I recently took my family to La Hacienda de San Angel in Epcot. This restaurant is new, as the grand opening was just a few months ago. It's remarkable how quickly Disney is able to build new attractions.
The La Hacienda de San Angel is of course a Mexican restaurant which is found across from the Mexican pavilion at Epcot. It features a total of 12,000 square feet of space that includes a 250-seat table service area along the World Showcase Lagoon. The attached La Cantina de San Angel features a 150-seat quick-service restaurant serving traditional Mexican flavors.
The restaurant was literally build on a pier overlooking the lagoon. If you are familiar with Epcot, you will remember that there was not enough space to build a restaurant across from the Mexican pavilion, so they built it on stilts well over the water. The location is a perfect viewing spot for Epcot’s nightly Illuminations: Reflections of Earth fireworks show.
Which brings me to a good point about dining at most Disney locations. You really go for the ambiance and for the taste, and not so much to satisfy your hunger. Before I ate I filled up on my trusty apples which I carry every time I go to the parks. This makes dealing with a giant plate of yummy high calorie food much easier to deal with.
La Hacienda de San Angel is a bit more up scale than the San Angel Inn which is inside the pyramid. The is a variety of mini tacos (one flavor: chiles toreados y chorizitos), as well as skillets with cuts of meat, veggies, seafood, to make your own taco.
You can access a full menu here: http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/dining/diningdetail.cfm?Restaurant.ID=161
After careful consideration I had the following dish (which I shared with my wife):
Parrillada (serves 2 people) - Del Mar. Mixed grill offering mahi mahi, shrimp, scallops and vegetables, served with beans and fresh salsa - $49.95
You can see a photo I snapped of the dish when it was served. I figured mahi mahi is always good, as this is a low fat fish. Ditto shrimp. I am allergic to scallops so I gave those to my wife, and of course I filled up on the vegetables. The best part of this dish was that you made your own tacos out of the offerings. So you could make a fish and vegetable taco with no sour cream or guacamole and really cut down on the fat.
A word of warning about this restaurant. They serve all you can eat chips while you wait for your food and they keep you waiting for a while. Your best bet is to ask the waiter to not bring out the chips so that you won't be tempted to snack on them.
All in all I give this restaurant a 10 for taste, an 8 for ambiance, a 10 for service, but just a 3 for ease of keeping to a diet. The constant flow of chips really brings the overall score down. For serious dieters you may want to skip La Hacienda de San Angel all together. There are just too many temptations once you step foot inside.
