San Angel Inn

This terrific restaurant, located deep inside the giant pyramid in the Mexico pavilion in Epcot's World Showcase, is an incredible surprise for first-time guests, and a must-do-again for seasoned visitors. The restaurant is at the back of an "outdoor" Mexican marketplace, all of which basks in the cool darkness of the evening--even when it first opens at 11 A.M. each morning. 

Many of the tables are positioned along the edge of the waterway for Gran Fiesta Tour, the Mexico pavilion's boat ride attraction (which replaced the former El Rio del Tiempo). In the distance, a volcano lazily releases steam as lava oozes from the top.

This restaurant features what we understand to be authentic Mexican fare--no OLD EL PASO here!! The food is excellent, and the atmosphere makes this place one of my absolute favorites. 

Please don't mistake this restaurant with La Cantina de San Angel outside the pavilion!! The Cantina is a counter service eatery with a more limited menu, and, in  my opinion, very "limited" quality!! The only item I liked at the Cantina was the watermelon punch, but the last few times I checked (2004-2005), it wasn't available.

With San Angel Inn, please heed Disney's advice with respect to obtaining Priority Seating/Advance Reservations for this restaurant. In May 2005, I attempted to "walk up" shortly after the 12 P.M. opening time with my party of two, only to be told that it was completely booked and that I could try back in about FOUR HOURS!! I was crestfallen--there was no way I could wait for 4 hours to eat, so I had to go elsewhere. The moral of this sad story?? Don't "pull an Aronda" with this restaurant, because you just may be VERY disappointed!!

The food and drinks here are wonderful (be sure to order a yummy MARGARITA with your meal), but I must warn you about one thing. In recent years at WDW, there's been a bizarre proliferation of iced tea drawn from the soda fountain--I like to call it "tea-on-tap." This tea is made from a "syrup" just like the sodas are made, only the water isn't carbonated for the tea. Personally, I don't like the taste of this tea at all--and I've spoken with lots of other folks who feel the same way as I do. For a while, the "tea-on-tap" was the only iced tea available in the counter service restaurants. Then, it began to spread to certain table service restaurants as well. Fortunately, fresh-brewed iced tea has made a dramatic comeback at many restaurants. Unfortunately, of the several table service restaurants which experimented with this product, San Angel Inn is the one still offering it (as of fall-2005). If you don't like soda fountain iced tea (or if you suspect that you won't), please be sure to ASK your server before placing your drink order. 

To summarize--be sure to check out San Angel Inn. The food is great, the ambiance just can't be beat, and there's nothing like going from the 100-degree Florida heat and bright sun into this cool, dark paradise. If you intend to eat here, be sure to set up a Priority Seating/Advance Reservation time so you won't be turned away. Finally, be sure to verify whether the iced tea is what you want--back in December 2006, it was still being drawn from the soda fountain.

Here's the blurb transcribed from the back of the menu, regarding San Angel Inn's history and place in World Showcase:

San Angel Inn continues a rich and fascinating tradition... 
A story of hospitality woven into the tapestry of Mexico itself. 
The colorful origins of the original San Angel Inn in Mexico City 
can be traced back to 1692, when a beautiful hacienda was built near the 
town. For years this hacienda was a tranquil retreat for Spanish 
aristocracy in Colonial Mexico. After Mexican independence, 
it continued to host some of the country's most famous figures, from 
General Santa Ana to Pancho Villa. 

In 1915, the hacienda became a popular restaurant; in 1962, 
the Debler family took it over and made the restaurant, 
San Angel Inn, one of the finest in Mexico.

Now, with San Angel Inn at Epcot Center's World Showcase, 
the Debler family extends to the United States the calibre of dining 
which has long made San Angel Inn a Mexican landmark. 
For here, the accent is on authenticity, and on presenting the subtle flavors 
and surprising tastes which are genuinely Mexican. 

Here in the style and spirit of Old Mexico, the warmth of hacienda 
hospitality and assurance of exceptionally fine food promise to make 
San Angel Inn a landmark in this new world; the world of landmarks, 
landscapes, and cultures that is Epcot. 

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Click here for San Angel Inn Lunch Menu
(Updated Wednesday, December 20, 2006)

Click here for San Angel Inn Dinner Menu
(Coming soon!) 

Click here for San Angel Inn Kid's Menu
(Updated Wednesday, December 20, 2006)