We’ve eaten at a LOT of restaurants in Disney World, and by a lot, we mean HUNDREDS.

In fact, here at DFB, we’ve actually eaten at every restaurant in Disney World over the years, and we keep going back frequently to see if they’re still up to scratch. We especially like to stop by when we see that a restaurant has changed its menu, which is why I recently took a trip to the Mexico Pavilion in EPCOT!

Atmosphere

For this review, I headed to La Hacienda de San Angel in EPCOT! This restaurant is not to be confused with San Angel Inn, which is located INSIDE the Mexico pyramid. La Hacienda is outside of the main building, next to the quick service spot.

La Hacienda opens typically at 4PM, so it’s only available for dinnertime. Sometimes you can enter the dining room during the day when it’s used as overflow lunch seating for La Cantina de San Angel.

One of the best things about this restaurant is the absolutely stunning views from most of the dining area! The walls on one side are lined with windows that allow a spectacular view of World Showcase Lagoon. If you’re lucky enough to be seated by the window later in the night, it can be a lovely place to watch fireworks.

There are a few different sections to the dining area, but for the most part, it’s one large room. The seating is a mix of booths, banquettes, and standalone tables. 

The back wall of the restaurant has a row of raised booths that offer a view over the tables toward the windows.

So what’s on the menu here?

Menu

As you may have guessed, La Hacienda de San Angel serves a variety of Mexican-inspired dishes. You can start your meal with appetizers like flautas, guacamole, or queso fundido.

For entrees, they have everything from Pollo Poblano to tacos to seafood. 

The backside of the menu is filled with handcrafted margaritas and tequila selections. They also serve basics like wine and beer.

And we can’t forget about dessert! During my visit, they had five different dessert options along with some dessert beverages. 

Let’s order some eats!

Eats

I started off my meal by ordering a fun beverage! From the mocktail menu, I got the Piña Prix, which is $14. It’s made with Almave blanco, pineapple-guava juice, orgeat coconut-infused agave, and a salt rim.

This was pretty tart like a lemonade, but with a hint of pineapple. There’s a smidge of spiciness to it, but not much. My main complaint is that it was a relatively small portion for the price.

Now that I’m hydrated, it’s time to move on to the appetizer! One of the brand-new items on the menu is the Tlacoyo con Carnitas for $15. This is made with fried masa topped with beans, pork carnitas, salsa verde, cotija cheese, and pickled onions. 

The carnitas were SO tender and juicy, and you get a great mix of flavors with the salsa, pickled onions, and beans. The masa had a nice crispiness. After I was a few bites in, my server stopped by and asked if I thought it was spicy. I was confused and told him no because my first few bites weren’t spicy at all. But as I made it about halfway through, the spice started to build and linger on my tongue. By the end, it was PROPERLY hot! I think it’s possible that there was more salsa in the middle of the dish, which made it spicier there.

After that, I picked up two of the new entrees on the menu — we’ve got the Tacos de Langosta and the Enchiladas de Chorizo. Let’s dig in!

Starting out with the Enchiladas de Chorizo for $30, these were made with corn tortillas filled with plant-based chorizo, atop beans, covered with Ranchera salsa, Monterey Jack cheese, crema Mexicana, cotija cheese, and crispy onions. On the side you get plantains with crema Mexicana and cotija cheese.

Let me tell you — I didn’t even realize this was plant-based chorizo! This dish was served warm, cheesy, and delicious with a deep, rich tomato flavor and soft tortillas. There were some crispy onions on top for a little bit of crunch, and the chorizo was mild but had a hint of Mexican spices.

The plantains on the side were quite sweet and there was an interesting flavor mixture between that sweetness and the cheese. They were quite soft and smooth on the inside.

For my second entree, I got the Tacos de Langosta for $38. These are made with fried lobster in flour tortillas, shredded cabbage, chipotle aioli, salsa verde, and mango relish.

These tacos have a good variety of flavors and textures, which makes it more fun and interesting to eat. I wished that the tortillas were a little bit softer because they were quite chewy, and the lobster definitely had a bit of a “fishy” taste to it. However, the lobster texture had the perfect amount of chewiness and it paired well with the crunchy slaw and fresh mango relish.

The rice on the side was shockingly good! It was nice and buttery and cooked to the point where there was some chew, but not any crunch.

To round out my meal, I had to get dessert! And the dessert that intrigued me the most was the Helado de Palomitas for $10. This is sweet corn ice cream with popcorn and chile powder, and boy was it interesting!

In fact, this was probably the most unique dessert I’ve ever tried in Disney World. The ice cream is a sweet corn flavor, which tasted like creamed corn and vanilla ice cream had a baby — there were even chunks of corn throughout. I wish the texture of the ice cream had been a bit smoother and creamier overall. If you get a bite of ice cream with some popcorn on top, it’s QUITE salty, and then the chili flakes add some tanginess and a hint of spice.

Would I try the ice cream again? Maybe not. But if you’re an adventurous eater, it might be worth the venture at least once!

Overall

All in all, I had a GREAT meal at La Hacienda de San Angel. I’ve had some excellent service and delicious food here in the past, and I was still impressed. The enchiladas and the tlacoyo were the standouts for me, but I’ve had other items on their menu that I’ve greatly enjoyed as well. 

If you’re craving Mexican food, this is my preferred stop over San Angel Inn inside the pyramid, because this restaurant is typically less crowded and more relaxed. I personally haven’t had a bad meal here!

Nosh or Not?

Enjoy some flavors of Mexico at La Hacienda if…

• You’re craving a high quality Mexican meal. You can get cheaper and faster Mexican food next door at La Cantina, but the food here is much higher quality and in my opinion, WAY better tasting.
• You want a place to relax and unwind in the middle of your EPCOT day. This is often one of the restaurants that’s easier to get a reservation or a walk-up for, and the atmosphere is fairly chill. Plus, you can’t beat that stunning view!

Skip La Hacienda and head elsewhere if…

• You want to dine inside the Mexico pyramid. SO many people get this place confused with San Angel Inn (I did it myself on my honeymoon!). San Angel Inn is the place you want to make reservations for to dine INSIDE the pyramid.
• You want unique eats and a unique atmosphere. The food here is quite delicious, but if you have a high quality Mexican cantina or restaurant near you, you might be able to get similar caliber at home. If you want a truly special menu and environment, you might want to try one of the other specialty restaurants.

That’s all for my visit to La Hacienda de San Angel, thanks for coming along! Stay tuned to DFB for more food reviews.

Click Here to Check Out a Review of Another EPCOT Restaurant!

Have you ever been to this restaurant? Tell us in the comments!