Great place for family dining, friendly staff and service, plenty of parking , delicious Taiwanese food , very authentic. Will recommend to all diners.
I have no photos. Sorry. Because we started eating once the food arrived at our table.
The braised pork on rice is so so good. The braised pork is thoroughly infused with the braising sauce. The Taiwanese smelly tofu is just 👌🏻 it tastes exactly like the ones I had in Taiwan. The sesame oil chicken mee sua is just winter comfort food at its best. I’m so glad I made the impromptu choice to come here for dinner with my partner. We love everything we had at Max Kitchen and we think this is the best Taiwanese food we’ve had in Auckland! We will be back soon for the hot pot!
Went there with my Taiwanese friend who said their noodle soup was really good.
Great Taiwanese food at affordable price! Highly recommended.
Very friendly staff. Rice dishes come with the 3 sides that were delicious and wholesome. The noodles tasted unique and different to typical Chinese broth and definitely not as oily. The chilli oil added on made it taste awesome though. Pearl tea was not anything special but definitely above average with good Pearl's and real milk. Would go back.
It's my first time visiting this lovely Taiwanese owned restaurant. Being a hk people who have been to Taiwan for over 6 times, I have to say this restaurant is on a par with the well known Taiwanese chain store! The braised pork brisket was so tender and juicy! While the traditional braised pork rice reminds me of those I tried in those night market in TW. The only down side might be the fact that the portion is not that big, but considering the price and with Zomatogold 1+1 food, it's totally worth it!
The food was great and staff were very nice! Will definitely come back! Fried pork and braised beef noodles is a must try.. Big serving and quality food!
One of the best Taiwanese restaurant! The fried chicken is so good ! And the noodle dishes are both excellent. We also ordered a bubble tea to takeaway and also great. Very nice seating and friendly staff.
I wish they are not that far from where we live so I can go more often!
the food is very yummy. my son had a lots and enjoy it well. great service and thx for the chocolate for kids.
This was my second time to visit this restaurant and it’s the type of dish that you wish to have everyday. Service, food and cleanness I would give 5 out of 5. I’ll certainly recommend to others!
Went to try this place using zomato gold with my friend . Great customer service and good portions for a decent price. We also got given a really nice chocolate pudding dessert on the house - great consistency and taste. Would come back.
Good food with a moderate serving, plus good service. Also great that extra plates, cutlery and condiments are self service. Would go back if in the area.
First time dining in this hidden Taiwanese food gem, tried couple of the noodle dishes and small dishes.. Especially loved the Stinky Tofu. Service was good and friendly, food could take a little while to cook to the table when busy but definitely worth the wait. Look forward to going back to try more other dishes.
Been there twice. Once with gold and once without. Both times the experience was pleasant. We love the noodle in this place, good portion and flavourful broth. I'm usually sensitive to MSG but after slurping up the broth, I wasn't left with an unquenchable thirst to deal with. So that's a thumb's up. On the other hand, the portion for the rice meals were more of a petite portion, nicely presented but slightly small for a normal person. The fried chicken chop was delicious which the children totally enjoyed. Overall, it is a place which you can return to.
had absolutely lovely experience. The special dumplings is a must! The dumplings weren't oily at all, skin was thin, and had very enjoyable texture. the beef noodle was okay. the 3 sauce chicken on rice was little salty but was still very good. would definitely come back again
I’ve been in this place twice already and planning to visit them every other week when not keen to cook. I had traditional beef soup twice, it’s consistently delicious. Nice rich soup base, a bit chewy noodles, bok choy, aromatic herbs and quite a lot of braised beef chunks (marinated or cooked with tomatoes maybe?). Oh and what was that pickled/fermented leaves?? Also we had a Caesar salad, was recommended by the server. Very very crispy fried chicken with Parmesan, bacon, cos lettuce and dressing. I’d recommend one to order this salad as a sharing entree/plate. Both dishes were huge, worth the price.
I’m obviously not expert in Taiwanese cuisine or overall Asian but still like it 😋
Service was great
Delicious, mouth-watering Taiwanese food. Being born and partially-raised in Taiwan, I can say that the dishes here really capture the ethos of Taiwanese food. Great customer service - patient and friendly staff. Wait times can be on the longer side at peak hours but it is also because each dish is made individually with the utmost care and of course, the freshest ingredients. I might add, they don't use MSG too. This has become my weekly spot for dinner.
MY TOP 3 DISHES:
Special Dumplings (on their special menu - best dumplings in town)
Stewed Beef Brisket HotPot
Traditional Tainan Braised Pork on Rice
Been to Taiwan a few times in the last two years and started craving for Taiwanese food. Max Kitchen is certainly one of the few Taiwanese restaurant that serves authentic Taiwanese food. The Tainan Braised Pork on Rice is a must try. It is just soooo flavoursome and love the sides that come with the dishes too! We tried the stinky tofu in Taiwanese and my families did not like it. However, the stinky tofu served here are not as ‘stinky’ and is more acceptable. Unfortunately, we do not live nearby. If not, ,we might find ourselves visiting Max Kitchen every week!
definitely no doubt the best Taiwanese cuisine in Auckland!! Love the stinky Tofu and the Hotpot Selections! Staff is super friendly and have Clean Facilities.
In My Opinion, I Reckon Max Kitchen Is The Best Taiwanese Restaurant In Auckland. It Takes Us Eastsiders(Howick) About 45 Mins To Get Here But Definitely No Complaints. Food Is Great And A Super Friendly Team. Keep Up The Good Work Guys.
verY Polite and friendly staff. Definitely the best traditional Taiwanese food in Auckland!!! My go-to is a side of tofu with the beef tendon noodle soup.
Can’t say enough good things about this place - easily the best Taiwanese cuisine I’ve had.
Is a shame that it’s so far from where I reside but definitely worth the drive!
Parking is a little bit hard to find and park, especially at nights.
Service and environment are both great.
Food and drinks are really nice for young guys.
I'm a fan of taiwanese food and it's kinda hard to find a decent one these days in akl but Max kitchen proved otherwise. Had dinner here the other day, ordered stinky tofu, braised beef noodle and tainan braised pork with rice. I absolutely loved the flavors, tofu was crispy and fragrant, braised pork and beef were perfectly cooked to the point the meat just melt in your mouth when eating. The ambience was also very nice and cosy. Service was efficient and polite. Highly recommended!
Service 5/5
Food 5/5
Ambience 4/5
Braised Pork on rice and the beef noodles is Delicious. Staff is Friendly and the atmosphere is welcoming. Will be back again to try the hot pot!
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I hadn’t had Taiwanese food in a very long time so I was excited when I found this place. We ordered the Traditional Tainan Braised Pork on Rice (台南肉燥饭), Traditional Taiwanese Braised Beef Noodle (台式红烧牛肉面), and the Crispy Chicken Nuggets (香酥鸡).
The first bite of the rice was the most happiness I’d gotten from food in a while. It was absolutely perfect. The pork was fatty and had the most beautiful flavour. Definitely reminiscent of the ones I’d had in Taiwan. Loved the addition of the soy egg, pork floss, radish and the side dishes.
Braised beef noodles tends to be my go-to at most Chinese places so I knew I couldn’t pass one up here either. The beef was so soft it just melted in my mouth, the noodles were a great texture and the soup was delicious and tangy from the pickled vegetables.
The chicken nuggets were so incredibly fresh and moist, while the outside was crispy, light and covered in delicious seasoning. As delicious as the ones I’ve gotten at night markets in Taiwan.
The interior looked very clean and cosy and the staff were very polite and kind too. A wonderful experience and can’t wait to come back soon.
Been hearing good stuff about this place! So decided to have it a go on a Thursday night. Their braised pork on rice is to die for, hands down to be one of the best I've ever had in NZ. Especially with the pork floss on the side it just add on a whole new texture to the rice. We also ordered the sesame oil chicken hot pot, reasonable price for its portion and taste is super yum too. Not too oily and very fragrant. For entree we had stinky tofu, totally worth a try if you are an adventures person, it's not as stinky as you would like or u can get in Asia but totally worth a tryl. and San si (cold stripy tofu with seaweed and carrots!) super balanced.
Overall its awesome with their taste and ambiance. Will definitely come again to try their hot pot. X
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This is a relatively new Taiwanese restaurant and as a Taiwanese person I felt obligated to test it out.
Service: 6/10
The servers were pretty nice but they didn’t talk much, so it was a little awkward. They would just sit there on the seats and daze into space waiting for the customers to call for them.
The food was served at a pretty good pace and we were never left waiting without any food to eat.
Food: 6/10
We ordered the pickled vegetables, gua bao, stinky tofu, braised pork in rice and the pork chop on rice.
The pickled vegetables were just fresh vegetables that had been pickled.
The gua bao was steamed badly and the bao was super soggy. At least this place doesn’t westernise their baos and it’s pretty authentic. The pork was super fatty and juicy.
The stinky tofu wasn’t actually that stinky and didn’t have an authentic flavour. The skin was pretty crispy and it also came with pickled vegetables.
The braised pork in rice was the highlight of the day. The pork oil had been absorbed by the rice so it was super juicy and flavourful. The pork had the perfect ratio of meat to fat so it wasn’t too greasy. The portion was a little small for the price but it also came with side dishes.
The pork chop on rice was pretty soggy and wasn’t that good.
Ambiance: 8/10
The restaurant is super modern and resembles the ones in Taiwan.
The green plants are quite aesthetic and add some colour to the room.
The furniture is a exotic mixture of bright colours to a simple wooden style so it looks quite eye catching.
This style is the perfect place for a group of young adults to catch up late at night.
This is by far the best braised pork in rice I’ve had so far in New Zealand.
Food is good and it's also a good place for friends gathering . Friendly staff and owner. But just some thing I think can improve. I ve been here for over 20 times and they don't remember the client at all.it's fine but they always make mistake when I order my food.🤦🏻♀️
As a Taiwanese's partner, I've tried lots of Taiwanese restaurants around AKL, their beef noodle is the best one I had in AKL. My partner is from Tainan, she chose the braised pork chop, the chop is ok but the side dishes was great and variety. She mentioned the little braised pork sauce on the rice is really a TAINAN flavour.
Wish I took some photos. This is in my opinion the best Taiwanese place! It bring me back my childhood that I have not managed from any other Taiwanese places!!!
The food here is just Delicious and its harder to criticize than to compliment the taste here. The Umami of the dishes are very well balanced especially the 3 sauce chicken that they serve here! Unfortunately no photos were taken since I dug in straight away.
I will definitely be back!
Beef noodle very good, everything else average, food takes 30 +min to arrive.... I was waiting my take away braised pork rice for like 20mins, i just wondering if they go catch a pig straight away for my pork on rice after i ordered？？？
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Max's Kitchen, best Taiwanese food in Auckland. A family run business originally selling Taiwanese food at Pakauraga Night Markets for many years before establishing their own restaurant in Albany late 2017, located near Massey University. Their food is delicious and authentic with many items to choose from. (Left to right) Salt and pepper prawns (10/10) super flavourful with large portions. The salty spring onions were amazing mixed with rice. Traditional Tainan braised pork on noodles (9.5/10) the egg and meat were packed with saucy goodness. Stinky tofu (10/10) was scared to try it but was not very stinky at all, tasted like garlic tofu, the peserved vegetables together was a beautiful match! Sticky rice duck (9/10) large portions with the perfect ratio between rice and duck, and always appreciate any vegetables they add on the side, it helps to cut the fat. Gua bao (6.5/10) was just missing the juiciness and tenderness of the braised pork belly. Fried chicken fillet (8.5/10) crispy and tender and the lettuce was great idea giving you the option to make a wrap. If you ever looking for a delicious and an authentic home cook meal try out Max's Kitchen.
Really good food, nice venue and very friendly staff who even changed one of the dishes to be vegetarian for me. Food came out super fast!
Will be back again and would recommend :)
Delicious food and friendly staff and owner.
I love the vibe and food. Reminds me of back home.
Service: 5/5
Presentation: 4/5
Environment: 4/5
Food Quality: 5/5
Food Quantity: 5/5
Price per person: $10-$20
We tried this place for the first time for dinner. We did not have the hotpot which is what this place seems to serve mainly of, however we tried multiple side dish and appetiser as there was only 2 of us. Food quality was great and our dishes were really tasty! Some menu could be on the oily side but so is your general Asian cuisines. Only thing I would say is that the prices listed in photos do not truly reflect prices in store menu so keep that in mind. Price of meal ranges from $15-20. Could be a dinner thing. However would recommend!
Came here for dinner with friends, we ordered “3 cups chicken”, spring onion oil chicken and beef noodles. Good portion and the dishes reminds me of a home cooked meal (done nicely!) the side dishes are great source of vege! Great thoughts on the decor and toilets are so clean and well maintained.
Came here for lunch as a friend wanted to try this new place. Staff were friendly and greeted us on arrival. Accomodating to food requests (friend's daughter doesn't like her food mixed so the noodle soup and the mince were given separate). The male staff on that day was quite attentive as well; my son had dropped his spoon and before I could pick it up, the staff picked it up and took it away and returned with a new spoon.
Food was yummy and we were all happy with the quality that was served to us that day. Unfortunately no photos were taken as we were all hungry and dug in right away.
Will definitely be going back to try the rest of the menu.
Saw this restaurant had just opened recently so decided to give it a try and was quite impressed. The beef noodle soup had a nice flavour and tasty tender beef - and the small hot pot was also nice and great value with plenty of ingredients. I also tried their brown sugar bubble tea which had a nice, sweet flavour.
The staff here were also very friendly and helpful and the location is quite convenient just near Albany shopping centre. Would recommend.
This place is by far the most authentic Taiwanese restaurant in NZ. I love the braised pork rice and the deep fried chicken nuggets! The special braised pork belly is quite tender but a bit too oily.
Will definitely go back and try other food on their menu.
Best Taiwan cuisine in north shore for me. Having been there around 10 times. All noodles are excellent and authentic Taiwan taste. They also offer options of slim rice noodle. Three sauces chicken is a must order! The small dishes go with rice are also delicious and they will change, giving you different experiences every time! Dumping , either by steaming or by frying, are delicious. Looks like the restaurant is run by a family, have the vibe of a warm and hardworking family at the back kitchen. Everything is Perfect!
Nice environment and they do sell Taiwan beer if you fancy them. Price also reasonable for the beef or pork pancake. I also had the Taiwan braised beef noodles highly recommended
Tip top Taiwanese food. Great choice of Taiwanese dishes so if you haven’t tried it before, this place is good to start. Friendly, casual service with super delicious food. Prices are also pretty reasonable, where we got a fair amount of food for just over $50.
Really good taiwanese restaurant! Really cheap and delicious ! This place serves up some good rice and noodle dishes.
Highly recommend their caesar salad with fried chicken, taiwanese braised beef noodle and 3 sauce chicken on rice.
Follow my IG for an indepth food review of this place: kiwi_friedchicken
Nice Taiwanese cuisine. Menu offers a wife variety of choices, and some dishes were served with sides. Good portion and value for money. Service was friendly and quick.
I've dined here for lunch a couple of times and really enjoyed the food on both occasions. Yesterday we had the Taiwanese beef noodle soup (the beef was incredibly tender), sweet and sour chicken, stinky tofu and pickled vegetables. My husband and I both enjoyed everything.
The service was friendly and helpful but a tad slow because there was only one person looking after the restaurant. But it wasn't a problem. We'll most definitely be back to Max Kitchen.
Seriously good Taiwanese food. I use to go to places like Neighbours and ATT in CBD but good Taiwanese joints are hard to find this is definitely a goody. Lots of places to sit, the flavours are legit, and they serve some of the most insane tiny hot pots. Have to try this if you like Taiwanese cuisine, bit hard to find car park when its busy but well worth the visit.
Possibly one of the best Taiwanese restaurant around Auckland. Great service, affordable menu, generous portion and delicious food. The restaurant is small, but it's clean and has plenty of carparks. It'd be nice if it accepts credit card payments, great place for meals otherwise.
Very good TWese noodle, although not spicy enough. Stinky tofu is also not fermented enough. Overall, it is still a very good restaurant. Looking forward to try the hotpots and braised pork on rice later.
For food only: 5 stars
Everything else is pretty average
Been here many times and it's great everytime. The little side dishes are so yummy and change from time to time. The coffee shop upstairs is so good and the man is so passionate and kind, treat yourself to a coffee and a treat from him.
This is in my opinion the best Taiwanese place! It bring me back my childhood that I have not managed from any other Taiwanese places!!! Only opened 3 months ago, hope they keep up with the standards for years to come.
The smelly tofu is very authentic. Tasty! Beef noodle soup had so much flavors too. Would come back again.
A great place if you’re looking for authentic Taiwanese food.
Love the food at Max Kitchen! Always making amazing and consistent food! Been going here for a while now and always wanting to come back for more! The fried squid is the best in Auckland!
A range of authentic Taiwanese food available in a cosy environment. Good for family and if you are having a quiet dinner with friends. Would recommend to anyone.
Had the pork trotters on rice. Not bad, pretty good taste and the side dishes are yummy as well. Decent price for some genuine Taiwanese style food.
Great Taiwanese food with classy dining ambience! Very reasonable price too. Highly recommended.
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