Epcot is the park that easily has the best food of the Disney parks. The World Showcase alone propels it to the top of the list, and that doesn’t even include the Coral Reef Restaurant and the surprise-surprise Sunshine Seasons Food Fair. But with the Mexican pavilion I have always had my doubts. The San Angel Restaurant isn’t as good as the other full-service spots in the Showcase, and their quick-service food has always been severely overpriced. They perhaps knew this because in recent years they’ve added a tequila bar, threw in a second quick-service spot, and totally revamped the outer part of the pavilion to include a sit-down restaurant right next to the fireworks. La Hacienda was the latest cuisine adventure from the Mexican pavilion.
The place is beautiful from the inside, as it has a nice relaxed décor with Spanish art on the walls and light Mexican music playing in the background. The menu here isn’t that extensive, and the prices are definitely on the upper-side. I was intent on trying out a drink, an appetizer, an entrée, and a dessert and see how far up the price ladder I go. I started with a lime raspberry margarita ($12), and then ordered the Botana ($10) (appetizer samples of popular Mexican dishes), and shrimp tacos ($23). Warning, barely any items are less than $10 here.
They start you off with chips and the drink. The tortilla chips arrive with two dipping sauces, which both nicely complimented the fresh, warm and crispy chips. They aren’t too salty, and hand just enough flavor to offset the very strong drink. My margarita was good as it was a medley of fruit flavors jumbled in with plenty of alcohol---this drink is not for the lightweights. Repeat, these drinks are not for the lightweights. I loved it, but could not drink too much of it at one time.
After a short wait I got the Botana. The Botana consisted of a cheese empanada, and small samples of chicken tostada and pork. These small samples packed heavy punches in terms of flavor and content. The empanada was the weakest as it oddly had very little cheese inside. But the chicken tostada was incredibly rich, and the same goes with the pork. If these foods were any larger the dish could pass off as a whole entrée. Throughout the dinner, the service was wonderful and very attentive, as the entire staff was full of smiles and positive energy. If there is one thing you won’t be complaining about if you visit this place, is the service.
The shrimp tacos is a very hit-and-miss entrée. The meal itself was pretty good, but really doesn’t justify its intense price. These tacos consist of shrimp, plenty of cabbage, chipotle-lime aioli, and salsa verde. This multitude of ingredients ranging from crunchy to sweet to tender works in several levels. The fried shrimp works well with the fresh cabbage, while the sauces added a nice dosage of flavor to the whole taco. This comes with yellow rice and beans, which are good but ultimately forgettable. My one issue: $22.95. $23 for this dish is way too high; it looks more like a $13-$16 meal. I have had entire steaks that cost less than these tacos. Nearly half of my bill, despite being just a quarter of the meal, was these tacos.
The pain of the price of the tacos dissipated quite a bit with the amazing, amazing dessert. I got the Mexican ice cream, which consisted of three different flavors of homemade ice cream: mango, pineapple, and strawberry. All three scoops were thick, very creamy, and worth every single penny. I was temporarily transported to the nicest part of Mexico as I had ice cream that was the equivalent of biting into a piece of fruit straight off the plant.
Bottom Line: La Hacienda is definitely the best of the Mexican food at Epcot, but like the other spots in the pavilion it’s mauled a bit by very heavy prices. If you are willing to spend, then I recommend giving this place a try at least once. They make great drinks; they have spectacular desserts, and have a nice selection of food with heavy Mexican influence. They give you plenty of food (ironically except for the entrees) and provide it with plenty of Mexican flair. La Hacienda is a step in the right direction, but did that step have to cost so much?
Verdict: Recommend----with plenty of money in the pocket
P.S. That drink was quite strong....
La Hacienda de San Angel
Walt Disney World, Epcot
Lake Buena Vista, Fl
