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Max's Restaurant - Chula Vista

2.7 (404 reviews)
Closed 11:00 am - 8:00 pm
Updated 3 months ago

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Max's Restaurant - Chula Vista Photos

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MAX'S RESTAURANT - CHULA VISTA ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Moderate noise
Casual
Good for groups
Good for kids

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Recommended Reviews - Max's Restaurant - Chula Vista

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Mostly noodles with very little sahog--flavor's okay, but portions don't justify the price. Pancit Bihon (Rice Noodle)
Edrick G.

Ordered the pancit for delivery and was disappointed. The flavor was average at best, and the sahog was severely lacking--mostly noodles with very few pieces of shrimp or meat. For the price, this felt more like plain noodles than a complete dish. It was filling, but not satisfying, and doesn't reflect the quality I expect from Max's. Unlikely to reorder unless portions and balance improve.

bangus sisig CRISPY after I air fried it bc it was too soggy...see my video to see the soggy sisig from Max's- not recommended
Espy M.

I don't know how to start this review :( ... I think bullet points is the way to go. * first time customer. * based on my order: fish and pork sisig ; not recommended unless you like soggy style sisig . Description of this dish being soggy would help customers not order if for those who expect crispy sisig ! * food is getting re cooked by me as I write this review . Hoping it will crisp up. * save your time and money * I couldn't even finish cooking because the smell that came from the pork sisig as it was cooking was incredibly unpleasant . * bangus sisig : see my video - I placed this one in the air fryer so both my meals could finish cooking at the same time. However , I threw the pork sisig away without even tasting due to smell and threw out the fish sisig as well due to its oiliness . White Rice : seemed old cooked rice and is extra. 7dlls for 3 scoops. They also sell 5 scoops . plate merits a side of rice included in the price IMHO. Sadly this was my first and last time at this place.

Cela G.

Loved the good!!! The workers was so nice he was doing it all. Sat us down, took our order, brought it out and checked on me frequently. First time having Filipino food and it did not disappoint. I probably ordered too much food either way. It's a shopping plaza so plenty of parking. Plenty of tables to sit and good for big groups. Will be back!

Crispy Pata, Fried Chicken, Pansit
Louie S.

Review #37 of 2024 October 13th visit. Thanks to our amazing server Trixie for the warm and accommodating experience. We arrived right as they were opening and she let us in. She was extremely cordial and accommodating. Definitely recommend asking for her if she's available. Met with some relatives that flew in from overseas. karekare, fried chicken, bulalo, pancit, so much great food and not enough time to eat it all. As always Maxs always hits the spot whether you're overseas, Hawaii, vegas, and in this case Chula Vista. Drop on by if you're in the area. Service and food are on point!

Max set up.
Aillene O.

Big thanks to the whole team at Max Fried Chicken Chula Vista side for making my children grad party so special. The space was perfect for a celebration for the family. They helped us set up a little area for cake and photos, which was such a nice touch. The staff were super friendly and made sure everything ran smoothly from start to finish. Kuddos to Trixie! Always checking in, making sure we had what we needed, and keeping the good vibes going. The food! So good. My favorite dish is the kare kare- meat is tender and the sauce is rich,creamy, slightly sweet and savory peanut flavor. Highly recommend for any kind of celebration.

Pansit Canton
Chris U.

Decided to eat lunch in the Eastlake area after our Saturday errand vice driving to National City. Pansit Canton (Egg Noodles) - right balance of seasonings and amount of toppings. Noodles were perfectly cooked on my liking. Pork Sinigang ( Pork Tamarind Soup) - disappointed, it lacks the sourness that the dish was known for. The more sour the better especially during cold weather. Fried Chicken - still "Sarap-to-the-Bones" The best spot if you're looking for that Filipino style fried chicken. Crispy skin, tender and tasty chicken! Greeted by staff upon entering. There were three groups, 15 total customers at the time; quick service, had our dishes ready in 15 mins. No issues with parking.

Pancit, lumpia, fried chicken and chop suey for dinner with friends :-)
Cynthia R.

A friend and his wife met me here for dinner. They wanted to try a Filipino cuisine so I chose this place. Very nice service and good food. Their fried chicken was my favorite. We also ordered pancit, chop suey, and lumpia. The lumpia was okay. (I prefer lumpia's not be cut into 1/2 or 1/3s and just make them normal size, 6" or so).

Lumpiang Shanghai
Abegaile S.

12-22-22 - Late post. Came here for lunch to take a break from last minute Christmas shopping. Me and my friend ordered kare-kare, bicol express, embutido and lumpiang shanghai. All the dishes were yummy. I was surprised with how their bicol express was. It was a deconstructed version of the original. So instead of the meat and coconut sauce mixed up, this was a piece of fried pork belly with the coconut sauce served on top of it. Still pretty good but I have never seen it served that way. It was 2017 when I first came here but this time around I think the food was way better. They are popular here for the chicken, so I recommend trying that. Will have to try it again next time I go. Staff is very nice and the ambiance is too. Highly recommend.

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2 years ago

Very Good menu tasteful, very attentive, nice seating area, a little pricey, I would come back.

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2 years ago

Max's has the best tasting Crispy Pata and original sisig ! We tried most places and they have the best in Chula Vista.

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Ask the Community - Max's Restaurant - Chula Vista

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You have to try this place!…read more It's one of my family's favorite seafood spots. I've had the pulpo tostada and taco multiple times and they're always amazing, super fresh and never overcooked. I usually get the macho sauce on the side so I can spice it up to my level lol. My family has also tried the tuna tostada, micheladas, chilaquiles, and even Dino nuggets for the kids, everything has been consistently great every time we go. The service is always on point, the ambiance is nice, and it's in a great central location. We usually stop by Wood Market afterward to grab a few things. Highly recommend! definitely a spot we'll keep coming back to. Also, shoutout to the Convoy location, it's just as good!

Love spending time with mom and sis. I was the one driving, and I got to choose this casual dining…read morespot. We got some chilaquiles! Even though we were a bit late for the breakfast menu, they still let us order the Smoked fish, Gobernador, and Pork Belly-quiles. I loved the flavors, and it had just the right amount of spice I prefer. I also had a Mango-rita that snuck up on me in a good way. We each tried all three plates, and all agreed they were sumptuous. Everyone running the restaurant was super friendly and accommodating to special diet needs as well. I'm glad we tried this establishment. It was quite busy that day, but there was still plenty of parking, and they had booths to sit and enjoy the experience. Portions were large - we all had leftovers to take home. I would love to come back and try more of the menu!

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OTAY SUSHI & CRAB

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This was our first time dining at Otay Sushi & Crab on Eastlake Pkwy in Chula Vista, CA…read more I'm always in search for delicious seafood in town. This restaurant exceeded our expectations and recommend trying the following: Appetizers: *Jalapeño Bomb (favorite) *Gyoza Pork *Soft Shell Crab Dinner: Family Combo A (4 items) $65 *2lbs of shrimp *2lbs of crawfish We ordered medium spice level with garlic butter and drizzled a ton of lemons. Everything we ordered was so delicious!! Otay Sushi & Crab has an All-you-can-eat sushi menu and Lunch Bento Specials. The restaurant has plenty of indoor seating for large groups. We had excellent customer service. Location is next to Nothing Bundt Cakes. We look forward to going back!! Give it a try! Happy Yelping :)

Came to Otay sushi and crab on two different occasions. Once to eat al a carte the next to try…read moretheir All You Can Eat Seafood. Their sushi and fish are pretty good quality & one of our favorite things is that happy hour is buy 1 get 1 beer & sake all day lol When we came back to try AYCE seafood we had a few questions about the menu and our server was super patient with all our questions and requests. I genuinely think it's worth the price just because the amount of appetizers that come along with it. There was more than enough food to go around and we didn't even get to 3 rounds of seafood before we got full haha It's a clean restaurant, good service, and in a large plaza. The plaza it's located in can get really busy though because of the TJ Max & Marshals so I would plan accordingly on the weekends. The only reason I put 4 stars instead of 5 is because although the flavoring in the seafood is delicious.. I think they add way too much butter in the mix that it literally drowns out the seasoning. So what we started doing is digging to the bottom of the bag with a spoon, scooping out some of the seasoning from there and adding it to a sauce cup with some salt & pepper. Then we add the butter from there. The flavor is there, it is.. you just have to dig for it lol other than that our experience was great. We'll be coming back often.

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I've been coming to Karina's for a very long time, started with the one on broadway in Chula Vista,…read morethen that closed so I made the national city one my go to.....then that closed. So I don't go as often as I used to as the location on Birch is quite a drive. But Friday the 20th my wife and I decided to make the drive because we had a rare day off together and I was craving. We were seated quickly and the staff was friendly. GG was our server and I asked her about the shrimp burrito in ranchero sauce because I didn't see it on the menu to which I was given the very sad news that they no longer served it. I'm a creature of habit, and I've been coming to this chain since my early 20s and I always get that burrito with rice and beans. Was very disappointed to find it's no longer a menu item, it was literally what made me make the drive from lakeside. Once getting that news I had to actually look at the menu and find something else. I ordered tha carne asada plate and my wife had the Green enchiladas. I also ordered the ceviche tostada. I was a little worried the carne asada might be thin and dry but it was actually a nice thickness and super tender. I had a bite of the enchiladas too, also really good. Another new thing I noticed is that now chips and salsa are not complimentary, sad. But unfortunately not something new to the restaurant scene as of late.

I was excited to try this place, but sadly they failed me. I…read moreliterally almost met my death and I paid good money for it . There was an oyster shell about 1/2"x 3/4 " in my food that I almost swallowed. And I don't speak Spanish. I couldn't even explain to the waiter what I wanted to order when I was trying to order or that. My food has a shell in it. I tried to start over and eat my food but I just couldn't. No change of the bill , This place is beautiful to look at, but they don't seem to have much substance inside all that beauty

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Serving Italian magic "squid-iculously" well, Garbatella never misses…read more From the perfectly crisp CALAMARI FRITTI to the delicate SQUASH BLOSSOM with ricotta and mild green chili pepper sauce, every bite feels like a little Roman holiday. I'm obsessed with their STRAWBERRY SPINACI salad and the classic CAPRICCIOSA pizza loaded with prosciutto cotto, mushrooms, artichokes, and black olives. If you love seafood, the LINGUINE A MARE is a whole ocean of flavor--Spanish shrimp, calamari, clams, mussels, white wine, garlic, lemon, and chili flakes. And don't even get me started on the soul-warming RISOTTO E OSSOBUCO... absolute perfection. Ended the night with their dreamy pistachio cake and the sweetest service from Val, who made the experience unforgettable.

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Every thing was so good 10 out of 10. Service was very friendly (even servers who weren't our…read moreserver were friendly and helpful.) We got the focaccia and meatballs as apps. Clam pie and a pasta with Italian sausage and mushrooms. Everything was so incredibly good. I'm glad Eastlake has a spot like this. We also really like their other location on the outskirts of Rolling Hills Ranch. It was time I gave pizzos the stars they deserve on here, honestly they prob deserve more.

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Max's Restaurant - Chula Vista - filipino - Updated May 2026

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