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    Max's Restaurant - Queens

    3.4 (43 reviews)
    Open 12:00 pm - 8:00 PM

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    MAX'S RESTAURANT - QUEENS ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Happy hour specials

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    Lechon Sisig?
    Alec A.

    Max's is a very popular Filipino restaurant, here in the US and back in the Philippines. They are well known for their special fried chicken. However, on this visit, we decided to try the Bicol Express and Lechon Sisig. First, a little background to this story. It's Mother's Day. The restaurant wasn't too crowded. Yet. Just as we sit at our table, people started filing in. I had no idea where they came from! They started filling up all of the tables and from there, it was standing room only. The staff of 5 seemed overwhelmed and it took at least 10 minutes to place our order. I give a lot of credit to the staff for their patience and for the way they handled the crowd. Good work! For the food though, the Bicol Express was lightly flavored with coconut milk and very little spice. For me, it was ok. The Lechon Sisig was not good. It was not shredded or chopped. There was very few peppers and seasonings and too much onions. Their sauce was too much in quantity. It just wasn't Sisig, for me. The Garlic Fried Rice was too sticky, steamed and not loose enough. I know these aren't their specialties and except for their rice but the expectations are always high for traditional Filipino food at Max's and it wasn't met. As for the service, great job by the entire staff! The atmosphere was casual and simple. The restaurant seemed clean. There were no frills or thrills with this location. I liked that. The prices were highly reasonable. So, my review is based solely on the food. They could of done better. Check them out for yourself and see if they make Filipino cuisine the way you would expect it. Or if you are new to Filipino culture and cooking, let me know if it at least tastes good.

    Sunny C.

    Excellent service here! I came here on a Sunday in early March, and it was bustling. We ordered lechon kawali (pork belly), kare-kare (beef peanut butter stew), Max's fried chicken, lumpia Shanghai, sisig, pork barbecue, laing, buko pandan, and halo-halo. The kare-kare at Max's is SO good on top of the mountain of rice that was given to us. I will definitely be reordering this. My friends enjoyed the soft and crispy lechon kawali and the fried chicken. Max's fried chicken is something that almost every single table ordered. I did not love the laing from here compared to other restaurants in the area. We ordered a lot for the size of the table, and the staff was very kind and accommodating. One thing that could have been improved was the temperature of the store. The sun was coming into the store super strong, and it was so warm it was uncomfortable. If they could get some blinds or fans, that would help keep the space more comfortable.

    Sizzling pork sisisg but not sizzling
    Cel C.

    Food was from the day before and they just heat it up. We came at 12:00 noon expecting everything will be fresh. Crispy pata was hot but the inside was cold. I even asked if it came from the fridge. Lumpiang ubod's cover was wet and soggy. Please zoom in photo to see. Sisig's onions were dark blue so you can tell it's leftover and not fresh. You can zoom in the photo to look and see it. It wasn't even sizzling when served on our table. Chicken as leftover too, it wasn't fresh. It's okay to pay for our expensive food if we got it fresh.. but it wasn't. It's very disappointing and embarrassing because I cook a lot and I know what fresh food is. Service was great.. no question to that. People were nice but I can't justify that they were not serving fresh food.

    Lourdes M.

    I got excited upon knowing that a new Max restaurant has been open in Queens county. It's been a while I dined in the closest location in Jersey. So, for Thanksgiving dinner meal, I did not mind driving to Woodside in spite of traffic gridlock alert. I ordered the famous fried chicken and pork sisig for a take out service. It is a pretty descent serving size for two people. The package could accommodate a family of four with 2 small children. Pricing is unbelievably friendly. I can't stop thinking that hopefully Max still carries the flavor and style I grew up knowing. The famous fried chicken with no flour coating.. simply salt and pepper to taste. I missed their sisig. Wishing to try this meal while sizzling on its platter for best experience. I browsed the dining area. A bit small comparing to the Jersey location . I am thinking that this location is popular for pick ups instead of dining services. It has cute decoration. The famous Max chicken photo reminisced childhood memories with this restaurant. When get home and taste the food, yes, craving satisfied. I am definitely coming back for dining with friends and family.

    Sarah R.

    I haven't been to Max's in yeaaaars, the last time was probably 8 years ago back in the Philippines. And wow, everything was on point. I would say that it's the best sisig I've had here in New York!! Kare kare was top notch as well. The only thing is that their fried chicken was a little bit on the dry side.. but it was still delicious! Will definitely be back every time the sisig cravings hit.

    The outside
    Mary D.

    Love this spot!! Was deeply craving Filipino food and this place did not disappoint. We arrived here on a Saturday afternoon and it was packed but we were seated fairly quickly. The ambiance felt like a Filipino party, lots of Filipino families. Feels like home. I would highly recommend getting the fried chicken, that's a MUST. We also ordered pancit and sinigang and it was perfection. I ate it so quickly I forgot to take pictures, that's when you know it was good. Additionally our waiter was friendly and helpful, we always had our water refilled quickly. Looking forward to going again!

    Chicken whole
    Allyson B.

    Haven't had Max's Chicken in sooo long! Finally they have one in Queens. You have to get the whole chicken with fries & side of banana ketchup! For those who might be asking later, it cost almost $20 with tax

    Garlic fried rice
    Christine P.

    Haven't been to woodside in such a long time! Growing up, my family and I used to come here every weekend - Sundays, after church to eat and grocery shop. Well, today we decided to do the same thing! We stopped by maxs first cause I was so hungry! We were seated right away, and greeted by the hostess. It was kind of tight-spaced but that's kind of normal eating at the restaurants in woodside. We ordered a whole bunch of things, it was our first time there, and everything was DELICIOUS! We ordered lumpia Shanghai, crispy Pata, pork bbq, garlic fried rice, maxs half chicken, kare kare, and Laing. WOW. Idk which one was the best -- it was all so so good. I must say though, The crispy Pata, was so crispy on the outside and nice and juicy on the inside. I HATE dry crispy Pata!! We ate soooo much we didn't have room for halo-halo which is rare, but the food was just too good we couldn't stop eating. My mom is a hardcore Filipino food critic and she actually enjoyed every single thing. The servers were really attentive and friendly. Will def come back and try their pancit and halo-halo!

    Joanne U.

    Oh the anticipation for months, waiting for this to open. This actually used to be Rosario's Ihawan's spot which was one of our favorites in the area before. Finally came last Saturday late afternoon, thinking it might be better with the post peak lunch hour. The good: Nice redecoration of the space to make the vibe 'Max's' Krispy Sisig from Dencio's (didn't realize this was a thing and is part of the Max's menu now, wasn't before!) Kare Kare (but didn't come with Bagoong) Garlic rice was good and came in good portions Areas of opportunities (giving them a bit of grace since they've only been opened for a few weeks): Chaotic welcome (or non-welcome) process No other way to reserve except get there and attempt to be part of the list but no tables until 45 mins at least and not even guaranteed. Resorted to doing take out and btw they told us that they don't answer their phone number on the menu card ever so forget the number in the menu, you still need to show up and order and come back again to pick it up. The staff looks so stressed and unhappy and it was showing in their customer interactions. They barely acknowledge excited customers coming in to introduce the Max's brand. Pancit Canton was soooo bland, why? :( And as painful as it is to say this, the fried chicken was sub par and wasn't up to the glorious Max's fried chicken taste that the brand is known for. How?! :( Overall 3.5 out of 5. Sincerely hope the owners and management takes the feedback seriously (feedback is a gift after all!) and works through all these. Hoping to come back and support again once they've hopefully improved. Also, attention to detail in everything, please. P.S The space is also obviously too small for a Max's. Consider expanding outside perhaps? Some potential for an outdoor space there. And please get on with a proper reservations program: Yelp, Open Table, Resy. Do yourselves and your customers a favor or it'll always be chaotic.

    a rooster and a chicken
    Mark Nowell M.

    New Filipino spot in Queens! More accessible now than in Jersey! Must try if you are in Woodside! Location: It is located in Woodside, where all the Filipino restaurants are. The interior is quite small. The seatings from table to table is too crowded. Service: they are very nice. They greet you once you come in. I came on a Friday lunch, and its little bit busy, but we got seated right away. Food: Everything was good but not the chicken. Lol. MAX CHICKEN: we ordered whole fried chicken and it comes with french fries. The chicken is quite dry tho, maybe the way they fried it? DENCIO PORK SISIG: this was the best food here, I will come back to this restaurant just because of their sisig, its crunchy and creamy at the same time! Definitely order sisig! LECHON KAWALI: another favorite, the skin is crunchy and the pork was soft and moist inside. I hope they have mang tomas with it tho. LAING: it is creamy but most of the leaves are still crunchy, so it needs more time on the pan, but they seasoned it well. SAGO'T GULAMAN: so refreshing and perfect amount of sweetness. GARLIC RICE: this is good too! Large order is 5 scoop of rice so just make sure you can finish the large. Lol Price rating: 6/10, it is not that bad for Filipino food. I will definitely come back here! Order PORK SISIG and LECHON KAWALI, both of them are the bomb!

    Tori E.

    Our first stop in NYC was this Filipino spot. My brother took us here for dinner. Apparently this is huge franchise in the Philippines. Being Filipino myself, I was ready to dig in and I was so happy to watch my boys do the same. We started out with lumpiang Shanghai and then we ordered the classic pork sisig, the crispy pork belly kare kare and the pancit palabok. Everything was good! I wasn't very happy with the noodles in the pancit palabok, but that's because I'm pretty biased to my own family's recipe. My husband and my boys had no complaints! They were all very satisfied. My two boys ended their meals with some Leche flan and a mango coconut jelly ice cream for dessert, which they loved! Our server was very nice and attentive, so we had a great experience here overall!

    Alyssa C.

    The first thing I tried were the fries that come with Max's fried chicken. They were slightly crispy and had the perfect dash of salt. Good first impression, taste-wise. (Actual first impression is that the restaurant is decorated nicely and is bright inside, though a bit crowded - but hey, you're in Queens...all love though!). The laing is not spicy (I expected this, as we had asked when ordering if the laing is spicy and was told it isn't). I wish they made it slightly spicy, but the coconut flavor is great and the dish itself was not dry. The sauce of the kare-kare is easily one of the most delicious I've had in kare-kare (the peanut flavor is not overwhelming and the sauce is sweet enough), and the beef is very tender. I had high expectations for Max's fried chicken, though I really should not have as my brother's gf said their fried chicken in the states is not the same as in the Philippines. My honest opinion of Max's fried chicken: I loved the crispness of the skin, but... the chicken itself was rather bland. Adding Jufran didn't change my opinion of it much. It was just ok - not worth taking the trip out to Woodside. I really enjoyed the dishes that we ordered, although I'm not sure that the fried chicken lives up to being "sarap to the bones." All that said... ...I do recommend giving Max's a try! :)

    a whole fish on a cutting board
    Maricar T.

    On its own, it would have been okay. The pancit was generous, the crispy pata was crispy as should be, the chicken was not the best but passable. The kare-kare oxtail meat was so tough instead of falling off the bones. And the worst, to claim it's Max's Fried chicken is not well deserved. Max's Fried chicken is way, way better than this. If really craving, the one in Jersey city comes close to the real Max's fried chicken taste. I wish the management fixes this -- I really was so happy to have a Max's in NYC.

    Batangas Lomi

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    4 years ago

    The Crispy pata is very good. I highly recommend it. Did not disappoint. Visiting family from Virginia. Love it.

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    3 years ago

    Ate there once. The French fries were cold and soggy. Chicken greasy and not crisp. I had indigestion the rest of the day. Stay away.

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    3 years ago

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    Kusina Pinoy Bistro - Oxtail Kare-Karen. Another solid dish. Not too strong. Light creamy sauce. And I love peanuts.

    Kusina Pinoy Bistro

    3.9(269 reviews)
    0.0 miWoodside
    $$

    The place itself is nice and clean, and the staff were extremely kind, welcoming, and very…read moreattentive, which I really appreciated. Service wise, they did a great job. The chicken barbecue sticks were flavorful and enjoyable. Unfortunately, the lumpia Shanghai didn't quite hit the mark for me :( it tasted like it was fried in older oil, and the filling was very minimal, so it felt like mostly wrapper. I was most excited to try the pork sinigang. While the broth had good flavor, the pork didn't taste freshly cooked and came across as if it may have been made a day or two prior. Overall, I really liked the vibe of this place and the friendly service, which makes me hopeful that my next visit will be better. I'd definitely be open to giving it another try.

    I've never really had a full Filipino meal before besides small finger foods from events here and…read morethere. My Filipino friends recommended this place so we all came on a Friday night for dinner. The restaurant is located right on Roosevelt Ave under the 7th train so it is very hard to find parking. We saw double parkers everywhere. Our reservation was for 7 pm and when we got seated there were only 2 other small groups inside. The restaurant has a Kamayan special for $275 that comes with soda, unlimited rice, vermicelli noodles, vegetables, mussels, shrimp, giant fried Calamari, pork fist, bbq pork, chicken, fried fish. They prep the whole course on banana leaves on a wooden board near the kitchen before carrying it out and placing it onto our tables. The special is meant for 6-8 people which I think it's more for 5-7 depending on the group - if they're light or heavy eaters. The Kamayan spread was not just pleasant to the eyes, but delicious! Everything was so good and flavorful and perfectly crispy. My favorites are the crispy calamari, bbq pork, and mussels. My friends and I also ordered drinks that are not included in the special: the Weng Weng, the Red Horse, Avocado Smoothie, Mango Smoothie, and Ube Smoothie. The Weng Weng is their signature cocktail which reminds me of a better Malibu Bay Breeze. The Red Horse is the main beer in the Philippines which is pretty light and I don't really taste the after beer taste. The smoothies are all so creamy and good. My favorite would have to be the mango which reminds me of a mango lasi. I liked the ube better than I expected, but the avocado had a weird taste to it. We were so full from the spread and smoothies that we had no room for dessert. By the time we finished, the place was packed because at 9 pm there's open karaoke as well as live performances. I also caught a whif of the sisig on my way out and it smelled sooooo good. Would definitely be back for the mango smoothie, giant calamari, to try the sisig and halo halo. Service was great too! They always came to check on us from time to time and gloves were provided for the Kamayan spread if you didn't want to use your bare hands.

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    Kusina Pinoy Bistro - Bar

    Bar

    Kusina Pinoy Bistro - Lumpia shanghai - pork

    Lumpia shanghai - pork

    Kusina Pinoy Bistro - Red Horse Beer

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    Red Horse Beer

    Kalye Bistro - Fresh Mango Juice

    Kalye Bistro

    4.2(91 reviews)
    0.2 miWoodside

    Nice little place in Woodside Queens. Got the pork sisig, Laing (taro leaves sautéed in coconut…read moremilk) and the Palabok Overload. Pork Sisig 5/5 - the sisig did not disappoint. Came out in a sizzling platter with an egg and diced peppers topped with a red Thai? chili. It gets crispy as it sits and combined with the garlic rice is chef's kiss. Taro Leaves Sautéed in Coconut Milk 3/5 - not my cup of tea, it's a little bit on the heavy side, has a strong coconut milk flavor. Wasn't exactly my cup of tea. Palabok Overload 3/5 - was excited for this since I really enjoy Jollibee's Palabok. However, this dish lacked flavor. The sauce was lacking in flavor, it was not as shrimpy or seasoned as Jollibees. Combined with the noodles, it tasted even blander. The lumpia, calamari were good tho. This was a small restaurant but service was good. Food came out fast and staff was friendly and attentive.

    Good food, I enjoyed the skinless longanisa and bangus. Great portions too, didn't skimp on rice…read moreand left me full with some to spare. Halo-halo was loaded and can be shared amongst 2 people. Service was quick and courteous, very respectful waiter that served us and made sure to give us an extra cup for sharing the Halo-halo, for me and my wife. Ambiance is quaint, ample seating I'd say for parties of 2 or 4.

    Photos
    Kalye Bistro - Bagnet Express (spicy bitesize pork belly w/ coconut milk and shrimp paste)

    Bagnet Express (spicy bitesize pork belly w/ coconut milk and shrimp paste)

    Kalye Bistro - BBQ platter (2 pork, 2 chicken and 2 beef)

    BBQ platter (2 pork, 2 chicken and 2 beef)

    Kalye Bistro - Cute Outside Patio

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    Cute Outside Patio

    Renee's Kitchenette & Grill - Fresh Lumpia Lumpiang Sariwa

    Renee's Kitchenette & Grill

    3.9(310 reviews)
    0.0 miWoodside
    $$

    We did a Queens food crawl and Renee's was at the top of every list for Filipino food…read more We had the sampler platter, which was a HUGE offering of BBQ chicken, beef, longanisa sausage, pork chops, and pork belly accompanied by their crisp, refreshing atchara (like a slaw). All the meats were smoky and well seasoned and cooked appropriately. It was a ton of food for a great price. We also enjoyed their fresh juice (they have several types and you can see them making them behind the counter). Renee's is clearly a neighborhood spot where the locals flock. It was crowded and busy, but felt like the best kind of hole in the wall. Everyone was so nice and welcoming. Other options on the menu: all the aforementioned BBQ meats in various iterations, grilled squid, grilled fish, grilled eggplant. They also have filipino classics involving fried eggs and rice. Fried sardines, fried milkfish. They have Filipino spaghetti (ground beef, hot dogs, melted cheese). Various sautéed noodle dishes. Soups and Filipino stews. Large seafood section as well. Would happily return and strongly recommend this restaurant on any food crawl.

    Make sure you come here hungry, we definitely ordered way too much food for 3 people but it was…read moredelicious. We ordered: * BBQ Grilled Sampler ($30) * Fried Sampler ($30) * Dinuguan ($14) * Oxtail Kare-Kare ($24) * Calamansi Juice ($5) * Calamansi Iced Tea ($5) * Warm Ube con Hielo ($8) Everything here is delicious. It felt like you were eating at someone's house. BBQ meat was slightly sweet and well marinated. The fried sampler was heavenly especially paired with the various dipping sauces from bagoong to spicy. Dinuguan was savory and paired well with white rice, don't be intimidated because it says it's a pork blood stew. The oxtail Kare Kare was tender and loved the peanut butter sauce. If you get the warm Ube, just make sure you mix it very well to get the perfect bite! This place is a must try in Woodside/Queens if you're trying to find good Filipino food!

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    Renee's Kitchenette & Grill
    Renee's Kitchenette & Grill - Fried sampler showcasing the excellent longanisa.

    Fried sampler showcasing the excellent longanisa.

    Renee's Kitchenette & Grill - Sizzling Sisig Special

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    Sizzling Sisig Special

    Ihawan - Menudo $11

    Ihawan

    3.6(516 reviews)
    0.0 miWoodside
    $$

    Family-friendly spot- it really feels like you're just having a meal in someone's home. And they're…read moreserving up some great Filipino BBQ! I came in a party of 20+ guests doing a Kamayan and they were able to accommodate us pretty easily. You can get Kamayan platters for 2, 4, 6, or 8 people so you can order for any group size. The lumpia, pork BBQ, kare kare, and pinakbet were some of the highlights for me in terms of food, but everything tasted great. The staff were very friendly and patient with us as well. Definitely want to come back to try other items on the menu.

    This is probably the best Filipino BBQ in the area. We've always preferred the pork over the…read morechicken. We arrived on a very busy Saturday afternoon. And surprisingly, seated quickly. It was our lucky day. The servings encourage family style. Which is great when you have a big group you can try various dishes. We ordered the crispy pata. A dish we dont make at home are come across very often. It was perfectly crispy down to the bone. There was great flavor to the skin. And the meat still remained juicy and tender. The pork BBQ sticks. Slamming. Period. It was my aunts birthday so we got pancit noodles to symbolize long life. It was surprisingly really flavorful. For drinks we had calamansi juice hot and cold. Doesn't taste like it was from an old bottle. Really refreshing and soothing. My daughter loves the melon juice. Not handicap accessible and will need to walk up a flight of stairs to get to the dining area. Be mindful for those who aren't as mobile. Food was so good we even went downstairs to the take out counter to order more food to share the wealth with my parents.

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    Ihawan
    Ihawan
    Ihawan - Outside

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    Outside

    Kalye - Inside

    Kalye

    4.5(290 reviews)
    5.3 miLower East Side
    $$

    We got the bbq pork skewers, pork sisig, inasal rice, and ube sipao. The pork skewers were so…read moretender and juicy. They were packed full of flavor and one if the best pork skewers I've ever had. We also had the pork sisig, which had a great mix of tender and crispy pork pieces. It was paired great with the garlic rice. And for dessert, we had the ube sipao, which came out warm and topped with coconut and filled with ube -- the perfect way to end a meal. They have a lot of small tables. Service was pretty quick and staff members were nice and answered all questions. It's a place I would definitely return to in the future.

    Came by for a Friday dinner -- our party of 2 didn't have a reservation but we managed to snag a…read morewalk-in table around 6:30pm. It's not the biggest restaurant though, so we probably got lucky (you should definitely make a res). -- Pork BBQ skewers were so delicious! The BBQ sauce was just the right amount of sweet, and the pork was cooked so well (juicy and tender). Portion size did feel a bit small for the price point, though -- Pork sisig was good. I liked how the onions / sour flavouring complemented the savoury flavour of the pork. It was a bit too salty to eat by itself (and we didn't quite finish), but fortunately we had some rice on the side to mellow it out somewhat. -- Finally we had the bangus binalot, which was good too. Milkfish is not the most common to find in the US and I was pleasantly surprised to find such a great dish here. It did not feel too oily/heavy from frying, and the fish paired excellently with the fragrant garlic rice. Overall, I had a very nice meal, and the price point was not unreasonable. I think overall the food felt a little salty, but otherwise everything was quite delicious. I think they've moved (nearby) since my visit and I'd love to re-visit and try some of their other dishes!

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    Kalye
    Kalye
    Kalye - Ube Pao + Ube Flan

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    Ube Pao + Ube Flan

    Max's Restaurant - Queens - filipino - Updated May 2026

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