Well, I was back in Houston this week and met my brother and sister-in-law and nephew for lunch here at Max! It's been a few years since we met for lunch at the same restaurant, so my brother has always asked me to join him for lunch there but my previous experience back in the pandemic days was not memorable. What a change - their food is much improved and the taste that gets in your mouth when you taste their pancit palabok in good and tasty. So much flavor! Also, the lechon kawali had a nice crunch! The dipping sauce was very flavorful - especially with the fried fatty part of the pork belly. My brother ordered other foods that I just had to taste. The garlic fried rice was epic - so much flavor there. There is a dish called Bistek - and it's really beef short ribs without the bone and it's quite soft. It's dressed in a soupy broth but it's not soup. It's a little salty because of the soy sauce and probably salt and vinegar as well. Eaten with the garlic fried rice, it's a great combo! We ate until we were full and my brother and his family will have enough to take home for dinner! Service wise, a sparse lunch crowd does not guarantee good service. There was one server and the manager of the place did the cooking. That tells you the state of the restaurant business these days. [[HIGHLIGHT]]As for the ambiance, there were a few tables with customers when we arrived but after a couple of hours, the place was pretty empty.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Overall, I wished I had taken pictures of our food but we got too busy talking and studying our face with the good food! I'd like to come back here and eat here again soon! read more

Max's Restaurant - The restaurant from across the bakery, The Baker's Son! - Filipino Near Me - Houston, Texas

I was craving some Filipino food and this is one of the first spots I've actually bumped into that day so I was like what the heck give it a try. [[HIGHLIGHT]]When you walk in you just wait to be seated. Give me some people inside. It wasn't overly crowded and it looked decent.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] I couldn't decide what I wanted so I got the samplerMax's teaser plate that has Lumpiang Shanghai, Calamares and Chicharon. Not going to lie the sampler really missed the Chicharon or cooked? Curious all out. Not crispy. Things was good Lumpiang Because the calamari was overly breaded and warm. Now I also ordered the Lechon Kawali Sisig. It came out sizzling as advertised but it was unfortunately overcooked and dry but the flavor was there. It just wasn't edible after it cooled down unfortunately. I'll miss this spot. Maybe it was just location but I won't be back read more

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[[HIGHLIGHT]]Family friendly, lots of long tables and booth, karaoke and music on weekends, and affordable.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Food in to be shared with the family and to go! read more

Every time I have a Filipino craving, this is the spot we go to. The food was ok, you could probably get your Filipino mom to make you a better Kare Kare. But some days, you just wanna eat out and not cook. I really like our server, he was super friendly and attentive. read more

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I came in for an earlier dinner on Sunday with two friends. The front of house seemed busy, but we were prompted seated. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Atmosphere was laid back and there were a few families seated in the restaurant.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Since it was our first time here, we decided on Max's Teasers (lumpiang shanghai aka Filipino egg rolls, calamari, and chicharon bulakak aka fried ruffle fat). For ~$15, the calamari was a little soggy and the bulakak was too rich but fun to try with spicy vinegar. The lumpia was crispy and nicely seasoned. I ordered the Kare Kare: oxtail with book choy, eggplant, and green beans in savory peanut sauce. Rice was an extra $2 but I think the server gave me a larger portion. Overall, 7/10 flavor and fresh veggies, though the soup could have been a little warmer. My friend ordered the chicken sisig, with crispy bits and a much-too-fishy fish sauce. Overall, food was a 5.5/10, not bad for a quick sit-down meal. Service was 7/10 and family-friendly ambiance. read more

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We came by last night (Friday) at 7:32 PM and the "Closed" sign was already up. The lady told us they're closed, but when I mentioned your website says you close at 9 PM, she said 7:30 PM instead. Like seriously? It was just 7:32! We drove 40 minutes just to eat there. Even the sign on your door says 9PM. Also, no one was answering the phone when we tried calling to check your hours. Please update your website or make sure your hours are accurate and consistent. To be honest, I've been to other Max's locations in California, and this just didn't feel like the same Max's quality. No wonder Filipino food spots around here are shutting down, people don't want to drive out just to be disappointed. read more

Max's Restaurant - Filipino Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Ordered the pancit canton and max's teaser sampler, extremely disappointed in both dishes. The noodles were literally maruchan ramon noodles with two shrimp in the whole thing. The samplers calamari tasted frozen, the egg rolls were probably the most edible out of the experience. Waste of 40 bucks read more

HOUSTON, TX 77025 / FILIPINO / 06-04-23 / TAKEOUT LUNCH +The garlic fried rice ($8.00, Large) was delicious and the portion size is legit. +The fried chicken ($13.00, Half) was crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. +The halo-halo special dessert ($8.00) was o.g. -They really skimped on the french fries; please see the attached picture. Sundays are packed and the wait times can be 40-60 minutes. Service was meh; the workers could have given me my takeout order 5-10 minutes earlier, as it just sat on a shelf. I will be back to try the other dishes. Stay tuned. read more

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The fresh lumpia was very stringy and barely edible. I suspect the bamboo shoots were not prepared correctly or are old. The quality of the food had declined greatly; won't be back. read more

Hardcore fans of Filipino fare might be quick to point out that this is not comparable to the OG locations in Manilla (#1), I'm actually quite satisfied with my experiences here. Located in what feels like a Filipino plaza that also includes other Filipino big chains like Jollibee and Red Ribbon, there is a lot to appreciate here. Opened as of last year, this location still looks, feels, and even smells very new. The place is bright, spacious, and super ideal for all kinds of parties. When the bathrooms are clean, it makes my dining heart sing just a little bit. I've found that it's not ever too crowded in here, but that's probably because I'm doing my dining in the middle of the week. I've been to a handful of Max's internationally and this one probably stacks up just in the middle somewhere, but the service, modern interiors, and consistent offerings get a thumbs up from me. The food is solid with a good number of classic dishes that range from crispy patas to sisig to lumpia. Their claim to fame, the fried chicken, is available as a half and a whole for $11-15. It's not going to blow too many folks, but given how much variety they have, that's totally okay. The dishes I like here are the kare kare, pork skewers, lechon kiwali, and laing. The latter has a nice hint of coconut milk, which is crucial for the stewed taro leaves to be rich and an ideal comfort food option. Top it off with any of their ube ice creams, or perhaps their infamous halo halo, and life can be good. Prices are going to be higher than most spots, but I think that's by virtue of being a famous chain + a little pandemic inflation. Service has always been really good and I never hesitate to dine here with anyone, especially in a group. (#2) I still recommend coming to check this place out, especially for those who are craving some element of Filipino cuisine and looking to satisfy it in this part of the inner loop. _____________ (#1) And they'd be right. This place is *way* cleaner. (#2) If only they offered a kamayan feast! read more

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2 shrimp, about 10 tiny pieces of meat maybe a handful of veggies with a lot of noodles as well as very bland taste. Never again. read more

Max's Restaurant - Filipino Near Me - Houston, Texas

It makes sense for a Max to be here with such a large Filipino community! It's a nice family restaurant that was pretty packed. But it kinda of goes downhill from there. Service is definitely overworked which I feel pretty bad about - I wish those folks could catch a break especially with how packed it was. Half fried chicken was pretty dry which is heart breaking since that is a flagship dish of theirs. Fries were a bit soggy and sad too. I want to say I don't have the acquired taste of having that much peanuts in my life too for some of the dishes, but I feel like it didn't enhance the flavor really well either. I will say the portions are decent, but you are paying a decent amount too. I would be interested in coming back here since I feel like the restaurant didn't out it's best foot forward and my Filipino friends truly rave about this place. Consider giving it a shot too but be cautious! read more

Max's Restaurant - Filipino Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Food was five stars (for the most part) but service could be better. I'm not sure if they are understaffed but we asked on multiple occasions to multiple people for drinks and after about 30 minutes and our food being out, got them. Our waiter served tables with bigger parties and I'm wondering if we just got forgotten about. Food is the closest to being authentic. I ordered Sago (drink) and that sago was undercooked but everything else was good. It's mostly family style, so you get big portions. My favorite was the pork sisig. It was very crispy! The pancit canton was good and the pork sinigang had a good sourness to it. We went on a weekday lunch and wait was about 20 minutes. Hoping to have a better service experience next time. read more

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This place was packed even though it was after lunch. We were quoted a wait time of 30 minutes but it was almost an hour. I normally wouldn't wait that long but my sister was adamant about eating here lol. Once we were seated, they took our order and food was a little slow to arrive but that's because it was busy. The menu consisted of Filipino cuisine and we ordered a couple items to try. - Max's Teaser: 2.5 (out of 5) The calamari and chicharon was ok, I enjoyed the lumpia the most. - Max's fried chicken: 3.5 This was good, it was moist with a crunchy layer but bland. If you're looking for flavor then you need to eat it with banana ketchup or soy sauce. - Lechon kawali: 4.5 This was really good especially with the sauce mixture and the crunchy texture took it to another level. I took off half a point because some had more fat than meat. - Garlic fried rice: 5 Don't bother with plain white rice. You can get that at home. This delicious rice holds hands with the other entrees and they skip down the yellow brick road together. Service was good and our server was very nice. I understand why they stayed busy. read more

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The food quality was subpar and fell short in its attempt to authentically represent Filipino cuisine. Service ranged from mediocre to virtually nonexistent. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Additionally, the live band performing that afternoon was overwhelmingly loud, making it difficult to hold a conversation without raising our voices.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]Had the sound been properly balanced and moderated, it would have significantly improved the overall experience.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] For a place called "Max", they did the bare minimum. read more

My classmates invited me to a luncheon with the girls today at this restaurant. I didn't know this Philippino restaurant existed till now. So first impressions are the most important part when it comes to posting a review. When I walked in the place was clean, cozy and bright. There was a few Filipino decorations on the wall but for the most part the restaurant was inviting because of the cozy neutral and bright yellow color theme they chose for the decor. Our server was the bomb!! He was very patient and even took our picture. You'll see it below with the food we ordered The menu was simple and very authentic items were on it. We ordered Max's famous fried chicken ( whole) chicken skin is super crispy but so tender, tasty and juicy on the inside, kare kare (peanut butter curry beef stew), lechon ( crispy pork w/ skin) pancit bihon and some vegetarian chop suey. Everything was cooked authentic and tasted great! I didn't get to try their halo halo but next time I will. If you love good Filipino food then this should be your next stop. This is a must see. Located close to NRG stadium off of Main Street. read more

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Dined in on a Monday at 1:00 pm with a party of two. I didn't feel the love in their dishes. Every thing was bland and the presentation was sad. Our food took a very long time to come out. By that time the food came out we were HANGRY, but it still wasn't good. We ordered: Max's teasers: lumpiang was good but wish they were bigger, chicharon bulaklak was super crispy and very good, calamari was HORRIBLE; thick batter, sad cheap rubbery squid rings, and zero flavor Half Max's fried chicken: dry and no flavor, I dipped it with vinegar and that helped a little Garlic rice: zero flavor, can't even taste garlic read more

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It's really quite average. It's not bad by any stretch. Just average. And I know they're famous for their fried chicken, but it's really not "all that". Jollibee's is better. The sisig is awesome, as is the crispy pata and fresh lumpia. read more

Max's Restaurant - Sisig - lechon - Filipino Near Me - Houston, Texas

I was pretty underwhelmed by Max's. I really wanted to like it, but I just didn't. The food was just okay. Portions weren't Texas big at all. I expected it to be short-staffed but the ones who were there were stressed out and overwhelmed. It took us more than 1 hour to get seated; after we were seated it took a while to even get service, or our food. We were so hungry I started eating mamon from Red Ribbon that I had bought prior to coming to Max's! That's pretty bad when you're eating food from another restaurant inside a place because you're starving so much. This place is known for its chicken but i really didn't see the hype. It wasn't any better than chicken I'd had anywhere else. For me, this place was a one and done, and I left pretty disappointed, with half my day over! read more

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You know you have a large Filipino community when there's a Max's around the corner. Never in my wildest dreams would the best chicken place in the Philippines set up shop in Houston. When I first heard that there's was going to be a Max's up the road, I thought it was just a rumor. But there it is, holding court in Houston's unofficial Little Manila next to Jollibee and Red Ribbon. I haven't eaten at Max's in 15 years during a trip to the Philippines so to come here was like a homecoming of sorts. Max's has a marketing slogan that reads, "Sarap to the bone," or "delicious to the bone." Very accurate since the whole fried chicken my younger brother and I had was nicely cooked and fairly juicy. The crispy skin was candy-like and the meat melt-in-your-mouth tender. Sauces need not apply. What blew me away was the sizzling pork sisig. Let me tell you, the sisig arrived at our table snapping, crackling, and popping that a few drops hit me and the waitress. Since none of us were hurt, we just laughed it off. So back to the sisig: succulent, plentiful, and loaded with flavor. My people don't mess around with pork dishes. I wish I could've topped off the meal with halo halo, but I was stuffed. Maybe next time. read more

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Came here two days in a row. Be careful when you order your rice portions- they come huge. Everything I ate tasted like they were laced with MSG or magic sarap because both times I got a headache after eating. I had the binagoongan fried rice (comes only in large), the bbq on a stick and half fried chicken. Asides from the chicken skin I didn't like the rest of the fried chicken. Day two I had the garlic, fried rice, the barbecue, on a stick, chop Suey and pork sisig. The sisig was knorr or maggi sauce based. If you're splurging go to Gerry's instead read more

Max's Restaurant - 6/6/23 menu - Filipino Near Me - Houston, Texas

I went to Max's for lunch with some friends and had an absolute blast! The sizes were huge and most of the food tasted really good. We started with Lumpiang Shanghai (egg rolls) that were crispy, well seasoned and came with a citrusy sauce. The egg rolls looked more brown than I would prefer but did not taste burnt at all. We also got half fried chicken which was literally half a chicken that came with fries. It was slightly spicy and the taste was pleasantly surprising because I didn't expect chicken of that size to taste good all through... so nice! Next up, we had Lechon Kawali Sisig (sizzling diced crispy pork belly) which had slices of jalapeños and onions. It was one of my favorite dishes that afternoon and I highly recommend trying it when you visit. Finally, we got Kare Kare (beef peanut stew) it had bok choy, beef on the bone which we paired with rice. As much as I was looking forward to the Kare Kare, it was the only dish that disappointed me - it was lacking in salt and something else to elevate the flavor... you couldn't help feeling like there was something missing from the meal. However, the regular sized rice we ordered had 3 big scoops and they were generous with the garlic. Staff were very friendly and helpful though service was slow. However, it was overall a good experience as I would go back. The restaurant was clean. read more

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The food was sensational. The fried chicken, the laing, and the chicharron bulaklak were standouts. The service was a wee bit slow, but everyone was super friendly and polite. We were seated next to a couple who drove all the way from Mobile, Al just to eat at Max. read more

Max's Restaurant - Breakfast menu - Filipino Near Me - Houston, Texas

I enjoyed the food at Max's. The Pancit was one of my favorite dishes I tried and I dream about the Buko Pandan, it was soooo good. The wait staff was friendly and our food came out in a decent amount of time. It is family friendly and clean inside, but the ac was in full blast when we went so we asked to be moved to a different table. They did so, with no issues. read more

Max's Restaurant - Filipino Near Me - Houston, Texas

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I was excited to find out that there was a Max's in Houston. I've been here for training for awhile and was desperately craving Filipino food. Walked in, it felt like a standard Filipino restaraunt so it was a nice feeling. They had the standard decor that's found at all Max's that displays the history and what not. It kinda took awhile before our server came and took our drink order. We ordered our food, lumpia, Lechon kawalii, kare kare, pancit and garlic rice. The food came out pretty quick. Kare kare was really good, the Lechon well I've seen better. There was only a few pieces that looked good the others looked over cooked. I would say tho we had to call out waiter a couple of times as we needed a refill on our waters. By that time the place wasn't busy at all so not sure why she didn't come by to check up on us. Other than that we had a good meal. read more

It's a disaster. It's not worth it. Only one waitress and she was overwhelmed. Food is the lowest quality and not worthy of the Max's experience. read more

My family wanted to eat something with rice, and I remembered that there was a Max's in Houston! They've only ever been to the locations in CA, but we were pretty much familiar with the menu. To start, we got the Max's Teasers which was a sampler plate of Lumpia, Calamari, and Chicharon Bulaklak. The Lumpia could have been more crispier, as well as the Bulaklak, we took the leftovers home and put it in the air fryer. The calamari was decent. We got a plethora of dishes that we all shared. My brother got the Beef Sinigang, the brother could be a little more sour in my opinion, and the beef was okay... not my favorite. My brother liked it, hence why he ordered it. My husband mainly wanted the Pancit Palabok, which he devoured! It just needed a little more lemon, but still really good. My mom ordered Pancit Guisado, and she kept going back for more. My aunt wanted Pinakbet, but she said the okra and the long beans were still hard and they were not cooked all the way... she didn't like it. They also ordered Daing na Bangus which is the marinated milkfish, they both didn't like it and said you couldn't really taste the marinade. I, on the other hand thought it was good. I have no complaints about it. My husband liked it as well. I mainly wanted the Lechon Kawali Sisig, I would brag to my husband that this is one of the best sisigs I've had at any Filipino restaurant. It did not disappoint! Everyone at the table loved it, and kept going back for more. I would recommend this dish to anyone that comes here. We all ordered white rice as well as garlic rice. Nothing to complain about either. My aunt wanted Halo Halo, the waiter and my mom warned her it was huge, and when it came out she was taken aback! I shared a little with her, it was good, but what threw me off was that they used vanilla ice cream instead of ube ice cream. It didn't give it the same taste that I'm used to. Maybe they didn't have any ube, and that's okay. Love Max's and definitely recommend this place! read more

After 5 hrs long trip, we were so excited to eat at the well known max chicken. I ordered to go miki-bihon (salty cannot find the true taste of the dish), grilled liempo (undercook burned and meat is hard) Laing (soupy) half max chicken (dry overcooked). We love going to the place every time we visit Houston, this is the first time we ordered to go and very confident that we can have the same food quality but we were disappointed when we got to the hotel we're staying. I suggest max to reset. read more

We went here prior to visiting my grandma at the hospital and even though the food was delicious, the service was disappointing. I had asked for water on multiple occasions, and we hadn't even received it until after our food was served. We got sago and calamansi, and those came out without our water. We ordered the pancit, sinigang baboy, and pork sisig. Even though the food really reminded me of my time of being in the Philippines, don't be surprised if you leave the restaurant feeling dehydrated. read more

Max's Restaurant - Filipino Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Happy to see Max's in Texas Service: It's so welcoming - as soon as we enter the restaurant (no one was on the lobby at the time as they just opened like on the dot 11am) two people running towards us with a smile and saying welcome. They accommodated us immediately with our table and give the menu. Allowed us some time to think and even provided recommendations to my company. Food: The chicken was what I missed most and it was a legit Max's chicken (saying legit as there are some instance that when it's internationally franchised the food taste change but this one was on point) We ordered the chicken and laing with garlic rice which I miss cos I do not know how to cook laing so that's what I got. And the chicharong bulaklak, I have a side comment with chicharong bulaklak - I hope it was cooked well like crispy. It was served to us where some part was crispy but not the whole piece. Place: The place was so neat and organized and you can tell how good was the ambiance. read more

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7/4/25 - The wait line after 12 PM was extremely long. To be seated, 50 minutes, food ordered and delivery to our table 45 minutes. The people that worked there tries to do their best, but they are under staff . The quality of the food is a C. We should have stayed home, cooked it ourselves. We spent $150, not worth value in return. It will be a while before return. read more

My husband and went to eat on a Saturday evening and we had a wonderful server named Nancy. We explained it was our first time eating filipino food and asked her for recommendations. She was very sweet and accommodating, and made some great suggestions which we gladly took her up on. Our platters had great presentation and we enjoyed all four for platters. We ate till our heart was content and left a little room for dessert, which was of course delicious. We will definitely be back! read more

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The server was nice and attentive but failed to let us know that the mango juice was not refillable, he just asked us if we wanted more. The food... why so much vinegar? The lumpia...tastes of vinegar. The bistek... tastes of vinegar. The sinigang... had vinegar? Also, the sisig was very very oily and the chicken was dry. read more

Incredible food and kind staff, can not recommend this spot enough! Some of the best in Houston

We drove all the way from The Woodlands to try this place and are so glad we did. What a fabulous meal! Our family of six represented ages 4-89, and every single one of us loved this place. We ordered quite a bit and gladly took home leftovers. The standouts for me were the Crispy Pata and the Lechon Kawali. The Lechon Kawali was the best we've had in the Houston area! On both dishes, the skin was crispy and perfectly seasoned. My niece's' favorites were the calamari and the Pancit Bihon. The youngest is a picky eater, and she had 2 servings of the pancit. We also ordered the Bulalo, Caldereta, Sisig, Fried Lumpia, and, of course, the Fried Chicken. The Fried chicken had an amazing crispy skin and was incredibly tender and juicy. The service was spot-on... very friendly and efficient. My mom speaks Tagalog, but the rest of us do not, and everyone was warm and welcoming, nonetheless :). We will definitely return... with a larger group of more family plus a few friends! read more

Max's Restaurant - Filipino Near Me - Houston, Texas

You can have better Filipino food elsewhere for a fraction of the price. They also charge for steam rice.

The pork barbecue and max fried chicken are burnt.. they are not keeping up with their standard anymore. read more

Max's Restaurant - Max fried chicken is very dry and burnt - Filipino Near Me - Houston, Texas

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If your looking for a Philippine restaurant to enjoy the flavors and different apps, entrees, desserts you never tried before, this would be a good start. Their known for the chicken, however the bbq is a hit for us, the flavor reminds me of the Philippines. Do try the appetizers for an experience, the vinegar garlic dip goes well with the chicharron bulaklak. The bulalo was good, the half chicken had great flavor, but was a little dry. We will be back as I want to try the crispy pata. Server was great also, very helpful. read more

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The lunch adventures continue! Today I found Mak's. When I saw the restaurant from the outside it looked inviting. The interior is bright with lots of light and room to accommodate single diners like myself and large parties. My waitress was kind enough to ask if it was my first time and she went over the menu with me. This is the kind of service I love because I love new places, but I had no clue what I was looking at. I went with the Crispy Pork Belly and garlic rice, because reasons. I wasn't sure how the timing would work since I was at lunch, but my order came out pretty fast. The pork belly was super crispy, tinder and juicy. Their traditional sauce was wonderful as was the second sauce that seemed like a The pork belly was super crispy and juicy. It was beautifully prepared and the sauces that came out were both amazing. It's a bit hard to be detailed because it was a new experience and a new dish for me. The only thing lacking was the garlic rice. The only flavor there was garlic, no other seasoning which made it unappealing. A small amount of salted butter would have made the rice much better, or that amazing dark sauce over the top. (I'm doing that next time). Overall it was a wonderful experience and I'll absolutely be back. I want to try their Lumpia next. read more

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Not completely satisfying - the sisig is super salty, chicharon bulaklak is OK but if you want to treat your foreign friends to Filipino restaurants, this is really not the best place . The service is good though, the food is so so. But if you have a take out - I was surprised , ordered a laing(veggie dish) and they only gave half on the container. I would go to Godo's or Cherry Fooderama but they were close . read more

Max's Restaurant - laing - Filipino Near Me - Houston, Texas