Max's restaurant

Philip Welch

The food was well prepared and delicious. We had the classic Sisig, Bualo, pork skewers, Bangus (Milk Fish), and rice. The restaurant has plenty of seating and seems to be popular. I have not had any problems with any of their locations and highly recommend this location in San Diego.

Mitchell I

The food was great even if it’s a little pricy honestly. I would still come again regardless. The service was good on a Monday night. The waitress showed us our table, took our order, and the kitchen staff delivered the food. Honestly, this was also the nicest Max’s I’ve been to compared to the ones in Hawaii. Also, the Halo Halo was huge and it tasted really goo!. Overall, yeah, you can get cheaper Filipino food elsewhere, but this is the best in terms of a restaurant atmosphere.

Dani

There are so many good things in the menu so it was hard to decide. It is my second time here so I ordered what I haven't tried. My friend and I decided to order the Pansit Palabok, Kare-Kare, Lumpia, Beef Caldereta and of course the dessert, Halo-Halo. We are very happy with our choices. Each one is delicious. The beef was very tender and tasted homemade. The curry sauce was creamy and full of flavor. The Palabok is the best I had. I am excited to go back and try the other items. They were short staff that day but the servers were very pleasant and nice and were able to keep up with all the patrons. They surely tried their best.

Theodore Mac Quidem

Had a great experience dining here. My wife was interested to see how the franchises here compared to the Max's in the Philippines, and it is very close. The prices are definitely on the high side, especially when you can get some of the same dishes at various Filipino turo turo (food already out on chafing dishes and you can select from the dishes already made), but it's made up for in the quality from what we tasted. For instance, the lumpia was filled with meat and minced carrots and garlic and the wrapper wasn't thick, so you could taste the fillings more than in some other restaurants. The kare kare was very creamy and you could really taste the peanut base. The pork barbeque sticks were also very juicy. So while the price is a bit high, you are paying for the quality of something made to order versus something that is out on a warmer. The service was also very friendly, and the food came out fairly quickly. The restaurant was also very clean, as were the restrooms when we went. While not someplace that we would eat often at due to the price, it is definitely a place we are coming back to as there are more dishes we are looking forward to trying.

Vanessa Soriano

I've been to Max's in South San Francisco, Glendale, Nre Jersey, and Chula Vista and by far this place has the best chicken ever! Our server is very pleasant and friendly. Just Fabulous!

SOFIA DANA SANTELICES

THE FILIPINO CUISINE DISHES IS ALWAYS DELICIOUS I THANK YOU SO MUCH MA'AM JENNY WITH THE CREW MEMBERS FOR EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE 🫶😇

It was our first time eating at Max’s in San Diego, and the experience was amazing. The food was absolutely delicious, especially the chicken—it was flavorful, perfectly cooked, and truly stood out. Everything we ordered was so good, and you could really taste the quality in each dish. We enjoyed every bite and will definitely be coming back again. Highly recommended!

My first time trying Filipino Food and it was a great experience. The patient lady helped me find something to my picky tastes and I had some delicious Filipino Fried Chicken. I'm here for lunch. It's a great place to take a date or friend for a good meal and visit. There's a group of friends here celebrating one of their birthday and look to be having a great time. I also got takeout for my daughter-in-law.

Gen Tesoro

It was our first time eating at Max’s in San Diego, and the experience was amazing. The food was absolutely delicious, especially the chicken—it was flavorful, perfectly cooked, and truly stood out. Everything we ordered was so good, and you could really taste the quality in each dish. We enjoyed every bite and will definitely be coming back again. Highly recommended!

David Burt

My first time trying Filipino Food and it was a great experience. The patient lady helped me find something to my picky tastes and I had some delicious Filipino Fried Chicken. I'm here for lunch. It's a great place to take a date or friend for a good meal and visit. There's a group of friends here celebrating one of their birthday and look to be having a great time. I also got takeout for my daughter-in-law.

Delicious Filipino cuisine ready for dine in or takeout. I usually come here with my family after church for pick up or dine in. I could take 1 million photos, but photos don’t do it justice. This reminds me of my childhood of delicious fried chicken and Filipino comfort food. There is plenty of parking in this location. The staff is always so nice. Don’t despair if it looks empty most people are coming in to take it home for a party or for a meal. I recommend getting the famous fried chicken. 100% Also: The kare kare Lumpia And any of the sinigang.

Came here for an early Wednesday dinner. This is in the same area as Target. There were plenty of parking spots. We were seated right away. The place wasn’t too busy. We ordered the famous fried chicken and it was moist and skin was very crunchy and delicious. The chop suey was very good, too. Veggies were not soggy and not over cooked. The garlic fried rice was also very good. Their halo-halo for dessert was a perfect ending to a nice dinner.

Overall good food - we had the taro leaves, a half chicken, pork belly sisig, and pancit. Everything came out fresh and hot. The fruit juices were good - especially the coconut. Definitely on the more expensive side, but a fairly enjoyable experience. If I were recommending a place for Filipino I wouldn't choose Max's first but we enjoyed our meal and I would eat there again.

Max's Restaurant - Mira Mesa San Diego, California It's a rare occasion that we eat my country's, Cuisine, Philippines, but today we decided to dine at a Filipino Restaurant. Most of the time you will see us dine and write about other Cuisines from Asia such as Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese, etc. Today, we decided to dine at a restaurant called Max's Restaurant, which is also a chain restaurant known in the Philippines. They are known for their fried chicken and other Filipino Dishes. The restaurant is beautiful, decorated, and spacious and offers plenty of seating for their customers. The restaurant was clean. The food was delicious and prepared properly. I've dined at most of the Filipino Restaurant in San Diego since I grew up here in San Diego. Food in the Philippines is regional, just like many other countries, and you really can't compare it. One region may have a different type of Pork Adobe, lumpia, or lechon than a different region has. So yes, you will get varying types of food. So overall the food at the restaurant was delicious and I had no problems with it. The pricing at the restaurant, like so many others have pointed out, is very high for what you get. Out of the many restaurants that we have dined at, this restaurant has one the highest price points for their dishes. Is it worth the price? Well, the food was delicious but not worth the price. You can get more at a smaller Filipino restaurant for your money. The staff members were friendly and they were attentive but they could have been more enthusiastic. With so many restaurants opening, this restaurant really needs to improve on the guest service experience to compete with the others. Overall, our experience was good, but they need to work on their pricing and guest service experience. What we ordered: 1. Filipino Pork BBQ Skewers Pork slices marinated in a special tangy mildly sweet and spicy sauce and speared in a bamboo skewer and grilled to perfection. 2. Pinatuyong Pork Adobo (Marinated Braised Pork) Marinated pork chunks braised in vinegar and soy sauce reduction. Made flavorful with garlic, bay leaf, and whole peppercorn. Garnished with green onions and served with diced tomatoes and onions 3. Chicken Sisig (Sizzling Diced Chicken) Diced Max's Chicken and liver, well seasoned and tossed with celery, onions, and pepper. 4. Pancit Canton (Egg Noodles) Egg noodles sauteed with vegetables, pork, chicken, and shrimp. 5. Garlic Rice White rice deliciously stir-fried in golden garlic bits. 6. Halo-Halo Special A blend of refreshing tropical fruit preserves, beans, and milk in shaved ice. Topped with a delicious scoop of Ube (purple yam) ice cream, flan, and rice flakes. A classic Filipino dessert. Less 7. Calamansi Juice (Philippine Lime) Philippine lime juice served with shaved ice 8. Buko Juice (Coconut) Coconut juice with coconut meat served with shaved ice

There were only 2 servers available when we went. They also alternately cleaned the table, swept the floor, hand over online orders to the customers, cashier job, & usher people in. Two people doing a job of 10 people, I think they’re amazing! Today is Sunday 6/27/21, so whoever those 2 are, you guys did great. Wish I asked for their names, they were too busy and move fast! Food was good, wait was long, but they’re probably short of staff.

Michelle M

Delicious Filipino cuisine ready for dine in or takeout. I usually come here with my family after church for pick up or dine in. I could take 1 million photos, but photos don’t do it justice. This reminds me of my childhood of delicious fried chicken and Filipino comfort food. There is plenty of parking in this location. The staff is always so nice. Don’t despair if it looks empty most people are coming in to take it home for a party or for a meal. I recommend getting the famous fried chicken. 100% Also: The kare kare Lumpia And any of the sinigang.

Imee C

Came here for an early Wednesday dinner. This is in the same area as Target. There were plenty of parking spots. We were seated right away. The place wasn’t too busy. We ordered the famous fried chicken and it was moist and skin was very crunchy and delicious. The chop suey was very good, too. Veggies were not soggy and not over cooked. The garlic fried rice was also very good. Their halo-halo for dessert was a perfect ending to a nice dinner.

Eder

Authentic Filipino cuisine. Beautiful place and very clean. A dedicated hall for parties. Clean toilets. Clean tables and floor. Good food. Beef soup and kare kare. Plenty of parking.

Ashley LeBourveau-Truong

Overall good food - we had the taro leaves, a half chicken, pork belly sisig, and pancit. Everything came out fresh and hot. The fruit juices were good - especially the coconut. Definitely on the more expensive side, but a fairly enjoyable experience. If I were recommending a place for Filipino I wouldn't choose Max's first but we enjoyed our meal and I would eat there again.

Mullen Teodoro

Max's Restaurant - Mira Mesa San Diego, California It's a rare occasion that we eat my country's, Cuisine, Philippines, but today we decided to dine at a Filipino Restaurant. Most of the time you will see us dine and write about other Cuisines from Asia such as Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese, etc. Today, we decided to dine at a restaurant called Max's Restaurant, which is also a chain restaurant known in the Philippines. They are known for their fried chicken and other Filipino Dishes. The restaurant is beautiful, decorated, and spacious and offers plenty of seating for their customers. The restaurant was clean. The food was delicious and prepared properly. I've dined at most of the Filipino Restaurant in San Diego since I grew up here in San Diego. Food in the Philippines is regional, just like many other countries, and you really can't compare it. One region may have a different type of Pork Adobe, lumpia, or lechon than a different region has. So yes, you will get varying types of food. So overall the food at the restaurant was delicious and I had no problems with it. The pricing at the restaurant, like so many others have pointed out, is very high for what you get. Out of the many restaurants that we have dined at, this restaurant has one the highest price points for their dishes. Is it worth the price? Well, the food was delicious but not worth the price. You can get more at a smaller Filipino restaurant for your money. The staff members were friendly and they were attentive but they could have been more enthusiastic. With so many restaurants opening, this restaurant really needs to improve on the guest service experience to compete with the others. Overall, our experience was good, but they need to work on their pricing and guest service experience. What we ordered: 1. Filipino Pork BBQ Skewers Pork slices marinated in a special tangy mildly sweet and spicy sauce and speared in a bamboo skewer and grilled to perfection. 2. Pinatuyong Pork Adobo (Marinated Braised Pork) Marinated pork chunks braised in vinegar and soy sauce reduction. Made flavorful with garlic, bay leaf, and whole peppercorn. Garnished with green onions and served with diced tomatoes and onions 3. Chicken Sisig (Sizzling Diced Chicken) Diced Max's Chicken and liver, well seasoned and tossed with celery, onions, and pepper. 4. Pancit Canton (Egg Noodles) Egg noodles sauteed with vegetables, pork, chicken, and shrimp. 5. Garlic Rice White rice deliciously stir-fried in golden garlic bits. 6. Halo-Halo Special A blend of refreshing tropical fruit preserves, beans, and milk in shaved ice. Topped with a delicious scoop of Ube (purple yam) ice cream, flan, and rice flakes. A classic Filipino dessert. Less 7. Calamansi Juice (Philippine Lime) Philippine lime juice served with shaved ice 8. Buko Juice (Coconut) Coconut juice with coconut meat served with shaved ice

Jouhanna Austin

There were only 2 servers available when we went. They also alternately cleaned the table, swept the floor, hand over online orders to the customers, cashier job, & usher people in. Two people doing a job of 10 people, I think they’re amazing! Today is Sunday 6/27/21, so whoever those 2 are, you guys did great. Wish I asked for their names, they were too busy and move fast! Food was good, wait was long, but they’re probably short of staff.

Visited on a Sunday for brunch. Wait time is fast and easy with the automated check-in upon arrival. First point of contact with our server felt pressured as she was taking our orders for drinks she just gave the option of their fruit juices (buko, etc) almost insisting we order them. Heads up they are not included with your meal, just another bolt-on that servers do. All we wanted was water to wash everything down on a warm day while cutting back on sugary drinks. Water refills came slowly but the food was delicious, flavorful and served fresh. The only issue is that the dishes do not come out together. Since we like to pray and give thanks for our gifts, we waited until we received everything from thy bounty even though the other dishes started to get cold. Also, the tables are a little too close together as well where you feel like the party next to you is part of yours. Observing that they are short staffed, the service and smiles should remain consistent and always courteous especially at an “upper scale” style Filipino restaurant. Even the smaller turo-turo’s are always smiling and greeting you as soon as you walk in the door. Again, the food was great, crispy pata and whole fried chicken were crisp not dry. The kare-kare actually had oxtail and their sisig is pretty authentic. They just need a minor adjustment on the service side since we Filipino’s are known for great hospitality and warm and friendly service which was not extended so generously during our visit.

Mr. Adam

Visited on a Sunday for brunch. Wait time is fast and easy with the automated check-in upon arrival. First point of contact with our server felt pressured as she was taking our orders for drinks she just gave the option of their fruit juices (buko, etc) almost insisting we order them. Heads up they are not included with your meal, just another bolt-on that servers do. All we wanted was water to wash everything down on a warm day while cutting back on sugary drinks. Water refills came slowly but the food was delicious, flavorful and served fresh. The only issue is that the dishes do not come out together. Since we like to pray and give thanks for our gifts, we waited until we received everything from thy bounty even though the other dishes started to get cold. Also, the tables are a little too close together as well where you feel like the party next to you is part of yours. Observing that they are short staffed, the service and smiles should remain consistent and always courteous especially at an “upper scale” style Filipino restaurant. Even the smaller turo-turo’s are always smiling and greeting you as soon as you walk in the door. Again, the food was great, crispy pata and whole fried chicken were crisp not dry. The kare-kare actually had oxtail and their sisig is pretty authentic. They just need a minor adjustment on the service side since we Filipino’s are known for great hospitality and warm and friendly service which was not extended so generously during our visit.

Hello, I came to this place because I love the following. Sit down dine in setting - serving - atmosphere- authenticity. I read a lot of the reviews and here is mine. The palabok is not a winner. It was dry - it doesn’t taste like Palabok and they are missing some ingredients shrimp chicharon tinapa one slice of lemon 🍋 for the cost this is not worth buying. The Kari Kari - it’s ok the peanut taste and texture is there but they skimmed you on veggies and the ox tail - way over charge with a small portion. It is not worth the cost, I had more soup than the veggies and ox tail and beef. I did like the Fried fish Daing the cost is a little high but it’s ok but you can buy this elsewhere. Now the Crispy pata - that was good deep fried well. The cost for this is high there is another Filipino restaurant down the street from Max that cost a little less. The environment was great, it’s clean that is a big deal for me but the server they only had one and she was running around doing everything on her own. I complimented her and she deserves a raise.

The store closes at 9pm but they stop their dine in an hour or more before the stated store hours(closing time). I got there at exactly almost or a little before they closes and was turned down for service expect to make a to go order but the hostess had to verify if it was okay for about a minute or two. We proceeded ordering take out and enjoyed the night after all the food was good.

Josephine Abad

Hello, I came to this place because I love the following. Sit down dine in setting - serving - atmosphere- authenticity. I read a lot of the reviews and here is mine. The palabok is not a winner. It was dry - it doesn’t taste like Palabok and they are missing some ingredients shrimp chicharon tinapa one slice of lemon 🍋 for the cost this is not worth buying. The Kari Kari - it’s ok the peanut taste and texture is there but they skimmed you on veggies and the ox tail - way over charge with a small portion. It is not worth the cost, I had more soup than the veggies and ox tail and beef. I did like the Fried fish Daing the cost is a little high but it’s ok but you can buy this elsewhere. Now the Crispy pata - that was good deep fried well. The cost for this is high there is another Filipino restaurant down the street from Max that cost a little less. The environment was great, it’s clean that is a big deal for me but the server they only had one and she was running around doing everything on her own. I complimented her and she deserves a raise.

Angelica Edades

The store closes at 9pm but they stop their dine in an hour or more before the stated store hours(closing time). I got there at exactly almost or a little before they closes and was turned down for service expect to make a to go order but the hostess had to verify if it was okay for about a minute or two. We proceeded ordering take out and enjoyed the night after all the food was good.

Terrible customer service. We we’re looking forward to eating the food since we’re from out of state. We ordered online originally to take the food at our hotel but i tried calling to let them know if we could dine in instead but they only have the answering service, doesn’t direct you to a staff member. Well when we got there we asked if we can eat there instead and whoever was at the desk said “no since you already ordered these to go you cannot dine in” Mind you there was no line, multiple available seatings, it was barely 7pm. They close at 9pm! They were not accommodating AT ALL. I get it if we had picked up our food then left then came back to dine in but they still had our food behind the counter and requested if we could dine in instead. I guess that’s their rule, once you order to go, you can’t change your mind to dine in. I think this is just PURE LAZINESS from the staff. We’re extremely disappointed! Food is good but customer service is below standard!

It was a very busy Saturday morning here-FULL HOUSE and there was only one old woman server and young assistant server, it took then over 30 minutes before they served our food- we ordered 1/2 chicken, sizzling pork (pork was too dry!) and fresh lumpia (not very impressive). Good atmosphere though they just need to clean the table really good after each guest.

Ann Murray

It was a very busy Saturday morning here-FULL HOUSE and there was only one old woman server and young assistant server, it took then over 30 minutes before they served our food- we ordered 1/2 chicken, sizzling pork (pork was too dry!) and fresh lumpia (not very impressive). Good atmosphere though they just need to clean the table really good after each guest.