Hola! - Bend

Was in town for some great skiing and wanted to follow up with some good Mexican food. This place did not disappoint and had great Peruvian options. There's actually three locations in town. I went with the Aji de Gallina Plate. Shredded chicken breast and peas in a creamy Peruvian sauce and boiled egg. Served with white rice and bolitas de causa (cold chile lime infused mashed potatoes).

We've eaten at the Hola! in Sunriver multiple times but we've yet to try the one in Bend. We ended up here tonight. Menu was slightly different but we found things we like easy enough. The weather was mild and it was noisy inside so we opted to sit outside. The drinks were great (husband got the Bend Old Fashioned and I got the Vanilla Margarita) and the food was good (husband got three carne asada tacos and I had the chicken chimichanga and chicken enchilada). The waitstaff were very friendly and attentive.

Hola has the best margaritas in town hands down. For 1 margarita you really get 2 1/2 because it comes with a shaker full of the extra. You can also get a pitcher too if you have a group. Of all the flavors they offer, red cactus is the best. I'm not sure what exactly it is, but it's perfectly sweet and so easy to drink! There's also free chips and salsa (green is the best) so even if you're just there for the margaritas you get a little snack!

Hola! there are three in Bend, one in Redmond, one in Sunriver and one in the western forest in Camp Sherman. The downtown Bend franchise is a relatively small space with five or six inside tables, a ten seat bar and a few sidewalk tables. We sat at the elevated banquet seating at the west end of the restaurant which affords a good view of the space but is not not recommended for those with lower back problems (required my rolled up jacket as additional lumbar support. The bar is quite intimate. I noticed quite a few folks coming in for take out orders. Music set at a moderate, conversation friendly volume, something I appreciate. The menu is quite a bit shorter than what you find at your average Mexican restaurant there 's no eight page laminated monstrosity to pore over here. That tells me that Hola! concentrates on what they do best. Billed as Nouveau Mexican Peruvian Cuisine, ' Hola! promises something different and to certain extent delivers. Eclectic list of margaritas. Hola! has won 'Best Margaritas in Town ' awards for a number of years. Marcos Paloma: interesting, especially with the Tajin salt rim, but not one I 'd order again. Somewhat weak pour. Fresca Margarita: more like the standard version. Also came with a Tajin rim not noted on menu. Strong pour. In fact, I think the two Frescas we ordered were too strong and probably should have come with a warning. Caipirinhas: a Brazilian margarita. A bit like the Marcos but without the Tajin. Good but I 'd not order this again either. I think I 'm more a tequila Triple Sec lime juice kind of margarita drinker, which they do have on the menu here. I just wanted to try something different. As mentioned, I think the alcohol content of the three margarita varieties we tried was wildly inconsistent. Chips salsa: Two tasty salsas provided with fresh tortilla chips. The red salsa is picante; the green not so much. Enchiladas Rancheras: Very good, much like what you 'd get at any Mexican/Tex Mex restaurant. If there was a Peruvian slant to this dish, I missed it, so probably this one is part of the Mexican side of 'Mexican Peruvian Cuisine. ' Very well prepared shredded beef, rice and beans. Ceviche Traditional: Here we have something that diverges from what Americans would consider the norm, a Peruvian take on the classic dish (although my Googling tells me ceviche originated in South America and maybe even Peru . Quite good a bit spicy with the amarillo chiles so the heat intolerant should use caution. Very well prepared dish. Our service was exceptional. Prices are maybe a little high but not outrageously so. Food costs are up everywhere these days. Recommended.

So we came here twice in our trip as my boss is from Peru and they have the dishes he likes. The first time I order a chicken soup and a Peruvian style ceviche and they order the typical Peruvian dishes plus a taco . The soups was really good but nothing special and the Peruvian ceviche was meh... the food overall in my opinion was meh to be honest. I have been in this hunger strike for some time now so I ate everything I ordered but it doesn't mean I was passionate about it. Second time I ordered the Carne Asada, meat was a bit hard but did not expect it to be the softest so l wasn't disappointed. Service both times was good so I do give them a 4 start for effort on that area but overall is a 3. Their bathroom/restrooms are in the building but not in the restaurant and you need a key to open the door so don't forget to ask your waiter for it. I didn't try any of their drinks so I can't tell you about them but on our second time one person on our party had a margarita and they seem to enjoy it. We had the fresh guacamole (not $15 worn it maybe west prices on? and it was ok. Nothing special or huge (my party got to it before I could take a picture basic really. My party seemed to enjoy their choices so I'll assume it was at least a 4 for them but they aren't writing the review, so. Ok, come and try. The end.