Max's Restaurant, Cuisine of the Philippines, Chicago

I've been going here since they opened. The food is very authentic and tasty. The staff are very friendly. It felt like I was in the Philippines. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to try the Max's. I like the Sisig and garlic rice; it's my favorite. For winter time, bulalo is my favorite to eat there.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Missing item from the order and had to wait 30 mins from the pick up time. This order was already placed the day before! Mind you I had to call 8 times NO ANSWER! First call was answered and no one was talking. All I hear was customers on the background. Had to pay $18 more for something I didn’t receive.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

Terrible customer service and zero understanding.
We accidentally placed an order through Uber Eats at one of this chain’s locations in another state. The fact that Uber Eats even allowed the order to go through across the country is absurd—but what’s worse is that the restaurant refused to refund it, even though it was an obvious mistake and we reached out right away.

This should have been a straightforward fix. Instead, we ended up losing our money and still had nothing to eat, because we needed that refund to order from the correct location. A simple act of understanding could have kept us as loyal customers, but refusing to help in a situation this clear-cut means they’ve lost future business from us. Disappointing and unnecessary.

Edit: this really just doesn’t sit right with me. If this was a delivery order, they would have to cancel and refund our order due to not being able to deliver our food. If we were eating in the restaurant, we would not pay until AFTER receiving and eating our food. They have fully taken advantage of the fact that we prepaid for pick up. We clearly could not receive it. In the end they’ve stole our money. Just so incredibly rude it’s made me sick to my stomach.

Service: 1

Today October 16, 2025, @1pm. I’m a secret visiting chef and what I’ve experienced today is really disgusting from the 1 lady receptionist and 2 ladies servers. I am with my sister and nephew, serving only 2 cutlery since they see us as three people, then all the people around are very accommodating and friendly in manner except for us 3 no one could ask how our food is or experience. No one is saying thank you or even a smile. What are the most common mistakes of some Filipinos is stating a person by the means of their appearances. I guess seeing those things you should make an assessment of the attitudes of employees making deals with all customers rich or poor, dressed or simple get up mentioning the 3 ladies who were assigned today you should learn how to deal with customers.

Food: 1

Service: 1

Good food great customers service! Give it a visit you won’t regret

Honestly, the BEST Filipino food we've had outside the Philippines. Had the sinigang na bangus, Pancit canton, and Max's Inasal chicken. All were EXCELLENT. And our server, Jeanna, was thoughtful, attentive and super gracious. A GREAT experience. Thank you!

Should've taken pics, but TBH we ate it too fast.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

of course whenever i come here to eat id get myself a chicken since you cannot go wrong with getting one of these birds (being what built the house in the first place) but don't forget to grab yourself some of that kawali sisig cuz holy shit! getting a sizzling plate brought over to you with that amazing aroma is simply the best

shout out to rave for taking care of me the whole way and making sure i got everything i needed, from a glass of water and an extra cup with ice in it to getting me a to go order before leaving

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Good is very good. Staff is friendly. Always need to wait for a table of eating in. If you order food for pickup, you have to call ahead and make sure they processed your order. They have forgotten to process online orders when they are busy.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 3

We recently visited Max’s Restaurant in Chicago and tried their Labor Day Weekend Bundle ($80), which I thought was an excellent deal. The set included a whole fried chicken with fries, crispy pata, pancit sotanghon, and beef kare-kare.

The fried chicken was a standout: moist, juicy, and with perfectly crunchy skin that tasted just like I remembered. The crispy pata was also cooked to perfection, with tender meat and crispy skin. The pancit sotanghon was flavorful, and the beef kare-kare had a rich, delicious sauce, though I wished it had more vegetables. The bagoong alamang was very salty, so a little goes a long way. We also ordered a large rice, which was the perfect side for all the heavy dishes.

For dessert, the leche flan was just okay, less sweet and not as rich as others I’ve had.

Overall, the food was delicious, portions were generous, and the bundle offered great value. The service staff were friendly, hardworking, and efficient, which added to the experience.

The one drawback was the bathroom, which was not well maintained and had clutter nearby, taking away from the otherwise positive impression.

All in all, this was a solid 4-star experience ⭐⭐⭐⭐. We enjoyed our meal and would definitely come back for the food, while hoping to see some improvements in the facilities.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 5

I'm from the Bay Area, CA and we have Filipino restaurants in every corner. What a surprise to find a gem here at Max's Chicago! The food was great! Chicharon bulaklak, kare kare, crispy pata, dinuguan, lumpia shanghai...everything was delicious!😃 the servers were so nice and the owner was so kind! Highly recommend! Get the halo halo to satisfy your sweet tooth!♥️ Gnet

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

As someone who works in the restaurant industry i patiently Waited for an hour! An hour for nothing. Waitress came back and told me that the kitchen never made it. Worst experience ever. Wasnt her fault but man seeing all tables get all the food except us was infuriating! Please fix your kitchen

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 2

Service: 1

Obviously our Waitress did not care at all maybe because it was sunday, no smile, just did NOT CARE
Ask extra salt, the shaker was so..
dirty, and they csme back 5 minutes Katerina go take it for another table, ...really 1 salt shaker in the entire restaurant
My kury kury was warm and the eggplant not cook hard ...not good.
This not the traditional way Will not come back .
Napakalungkot!

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 3

Service: 1

Amazing Filipino restaurant. All the traditional food we grew up eating are available there and cooked just like you remember but the presentation is top notched. Especially love the halo-halo, crispy pata and of course the fried chicken that started it all. The service is excellent, staff are attentive and quick.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Halo-Halo, Whole Max's Fried Chicken, Max's Crispy Pata, Lumpiang Shanghai, Lechon Kawali, Pinakbet, Leche Flan, Sizzling Tofu

This restaurant has the best food. It is delicious and definitely will come back. They are flavorful. The restaurant is clean and well- maintained, and the service is attentive. You can’t go wrong coming here if you want to eat Filipino food. They have everything for everyone. The skewered meats, and of course the their specialty, crispy outside and tender inside. You won’t regret it.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Halo-Halo, Pancit Canton, Kare-Kare Beef Peanut Stew, Whole Max's Fried Chicken, Max's Crispy Pata, Lumpiang Shanghai, Lechon Kawali, Garlic Rice, Filipino Pork Barbeque Skewer, Garlic Fried Rice

Max’s Chicago was absolutely delicious! Everything we tried was good, but my favorites were the perfectly cooked crispy pata, the flavorful rib stew, and of course, their famous fried chicken. Whether you’re dining with a small group or a big one, it’s a great spot. The restaurant is clean, the service is excellent, and it’s truly the perfect place to enjoy Filipino food.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 4

Recommended dishes: Halo-Halo