10 Best Restaurants in Ilocos Norte

Apart from the Bangui Windmills, Cape Bojeador lighthouse and other tourist attractions, nothing represents Ilocos Norte best than its food. It goes beyond empanadas though – so take a look at some of these local favorites that serve everything from Ilocano dishes to Chinese cuisine. These pretty much, after all, are considered the 10 best restaurants in Ilocos Norte:

• New La Moda Panciteria
• Saramsam Ylocano Restaurant and Bar
• La Preciosa
• Herencia Restaurant
• Cuisine de Iloco
• BergBlick Restaurant
• Red 8 Asian Restaurant
• Smoke Bar and Restaurant
• Papa Prito by Papa Pau
• Batac Riverside Empanadahan

1. New La Moda Panciteria

This panciteria first opened its doors in the 1950s. La Moda owner Evelyn Dayaoan Gee shared that she inherited the business from her father-in-law when her husband didn’t want to take it on during the late 1980s due to bankruptcy. Nowadays, La Moda is the go-to for Ilocano for homemade pancit. 

• Location: Lagasca St. cor Gov. Primo Lazaro Ave., Brgy. 10, Laoag City
• Cuisines: Ilocano, Chinese
• What to eat: Some of the best sellers include pork shanghai, bagnet, pancit bihon, crispy fried chicken and misua noodle soup.

2. Saramsam Ylocano Restaurant and Bar

Saramsam Ylocano is one of the more popular restaurants in Ilocos Norte with charming interiors and divine Ilocano cuisine. All their dishes are reasonably priced, albeit being inventive and homemade. In fact, the dishes really live up to the restaurant’s name – the Y in “Ylocano” stands for yummy.

• Location: #10 Giron St., Brgy. 7-B, Laoag City, Ilocos Norte
• Cuisines: Ilocano
• Open hours: 6:00 am to 9:00 am (Breakfast); 9:00 am to 10:00 pm Monday to Sunday
• What to eat: Try ordering their Ilocano version of fondue called Kalti (P175) and order Saramsam Pasta (P160).
• Website: Saramsam

3. La Preciosa

Named after the restaurant owner’s mother, Preciosa Palma, this small Ilocano restaurant serves local cuisine with a twist. The homey interiors throws customers back to the 90s, as they sit and enjoy one delicious dish after another. Though there are a number of inventive dishes, their carrot cake remains a favorite topped with shredded carrots for extra texture and crunch.

• Location: Rizal St., Laoag City, Ilocos Norte
• Cuisines: Ilocano
• Open hours: 9:00 am to 10:00 pm daily
• What to eat: Crispy dinardaraan (P195), also known as bagnet dinuguan, is the Ilocano version of dinuguan. La Preciosa cooks bagnet with pig’s blood until it’s crispy and dry.
• Website:  Lapreciosa

4. Herencia Restaurant

If there’s one thing you definitely have to try out at Herencia Restaurant, it’s their pizza! Pinakbet, a classic Ilocano favorite, is basically vegetables cooked with “bagoong” (fermented fish paste).

Now, imagine this on top of warm pizza dough and cheese. Can’t? You’ll have to head over and try it out for yourself because customers have come to love it so much that it’s become the restaurant’s bestseller.

• Location: McArthur St., Paoay, Ilocos Norte
• Cuisines: Ilocano
• Open hours: 9:30 am to 9:00 pm daily
• What to eat: Order classic Ilocano dishes like pinakbet (P180), longganisa (P190 for 5 pcs), bagnet with KBL (P250), and poqui poqui (P150).

5. Cuisine de Iloco

If there’s one problem you might encounter at Cuisine de Iloco, it may be the lack of seating as apparently – they’re always packed! A local favorite, families and groups of friends head over to this budget-friendly joint for lip smacking Filipino and Ilocano food. There are budget meals at P150 and family-style dishes that cost no more than P350 or so.

• Location: Hernando Avenue, Laoag City
• Cuisines: Ilocano, Filipino
• Open hours: 10:00 am to 10:00 pm Mon to Sat, 12:00nn to 10:00 pm Sunday
• What to eat: Order their best sellers poque-poque, sinigang na bagnet, longganisa pizza, bulalo and pinakbet.
• Website: Cuisine de Iloco Restaurant

6. BergBlick Restaurant

BergBlick, which means “mountain view”, is a German restaurant that offers homemade German, International and Filipino food at its best. From fresh seafood, organic vegetables to homemade pasta, guests are definitely in for a gastronomic treat.

• Location: Barangay Burayoc, Pagudpud
• Cuisines: German, International, Filipino
• Open hours: 9:00 am to 9:00 pm daily
• What to eat: Order the crowd favorite, the Bergblick Pan (P480). It has pork chop (Schnitzel), pork roast (Schweinebraten), sausage, cabbage roll (Kohlrolade), pan-fried potatoes and mixed salad.
• Website: bergblick-pagudpud.com

7. Red 8 Asian Restaurant

If you’d like to take a break from Filipino and Ilocano cuisine, then Red 8 is a definite go to. Families, friends and even local officials flock to this Chinese restaurant to satisfy their cravings for noodles, Peking duck, suckling pig, dimsum, seafood and more.

• Location: Fort Ilocandia Resort Hotel, Barangay 37 Calayab, Laoag City
• Cuisines: Cantonese, Korean
• What to eat: Patrons swear that Red 8’s Special shrimp and bamboo shoot dumplings rivals dumplings served in Binondo’s tea houses.
• Website: fortilocandia.com.ph/dining

8. Smoke Bar and Restaurant

With a gorgeous view of Paoay Church, Smoke Bar is the first authentic southern US smoke restaurant in Ilocos Norte. They serve all your favorite American dishes including ribs, pulled pork and their lip smacking Bagnet smoked over Hickory and Mesquite wood chips. You may even want to order their hot buffalo wings and chili, too!

• Location: 2nd Floor Paseo de Paoay Building, Paoay
• Cuisines: American
• Open hours: 11:00 am to 10:00 pm daily
• What to eat: After ordering your share of pulled pork and ribs, you may want to order their buffalo wings that come in different levels of heat – “The Shire” (the most tolerable), “Lord of the Wings”, “Modor’s Revenge” and “The End of Middle Earth”.
• Website: Paoay Smoke

9. Papa Prito by Papa Pau

Papa Pau first opened its doors in 2008, introducing the concept of eating via Boodle to Ilocanos. The hope was that the food concept would strengthen the bond of families and friends over good food, all the while making good memories. A decade later, Papa Pau has branched out to Papa Prito – still serving delicious Filipino food that fits everyone’s budget.

• Location: 87 National Highway corner Barba St. San Nicolas
• Cuisines: Filipino, Ilocano
• Open hours: 10:00 am to 2:00 am daily
• What to eat: Order their seafood boodle (P1,498), Ilocano boodle (P1,098), kare-kareng bagnet (P348) and binumboom na tilapia (P168).
• Website:Papapritobypapapau.com

10. Batac Riverside Empanadahan

Nothing screams Ilocos Norte more than Empanadas! These fried, bright orange treats filled with bean sprouts, longanisa and eggs are a locals go-to for a quick power treat or breakfast for no more than P50, depending on the variation.

The Riverside Empanadahan is a food court constructed by the local government and is home to several stalls, but if you had to try one – Glory’s is apparently the best.

• Location: Batac Empanadahan, Riverside, Batac
• Cuisines: Filipino street food
• Open hours: 10:00 am to 11:00 pm daily
• What to eat: Order empanada along with a hot bowl of miki (thick, chicken noodle soup). You can also order fried squid, quail eggs, balut and more. Prices may vary per stall.

Ready to head up north to try out one or all of the top 10 best restaurants in Ilocos Norte? Make sure you book your flight and hotel with  Traveloka!