Max's is a renowned Filipino restaurant. Quite popular among Filipinos. Its been around in the Philippines since 1945. It's reputation is hinged on their signature fried chicken and a few other Filipino favorites...Crispy Pata, Bulalo, Kare-kare, Sisig, Sinigang to mention a few. Was really happy to hear that Max's was coming to my hometown. Used to have to make a trip to Glendale to enjoy the food. It is quintessentially a taste of the Philippines. Dining is at the core of Philippine Culture. Max's has successfully transcended many generations serving up Philippine favorites. It's presence in Northern America has brought a taste of home to many Filipino expats. This review is written after my third visit to Max's Bakersfield... With the exception of the inconsistency of the Halo-halo, everything else has been as expected--deliciously reminiscent of home. The signature Fried Chicken was seasoned well. Had that delicious thin crispy skin but was a little dry. Missed the familiar moist chicken meat. Bulalo (Beef shank and marrow Soup) is my personal favorite. The soup stock has a rich umami bone marrow flavor with vegetables and beef shank meat that's so tender. Crispy Pata (Deep Fried Pork Shank) is light and crispy outside, moist and juicy inside. The pork skin is crisp like a thin chicharon chip. Absolute indulgence. Served with a vinegary dipping sauce that cuts through the melt in your mouth fatty goodness. The Chopsuey is surprisingly delicious. Texture of vegetables was just right. Would definitely order it again. Was hoping to try the Sizzling Caldereta but it was not available during my last two visits. The Halo-halo (Filipino Shaved Ice) with Ube (candied Purple Yam) and/or Macapuno (Young Coconut) Ice-cream, Pinipig (roasted rice crisps), flan, banana, sweet jackfruit, sweetened beans, and other tropical fruit was perfect on our first visit. Not on our subsequent visits. I will review the other dishes we tried some time in the future because I'd like to talk about their Service. To be polite, it has been less than desirable. All 3 visits suffered some kind of service issue. The staff is polite but they all seemed to lack training and a true sense of hospitality and customer service. During our first dining experience, our server gave us the wrong receipt. I caught the mistake because we didn't order what was on the bill. It took her at least 15 to 20 minutes to get back to us with the right receipt. The second visit, we had to wait 45 minutes in their cramped receiving area. They did not have a wait list. They need to have a basic wait list. A piece of paper on a clip board where the name, number of people dining, and the time they checked-in can be referenced for seating. There is a young man running around with an IPad seating people but missing out on who actually came in to wait first. We weren't served our drinks until after the second entree was on the table...our neighboring table was almost done with their meal and they also did not have water or anything to drink. Isn't that supposed to be the first thing served? Our third visit was just painful. We stood in line in the sweltering heat of over 100 degrees. They did not open promptly at 11am. Opened at 1105 (not to be facetious but when you are standing out in the heat every minute counts). We were 3rd in line and seated promptly. Our designated server took our order but told us she couldn't pronounce the names of the food on the menu nor did she make an attempt to write our order down. Exactly one hour later, I sought out the manager. Everybody who proceeded us was served but we and the 3 or 4 other tables that our waitress was supposed to care for were abandoned. I saw a lot of other hospitality staff walk by and not a single one asked us if we were okay or if we needed anything. The manager apologized and told us the server was new. She also told us that we would not be getting the Kare-kare and Caldereta because they ran out. That was late notification. Their waiters should have a list of unavailable items so customers don't order what is not available. My husband and I stayed until we were served over an hour later. I saw the people in the booth beside us just leave without having been served. The dining experience made me sad. Filipinos are known for their hospitality and good food. It's a shame that a franchise of a renowned Philippine restaurant lacks the caring and warmth akin to its culture and reputation. Their excuse: our servers are new. Sorry. Your staff needs guidance and direction. Cute uniforms but without the initiative and desire to serve, the dining experience fails. Waiting for over an hour for an order to be served is a bit much (especially if you made the effort to show up early for opening and patiently waited in a queue). I really hope they fix their staff deficiencies. If you don't mind waiting for good Filipino food, go to Max's in Bakersfield. read more

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Delicious food, friendly staff, cute unassuming place that smells tasty the moment you walk in. I don't have photos but I got the half fried chicken and garlic fried rice. My hubster got the diced crispy pork and the spring roll appetizer. All of it was quite delicious. Looked, smelled, and tasted great. Last, I got the Pandan Coconut dessert. YUM! read more

Came in today and our food was really delicious-- and our server was super nice as well. My family and I had Laing, Crispy Pata, Fried Chicken, Pancit Palabok, Lechon Kuwali Sisig, Lumpiang Shanghai , and halo halo. Also, we had the Buko Juice! Overall the experience of eating here was nice and I would come back again! read more

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We were ecstatic when Max came to Bakersfield! When we lived briefly in the Philippines, my American husband's favorite restaurant was Max's. We have gone to eat there four times in past 10 days . The hospitality and service are outstanding. The food is true Filipino taste and more. I am so happy I don't need to cook Filipino food again at home. My American husband is happy to go to Max's anytime!! read more

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First time to try. The place is clean. A very nice look inside. Hostess was pleasant and waiters were friendly and answered our questions about the menu. I ordered the adobo bowl. My friend had the bbq pork bowl. I have to say I enjoyed the bowl but their adobo was atypical. There are so many ways to cook adobo and this was just mediocre. The jasmine rice served was excellent. Would have enjoyed more dishes. The family style dishes does not come with rice. The prices were very high. I guess these days it's difficult to eat out for lunch under $25. read more

First time eating here with my family. The service is pretty good. The food is amazing. We ordered: garlic rice, sinigang bangus, sizzling pork sisig, pork BBQ skewers, pancit miki bahon, and bukon pandan. Our waitress Anna Mae is so nice and friendly. The kitchen manager is so nice and friendly as well. Definitely will come back here again!! read more

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I got to try the latest new things on the menu. The Bilao player is great for groups! I'm so full. read more

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New place so of course it's crowded but a party of 4 for Lunch on Friday was a 15 minute way. Service was great and attentive. Overheard a server saying it was so busy she was overwhelmed and worried she couldn't give her best service and make people not wanna come back. You guys are doing a great job We ordered BBQ pork skewers, Crispy Pata, Pancit bihon, whole fried chicken, fresh lumpia, and garlic rice. The fried chicken was a little dry but everything else was 10/10. So glad there is Filipino food in Bakersfield now. read more

Max's Restaurant - Pancit bihon, pork bbq skewers (amaaaazing), crispy pata- my moms favorite and she loved it (woman is hard to please) - Filipino Near Me - Bakersfield, California

The best Filipino food!!! Taste just like mom's home made food. The staff and everyone was just so amazing as well!

The Bakersfield version of Max's is well below the standard of other Max's we have tried in the US and the Philippines. Decor is modern, and the service was OK, but food quality was below standard. Maybe the first time was a fluke, but the second time...come on. Both times, the fried chicken was over-fried, which was super dry. The pancit was over seasoned and salty. When we ordered the lumpia, the waitress told us they were sold out. I'm very disappointed. read more

Food and service were on point here! I've been to a Max's restaurant in LA, but this was my first time going to the Bakersfield location. I was very impressed with all of the meats (I.e. crispy pata, fried chicken, beef nilaga), garlic fried rice, and pancit that we ordered. This is an excellent franchise that showcases Filipino food! read more

Busy place everybody wants to eat here. The food is good. Especially the lechon kawali deep fried pork belly. Crispy crunchy on the outside moist and juicy on the inside. The chicken is great as well. Moist and juicy. I'm going to bring my own hot sauce next time. Definitely order the halo halo too me and my wife shared one and it was perfect. Still working out some kinks when we were there last month but I'm definitely going back. Please go and support our pinoy businesses in Bakersfield or else they'll go away and I'll have to drive to LA or Delano to get my fix. This the best Filipino food in Bakersfield!! read more

What a great experience! The service was great. The restaurant is clean and beautiful. The food was awesome!!! Thank you Max's!!!! Definitely 5 stars!!! read more

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I really wanted to like this place since it brought something new to Bakersfield. Unfortunately, even though the service and decor were great, the lunch specials were disappointing. The meals you receive look NOTHING like the photos in the menu. You are basically paying $18 for a bowl of white rice. They portions of anything else are extremely minimal. Dont advertise a plate full of meat and rice if the portion of meat you're going to give is abysmal. read more

Thank you for this new addition to Bakersfield! My exposure to Filipino cuisine is limited, but I will be back! We sampled bbq pork skewers, fried pork belly and lumpias filled with pork & veggies. I also ordered a single serving of garlic fried rice. We ended up ordering the dessert halo-halo to share at the end. Everything was delicious! read more

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When you want good filipino food you dont have to make, this is the spot. My fave is the Kare Kare a must try.

We ordered Palabok and as Filipinos, we know and expect what Palabok tastes, but when we got our order, it was just noodles dyed in orange. There's no flavor at all. The Liempo sisig is not even sisig, it's just liempo, chopped and served. They need better chefs, Filipino food is not bland. read more

Where do I start?! the food is amazing , my girlfriend had got the crispy pata and I got the bulalo soup. I have never tried filipino food before, it was kind of a let's try something new type of deal. But I recommend max's to anyone who wants to try filipino food like us. Also the server was great, Iris, was an amazing server she always made sure we had a refill on our drinks and would check up on every so often. read more

The food was great. My favorite is the chicken, kare kare, & sago't gulaman. The service is amazing & the place is welcoming.

This is now my absolute favorite Filipino restaurant in Bakersfield. Classy ambiance from the dining area to their restrooms. Everything that I've ordered so far was amazing.  Their classic fried chicken paired with banana ketsup, BBq skewers, Crispy Pata, Chicharon Bulaklak( so addicting) definitely a must try! Don't ever leave without trying their mouth-watering desserts like Halo-Halo and Buko Pandan. Hosts and servers are also great and always efficient, happy, and polite. Can't wait to return and wouldn't hesitate to recommend to anyone looking for somewhere to eat in BF. read more

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Had a delightful late lunch on our way to Vegas. We had the fried tilapia, heart of palm lumbiang, and garlic rice. Everything was fresh, flavorful, beautiful presented, filling, and satisfying. The restaurant was spotlessly clean (the bathrooms were impeccable), and the staff extremely friendly and helpful. 10/10 would return. Thank you Max's!! read more

Thankful that you are in our city now. Missing Filipino cuisine and don't want to cook, the best place to dine. Always love the Max's chicken really sarap to the bones. The best chicharon bulaklak and the Toron with ice cream is the bomb. Only 4 coz I didn't like some of our orders. read more

Max's Restaurant - Fried Chicken - Filipino Near Me - Bakersfield, California

Everything we had today was amazing. We have the fried chicken and the garlic rice and a yummy dessert. Service is welcoming and top notch!! Cute place definitely will go back bringing the grandkids has a Family atmosphere read more

Authentic Filipino food in Bakersfield! Definitely recommend. Service was great and food came out fast. Recommend the pata, kare kare, garlic rice, and everything else! Go right at opening or after lunch as it can get busy and you'll have to wait. read more

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Iris and destiny were a great service they were really nice and the food was like amazing 'll for sure come back !love it a lot. Everything went good nothing was dirty or messy it was very clean and organized. read more

Came in for early Sunday lunch and tried to beat the post church family brunchers from coming in. It was packed by noon. Very nice aesthetic and cheerfully greeted by everyone there. Ordered the calamari, sisig, pancit, whole chicken, garlic rice, and crispy pata. The calamari was overcooked like dried pusit but the crispy pata was delicious. The fried chicken was bland, but covered in Mang Tomas or banana ketchup made it better. Their halo-halo wasn't as sweet as I wanted it to be but I'm sure my diabetes didn't mind. They did sing me happy birthday served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream so that was pleasant. read more

Max's Restaurant - Crispy Pata - Filipino Near Me - Bakersfield, California

I chose this restaurant because it was close by and had a 6 star rating on both Facebook and Yelp. But you never really know until you go and find out. Went in just as the weekday lunch rush ended and it was great timing. this can sometimes mean shift changes and you get forgotten but not here. We got treated very well. the restaurant was nice and well lit, clean, and bright. the story of how Max's started is told on a wall and it's sweet. the menu format is unique in that one menu is all alacarte family style dishes of generous proportions, another is lunch combinations, and a third is yet more. my spouse got the lumpia lunch combination with garlic rice and I got alacarte chop suey. I took the chicken thigh from his combo plate, and a little of his rice, we both ate chop suey, and he ate the pancit bihon, and lumpia, from his combo plate. the pancit had chicken and a bit of shrimp, as did the chop suey. the garlic rice we substituted instead of just white rice was perfect. we filled up and took rice and chop suey and chicken home that was our late night light supper. we were waited on by a wonderful wait staff, including the host who sat us and told us about the food, as well as our server who was absolutely amazing. we ended up meeting the manager and owner and it was a great experience. we don't live in Bakersfield but up in Wofford Heights where there is no Asian food restaurant of any type. so we know where to go when we drive into town now. highly recommend for food, service, prices, and all around experience. read more

Just bomb food. I love Filipino food in this place hit my spot. Service was awesome and the ambience was chill.

We'd medium size Cispy Pata, Pancit Bihon, Plain Rice & 2 Halo-Halo. Tastes incredibly delicious. Will always come back here... 5-star overall experience read more

Delicious traditional Filipino cuisine! Nice atmosphere, great service, and easy parking.

4.0 for the pancit bihon. 3 for the eggroll and bbq stick. 0 for the bland sizzling sisig. Good service but overpriced. Unfortunately not many Filipino restaurants to choose from around the area. read more

Truly the hidden gem of Bakersfield. Everything from the customer service to the food was amazing. I guarantee it will not disappoint!! read more

The food is so good. I always get the caldereta, garlic rice, pancit canton ( thick noodle) crispy pata, and lumpia. This order feeds 4 adults easily. The only negative is that they do not give you enough sauce for the lumpia. read more

I love all the food in this place... Max's is a well known resto in the Philippines with a lot of branches all over Manila. Our family often visit this place when we celebrate special occasion... good and friendly service too! read more

This place deserves more review! We were around the area to do a photoshoot at the Almond Orchard which is close by and ordered food to go- Lumpiang Shanghai, Lechon Kawali and Pork Bbq are all so good! Thank you GJet for the reco! Please open one in Orange County! I would love to dine-in. Highly recommend this Filipino resto! Sorry no photos because we're so hungry! read more

Food and service was great. Best Halo Halo! Tried the Buko coconut juice was also great. I would definitely recommend this restaurant.

Went around 2 pm on Friday. Not busy and service was decent Food - the lumpia was average, the famous chicken had great crispy skin and moist chicken under the skin but the flavor was lacking - very bland Garlic rice was decent The sauce was also not very flavorful and the banana ketchup they really push was like light ketchup with banana scent. Overall - just OK. Prices were decent read more

Finally writing a review for this restaurant. We were looking forward to them opening in town as we have been huge patrons of this restaurant back home in the Philippines. I remember growing up looking forward to going to their restaurant for the crispy friend chicken! The chicken did not disappoint. We always order one when we come here to feast. Tried to order something different from the menu each time. And tried not to compare it with home cooking from family and friends. It's a hit and miss on some of their food items on the menu. Pancit is good and tasty. But depends on the chef probably you may end up with a batch a little salty. But I personally don't like too much salt in my food so what's salty for me may not be salty for others. I like their Pancit Canton the best. Chicharon Bulaklak is good and crispy. Ordered it a few times and always consistent. Sinigang soup is delish. Perfect sourness. Can't go wrong with any of them. Kare-Kare wasn't too bad although it would be nice to have more meat and veggies in the each order. Lechon Kawali and Crispy Pata were on point. Not very happy with any of their Sisig dishes. I suggest to skip that if you don't want to be disappointed and looking for authentic Sisig. Beef Caldereta is meh. But then again I'm spoiled with my dad's cooking... the best Caldereta ever! Now for desserts, you can't go wrong with their Halo-halo. Chunky and delish! Buko Pandan is ok and the caramel bars aren't too bad either. Glad that we have this restaurant option now in town for Filipino food. Will definitely go back and take family and friends to eat here. read more

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The food of my people! At first I was honestly skeptical at how good can this restaurant really be because of how much Filipinos would talk about it. Finally was able to try it and wow was I proven wrong. Got food for the the family. Started off with the chicharon bulaklak which is always a nice appetizer. Wish they included more tbh for the price. Ordered the chicharon kawali which was super tender and flavorful, just a little too oily IMO. The chicken was pretty good as expected from what people have mentioned. Then I got the pancit bihon and was probably the best pancit I ever had. Immediately had so much flavor and liked that there was fish balls in there which I never seen in pancit before. The inside of the restaurant is super nice and visually appealing. The workers were all very polite! Some workers were off the clock and even got a late order of halo halo made for me. Overall I would recommend this place! read more

Max's Restaurant - Halo Halo - Filipino Near Me - Bakersfield, California

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The crispy pata is so good.and the fresh lumpia is good too. But the Laing is too salty.