Right after our pancit batil patong Tagaytay lunch and finishing our business at Tagaytay City Hall, we quickly went back to the Tagaytay Ridge for our much-delayed dessert. It’s actually a bit cold in Tagaytay when we went, but still, we were on the lookout for an ice-cold glass of halo-halo, and not just any halo-halo though, the place has to have a good view of the Taal Volcano. I mean, why eat anywhere else when you’re in Tagaytay?
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| THE VIEW OF TAAL VOLCANO WE WERE LOOKING FOR |
A Google search on the best halo-halo in Tagaytay actually yielded nothing. I mean, we’re really not that picky, we can be happy with Mang Inasal’s halo-halo, just as long as it fits our condition. Unfortunately, Mang Inasal Tagaytay is located inside a mall. A quick drive around and we were soon parking on Max’s Tagaytay’s empty parking lot. So, well, Max’s it is then.
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| MAX’S RESTAURANT IN TAGAYTAY |
Max’s Tagaytay is located along the major restaurant hub in Tagaytay, right between RSM Tagaytay Magallanes and Leslie’s Tagaytay. If my memory serves me right, the property where the restaurant is actually built on was Yellow Cab’s al fresco area from decades back. Now, the original Yellow Cab building is gone, replaced by a Yellow Cab mobile restaurant on wheels—with Max’s Restaurant occupying the whole width of the lot.
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| MAX’S TAGAYTAY’S EXPANSIVE AL FRESCO AREA |
The restaurant has airconditioned indoor seating, as well as a canopied al fresco seats facing the Taal Volcano. Of course, we seated ourselves outside. There were hardly any guests and we almost have the whole area to ourselves.
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| AN EXTENSION OF MAX’S TAGAYTAY’S AL FRESCO AREA |
There are four set of tables outside, which can seat about eight people each. There’s also a set of stone table and stools on the lower portion of the balcony. I’m not sure if Max’s actually use these for dining though.
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| THE VIEW FROM MAX’S TAGAYTAY |
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| MAX’S ❤ TAGAYAY, GENIUS BRANDING |
I love how there are no house roof or any sort of man-made obstructions along Max’s Tagaytay’s view of the Taal. I also like how unobtrusive their fence is, and how there’s even a couple of seats along it that face the lake. One part of the fence has a “Max’s ❤ Tagaytay” sign, a genius move from the restaurant.
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| MAX’S CLASSIC BULALAO TAGAYTAY EXCLUSIVE, MAYBE NEXT TIME |
Apparently, Max’s Tagaytay also serves Classic Bulalo exclusively for this branch, but we’re already done with bulalo. So, we ordered a glass of halo-halo each, plus a knickerbocker—a sundae-ish dessert filled with fresh fruits and gulaman—just to satiate our curiosity. We’ve previously tried this in Zamboanga City, where it originated, so we’re curious if Max’s version is also as good.
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| MAX’S TAGAYTAY HALO-HALO |
Max’s Halo-Halo Special (₱160.00) was good as any halo-halo are, but I found the serving size to be a tad small. Their Knickerbocker (₱149.00) on the other hand, seems to be just okay, the ones from Hacienda de Palmeras in Zamboanga is miles better.
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| ENJOYING THE VIEW AT MAX’S TAGAYTAY |
Still, we enjoyed our not-so-quick dessert snack in Max’s Tagaytay. Well, Taal’s view more than made up for any and all complaints we have with their halo-halo and knickerbockers—not that we have much to complain about, really. It’s all good. All good.
Max’s Tagaytay
Pet Policy: Pet Friendly (al fresco area only)
Address: Tagaytay Highway, Tagaytay City, Cavite
Contact Number: +63 (919) 081-4946 | Facebook
Opening Hours: 7:00AM to 10:00PM, Daily
GPS Coordinates Map: 14.101906, 120.950981
