I’ve been exploring Ilocos what else they can offer aside from their usual vegetable menu. Ilocos Norte is getting more establishments this year. Valdez Center recently opened a new building and a Venvi I.T Park. They built Venvi I.T Park  to cope up with the advancement of technology together with the advancement of Valdez Center. Inside are BPO and Technology centers, they also put up some Food Stall and restaurant.

This Tex-Mex restaurant caught my eye. It’s the only restaurant that did not join the bandwagon. Every stall in Venvi Park serves KBBQ or Hot Pot, at least I have other choices in Ilocos. Olas Banditos used to be in the central Laoag and transferred to the new and bigger location. They also branched out in La Union and Siargao. (ohh Surfing!) Their name came from the waves which is Olas in Spanish and Banditos is a Mexican robber or outlaw belonging to a gang and typically operating in an isolated or lawless area. They literally ribbed my wallet because I can’t stop myself from trying everything on their menu.

Before I start, they have also offer Happy Hour from 3PM-8PM.

Beef Taco Pizza. This is surprisingly good, it’s a favorite actually. It has beans in between a soft taco, topped with a beef strip, it looked like dilis but it’s a freshly butchered beef, You know they are located in the middle of province and city proper.

Olas Banditos Chicken. I didn’t expect it to be good because I can see the coating is thick, but the breading made it good. It’s deep-fried with special spices and served with Mexican rice.

They also serve the chicken by a bucket of 6.

Cheese Quesadillas. The cheese inside is really good, the sauce made it really extra. But I like it with their spicy sauce that looks like guacamole but it’s not.

Carbonara. I like the paprika tasty feeling with chicken in it. But the pasta didn’t pass my standards. It’s not really al dente. the pasta is cut into a small strip and I didn’t enjoy the pasta at all.

Churros. A fried-dough pastry. I like how generous they are with the sugar-cinnamon.

At first actually, I was afraid to try their menu since they are the only tex-mex I heard in Ilocos. And also Ilocanos are not a fan of trying other dishes that they are not used to. I’m giving them five-star rating with their serving and price range. I’ve been to a lot of tex-mex restaurants and some of them went above and beyond but Olas Banditos can level to the other restaurants on what they can give. I will definitely recommend with my friends and family. I will be back.