Trying to decide between these two dining locations. Seems like La Hacienda gets better reviews, (especially about the Margaritas), but wondering about the food. Seems like San Angel Inn has more options that my family would actually eat, but is the quality ok? One of the big draws in the past to La Hacienda was the view of Illuminations, but with no fireworks, not sure if it is that much better.
@Randall1028 and @LTinNC82, I read your remarks in Randall’s recent trip report, and I am curious about your reasons for preferring San Angel Inn? Thanks!
I can’t speak to the food, since the last time I ate at San Angel Inn was a great many years ago. But the main attraction there is the ambiance. Very romantic, overlooking the “river”, etc.
We just ate at La Hacienda for the first time last month and had the Parrillada Del Mar for two. It was spectacularly good! Not traditional “Mexican” food but it was my favorite meal of the trip.
I had zero issues with the food at the Inn. And the only “ding” against Hacienda was just the guacamole didn’t live up to my $13 expectations. Which is a pretty small thing, all things considered, I was just noting it more than anything. It’s very possible the guac at the Inn was the exact same…it just “hit the spot” more when I ate there.
In fact, I’m pretty sure both restaurants use the same food “pool” for all their dishes and therefore will be very close in quality and the only difference end up just being who is the person doing the cooking that night.
I don’t think you’ll have any regrets eating at the Inn if you liked Hacienda .
Is the Inn the restaurant near the Three Caballeros ride? It appears to be outdoors with some floating lanterns and tables are really close to each other - before Covid?
I’ve done both and both food wise are pretty darn good. They are just different in ambience and in kind of “Mexican” food. I’d say San Angel Inn is more akin to what I ate in Central Mexico than La Hacienda is. La Hacienda is more like what I’d get where I live in Texas. Mexican food here is not very authentic at all and of course there are different regions of different food types there. But our versions aren’t even close. There is no wheat flour, cheddar cheese so queso, nope, etc. But that doesn’t mean than our versions of “Mexican” aren’t good. Just different. Like fusion cuisine really. I think that may be part of why people here prefer La Hacienda though because it’s more what they’re used to. So if you want the inside the ride feel and the closer to the real thing I’d do SAI and if you have eaten both and prefer American style Mexican food (and to be fair the border areas of Mexico eat closer to what we eat) and don’t care about the ambience eat at La Hacienda. I’m booking La Hacienda myself for upcoming trip because we at at San Angel Inn Jan 2020 and hubby hasn’t tried La Hacienda as he wasn’t with me the trip before.
Thank you. On our last trip, DH wanted to know why I didn’t book us a reservation there. I didn’t even know what restaurant it was. However, my answer was because the kids prefer pizza (Via Napoli) over Mexican food, which I love. Maybe next trip we can do a date night there since we are staying at BC and kids will be 13+ and can do their own thing.
I’m doing our first couples trip this summer so I’m planning lots of Epcot festival time and these kinds of sit down meals myself. So exciting as they grow up to eat like an adult again!
That is so exciting! I’ll be watching for a trip report! We were supposed to go in April, but DH hasn’t been vaccinated so we postponed to February next year. I think, hope, we will all be vaccinated by then.
Apparently here there is somewhere you can volunteer at a vaccine site and get a vaccine at the end of your shift. I’m going to try and get it by April so we’ll feel more safe eating indoors.
This is true…and it is probably a great time to go, since they have been forced to space the tables out. Normally, you are practically eating with the people at the adjacent tables, they are so close!
Wow! I am late to the party! My experience at SAI was just superior to LaHacienda in every way. The food, the service, the ambiance, etc. I absolutely love Mexican food and eat it frequently, but there was something I ordered at LaHacienda that was so bad I couldn’t even eat it. I wish I remembered what it was, but it was terrible and I’m normally an ‘even bad Mexican is still good Mexican’ kind of person.
Most people seem to rave about LaHacienda for the view and for the something del mar dish for 2 people. Being solo I’ve never tried it so that could be coloring my opinion, but for me I will stick to SAI in the future.
Granted it’s been quite some time since I’ve eaten at SAI, but my general feeling is that SAI has the better ambiance, and La Hacienda has the better food. But “better” is very subjective, and with Mexican food, there are many regional variants. If you have kids, they would probably enjoy SAI more, especially of you got a table right by the river.
Actually, I just looked at current menus for both, and both have changed quite a bit since my last time at either. If I was going to eat Mexican food at EP, I think I would now go with SAI vice La Hacienda.
Same. I feel like LaHac is fancy food with Mexican influence and SAI is more what you expect when you think Mexican food. Now I really want some queso fundido and enchiladas…
We were supposed to go in April, but DH hasn’t been vaccinated so we postponed to February next year. I think, hope, we will all be vaccinated by then.