bad, but the last few times we've been, it's been ok. They're pretty good about turning the a/c up or down if enough people start complaining. Parking sucks when you have to pay a damn valet even though there's a ton of empty spaces and you park the car yourself. *sigh* Stick to the basics here and you'll be fine.
I don't care if Max's doesn't have the most authentic filipino food because I LOVE it! Every time I come home from the east coast I ask my parents to pick up some Max's for takeout because I crave it so much.
I love the crispy pata (artery clogging to the n'th degree) and the winner winner chicken dinner!!!! The garlic fried rice is really good too; even though it's the easiest thing to make, it's just so much faster to buy it here. And I love their halo halo. Doesn't even compare to east coast's version (all of the places I've been to skimp on the ingredients, what?!).
Max's is a great place for introducing non-filipinos to filipino food. It's clean, the waitresses are friendly, and the food is yummy. Then after they're onto the idea that filipinos don't eat dog, bring them to the more 'homey' places in socal that include styrafoam take out boxes and point as you go nameless dishes.
I used to come here with my friends for good food and karaoke fun! But the service has become unacceptable. One time, I got yelled at by the cashier telling me that they were already closed (that was so uncalled for)! Another time, the manager gave away our reserved table to another party (and I was there to celebrate my birthday). The food is always good though. And shout out to the Benjie and the bartender, at least the two of them always treat us like a human being. They just seriously need to work on their manners and customer service skills!
YUM. Big mistake to go at about 9 on a Friday night. Had to wait about half an hour for our table as they had a big influx of customers. This actual spot has valet parking that costs about ($2.50, not bad) and right when you walk in there's about two long booth chairs for you to wait for your table. If there is a large crowd, they give you a pager. There's a bar with cute saloon doors right in the waiting area with security at the door.
We came to celebrate a graduation with a party of six. It was Friday and because we're all Catholic we couldn't eat meat.. we all pretty much ordered garlic rice and daing na bangus (seasoned fried milkfish.. YUM YUMMM). It's boneless, so you don't have to worry about picking bones. It has a strong vinegar flavor, it makes my mouth water I LOVE ITTT. So it took our server 20 minutes to take our order and 20 minutes later came to tell us that THEY RAN OUT OF DAING NA BANGUS.. we were all SO HUNGRY from waiting and it was already late..... we had to quickly choose something from the menu.......
Pinakbet - Mixture of squash, long bean, banana blossom, bok choy, sometimes peanut butter broth, coconut milk, and garlic. Very good as it has plenty of vegetables. However I wasn't a fan of the pork in it. It was cut into little pieces. Ask for shrimp paste (bagoong) on the side, to eat with your rice for a little kick.
Chicken - You really should order their chicken here with garlic fried rice. It's to die for! It's very tasty and not dry.
Sinigang - Was a little too sour for my taste. It's a tamarind based soup with okrah, bok choy, fish (you can get pork), long bean, eggplant, tomato.. I wouldn't order this again.
Max's Teaser Appetizer - Shrimp, the breading on it was okay. It was more flour breading than anything. I don't think I'd order this again.
Calamari, Shrimp, Lumpia Appetizer - The shrimp on this one tastes better as it is breaded.. delicious! Dip it in their vinegar/garlic concoction.
Order GARLIC RICE with anything you eat, I promise you won't regret it.
They have a lot of specials and meals that can serve family size at a set price that include certain dishes, lumpia, soda & even dessert. Check their website for details on that.
Dessert:
Halo-halo special - Ube ice cream, served in overly large ice cream cup meant to split for about 2-4 people IMO. Would order this again, it was delicious!
Buko Pandan - Like halo-halo without the ice and is a concoction of tapioca & coconut. I wouldn't order this again, wayy too sweet.
Buko Juice - YUM. Fresh coconut served in a long glass with coconut juice. Eat it with a spoon!
Ordered a BUTTload of food. If you've never had Filipino food, this place is new-person friendly. Lots of pictures and great descriptions and friendly waiters to help you decide what you might like.
It is a little overpriced IMO but it's a business I guess. Also, long wait & no private lot for parking your own car.. and they didn't have daing na bangus on a FRIDAY during lent and didn't tell us until 40 minutes after we were seated.
I'd still come here, just not on a busy night.
Bathrooms are okay for the ladies, three stalls (one large) with two sinks and a large mirror for you to fix yo lipstick! It seems the air is blaring or maybe I was just sitting under a vent so LADIES bring a little jacket.
So I never realized how fortunate I was go grow up with this location of Max's until I experienced other locations that just weren't that great (and that is why the Glendale location is first on the list on their website). Therefore, I am thankful to have this one close by.
Of course, the Max's of the States will never compare to the Max's in the PI. On my last vacation, I realized just how much authenticity and flavor was missing. But I guess we can't really argue that point that much.
My usuals when coming to Max's are their fried chicken, Pancit Canton, and Chop Suey. The chicken is the absolute highlight. The skin is nicely crisped and the meat itself is never dry. Add a little Jufran and it's over! The Pancit and Chop Suey are great, too. Good, solid FIlipino food. I've also had the Kare Kare here, on occasion, and it has never disappointed me.
Don't forget the dessert, though! Their halo halo is amazing, but it's usually too big for me so I like to order the Buko Pandan. Seriously, I would come here just for the Buko Pandan (a coconut and gelatin dessert). It is not too sweet and it has a nice creamy taste and texture as well.
If you don't want to cook the Filipino food, but are craving it, Max's does the job. You even get the matching atmosphere.
Oh, and it does bug me that they made their parking lot into all valet. I understand it's small, but don't appreciate paying the extra couple of dollars. So I usually park across the street at the Galleria. I eat so much during the meal that I usually need a longer walk afterward, anyway.
fantastic filipino fried chicken, great pancit,yummy fried pork and all kinds of other filipino dishes you'll enjoy. just try it once and you'll be hooked
Filipino food is an acquired taste. And from one who herself is Filipino, their food is on point and oh-so-good.
Kare-Kare over steamed rice. Amen.
Given that it's been a LONG time since I've been here, and based on a request from a family friend, my family and I tried this place once again, given that our friend does not have a Max's in her part of the United States. So basically, even if this place has struck out on my so-called "three-strike rule" on Filipino restaurants, places do change over time. Sometimes they make improvements and might be better, and sometimes they get worse.
Having said that, my family and I went here during lunchtime on a weekday (meaning no valet parking charge! yay!). And we were seated quickly too. Given that Max's is known in the Philippines as being "sarap to the bones" (American translation: tasty fried chicken), I wondered how true this location would stay to the traditional Filipino recipes. Granted, the chicken (heck, probably most of the ingredients) comes from the U.S., and you don't get kamote fries on the side like you do back in the Philippines. With that in mind, my party ordered the signature chicken. I got a half portion combo with fried rice, a salad, and vanilla ice cream. We also ordered a medium crispy pata to share. Hmm...the chicken tastes slightly better this time around to the point that I didn't need banana ketchup or even Worcestershire sauce. And the crispy pata was cooked just right too and tasted delicious.
As for service, yeah, it still remains somewhat slow, but it was ok on my last visit (save for the fact that our waiter gave us all steamed rice instead of fried rice, and had we not called him quickly to fix it, we would have waited a while). Also, the servers do not always disclose whether something is included with a combo meal or costs extra, so read the menu very carefully and beware of the sales tactics (unless, of course, you really want something else to drink besides water).
Thus, if you have a craving for sit-down basic Filipino food (especially fried chicken in Filipino style or even a medium-sized version of crispy pata), go to Max's. Make sure you have lots of time to kill though, given the service and (on weekends) the somewhat long wait. And if valet parking is in service (also on the weekends only), park at the Glendale Galleria instead.
When I first came here, the food is really good, especially the crispy pata and of course the… Read more »
The only thing that i crave for that my mother cant make because she doesnt deep fry in her marbelized kitchen is the Lechon Kawali! OMG! good stuff.. But the rest, like Kare-Kare mentioned as a house specialty?! come on now, their kare-kare is a disgrace to the country.. LOL. Thats it!
& the buko pandan! but my mom can make that too..
& the music is wayyy tooo freakin loud!! but it is the epitome on why filipinos are so "damn talented" cos even in our restaurants, we gotta have karaoke..
when trully, the only reason why you drove to Max's to eat filipino food is because everyone was too damn busy singing with the Magic Mic at home and no one wanted to cook..
lol
peace.
Its good filipinos food. It is a lil gresy... but its delicious. I love the soup, kare kare and especially chicken. The karoke dont close until late and good place if you wanna have a good time with your friends. Halo Halo is always a good finish at the end!
Ehhh.... I wouldnt eat breakfast there if you wanna die with heart attack by the time that you are 30
Its funny that I ordered a vegetable dish and the waitress was wondering why... "It has no meat in it", she said
Pinakbet, pancit palabok, fried chicken, crispy pata, and the garlic fried rice were all yummy! The halo-halo was perfect! Would come again, and again, and again!
If you haven't tried Filipino food before and are wondering what to try, get the toc-silog.
Kain tayo....Masirap dito!
I go here when I have a craving for fried and fatty foods. Fried chicken skin, fried pork leg, and what the hell gimme fried fat too!
Hello Halo halo!!!
Get ready for the wait....if that doesn't get to tried....wait for the food coma.
Calamares- Nice
Garlic fried rice-nostalgic to my fiancee and fellow Filipinos
Max's WHOLE Chicken - Best fried chicken I've had in the area. Get the whole chicken. You'll understand why this place is name after this.
Daing na Bangus (marinated and fried bone less milk fish) Ok, I prefer the stronger smoked and vinegar marinate (buy at market).
Bistek (sliced beef with lemon, in soy sauce and onion) Ask for extra onion. You can't go wrong with is either.
Crispy pata (deep fried pork knuckles) A little hard to tackle at a restaurant but worth it.
Calamansi Soda (Filipino orange): With all the greasiness, you'll need something to cleanse your palate.
Halo Halo (enough for 2 people, but if you've got a lot of room for dessert get your own): DO NOT LEAVE HERE WITHOUT THIS. TAKE IT TOGO IF YOU HAVE TO. If I could, I would have this everyday for breakfast, lunch and dinner. According to the Filipinos I know, your suppose to mix the sha-bang together then eat it. I prefer enjoying the different elements first.
Service is great.
Parking can be hard if you go don't get here early.
No RSVP, so go early.
This might be my favorite Filipino restaurant (Halo halo has a lot of influence)....I think I need to have another sample ;) HEHE!!!
Halo halo, here I come. Then Porto's fruit tart for second round dessert....oh.....I'm in heaven, just thinkin about the two.
What can I say?
I'm not the crispiest of the pata...I'm not the sweetest of the mangos...You can say that I'm not the most Filipino Filipino that you'll ever run into...
But I love me my Max's...
Something about fried chicken and garlic rice just wakes up my DNA...I can feel my cholesterol rising...I can feel my pulse slowing...My blood pressure spikes...That's how you know you're eating Filipino food...
I had an ex girlfriend that would always order the crispy pata...Talk about a fat bomb...But pata and garlic fried rice always hit the spot...
Halo halo, ube and sago gulaman was more my route, but you can't go wrong with the fried chicken, banana ketchup (that's right, BANANA ketchup) and garlic rice...
Parking is always valet unless you want to park at the mall...
This place can be crowded, so expect a wait...You'll find throngs of families after church, snacking after hitting the mall, or just making pashal on a Saturday night...
I've only seen a few people actually order the Filipino cuisine here and I'm sorry but if I wanted that food, I could get it at home...Mom and Tita Annie know how to do Filipino food best and I wouldn't waste my time at a restaurant when I know I can get it homemade...
I came here for fried chicken, banana ketchup and garlic rice...
Just make sure to get enough garlic rice...I hate ordering with my mouth full...
Did I mention the karaoke? It's a Filipino restaurant, what did you expect? :)
This is a good restaurant for getting your fix of Philippine cuisine.
The menu isn't spectacular,..they offer a fairly limited menu, but usually everyone at the table can find something they could like.
The menu items are hit and miss. I tried the Pancit Sotanghon, which was okay, but nothing special. The Crispy Pata is fantastic - tender pork surrounded by crispy skin. The Lumpia was pretty good - they are generous with the pork filling. The Fried Chicken is great - tender on the inside, nice and crispy on the outside. The Sinangag (Garlic Fried Rice) is food and flavorful. The Halo-Halo was a bit disappointing - it lacked sweetness and the ice cream wasn't very good quality.
My suggestion - ask other people for suggestions for what to order.
I always have a problem paying for Filipino food. The only reason I gave this place three stars is because I actually liked their chicken. Actually their sinigang was good too because of the amount of sour it had.
Delish. I have yet to try the Crispy Pata which comes recommended.
The place is good for big groups (duh, Filipinos roll deep). The waiter that kept coming back to see if we wanted to order appetizers was getting on my nerves though. But what can I say, he was doing his job I suppose.
Originally..2 stars.
But I feel bad because my roommate was super excited to show me this place and well..their whoooo GARLIC RICE is rather amazingly delicious :)
everything else was...something ill probably not go back for.
half fried chicken..it was good but bland. It had a good light crisp and the meat was a little dry but not too bad. My roommate loved it though..so plus points for him enjoying it
then we got the beef steak..holy moly heavy on sauce wheres the meat? haha It tasted like..sauce from a can..not super duper not a fan
halo halo..my roommate..sooo excited. me..it was pretty good but once is enough for me :) shhh dont tell him! haha The ube (taro) ice cream is good. more red beans please! but over all it was a good dessert to try! nice and different! I think the Vietnamese places make it more delicious though!
they have tabasco, banana ketchup, and Worcestershire on the table for you to use. I tried all three with the chicken..i liked the Worcestershire and banana ketchup. Goes well with the oh so great garlic rice too!
I dont know why i loved the garlic rice..its not anything super amazing as far as being unique or crazy..its just nice and simple and tasty and delicious :)
ended up being like..$35 not including tip. a little pricey.
But they have the chocolate mints..those are my favorite ones! yay! The brown and green ones hehe And good service..plus points.
I came here years ago a couple of times and just thought it was ok.
The only good thing was the fried chicken.
So I haven't gone back since.
But then, my friend swore up and down that the Crispy Pata (aka deep fried pork) is worth another trip and next thing you know, we're in Glendale.
It was good, but I probably wouldn't order it again.
(But that's only because I rarely eat pork and even more rare - deep fried meats. So this dish is more for the fellas.)
The pancit was just as I *didn't* remember it (forgettable).
We also got a soup that tasted really tangy like a Thai soup. It had pork, bok choy, string beans, eggplant, and turnips in it. I wouldn't order this again.
The best part of the meal was dessert - budu p? something.
For $5.25, you get a dainty little parfait cup filled with a tiny scoop of coconut ice cream and these small rice JELLY pellets mixed in.
It's such a rip off for the amount you get, but just trust - GET IT.
Service is always good.
Parking lot.
We decided to try Max's since we were in Glendale and Filipino food sounded good...
The parking lot has a charge of like a dollar fifty or something like that, why? Other than that the place is pretty much what was expected, a decent family style restaurant. Pancit bihon was good, fried rice generous in portion, and the fried chicken was awesome, it was more like a roasted chicken that got flash fried, very light. Lumpia shanghai was a little chewy, and they serve it with a sweet sauce, but ask for vinegar, it'll taste better...we saw a lot of people ordering tamarind soup, but it seemed kind of pricey, especially since this is one of the easier things that you can make at home...
Service at the start is good and food comes out quickly, but after that it's a little thin...oh and for dessert, halo halo is great with halaya and ube ice cream amongst all the other things, oh plus a bonus mini leche flan floating around in there...all in all a good meal at a reasonable price..
Max's Restaurant of Manila brings back memories. Not necessarily good ones, but they are always interesting to me. For starters, whenever I dine there I always think of my parents. Perhaps it's because I always go there with them. Typically, my mom goes down the menu like she's never seen it before and then in Tagalog, she asks my dad what he would like, he offers his suggestion, and then she always over rules him saying so and so dish is much better. Are Filipinas always so bossy? Well if you're using my mom as an example, then yes.
Max's also reminds me of my childhood dinners. I would be in front of the TV playing my Sega Master System 2, and my mom would come up with a spoonful of food and shove it into my mouth. I can remember that each spoon serving contained a little bit of rice, a little bit of meat, and some stew or liquid. Blah. No wonder I never liked eating my mom's Filipino food. Everything is a stew! And that has resulted in a pet peeve of mine that I don't like getting my rice wet and soggy. Yuck!
So on Max's menu I bypass the stew or soup dishes like kare-kare or sinigang. That leaves me with only a few selections with a common theme. Fried goodness. Are you hungry for fried pork? Or should I say pppp-ried pork? How about pppp-ried chicken or pppp-ried rice? Yup, Max's has them.
The crowd at Max's reminds me of family gatherings during the holidays. FOBs! The crowd talks loudly like they are hard of hearing. Perhaps you love little kids running around the place or you want to sing some karaoke? Then this place is for you, or you can just go to my aunt's house during the holiday season. I've never been to the Philippines, but I imagine Max's atmosphere is what I would find there.
The fried chicken is okay, but I think you can get better chicken elsewhere. The pork is probably the only redeeming dish there. It's because I personally don't eat or prepare pork at home, and the crispy pork skin is oh so good. Add a little sauce with it and I'm good to go!
I would give Max's a lower rating, but my mom loves this place and I love my mom, so I have to rate it higher. Perhaps in my next life, I will be born as a white guy from the Midwest. Cross your fingers for me!
Go Trojans! Fight On!
Food is average and pricey. Decent selection though. Good chicken chicharone. Halo halo is pretty good though.
Service is alright. Kind of tight though. The charge you for soda refills. What the hell?
Parking validation sucks. Park your own car on their lot and they still charge you. What the hell? Ripoff. No wonder half the people park across the street at the mall.
Been here twice. my family has a filipino connection. grandmother, a japanese , live in Manila for 20+ years.. so I grew up with home made Chicken Adobo, Pancit made by grandma. I know this is is a restaurant chain based in Manila.. so my expectations are always tempered when I visit chain restaurants.. Max did not pleasantly suprise!!! .." food is ok".. service is slow and sometime unattentive or not very helpful. I like their Fried Chicken. and their Chicken Adobo is also OK.. I had better from my grandmother and my assistant in New York who brought in home made adobo... Would love to find a bit more upscale Filipino eatery... Will try other places in Los Angeles.
It's a poor copy of one of my favorite chain restaurants in the Philippines.The service is slow, food takes forever, the only consolation is the fried chicken. You notice a worcestershire, banana sauce, and tabasco on the table. You mix them up to use as a dipping sauce to complement your chicken. Everything else in my opinion is mediocre. I've had their sub par kare kare, shanghai lumpia, beef steak, pancit canton, etc. here and I have yet to be impressed. I can't even give it an average rating because the food quality is just bleh.
Been here a couple times and they are usually pretty crowded whenever i have gone.
They have a few specialties, one of which happens to be the fried chicken! It is deep fried, but not too thick so that its crunchy and almost has a tempura type feel. The half chicken is under $7.
I ordered the breakfast which comes with beef, garlic rice, and 2 eggs for $6.5. Also, the mango juice is very sweet and tasty and compliments the meal, which will be pretty filling and this drink gives your meal a nice sweet, refreshing feel.
This is a step above the fast food Filipino food that you can get elsewhere cheaper. This has a nice, warm, and seated environment where you can take the family and friends for an upper scale restaurant for Filipino cuisine. You will pay a dollar or 2 more per dish than other places, but the quality and ambiance is worth it.
I'll write this review in Taglish since this is a Filipino Restaurant.
Masarap dito kumain pero mahal yung price, Kare Kare, Crispy Pata and the Spring Chicken is the best choice for Ulam. Garlic rice is good with this dishes. As for dessert, try the leche plan and halo halo, very good after a good meal. Park in the mall, not in the valet unless you want to pay $2.50. Late night they have a Karaoke thing going at the bar, drinks are kind expensive but pag gusto mo mag karaoke then this is place to do it.
Hope this review helps, salamat po.
Fried anything... that is what you really have to order here. the fried chicken, the lechon kawali, crispy pata.... and i think they have only one vegetable dish, so you might as well order that too if you feel too guilty.
well, i've been here two times. the first time was horrid... the waiter was slow and recommendations may have helped. we ordered too little food... i'm surprised he didn't encourage us to order more (but that was the problem.... sometimes the hurried, crowded, bustle of this place allows service to lose focus and attention to detail fall off). The second time our family came to eat here (we would have gone to salo salo instead, but a fire on the street prevented any patrons from visiting anything on n. maryland that day). the wait at max's was horrendous (as usual) and we were starving by the time we got a table. the latina waitress was SUPERB! she was attentive, made good suggestions, asked follow up questions to ensure that we were satisfied with our order... and we were!).
crispy pata is well hard to get wrong... fried/baked pork was delicious. The tofu veggie dish was actually tasty as was the sisig. Halo halo (i'm not a pinipig fan) was okay. But why the dish rather than the tall glass to mix mix?!?
Not my mom's food, or my tita's food, and my pancit bihon rocks on this place... but eh. Three stars is good if we're comparing it to the home cooked sensations of family members.
The best filipino food ever! Talaga! I love the Nilagang baka, pancit palabok, especially the HALO HALO!!!
Thanks :)
If for some bizarre reason you asked me to review this place using only character names from the movie Spaceballs, I would say "Lone Star... and Barf."
Fried chicken + beer = good
Don't try to find a veggie dish here like I did. All the dishes under vegetables had some sort of meat in it.
Ah, I like Filipino food.
However, the only thing worth ordering here is the fried chicken. Other wise, get your pancit, adobo even lumpia shanghai somewhere else. Preferably at your cute Filipina's friend's house. Make sure to tell her you love her dad's lechon.
They have their own parking lot and surprisingly, it wasn't too crazy for a Wednesday night.
Service is sloooooow. But you can pass the time watching their crazy ass TVs which seemed to be on an endless loop of commercials for the place. Um, I'm already here, why do I need to watch a commercial?
I spy a magic mic in the corner. Go at it, kids!
Soo i go to try Filipino food for the first time ever at the infamous Max's of Manila (open since 1945) and it wasn't that bad, just err different? We ordered the Lumpia Shanghai for an appetizer which is basically a basket of fried egg rolls. Then for the meal we both got the fried chicken with a side of veggies with glass noodles and garlic fried rice. .How many times have i said the word FRIED already? Can we say heart attack! Geez everything here is fried.. The chicken was a little dry and the garlic fried rice tasted like they over sauteed the garlic (nothing like burnt garlic). The banana ketchup for dipping was different but good.
We got the halo-halo for desert, which i found out means mix-mix (man thats so clever) it is basically a bunch of crazy stuff mixed up that you think would not go well together but it was actually ok. Who ever thought i would eat beans, purple yams and ice cream together? Other than the fact that i had a major culture shock, The lunch service was really good and the prices were fairly cheap i didn't even finish 3/4 of my food..I would go back to give it another try, maybe next time the chicken and rice will come out better and i will make sure to get a hold of some cholesterol medicine prior to eating here lol ;)
I haven't been here for so long but I remember the last time I came here it was pretty good..
A lot of the people I went with were non-Filipinos so the accent kind of threw them off.
For example our waitress with the hardcore Filipino accent:
Waitress: Hello, good ebnings! My name is Tess, what would you like to drink eh?
Me: Can I please get an Arnold Palmer?
Waitress: Excuse me? Who?
Me: It's lemonade and iced tea.
Waitress: Ay anak, why didn't you say so silly boy you.
Waitress: What would you like soopersalad?
Friend: Excuse me?
Waitress: Sooopersalad?!
Friend: That sounds great, I'll have that.
We all "LOL".. He assumed she asked if he wanted a SUPER SALAD.
So we finally get our Kare Kare (SARAP!), Chicken adobo (SARAP SARAP!), Garlic fried rice (TANGINANG SARAP!) and Crispy Pata (Sempre SARAP!).
Price is good and of course the food was delicious. I just took off a star due to the lack of parking space and the place doesn't look too sterile. Service was awesome though; thanks to our waitress whom we started to call "Tita Tess!".
Neighborhood: Northridge
Category: Ethnic Food
Neighborhood: Eagle Rock
Category: Filipino
Neighborhood: Glendale
Category: Chinese
Neighborhood: Glendale
Category: Filipino
Neighborhood: Silver Lake
Category: Filipino
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