La Hacienda de San Angel

Read on for my La Hacienda de San Angel review and for all the info on this restaurant:

Epcot is the place for food, and you’ll have plenty of choices. Sometimes I feel like there are too many choices! There’s Space 220, at least one restaurant in each World Showcase pavilion (sometimes more than one!), and usually some sort of festival with food booths going on. You definitely have choices!

Mexico is one of those pavilions that has a variety of food options. There are two different sit-down restaurants, a counter service location, two different spots to get drinks, and a festival booth (that’s open probably 80% of the time).

When I did a trip to Disney with my dad, it was the perfect time to try one of the Mexican restaurants because Mexican food is one of his favorites. We had done San Angel Inn the last time I went with my parents, so this time I got us a reservation for La Hacienda de San Angel!

It was a great time – enjoyable enough to plan a dinner there less than half a year later with friends. We were doing Epcot for our post-half marathon day during Princess weekend, and settled on an afternoon reservation at Geo-82, with a later evening reservation for dinner at La Hacienda de San Angel.

All about La Hacienda de San Angel

Type of restaurant: table service
Meals: Dinner
Dining plans accepted? Yes
Location: Epcot – Mexico Pavilion
Price: Starters around $15-17, Entrees range from around $30-55
Discounts: Annual Passholder 10% discount
Accepts reservations? Yes, and recommended

During my most recent visit, our reservation was at 8:30pm with a 9pm fireworks show. This timing worked out perfectly for fireworks (though the meal as a whole took a good bit longer than expected, but we’ll get to that later).

Is it the best view of the fireworks? No, but they dim the lights, pipe in the music, and you end up with a very good view. Plus, you’re warm, sitting down, and probably snacking on tortilla chips. The tables directly next to the window are obviously best, but even a little further back you can mostly see everything (a few heads in front of you, but the windows are large and tall).

Luminous is not my favorite fireworks show, but I enjoyed being able to watch it and see some fireworks without trying to get a “good spot” or having someone with a giant ipad stand right in front of me.

The large windows give you great views any time of day, but the inside decor is also fun to look at. Over on the wall across the windows you’ll find some pretty paintings and Mexican art.

For the most part, La Hacienda is one big room, with tables placed so you can see out the windows. There are also some booths along the wall that are raised so they also have a view.

• Starters (including items such as guacamole, flautas, empanadas, and a salad)
• Entrees (tacos, enchiladas, pollo poblano)
• House Specialties (Osso Buco, carne asada, fish of the day)
• “Serves Two” (Parrillada plates – seafood or steak/chicken versions)
• Desserts (flan, pan de elotes tres leches, churros, ice cream)

There is also a drink menu, that mostly focuses on margaritas and tequilas. I believe it’s pretty much identical to the drink menus at San Angel Inn (which are also at La Cava del Tequila).

The drink menu includes:

• Handcrafted margaritas
• Flights (tequila, mezcal, or margarita flight)
• Tequila
• Mezcal
• Beer
• Wine
• Mocktails

Check Disney’s website for the official La Hacienda de San Angel menu and any updates or changes.

La Paloma (Lalo blanco tequila, Fever-Tree grapefruit soda, fresh lime, Dos Hombres mezcal, Tajín chile-lime powder rim):

I love grapefruit, so this version of a Paloma was right up my alley. I enjoyed the addition of the mezcal. The smokiness added something a little bit extra to what otherwise might have been just a standard drink.

The Wild One (Centinela blanco tequila, Combier orange liqueur, ginger rum, corn passion fruit cordial, lime juice, Dos Hombres mezcal, grenadine, hibiscus salt rim):

I really enjoy the combination of flavors in this one, as it’s one of my favorites! While there is a little bit of sweetness, you get more of the tangy flavor from the passion fruit and the ginger rum. The hibiscus salt rim is a nice touch.

It Takes Two to Mango (LALO blanco tequila, mango puree, lime juice, tajin chili powder and chamoy rim):

During our first visit they had this one listed as a special. More recently in February it had made the regular menu! If you like mango, it’s a good one. It’s a bit more straight forward than some of the other margaritas, which have a number of different flavors going on.

Classica Frozen ( Centinela blanco tequila, orange liqueur, lime juice, agave, salt rim):

They have a classic lime margarita on the menu, and my dad asked if they could do a frozen version. Even though it’s not listed that way on the menu, it was no problem! A classic margarita (no salt for him) is one of his absolute favorite drinks, and he seemed quite happy with this.

Blood Orange (Tromba blanco tequila, blood orange vodka, gin, LeJay black currant liqueur, Dos Hombres mezcal, Tajín chile-lime powder rim):

This is probably my favorite Epcot margarita that is regularly available. Orange is one of my favorite flavors, but blood orange is even better – it just has a richer taste to it. This drink also adds a black currant liqueur that I think gives it a bit more depth.

La Cava Avocado (Tromba blanco tequila, melon-orange liqueur, fresh avocado, lime juice, hibiscus salt rim):

An avocado margarita is the sort of thing that sounded a bit odd and I was afraid I wouldn’t like it, but I’m actually a big fan. It’s really nice and creamy. I wouldn’t say avocado is necessarily the strongest flavor (really, I don’t find avocados have a ton of flavor on their own), so you can definitely taste the melon and lime just as prominently.

La Flaca (Tromba reposado tequila, fresh lime juice, splash of agave with orange liquor, popcorn salt rim):

This is the only one that I personally haven’t tried – Jenn ordered this one during our most recent trip. The menu labels it “The Skinny Margarita.” She reported that it was quite good. Flavors are pretty “standard margarita,” but it seems to be well balanced and still flavorful despite being the “skinny” version. That’s good to know. I haven’t ordered that one myself yet because I was a little worried it would be disappointing! (Check out her review of La Hacienda for another perspective!)

First up was the Queso Fundido (Melted cheese with chorizo, peppers, onions, and avocado mousse, served with flour tortillas):

You really can’t go wrong with this. It was absolutely delicious, with a nice kick from the chorizo. It’s a generous portion size so definitely shareable.

We were debating what else to order since many of the starters sounded good, but at the recommendation of our server we finally selected the Tlayuda (Oaxacan tostada, black beans, seared skirt steak, avocado, crema Mexicana, chipotle salsa, queso fresco and pickled onions):

I’m very glad we got this, because it was great! There were a lot of flavors that went really well together (of course, this is something that Mexican food in general does quite well). The skirt steak I think would either make or break this, but it had an amazing flavor to it that really was a highlight. I enjoyed the avocado and crema with it, though I picked off the pickled onions and left them for my dad as I’m not a fan.

During my second trip, I had a group of 4 and we ordered the Totopos (Corn tortillas with sides of white cheddar cheese and salsa) for the table:

This is really just tortilla chips with dip. It’s a shame you don’t get free chips at the table, and $10 feels a little steep for what this is. Still, it’s a nice appetizer and about what you would expect. The chips are good. The salsa had a nice little kick to it. And the queso was quality. No complaints.

Entrees

There are several dishes which are “serves 2” for a higher price: the Parrillada del Mar, and Parrillada La Hacienda. Parrillada is a type of Mexican barbecue, and so you get several different proteins (fish for the del Mar and chicken/steak with the La Hacienda), plus vegetables, esquites, and corn tortillas. I haven’t tried any of these yet.

There are also some more traditional entrees on the menu, including three types of tacos. During my February trip we ordered two of the tacos to share!

First up was the Tacos de Camarón (Fried shrimp, chipotle-lime aioli, cabbage and salsa verde in flour tortillas served with rice):

I really enjoyed both of the tacos we tried, but the shrimp ones were my favorite. The chipotle-lime aioli was delicious, and the shrimp were nice and crispy. And the rice was really good too. It had a lot of flavor and wasn’t just your standard white rice.

The other tacos we shared were the Tacos al Pastor (Marinated and seared pork topped with grilled pineapple, onions, and cilantro. Served with plantains with crema Mexicana and cotija cheese, sides of guacamole, rice, and corn tortillas):

These were excellent as well. The pork was flavorful and I liked the addition of pineapple. The plantains were sweet plantains and pretty good too.

Desserts

During the trip with my dad we definitely filled up on starters and drinks, we couldn’t resist just taking a peek at the dessert menu! And when we saw there was ice cream, we decided we could probably split just one dessert.

So we went with the Helado con Churros (Dulce de Leche ice cream with churros and cajeta):

The churros were warm and crispy, but the ice cream was the real star. The Dulce de Leche ice cream had wonderful flavor, and it paired perfectly with the churros. I’m glad we did save that room for dessert!

I find that most people tend to think of La Hacienda as mainly a place to get a reservation for fireworks viewing. If you’re lucky enough to grab one at the right time, there’s no doubt that this is a good location. You can see the fireworks and hear the music, plus you have a nice comfy seat without crowds of people.

But what if you wouldn’t be dining there during the fireworks? I enjoyed the food we had here, and it was a nice spot to get some drinks and snacks. La Cava del Tequila is very popular to get drinks, but they don’t take reservations… so you could be waiting quite awhile. This is a nice option if you want to try the margaritas and and a few appetizers.

I’m not necessarily scrambling to go back again anytime soon, but I certainly wouldn’t say no if someone wanted to go. And I’d definitely make dinner plans here if I was able to snag some later reservations for the fireworks!

La Hacienda de San Angel FAQs

Is La Hacienda the restaurant inside the pyramid?

No, this one is outside. The one inside is San Angel Inn. The idea behind the Mexico pavilion is that you are in the town of San Angel, which is why they have similar names.

Can you see the fireworks from here?

Yes, you can get some good views if you time your reservation right!

What time should you book La Hacienda to see the fireworks?

I would aim for a reservation about 30 minutes to an hour before the fireworks begin. So if the fireworks are at 9pm, try making a reservation sometime between 8 and 8:30.

What is the difference between La Hacienda and San Angel Inn?

Both are sit-down restaurants in the Mexico pavilion, and the food is fairly similar. I think the biggest difference is atmosphere. San Angel Inn is dark and along the edge of the boat ride, while La Hacienda feels very light and bright, with huge windows. I also find that the food at La Hacienda is overall a bit better and feels a little more upscale.

Not sure where to start when planning your Disney World trip? Feeling overwhelmed with all of the information and how to keep track of everything?

Consider vacation planning printables – over 60 pages of trip planning, including a budget worksheet, guide to characters, trip comparison worksheet, a look at the dining plans, info about Disney Lightning Lane passes, daily itineraries, packing checklist, and much more.

Get your printables here

Have you been to La Hacienda de San Angel? Which items were hits or misses for you? I’d love to hear what you tried!