Max's Restaurant Chula Vista, Cuisine of the Philippines — Restaurant in Chula Vista

I had dinner with my Mother here last month and it is in a nice location. Modern style interior design and furnishings give the restaurant a "Current" feel. Truth be told by any Filipino when asked who's cooking is the best, they are most likely to respond with their own parents cooking. Usually their Mom's in particular. In the same manner I do not hesitate to answer this question when asked. Given their are some Filipino dishes my Mother does not cook, or chooses not to cook; sourcing them is tricky at times. My Mother and I on this particular visit ordered Max's Famous Whole Fried Chicken, Pinakbet, Filipino Bistek, Lumpiang Ubod, and the Crab Fried Rice. The chicken was done nicely with the skin perfectly crisp and the meat moist. I never had it before with Banana Ketchup and Worcestershire Sauce and it is a Max's recommendation. I'll say it is an interesting taste in my opinion, as the chicken tasted good without it. The Pinakbet's vegetables were done nicely. Not overcooked. String beans had a good snap to them. The Filipino Bistek was perhaps the best dish I had that evening. The beef was tender and flavorful with just the right amount of lemon zing to it. The onions at the perfect carmelization point. Very tasty. The Lumpiang Ubod was the first time I had it. It is essentially a fresh style lumpia with shredded heart of palm as the main filling. It also includes pork, shrimp, and crabmeat. It was my Mother's favorite since she was interested to try it. Not bad. A peanut based dipping sauce(I am not sure) is provided. The Crab Fried Rice does contain actual crab meat and was a great addition to all the dishes. Yes we had take home. It was a lot of food just for the two of us. For those who are not aware about Filipino cuisine, they comprise primarily of comfort style dishes. They take awhile to prepare and cook, and in most cases are not for the health conscious crowd. Is it worth checking out? Of course! They would not be around for 70+ years if the house that Max's Fried Chicken built was so delicious. Give it a...

Reviewed on 2018-12-09

We came in yesterday, 12.08.18, around 3:00 pm. The climate was cool and the establishment was packed. We were greeted immediately by the host and was informed that the wait will take half an hour. We noticed an empty table outside and instead opted to be seated outdoors to eliminate the wait. We ordered our drinks and food but after a few minutes out in the cold we asked our host if we can be seated inside.

The gentleman that greeted us was amazing. He had no qualm and immediately got us re-situated inside as the table becomes readily available. Our server, Francine, was great as well. She was respectful and attentive.

Max's had a very delicious crispy chicken that was very flavorful but got too dry too quickly. Their calamari was crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. The garlic rice was very good. My favorite was the kare-kare, which it had a creamy peanut sauce, not too sticky and it seemed that some of the fatty elements in the soup were drained well. The oxtail meat was pleasantly tender. The milk fish was thick and tasty-marinated with vinegar and crushed black peppers.

The restaurant is spacious and decorated to fulfill the humble feeling of a contemporary Bahay Kubo, a Nipa hut, equipped with dark walnut finished tables and chairs.

The use of porcelain plates and dark-finished bowls gave the dining experience a stint of class and escalated service.

There are also bar tables around the corner to enjoy the...

My mother wanted to go to Max's because she wanted to try a new Filipino restaurant in the U.S. We went to a few in the Philippines and I ended up realizing that it's one of the most pretentious Filipino restaurants ever with their price to food ratio. Expensive, average food, served in small quantities, but always at a decent spot with traffic. Thinking maybe they've changed, we decided to try here.

Ended up spending over $90 on our first visit there. It's also our last.

I spent $10 for a bowl of Garlic Rice.

(You can buy 25lbs of Jasmine rice for $15 if you look hard enough.)

The $30 Crispy Pata served was warmed up and not freshly cooked. It's also hard to prepare, so I'll give them the benefit of the doubt.

The $14 Shanghai Lumpia was cut into small bite-size pieces and served in a small basket. The actual quantity served was very modest for its price, making me believe that it was only for aesthetic purposes.

For the $19 Nilagang Baka... Even if you can't cook, maybe... just... make it at home? Potatoes were undercooked, and it had as much bones as there was meat in an already small serving.

The $11 Halo-Halo was the highlight of the meal by being the most value for not having anything to praise or complain about.

Conclusion: If you feel nostalgic towards Filipino food, don't have any time and/or can't cook, but have more money than sense, I still can't recommend it. Go treat yourself to something nice,...