Deciding where to eat in EPCOT can be daunting!

There are SO many quick service and table service restaurants to choose from, not to mention the food booths that are spread throughout the park for most of the year. But here at DFB, we’ve been to all the restaurants, and we like to revisit them frequently to see if they’re worth recommending for your vacation. That’s why I’m taking you along with me to dine in the Mexico Pavilion!

Atmosphere

A little while ago, I had lunch at San Angel Inn Restaurante in the Mexico Pavilion. This is the restaurant that’s actually INSIDE the pyramid, tucked away next to Gran Fiesta Tour. (Not to be confused with La Hacienda de San Angel, which is the table service restaurant outside of the pyramid — although, I did review that one recently as well.)

This is known for being one of the darker restaurants in Disney World, because the inside of the Mexico pyramid is made to look like a market at nighttime. So here, every table is decorated with a small lamp.

The restaurant also overlooks the opening scene of Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros. The boat ride launches right next door to the dining area, so if you sit at a table on the railing, you’ll be waving at other guests all meal long.

The tables here are pretty close together, and most of them are located in one main area of the restaurant. Not exactly the best place to dine for privacy, but during my visit, they weren’t at capacity so it wasn’t too bad.

There is one small section of the restaurant with seating over by the bathrooms that’s a little bit more private.

Now that we’ve taken the tour, let’s talk about the eats!

Menu

San Angel Inn serves Mexican-inspired cuisine. They’ve got a selection of appetizers like guacamole, totopos, queso fundido, chilaquiles, and more.

For entrees, you can choose from a selection that includes tacos, salad, pork, grilled chicken, and enchiladas.

The restaurant also serves a number of signature drinks, some of which can also be found at La Cava del Tequila.

The backside of the menu is dedicated to more beverages, including tequila, mezcal, handcrafted margaritas, and flights. 

If you’d prefer something milder, they have wines and sangria, as well as non-alcoholic mocktails.

Now that we’ve reviewed the list, let’s dive in!

Eats

I ordered a sampling of a few different items from the menu to get the full picture. Time to eat!

First up, we’ve got my drink, which was the Mentirosa. This is one of the mocktail options, and it’s available for $14. It’s made with Almave blanco, watermelon juice, lime juice, raspberry agave, herbal hint, and a salt rim.

This had some strong watermelon and raspberry flavors, and the herbal elements kind of warmed my mouth, even though the drink was served over ice. The lime helps brighten things up a bit, and the salt rim adds a fun element when you sip from that edge. I would definitely order this again!

For my first appetizer, I ordered the Totopos for $9, which are corn chips served with white cheddar cheese sauce and salsa. This honestly surprised me…and not necessarily in a good way. Why? Because it seems to be the same offering served outside at the quick service spot, La Cantina de San Angel.

The salsa was pretty spicy, especially for a Disney restaurant, and it had a bit of a roasted tomato flavor to it. It’s got a decent ranchero-like flavor, but if you’re averse to spice in any way, this probably isn’t for you,

The cheese was an interesting experience. It’s white cheddar instead of a typical Mexican restaurant queso, which makes it very strong flavor-wise. It also cools down and firms up incredibly quickly — doesn’t hold that dippable texture for long. Pair that with the fact that the chips were a bit too thick and crunchy, and I’ll say that this definitely wasn’t the best chips-queso-salsa combo I’ve ever had in my life.

But don’t dismay, our other appetizer was a WINNER! This was the Chilaquiles con Pato, which has sadly been removed from the menu since my visit. 

In their place, you can now get chilaquiles with chicken or ribeye, but the duck version was surprisingly yummy. They were made with tortilla chips tossed in Ranchera salsa and topped with crema Mexicana. There was a great blend of cheesy, spicy, and rich flavors, and the duck was crispy and savory.

The main problem with these overall is that the chips would get a bit soggy and all the toppings were concentrated on the top. I’ll be interested to see if those issues are fixed with the new version.

For my entree, I decided on the Baja Tacos de Pescado for $32. These are made with beer-battered fried cod, shredded cabbage, chipotle-lime aioli, and pineapple relish in flour tortillas. Can you say YUM?

These were quite delicious, and I liked them better than the fish tacos over at La Hacienda de San Angel! The fish was crispy on the outside and tender in the middle without being too dry. The slaw came in decent portions, served perfectly crispy, and the sauce added a nice creamy texture. I only wish that there had been a bit more of the pineapple relish to really brighten these up overall. 

Finally, we’ve got dessert! This was the Pan de Elote Tres Leches for $12 and it was incredible! It’s made with rice milk-soaked Mexican corn bread topped with sweetcorn gelato and toasted almonds.

This was such a unique and interesting dessert, and everything worked beautifully together. The cornbread was soft with a mildly sweet flavor, and the rice milk kept it nice and moist. The almonds add a crunchy element, and the gelato on top is smooth and creamy and draws everything together. 

So where does San Angel Inn stand for me?

Overall

In the end, I was more impressed with my meal here than I expected to be! This restaurant is often known as the lesser of the two table service restaurants in Mexico, but there were some elements of my meal here that I enjoyed more than over at La Hacienda. The dessert in particular was spectacular, and those tacos have the other ones beat!

Ultimately, I think this is a great restaurant to visit if it’s not too busy, but I think it could be a bit uncomfortable on a crowded day with all those tables crammed in. My service was spectacular, and the meal was pretty timely overall.

Nosh or Not?

Dine inside the pyramid at San Angel Inn if…

• You want the water ride to entertain your children. If you’ve got antsy kids who need to sit through a table service meal, watching the boats from Gran Fiesta Tour would be a great pastime. You’ll need to request a waterside table though, and it’s not guaranteed.
• You’re with a small party. This restaurant isn’t exactly made for large parties with its cramped setup, but it would be a great spot for a dinner for two.
• You want some pretty solid Mexican food. The menu here was overall pretty good and I enjoyed most everything I ate!

Skip San Angel and scoot around the World Showcase if…

• You have good Mexican food in your hometown. The eats here are yummy, but they’re nothing revolutionary if you’ve got a delicious cantina in your hometown.
• You want the best of what World Showcase or EPCOT has to offer. Even though the meal was pretty good, there are several other restaurants in EPCOT that I would recommend before this one. Places like Le Cellier, Chefs de France, and even Nine Dragons have served me meals that I would rank a little higher.
• You’re on a budget. If you want Mexican food but you don’t want to spend the $$$, some of the items at La Cantina de San Angel are pretty delicious too.

Thanks for coming along on my dining review! Stay tuned to DFB for more updates on the best places to eat in Disney World.

Click Here to See My Review of La Hacienda de San Angel!

Have you been to San Angel Inn before? Tell us in the comments!