The finale for our Epcot night was this very last minute reservation for 5 at La Hacienda De San Angel. At this time, I’ve just barely recovered from being full, so I am ready to give this a try. Unlike the Mexican restaurant next to the Caballeros ride, this one was more like your typical restaurant without the smell of chlorine water or being overly dark. Per a recommendation and not normally eating Mexican food in NYC, this was something on my list to try.
Ambiance
The decor looked very similar to California style missions and Mexican restaurants.
The service was a little dodgy at some parts of the night. The waiter seemed like he was out of it at times, but we made sure to follow up with our orders just to confirm.
Food
The Wild One ($17) came with centinela blanco tequila, mango-passion fruit purée, ginger, Ancho Reyes chile liqueur, fresh lime juice, hint of illegal mezcal with black ant salt rim. This one tasted above average. The fruit purée did not taste as good as it sounds. I did not get that sense of freshness that I was hoping for. Regardless, this was a very typical margarita to me with subtle light tropical flavors.
The La Cava Avocado ($17) came with Tromba blanco tequila, melon liqueur, fresh avocado and lime juice, and hibiscus salt rim. This one surprisingly tasted much better than it sounded. I’m not a fan of drinking avocado, but it actually blended well with all the ingredients in it. The avocado gave it a very thick and creamy consistency, so it’s almost as if you’re drinking an alcoholic smoothie.
The chips ($13) came with guacamole and salsa on the side. We also asked for a side of queso ($3). The chips were warm and nicely crisp and seasoned. The queso, not pictured, was a white melted “nacho” cheese that wasn’t that good. The first thought I had when trying it was the nacho cheese sauce at Taco Bell.
The guacamole with mango salsa and regular salsa were pretty good. There wasn’t much special about either of these, but that is likely due to my expectations being very low. These are comparable to most California Mexican restaurants.
The Cochinita Pibil ($32) came with achiote marinated braised pork served over black beans with pickled onions and oregano, corn tortillas, and rice and beans. The pork actually was pretty good and seasoned very thoroughly. For a single person, this came in good portions and can easily be shared. This reminded me a bit of cuban style pernil but with stronger seasoning. The corn tortillas on the side were nicely welcomed, and tasted great with the pork and left over juice fat.
The rice and beans from my table’s 3 entrees were grouped together in this bowl. I actually didn’t have any, but my partner enjoyed it with their steak below.
The Carne Asada ($52) came with ancho agave marinated New York strip with roasted asparagus and poblano gratin potatoes. This was ordered medium rare, and the chefs actually got the temperature down. The steak quality though was slightly better than some of our past nights’ meats, but not as great as it should’ve been for the price. It did have a good char, but the sauce was not the best compliment to it. The sauce was sweeter than I thought it would be. For the price, this was definitely on the high side, and I don’t think this provided the best value.
Final Verdict
This Mexican restaurant in the Epcot Mexico pavilion was surprisingly good. The service was dodgy at times, but if you stick to the chips and tacos, you’ll find it gives decent value. The margaritas are nothing really to write home about, but are decent alternatives than waiting in line for the tequila bar inside the pyramid. If you have a Mexican craving and are up for something just a tad different than what you’re used to, check out La Hacienda de San Angel. I think you’ll find it’s a decent value restaurant inside Epcot.
Yelp Jabs
The fried lobster tacos were terrible…hardly any lobster over cooked.
Someone in my party got the lobster tacos, and it just looked very mediocre. One of my favorite seafood-esque taco places, albeit fast food, is Rubio’s Baja Grill in California. The lobster, shrimp, and fish tacos are by far some of my favorite and pretty darn good for fast food. I just wouldn’t even consider getting anything lobster at a restaurant like this.
By far the best place to eat in all of Epcot. The staff is energetic, and the food is phenomenal.
By far, no. If this Elitist thought the food was phenomenal, then they’ve obviously haven’t had much Mexican food in their life.