Maxi's Noodle — Restaurant in New York

Cantonese wonton noodles are more than just a dish they’re a piece of culinary history. Originating in Guangzhou in the early 20th century and perfected on the bustling streets of Hong Kong, the dish became a symbol of craftsmanship and comfort: springy egg noodles in a delicate seafood and pork broth, crowned with silky shrimp wontons. At Maxi Noodle in Flushing, this tradition is honored and preserved with remarkable care.

On my visit, I ordered the wonton, dumpling, and dace fish ball noodle soup with duck egg noodles. Duck egg noodles are a defining element of the Hong Kong style, their rich yolks lending both golden color and that signature springy bite. The broth, cooked with pork bones and dried seafood, was light yet layered exactly as it should be: clean enough to sip, complex enough to linger.

The wontons themselves were outstanding plump, generously filled with whole shrimp, wrapped in delicate skins that held their form without becoming gummy. This reflects the Hong Kong tradition, where shrimp not pork is the star. The dumplings offered a heartier contrast with pork and vegetables, while the dace fish balls were a true nod to Cantonese heritage. Dace, a freshwater fish native to southern China, has long been used to make bouncy, hand-formed fish balls that embody both texture and flavor a staple of Hong Kong street food and noodle culture.

To finish, I added a dash of red vinegar and a spoon of house-made chili oil. The vinegar cut through the richness with brightness, while the chili oil layered on a fragrant, smoky heat. It elevated the bowl from comforting to addictive the kind of detail that separates good from unforgettable.

I didn’t try them this time, but Maxi Noodle’s menu reflects the full diversity of Cantonese comfort food. The curry fish balls recall the savory snacks sold on the streets of Hong Kong; the beef stew with tendon is praised for being braised until meltingly tender; and the stewed mushroom noodles showcase the depth of flavor that even a meatless broth can achieve.

What makes this place truly special, though, is Maxi herself. She can often be seen hand-wrapping wontons at the counter a small but powerful gesture that shows her dedication to her craft. That passion flows into every bowl, turning what might seem like a casual noodle shop into a living link to Hong Kong’s...

Maxi’s noodles has some of the best noodle soups around. The wontons and dumplings are just amazing. I can see why everyone raves about them. I’m glad that Maxi has finally gotten their own location in downtown Flushing and will be moving by the end of the month. Currently, they are a pop-up shop inside the Kissena Café and can only be purchased in the evenings after 5pm.

I visited Max’s yesterday for the first time and we ordered the Beef Stew noodle soup with wontons and dumplings ($11), Beef Stew Lo Mein with wontons and dumplings ($12) and an order of the fried fish skins ($5). Basically, we ordered the same two noodle dishes except that one had broth and the other didn’t. We did this purposely to see how much of a difference the broth made in either dish. The broth was quite good and was perfect in showcasing the dumplings and wonton. BUT it really didn’t matter all that much as the star of the show in either dish were definitely the wontons and dumplings. As many other have mentioned, they are gigantic. They are stuffed with a mixture of pork and shrimp. Each bite is fresh and yummy. With each dish you can choose the type of noodle; egg noodle, flat rice noodles or vermicelli. We choose the more traditional egg noodles. The beef stew was excellent and had so much flavor. The beef and tendons were super tender and melts in your mouth.

You can buy frozen dumplings and wonton to cook at home. It is more expensive than what you would normally pay but so totally worth it. I had them the next day and was sad that I didn’t buy more!

Fried fish skins were great. Some might find it strange to see this on the menu as you don’t find them that often anymore in Asian restaurants. These were light, crispy and tasted wonderfully with the soup.

I thoroughly enjoyed all the food we ordered. And I cannot wait to visit Maxi’s at their new location next month but in the meantime, I plan on coming back to the pop-up location as much...

Passed by this restaurant a couple of times in the past but didn’t give it much thought other than that logo graphics was cute. Now I had to try it because it is one of the only two handful of NYC restaurants listed in Yelp's 100 Chinese restaurants.

First impression was, boy the place was really cramped. I would say there was barely enough room for 4-5 people to stand/wait in front of the check in area. The enclosed curbside annex which is often used as waiting area was used to seat 8-10 people -- in the cold! Absolutely not desirable.

I knew the place is known for wonton noodle soup so we had to order one to share. And as we planned to continue our food crawl later at the New World Food Court, we thought a Ja Jiang Noodle (a la Jjajiangmyun) as second dish would be ideal because we wouldn't be filling ourselves with another bowl of soup. We were shocked when the dish came served in the form of noodle soup! I had never had Ja Jiang noodle as a soupy dish in my Asian life!! In my mind, the Ja Jiang bean paste would dissipate in soup so it makes no sense. The reality was that it wasn't a traditional Jia Jiang but pork strips with mushrooms. The saving grace for that disaster was the broth was tomato based, Red Borscht-like soup which I do like.

Now the famous wonton noodle soup, while not bad, wasn't as good as my go-to place in Edison NJ - the Wonton Guy, where the wontons are bigger, tastier, and the broth has more umami.

Another big minus was, while this is a eat-in place by any measure, there were signs everywhere, apologizing that there is no restroom...