La Hacienda

La Hacienda y La Cantina de San Angel (whew, that’s a mouthful) you can eat some interesting Mexican food and enjoy a beautiful, festive setting. This new EPCOT restaurant is located right on the World Showcase Lagoon. It’s a great place to watch Illuminations.

This is really 2 restaurants in one. There is the the table service restaurant inside where you can sit down and a server will bring you your food and a counter service restaurant outside where you can walk up and order your food.

La Hacienda

Photo by InsidetheMagic

About the Restaurant

La Hacienda is one of the group of restaurants found in the Mexico Pavilion. All of the restaurants are tied to the San Angel Inn inside the pyramid.

The original San Angel Inn

Drinks

Drinks are a specialty here. In fact there is an on-site Tequila Ambassador and an expert mixologist on duty at all times. Margaritas are the specialty of the house. (If you are under 21 you can enjoy flavored Margaritas without the alcohol.)

La Cantina

Outside there are walk up stations where you can order food to go. The food here is fairly standard Mexican fare with items like tacos, nachos and empanadas.

The Cantina is open for lunch and dinner.

Menu

The menu here is filled with standard Mexican food staples Americans have grown up with.

• Tacos de Carne – grilled beef served on a fresh corn tortilla served with Pico de Gallo, lime and corn tortilla chips
• Tacos de Pollo – grilled chicken served on a fresh corn tortilla served with Pico de Gallo, lime and corn tortilla chips
• Empanadas de Queso – corn masa (dough) filled with cheese then fried, topped with green sauce served with corn tortilla chips
• Nachos – corn tortilla chips with ground beef, cheese, tomatoes, jalapeno’s, black beans and sour cream

Kids menu

• Empanadas de Queso – same as above served with fruit
• Chicken Tenders – served with tortilla chips and fruit

Desserts

• Churros con Cajeta – Churros with caramel milk
• Paletas – traditional fruit popsicles

Drinks

The standard Coke product offerings, plus Lime Raspberry, Passion Fruit and Coffee Margaritas. Don Equis draft beer is available.

Disney Restaurant odds and ends

This restaurant is considered a Counter Service Restaurant for the Disney Dining Plan.

All Disney Restaurants are non-smoking.

La Hacienda

La Hacienda is a very different restaurant for Walt Disney World. First, it is only open for dinner. Also,the specialty here is food in smaller bite sized portions. Disney is well known for giving guests tons of food, but this restaurant is an exception to that rule. Yes, you can still get a meal that is quite filling, but most of the items on the menu have smaller portions.

The inside of the restaurant is open and airy in stark contrast to it’s older brother the San Angel Inn.

Tapas

A lot of the menu items here are considered Tapas. Tapas is a small “bite sized” portion of food that is meant to be eaten with your fingers. Not everything on the menu qualifies as a Tapas, but most of the items fit in that category.

Dinner

Dinner Menu

The dinner menu is filled with exotic sounding dishes like Taquiza and Arrachera. Taquiza is a taco trio featuring a Rib eye steak taco, a roasted chicken taco and a marinated pork taco. An Arrachera is flank steak served with spring onions, cactus leaves, beans and tamal with rajas. Sounds yummy.

Here is a sampling of the offerings –

• Appetizers
  • Botana – sample of Mexican favorites
  • Queso Fundido – melted cheeze with pablano peppers, chorizo and flour tortillas
• Entrees
  • Del Mar – Mixed grill of mahi-mahi, shrimp, scallops and vegetables (for 2)
  • Pollo al Pastor – marinated chicken served with roasted vegetables and beans
• Dessert
  • Helado – traditional Mexican ice cream

Click here for a sample Dinner Menu from La Hacienda

Disney Restaurant odds and ends

You can make Advanced Dining Reservation 180 days prior to your arrival. This restaurant reservations are required most of the year. These can be made online at Disney’s Dining Reservations or by calling 407-WDW-DINE.

This restaurant is part of the Disney Dining Plan. Click on the link for more information about how the plan works.

All Disney Restaurants are non-smoking.

Children’s Menu

The children’s menu is fairly standard Mexican fare. Beef or Chicken Tacos, Nachos or Chicken Tenders.

Illuminations

This my be the best place in EPCOT to watch Illuminations. People will sit for hours slowly sipping drinks waiting for the show to start. The dining room is lined with floor to ceiling windows and Disney says “there’s not a bad seat in the house”.

Dad’s Illuminations page

Photo by Tom Bricker

EPCOT Mexico Pavilion

The Mexico Pavilion in EPCOT’s World Showcase is one of the most stunning visual places you can visit. Inside the pyramid is a beautiful courtyard full of festive music, wonderful artifacts and the San Angel Inn. Disney hit a home run with this pavilion.

Dad’s EPCOT Mexico Pavilion Page

Dad’s Bottom Line

The smaller portions are nice compared to the piles of food you get at most Disney restaurants, but the price and the unfamiliar menu items might turn some people away.