I remember the old days when this was a Fuddruckers. The scent of burgers on the grill has been replaced by that of fried chicken. It’s the apocalypse and I’m the only one here at opening time on a Thursday.
I read on Yelp there were long lines and you were in for a wait to get your food.
It took 12 minutes for my whole chicken to come out of the kitchen. It appears they drop a whole chicken in the fryer. Good thing I was planning on eating at home. Sometimes I eat in the car but that would be tricky as this chicken needs cutting up. Skin was crispy. Meat was moist and had a nice flavor. Very good tasting fried chicken. Max’s website indicated french fries come with the chicken. Waitress said you only get fries if you dine in. Wish I had known as I would have ordered some lumpia to go with the chicken.
2nd visit.
Pancit bihon had fresh rice noodles with pork, chicken, and shrimp. Loved the flavor of the rice noodles and shrimp. Texture of the noodles was silky and they went down smooth. The chicken had very little flavor and tasted like it was boiled in water. Pork had a mild flavor and was tender.
Lechon kawali had crunchy skin along with tender juicy meat with a greasy layer of fat. Lechon kawali was bursting with flavor and among the best lechon kawali I’ve had.
3rd visit.
Pancit canton was made with egg noodles. Very much like lo mein. Shrimp and pork were tender. Shrimp had a nice flavor while the pork flavor was very mild. Chicken was dry and hard so I tossed out the chicken. Might have been from a few days ago. The meat to noodle ratio was too low and the pancit dishes are not a good stand alone dish. Should have gotten lechon kawali or some other meat to add to it.
Lumpia had a delicious flavor. Sadly this is not a good takeout dish as the crunchy outside was getting soft from being in my cooler I used to keep the food hot.
I enjoyed trying out Max’s as my favorite spots in Mira Mesa to get lechon kawali don’t cook their food to order. So far my fav items are the lechon kawali, fried chicken, and the pancit bihon noodles.
My meals at Manila Fast Food and R&B Filipino Cuisine were cheaper though.
Max’s Restaurant
8285 Mira Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92126
(858) 397-2180
Glad you found some favorite dishes! Nice having such a short wait time too.
They don’t seem packed at lunch on weekdays.
I wasn’t very impressed with the fried chicken; I think I was expecting battered chicken pieces. I did not try anything else at Max’s. Could be interesting when the Jollibee opens.
Sandy,
For battered fried chicken wings give Khan’s Cave a try. They have a nice crunchy batter.
https://www.hungryones.com/2017/12/khans-cave/
I’m looking forward to trying the chicken at Jollibee.