Max’s of Manila

Nothing stuck out to me, didn’t know what to order. My friend suggest «all the chicken is good». I ended up ordering fried calamari. It wasn’t good. I should of had the chicken?

I’ve enjoyed eating at Max’s when I’ve been in this area, but I’m sorry to report that Max’s is now closed. There isn’t even a sign on the building.

This place SUCKS! Service is slow. Takes forever to get your food. The food is okay. I don’t think this is real traditional Filipino food. They have some stuff but it totally caters to the American crowd. I’ve come here a couple of times and each time I was disappointed. I would come here if someone suggested it. I don’t think I would come here again. Filipino food whatever!

Good Filipino food is something extremely difficult to describe; however, you definitely know it when you see it. As can usually be expected at a Filipino restaurant, this place was buzzing with patrons around dinner time. I was greeted promptly at the door and didn’t even have to wait before a table was found for me. All throughout my meal the servers were attentive and made sure to periodically check up on me to make sure that my drink remained full and that I didn’t have any additional requests. Overall a pretty positive experience based on just the service.
So why the two stars? Simply put, the food quality just fell flat. I really wanted to like Max’s, but there is something to be said when your side order of rice comes out on the cold side and the famous chicken is just too painfully dry to enjoy without drenching it in either Jufran or Mama Tanang’s sauce. For the prices that you are paying, the food should be at LEAST decent. In addition, the Halo Halo mix used seemed to be a bit clumpy and really made me regret not waiting to run over to Goldilocks.
Sadly, I guess I just have to accept the fact if I want to ever enjoy going out for Filipino food I will have to make the trip to Daly City or San Francisco. *Sigh*

Wow. I’m really surprised with all the low ratings. I’ve been to Max’s a couple of times and during those visits, not one unpleasant experience. Though, my boyfriend and I usually order take out, go next door to Seafood City and come back within 15 – 20 minutes to pick up our orders, everything has gone smoothly so far.
The food is good, (neither I nor my boyfriend is Filipino) so we don’t really know what «good» Filipino food tatses like, but I love what I eat and am satisfied with what I get. We usually get the usual meal; chicken, fat noodles, I think its called bancit something, rice and a couple lumpias.
The hosts have always been friendly to us and very helpful and explained to us what we were ordering and what not. The wait is not too bad and my bf and I always finish our food so I guess our tummies were satisfied and so are we.

Best Filipino breakfast ALL-​U-​CAN-​EAT in Sacramento! Not a hole-​in-​the-​wall, but a little secret breakfast hotspot in the Filipino community.
Warm scrambled eggs & garlic fried rice or steamed rice at your request is served buffet style. They got classic Filipino breakfast servings of Tocino, longanisa (Filipino sausage), fried milkfish, soup of the day, adobo chicken… they even got spam! All this for a price around $ 10! I just go here for the breakfast.
Couple of servings change depending on the day of the week. One day there’s chicken adobo, other day replaced with tocino, etc.
MINUS Star: few buffet choices.

I can not properly review Max without first comparing them to the slew of non-​existent Filipino restaurants in the U.S., how home cooking should be better than restaurant cooking, I’m from outside of Sacramento and the food is always better from where I’m from, and that I should be angry because I arrive when they are closed and denied being served, and feel that I should just because the people in the restaurant haven’t been kicked out for not finishing their food at closing…
*Sarcasm Detector Explodes*
The food is fair, service is poor, cost is slightly pricey, and the restaurant itself is clean. I was really looking forward to Max being a local favorite, due to the lack of Filipino restaurants, but afraid my search for one must continue to be unfulfilled.
The over all quality of our food was fair. The freshness and quality was there, but it just lacked flavor. The Crispy Pork Knuckle (Pork Pata) was pleasantly delightful. The skin and outer meat portions were crispy and savory, while the inner portions were tender and juicy.
The Lumpiang Ubod we ordered can be prepared many different ways. It is essentially a Filipino spring roll that can be served, fresh or fried, and can often be found served with a light peanut sauce. Unfortunately the fresh Lumpiang Ubod we ordered was very unsatisfying. The peanut sauce was very bland, the wrap was moist enough to be considered soggy, and the filling did nothing but serve as filling.
Sago’t Gulaman was our drink of choice. Similar to something you would find at Tapioca express, it is a sweet drink with large «boba» or pearls made of jelly and gelatin cubes. The Halo Halo Special desert was satisfying but definitely lacking in the «Special» department. I suppose using two types of ice cream instead of one could be considered… «Special.»
The service was very poor. One server was very unprofessional and reminded me of the ignorant kids you used to go to high school with. He brought us out the wrong rice at first, and since we had already taken one of the three scoops, we were charged for it. We didn’t dispute it at this point of the meal, since we had more coming at stake, that we didn’t want to risk getting spit on. The other server was actually polite, just a bit too unemotional and missing in action. It wouldn’t have been too bad if it wasn’t for the fact that he was our primary server.
The restaurant was clean, but that should be expected from any restaurant. I don’t have any immediate yearnings to ever return, but know I would end up trying them at least once more due to the lack of Filipino food options in the area, and willingness to give them second try. The food is a bit pricey, not so much that it was really that expensive in itself, but for the lack of «wow» in it’s flavor. The search continues!

I came to Max’s because all my friends were there. DON’T come here after 9PM. They will NOT serve you. Even if the people you are meeting is still eating and you’ve come with at least 3 other people. I got there 5 minutes past 9 and the kitchen was closed. In this economy would you turn down customers? They turned down at least $ 60 worth of food and I would have had dessert. Bull shit!
I’ve eaten here before and I can honestly cook better Filipino food. Plus, the service sucks ass! Super slow! Don’t come here hungry because you will wait and your food will not come out at the same time. AND if something taste funny. SAY SOMETHING cause there is something wrong with it! We had the pork sinigang here before and the meat tasted disgusting and rotten. It’s pretty shady. Definitely doesn’t represent Filipino food very well. I’m Filipino, I know. There are way better Filipino restaurants in SF/​Daly City. If you have a real craving; make friends with a Filipino that can cook or go to the bay area. Do not go to Sacramento!!!

The chicken and lechon was really good. From Chicago, so it’s hard to find good Filipino food down here. The chicken had crispy skin and the inside was juicy and tender. Service was so so, but when you are eating all that good food, service is an afterthought. Also got garlic fried rice and pancit, but the pancit was kind of water down. Not that great. The garlic fried rice and sinigang we ordered were also very good. Totally hit the spot!

I think the chicken is the only thing that I like in their menu. They are a little pricey for dishes that are average and at most times salty.
The only recommendation is to go to Max’s during the weekend for their breakfast buffet. It is a good place to go when you are craving for longanisa, tocino, adobo, scrambled eggs, and fried rice in one sitting. Lets not forget the fried fish that you wouldn’t want to cook at home because it will stink up the house.

I needed a large order of lumpia shanghai for a party and I just didn’t have the time to make it myself. After going through the horrendous traffic I finally arrived at my destination. The place looked decent from the outside and is pretty clean inside.
I placed my order maybe 3+ days beforehand and the pick-​up time to be 5:30pm. I arrive at 5:45pm and I am asked to wait because my order is not fully ready yet. Around 6:15pm my order is finally ready, yes … you read this correctly … ½ hour LATER, after already being 15 minutes LATE, my order is finally ready. So I take my large order, TIP THE HOSTESS, and left. (Do I regret tipping later? … YES!)
I get home and begin to separate the pieces of lumpia into different containers to make it easier for everyone to have some, and what do I realize? They skimped me out on 14 pieces of lumpia!!!
I quickly called them to ask what happened, and they said that they probably miscalculated. I mean c’mon now … 14?! On top of that, about 50% of them were SOGGY!!! *YUCK*! It was as if they gave me the lumpia they didn’t sell the night before or something. The manager or person in charge that night told me that if I came back they’d give me the missing pieces or a voucher to use towards eating there again.
IS HE CRAZY?! Why, oh, WHY would I EVER want to go back there?! Keep my tip you shady hostess that was rude and I don’t want your voucher for your crappy food or to have to deal with that kind of service … NEVER AGAIN WILL I SET FOOT INTO THIS PLACE.
Oh, and the guests at the party did NOT like the lumpia at all … and I told them where it came from so I’m sure they won’t be going here as well. UGH! What a terrible experience. And when I thought it was going to go so smoothly and perfectly too … oh well, 1 star (only because I have to).

I gave Max’s two stars only because I like their fried chicken — expensive, but worth the price when I crave.
Sacramento needs more Filipino restaurants similar to Daly City. Max is a lame excuse for a Filipino restaurant. Dishes are either bland or way too salty. Their pancit canton was way too starchy and not enough vegetables or meat. The chicken sisig tasted like leftover shredded fried chicken, microwaved, and mixed with mayo. Adobo was way too oily and have been sitting in soy sauce all day and microwaved for 2 minutes. The fried calamari had maybe a total of 2 squids with fried batter bits to make the plate look full.
The worst part about this restaurant is the service. If you’re not white or black, forget about getting good service. I’ve been here with the family enough (3 or 4 times) to notice that for everytime they visit our table to refill water or ask how we’re doing, they’ve visited the white or black table 4 times. That’s 1 to 4 ratio… and usually the server never even comes back and get our water glasses refilled and we’d have to pay our bill at the front desk. I call the servers Uncle TonTon’s for their superior service to the non-​asians. Don’t call us cheap when we tip you 5% — you’re lucky you get that 5%.

For the price and quality, 5 stars are in order. FIrst timer, had dinner with my hubby after our grocery shopping at the asian market next door to it. Ordered, congee (delicious! portion is huge even after sharing with my hubby), nilagang baka/​beef soup (superb!) and calamares.
Worth every penny.

Food is ok. Pricey if you compare it with other Filipino Restaurants. Quality of food is ok, still there are better ones out there. Really bad service… we asked for water a few times and still the server kept forgetting. and don’t get me started on how slow they are.
I guess nothing can beat a homecooked meal by a Filipina mom.
If you want a Filipino style fried chicken, you should try Savory fried chicken… way better.

I came here because I was craving Kare Kare. Kare Kare is peanut butter type sauce with variety of vegetables, oxtail and tripe. You can eat it with rice and bagoong (shrimp paste). Well, most filpinos eat just like that. Anyhoot, I been craving this dish for few days now… So, I got here and ordered it. I was actually very disappointed and pissed off!!! My kare kare did not even taste like kare kare, peanut butter taste was way off. I couldnt even taste the peanut butter, not even a hint of it. The color was off. Barely any oxtail in the dish. I was extremely pissed off!!!
My garlic rice was ok and lumpia was ok also. Nothing special! My boyfriend plate was lechon and rice. He enjoyed it but the amount was small. My KARE KARE sucks ASS!
The place was clean and empty… I came towards dinner hr. The waiter was slow but nice.

Wow– the Filipino’s are harsh up here. I thought the place was great. We are talking about Filipino food here people. The same people who love hot dogs in ketchup and call it spaghetti. I mean — common– what do you expect? Here is what I look for in a Filipino restaurant:
1. Cleanliness
2. Knowing what kind of meat I am getting, and what pieces, (they never heard of chicken breasts in the Philippines)
3. How fresh is the food really?
4. What region is it from?
5. Does it turn into a bar after 8:00pm (sometimes not a deal breaker)
6. Is it ‘turo-​turo” or cooked to order
When I walked into this Max’s of Manila, it was clean (even the restroom was clean). It was ‘sit down’. They had nice waiters. The A/​C was on full blast. What I ordered was good. I had— over all— a good experience there, considering I was not filipino and I was alone. I have noticed a person can become VERY critical when they dine alone. Everything good or bad really stands out, cause you have nothing else to do but notice the service, the food, the cleanliness and so on. This being said, I thought it was great and very much on the upper scale of my filipino dining experiences. Trust me I have had many, many, many bad experiences.

So apparently the new thing is to add a soundtrack to your review? Hrm, I juuust got the memo, but here’s one for ya anyway:
My two most favorite Filipino things are guys, and Halo-​Halo. I’m not sure which I like more, but a pretty good afternoon did consist of sharing the Grande Halo-​Halo at Max’s of Manila with,. a Filipino guy, dur!
Priced at only $ 7.95 for a huge bowl of shaved ice, banana, jackfruit, coconut, sweet beans, jellies, ice cream, whipped cream and puffed rice cereal, this icy cold treat was a bargain on a hot summer day. I wish that Max’s used mango and ube ice cream instead of vanilla and chocolate, but nevertheless, it was still really yummy. And I’ve decided that sweet banana is my all time favorite topping, but coconut is a close second.
Located in South Sac, the restaurant was still packed and busy even in the middle of the afternoon. Though we only came in for the dessert, the food looked appetizing, and all the Filipino families dining here was definitely a good sign. Service was a tad slow, but we weren’t in a rush so that didn’t bother me too much. Also, there are other favorites nearby such as Red Ribbon and Jollibee for your convenience.
All in all, Max’s of Manila receives a well deserved 4 Star rating for a dessert that’s easy on my tummy, with boys who are easy on the eyes.
«See, you’ve never met a girl, that put it down like me. And if you know exactly what I wanna do. Then (Max’s of Manila), I’ma give my business to youuuu.» :)

The food was ok, but kinda pricey for the small protions.
But the service will keep me away from this place and I’m not usually one to ding a place for service. I mean, I frequent Chinese dives for godssake… but OMG! We waited FOREVER for someone to take our order. And then another FOREVER to get our food. And the place was half empty! Ding #1!
And then there was the issue with the server getting the food wrong. The table next to us got served first. A mom, dad and 2 small kids. One of the kids got the wrong plate, but it took mom a while to recognize it and let the server know. It looked suspiciously like an order that we had put in for our table. And I’ll be damned if they didn’t just take it away from the kid only to bring it back to our table when when they served us 10 minutes later! Cuz that was the only chicken that wasn’t steaming! Yuck! TRIPLE Ding!

Seems like they’ve expanded their menu since the last time I ate here. Good selection, from breakfast (try the breakfast buffet) to desserts. The staff was great, friendly and with a good sense of humor. We had about 3 different people waiting on us, although the server who took our order forgot one of our dishes (the fresh lumpia, called a fresh «crêpe» on the menu). No big deal since we ordered a ton of other food that promptly came out. They didn’t offer regular iced tea because their coffee maker was broken. Huh? Anyways, we had the appetizer «teaser» which was lumpia shanghai and calamari. Pretty good start. We also tried the sinigang hipon (shrimp broth soup w/​a few veggies), pancit bihon (rice noodles), and Max’s whole chicken (their fried chicken specialty-​although that day it wasn’t anything special). I do think it’s on the pricey side, but I was quite full and satisfied with our meal, and my sweet mom paid for lunch. I wish I had room for dessert because the «grande Halo-​Halo» ($ 7.95) that the table next to us was eating looked hella good (and I’m not even a Halo-​Halo fan… please don’t take away my Flip card).
Oh, one other observation was that there wasn’t any bottles of soy sauce on the table (come on now), but there was a huge bottle of Lea & Perrin’s steak sauce. Huh?

Pricey, yes. Good chicken, I think so.
My crispy chicken was mmm mmm good. Cooked perfectly — soft, tender, and juicy on the inside; extra crispy on the outside. My buko pandan shake was good too. They even had a special bag for the shake which was the first I’ve ever seen. It’s like they read my mind because when I had bought a shake from Jolibee’s it spilled all over my brand new leather interior car! That wouldn’t have happened if it were in a special bag. That was my fault though. I digress.
I can’t say much about their in-​service since I took mine to-​go, but they were courteous and prompt with my order. It’s A LOT cleaner than the one in Vallejo (surprisingly).