Max's Restaurant South San Francisco, Cuisine of the Philippines — Restaurant in South San Francisco

I walked in at your Gellert's branch and placed an order just about 2:20 pm. today. I ordered 2 whole chickens and 1 pancit canton, I was asked if I wanted the fried chickens chopped, I said no. I was told by server/cashier that the order will be ready in 15-20 minutes. Waited for the order outside in my car. Went back inside after 12 minutes just to check and sure enough the order was ready. The order was tightly bagged in a plastic bag on a steel rack. I was asked if I had already paid for it before the woman handed my order to me. Of course it was already paid as the taped receipt on the bag says so. The bag felt warm so I didn't check the whole order to see if each item were all freshly cooked and warm. I got home and opened the bag and what a big disappointment to discover that Max employees cheated me for the order. The 2 trays of whole chickens were chopped and were old and cold over six pieces of french fries soaked in grease. The only item that made the whole bag felt warm was the pandit canton. How dare you sell items you couldn't even eat for yourselves for the coldness and their old taste, seemed like they were regular room exposed for more than a couple of hours. I suspect that someone had ordered chopped chickens and didn't pick them up. How dare you treat customers like garbage. I even added a gratuity when I paid. You have taken advantage of selling old inedible food to an innocent customer what you can't sell just before the restaurant's 3-4:30 pm break. Tried calling five times at 4:45-5:00 pm, but I only get a voice animated response, it's very frustrating as you only have an automated voice machine that answers calls making consumers unable to file a complaint. I thought I could trust you by not checking each item before leaving. There is nothing else you can do to correct the crookedness you have done because your phone lines are not accessible to file complaints. You are just that good in cheating customers like me. This has become an annoying Filipino habit in the restaurant business, get rich quick cheating scheme. Zero star as far as I...

09/13/2025 Fried Chicken is crispy, but extremely dry. It sucked up all the chicken juice to make it crispy. Chicken taste is Mediocre. For the price that they charged for the whole Chicken the fair price has to be $15.00 or around that and half Chicken should have only been $9ish. I almost choke from the chicken many times and with the server who's multi tasking doesn't even know how to communicate and does a very poor job.

Pancit Bihon taste is also Mediocre with Hard Boiled egg on top is just weird to me, it is usually for Palabok. Pancit isn't mixed well with the sauce and the shrimp looks so uncooked and frozen. Shrimp on the Fried rice as well.

Shrimp Fried rice taste is not even impressive. I could have cooked a lot better than Max's Restaurant. I expected more good taste from this restaurant, but I was shocked to find out they don't cook good enough with those 3 simple dish is totally frustrating.

Jollibee and Chowking and other small business cook a lot better than Max's.

Max's Restaurant started since 1960 and yet Max's chicken recipe hasn't been upgraded and modified, but just to say it's "crispy" and that's all to it. I swear I make a better fried chicken and also juicy!

Max's Restaurant will be good for people who doesn't know how to cook and who never tried Filipino food for the first time, because there won't be a...

Max's Restaurant in South San Francisco is a beloved place, and I find the authentic Filipino flavors incredibly comforting in its warm, inviting setting. It's perfect for family dinners or just a casual meal. The atmosphere is cozy, with great acoustics that make it easy to talk. I've always appreciated the friendly and attentive service; it reminds me of the traditional Filipino hospitality I know and love.

When I look at the menu, I always tell people they must try Max's Fried Chicken, with its golden-brown, thin, crispy skin and moist, tender meat—it's best with their garlic rice. I also highly recommend the rich Kare-Kare (beef peanut stew served with shrimp paste), the crispy-skinned Lechon Kawali (crispy pork belly), and the flavorful Bangus Sisig.

While I've heard some people mention slight inconsistencies with a few items, like the Pancit Canton, or slower service during rush hour, my overall experience has been overwhelmingly positive. I love the generous portions, and I truly feel I get an authentic taste of the Philippines here. I always encourage people to visit for the Fried Chicken and stay to enjoy the wonderful...