Max's Restaurant Chicago, Cuisine of the Philippines

We recently visited Max’s Restaurant in Chicago and tried their Labor Day Weekend Bundle ($80), which I thought was an excellent deal. The set included a whole fried chicken with fries, crispy pata, pancit sotanghon, and beef kare-kare. The fried chicken was a standout: moist, juicy, and with perfectly crunchy skin that tasted just like I remembered. The crispy pata was also cooked to perfection, with tender meat and crispy skin. The pancit sotanghon was flavorful, and the beef kare-kare had a rich, delicious sauce, though I wished it had more vegetables. The bagoong alamang was very salty, so a little goes a long way. We also ordered a large rice, which was the perfect side for all the heavy dishes. For dessert, the leche flan was just okay, less sweet and not as rich as others I’ve had. Overall, the food was delicious, portions were generous, and the bundle offered great value. The service staff were friendly, hardworking, and efficient, which added to the experience. The one drawback was the bathroom, which was not well maintained and had clutter nearby, taking away from the otherwise positive impression. All in all, this was a solid 4-star experience ⭐⭐⭐⭐. We enjoyed our meal and would definitely come back for the food, while hoping to see some improvements in the facilities.

We ordered classic pork sisig and lapaz batchoy. We barely ate either of them, (maybe 1-2 bites) sisig was so smushy it didn’t look appealing at all and not tasty, same with the batchoy. We told them we didn’t like it and we didn’t even eat it but they still make us pay full price. Very Disappointing! Edit: responding to Max’s: Actually we absolutely did tell her! When she asked how it was we told her it was not good and very mushy and we weren’t eating it. She told us next time just order the sisig kawali. Then she brought us the check. So to say we failed to mention anything is a straight up lie… growing up in the philippines I have had lots of sisig amd this was definetly not “original sisig” it was honestly very bad

2025-September If you’re craving delicious Filipino food, this is the place! Plenty of parking and a clean, welcoming space (even the women’s restroom has two stalls—small detail, but appreciated!). The food was absolutely amazing, and the halo-halo dessert? It’s HUMONGOUS—seriously, it could feed 10 people and still have leftovers. 🍧 The waitresses were so polite and made us feel right at home. Come hungry and bring friends—you’ll need them to help tackle that dessert! Highly recommended!

This was the second time there and I thought I had a review previously but I don’t. So this place is amazing with Filipino cuisine and being Puerto Rican some of the dishes I am familiar with like the beef steak. I had chosen that with garlic fried rice and it was delicious. My wife and her kids order sisig , crispy pata, pancit, pork bbq and beef soup. It was the best. Definitely recommend going.

Great authentic Filipino food! Max’s never disappoints. Max’s Fried chicken is simple yet satisfying! Sweet Potato fries were so good! The Filipino bbq skewers, you get 4 that had plenty of delicious meat enough to share. Crispy Pata was good! Also plenty of drinks and desserts!

Obviously our Waitress did not care at all maybe because it was sunday, no smile, just did NOT CARE Ask extra salt, the shaker was so.. dirty, and they csme back 5 minutes Katerina go take it for another table, ...really 1 salt shaker in the entire restaurant My kury kury was warm and the eggplant not cook hard ...not good. This not the traditional way Will not come back . Napakalungkot!

I ordered the lechon kawali sisig, and it was perfectly crispy on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside, and the beef nilaga, which was perfect for a cool, windy day. For dessert I got the buko pandan and it was very refreshing. Flavorful food and excellent service!

Although the Max Fried Chicken didn't taste like the one I'm used to at their restaurant in Cebu, Philippines, it was still good. It was a little bit dry, but overall, it was satisfying. The Family Fiesta bilao was well worth the price because you get to try almost everything that they offer at the restaurant. The family size halo-halo was huge! Really HUGE! If you are a family of 4, you can't finish it. The experience was great! All the food in the family fiesta bilao tasted authentic.

I'll start by saying the food was good but that's where it ends. It was not inviting at all. The person at the counter ignored us and once she eventually asked us what we wanted she had a nasty attitude. In my opinion it was expensive compared to other Filipino restaurants like this. There's not much seating but in their defense it's more of a takeout style restaurant. I would probably recommend going to a different restaurant.

Some good homemade Filipino dessert and they also sell food. I like the desserts. The pork meat was salty. The staff was nice and filled up the pork to the top but there's no garlic rice or something rice related to eat the salty meat with. It's located in the heart of the strip mall w plenty of free parking next to seafood city grocery and Maxs Filipino restaurant. Grab and go and also dine in as there are a few tables to eat inside. This is not a place for vegetarian food. Maybe some desserts will be okay though.

What's not to like? Everything is so good! Home made food and the portion size are very generous. People are very personable and nice. Location is good. Parking is easy. Price is very affordable.

Brought back home some Biko for a little taste of fipino deserts and was very excited to try it. But after biting and tasting the Biko, it tasted old and hard and even not palatable. It tasted rancid and old almost to the point of molds ready to appear. Why sell old food products to make a small profit, and not just discard it. To others who bought similar products from this place , be aware. There are other Filipino restaurants and places to go to ,

Ummmm... I just ordered fried pork belly. They're selling per oz. So I just ordered 1oz just to try and it's dry. Best paired with vinegar and that pickled papaya (atchara) service ok. Ambiance ok.

Ima's has become one of my go to spots for Filipino food. I am obsessed with their Kaldereta. Their lechon is ginormous too! The portions are great. AND they have authentic Filipino desserts! I love Ima's!

This is the spot to get your crispy lumpia, lechon, and other filipino fare. We ordering catering for a party from Ima's and I showed up right when the doors opened. They didn't have all of my order ready which is totally reasonable. They just opened and were making it fresh! I went in to seafood city to kill some time and pick up some other things and when I came back they gave me an extra dozen lumpia for the 20 minute wait. I will definitely be coming back to Ima's for future catering the food is outstanding and the staff is very considerate and professional. The place is a little small so ordering take out is probably best or maybe you can eat at the tables in the seafood city food court.

My friend brought me a tray of their sweet table for my son's bday graduation party it's a true homemade filipino dessert. It's was a great hit. Just go and try them . You won't be disappointed.

Super fast service, delicious halo halo. I thought it was better than the one from Max's next door.

Was originally planning on going to one of the other restaurants in the area but saw this place and decided to try it. I got the pancit palabok (the one with larger noodles, they have one with thinner noodles) and it was good but I'll have to try the other one! I also got the veggie egg rolls which I was not a big fan of. Not sure if I just don't like Filipino vegetarian egg rolls or if I just haven't had a good one. The turon on the other hand was so delicious. Even though I'm mildly allergic to bananas I ate it anyway (didn't trigger any allergy yay!). And even though it was sitting in a hot case it was still crispy/crunchy, sugary without being chewy and just plain good. I probably could have eaten ten. They have a bunch of other Filipino foods to try, will definitely be back!

Wow. Just wow. Home style Turo-Turo style food. Brand new next to seafood City in the Elston Mix Market. It's a very small place and packed wall to wall with sweet treats such as-Puto bumbong, pichi, pichi, some ube desserts,etc. Its a carry out place. Lets get over to the star of the show-the hot food. In my humble opinion, is way better than the ready to eat foods inside of SFC. This is not a drill yall, get here and try the food. Among my favorites are the giniling, kaldereta, and tortang talonmg. They also had okoy, lumpia, bananas, bicol empress, dinuguan, bangus sisig, sinigang, etc. I take it that thier menu of ready food changes from day-to day. I am here to tell you all, the food I had was made with great skill because the meat in the kaldereta was perfectly tender and flavorful. Lets also not forget the embuitido in the fridge and you can make it at home in your steamer. They also had personal palaboks (palabok over pancit) ready to go by the register. I swear, they had all the classics! They also have combo meals available as well. I LOVE OPTIONS! Best Turo-turo food in the City, quote me. The service is A+ and the pricing is decent. Thank you Ima's for a great meal and intend to come back. Love, your new fave customer.

1st time here yesterday. So far we love it! Turon is perfect with ripe banana, latik was perfect. Karyoka didn't have the bitter taste I find from others. We also got puto with cheese and cassava. They even have hot foods like turo turo. (They have dining table. I think I saw 1.) I saw lechon belly, chicharon and bagged chicharon, They have almost every Filipino dessert you can think of. They have refrigerated drinks. I saw buko and sago in cups. There are other food I have not tried that they sell. I'll try those next time. Nice people, too. They're expensive but I'll be back again again.

Small space but packed with lots of good Filipino snacks and desserts. If you're too busy or can't cook, a decent selection of Filipino dishes - veggies, veggie egg rolls, awewt banana eggrolls, meat, fish; chicken snd other specialty dishes (varies everyday) Frozen marinated pork and sausages. Reasonable prices.

So I tried Ima's a couple of times when I was in Chicago and it's always a pleasant experience. From hot foods down to the desserts; always hit the spot. Never had one bad experience from them. So today, I decided to give them a try for a catering order for my upcoming party. I honestly cannot wait . I know is going to be fantastic!

Had their turon today and it was so good! Will come back for their other food selection!

Hi. i was stunned! This is a tiny place packed with delish Filipino food. I am super impressed! the food? oh my Lord! it's packed with flavor like the way your grandma makes them! I had this opo with shrimp, the opo was so fresh and freshly cooked, i can still savor the chunkiness and the true opo flavor! the fresh lumpia? it's my usual Every Sunday! it's cooked and seasoned perfectly and the dip is not overpowering. the service? ah! everyone is so eager to make you feel welcomed! the owners make you feel like you're home. they would warm up your food, I mean, they would warm up my son's favorite palabok. (just like home, like I said guys)... the ambiance? ah, place is quaint, but theres nothing quaint about it. The displays are super packed with freshly made "ulam" and deserts. they have lechon, they have all kinds of Pinoy meals..ah! they have everything to satisfy the cravings of your Pinoy tummy! and they have these desert mix packs that are very affordable. you can take them to potluck lunch/dinners beaming with pride, ready to impress! lol. to sum up my experience: I HAVE NEVER BEEN MORE PROUD OF FILIPINO FOOD UNTIL IMA''S. before its only seafood city when it comes to Pinoy food but now it's IMA'S. it stands proudly on its own. It commands RESPECT. And here's the fun part: it's like a tiny outcrop next to giant seafood city like it's a mole in a huge face but as to food flavor and quality: Ima's is one towering giant! I told them: GOD BLESS YOUR BUSINESS. Because I want them to be so blessed so more people like me will feel like being home everytime. I smell grandma's or mom's kitchen and my heart feels warm: I close my eyes as I eat: I AM HOME! PS one sunday it was so cold, I said I wanna eat here but it's so cold, they apologized. but they didn't stop there. Next Sunday I came they have this huge heater warming the place! Talk about being sincere and excellent in providing customer satisfaction! I gave them a 5. My name is Candy My number is: 3127991897 And I looove writing this review!

Good desserts (Pilipino kakanin) and entrees can be had. Best of all, it now makes very, very good lechon belly!!

Tiny but full of deliciousness! I got kaldereta, bilobilo and a turon (for the car ride home, of course). Everything was fresh and tasted great, but the tender and flavorful kaldereta was the real star.

great food; clean place; wish there were more tables to eat inside the restaurant