San Angel Inn--worth trying?

[Huff]

We went in September, and it took us a long time to select from the menu, even as limited as the selection was. Being from Texas we expected fajitas, enchiladas, etc to be available. We probably wont be back, but different things appeal to different people.

Thats a common issue with San Angel. People expect enchiladas, burritos, chimichangas, tacos etc. The American version of Mexican food, even those from TX or like me, AZ. The lesser known MX restaurants here in AZ or the better ones in MX do not have such items commonly on the menu except perhaps in the northern states like Sonora. We enjoy San Angel because it does remind us of the better restaurants throughout Mexico. I can get fajitas and enchiladas at dozens of restaurants at home.

 

[MsMagical]

I think your enjoyment depends on what region of the country you are from. If you come from a place where there is an abundance of great Mexican food then you'll probably think it's average or somewhere in that range.

I come from such a place and I will say that I do feel like the quality has gone up considerably over the years and it's very solid.

But like I said if you come from a place with very little Mexican food options then this will probably be a standout.

Perspective.

This is such a good answer! It's what I want to say every time someone asks about Coral Reef. I'm from a region with access to amazing, fresh seafood and knows how to prepare it so when I eat at Coral Reef I am always disappointed (and sometimes a little disgusted...)

 

[rf53]

The food is my greatest concern. It gets mixed reviews which leaves me iffy.

The atmosphere is nice, but if you know Mexican food, and if you are looking for authentic and refined dishes, you will be disappointed. The SAI serves up stuff I can get at the local Mexican eatery in my home town for one third of the price. Its not quite Taco Bell, but its not nearly the caliber of its namesake restaurant in Mexico City. I was there years ago... I wonder if it is still open?

 

[kidd_freeper]

SAI was at one time my favorite restaurant ANYWHERE.

During our last trip (2011), new management took over. We have fussy children and the SAI wouldn't alow those who were barely over the age that is considered adult, to order off the kids menu without doubling the charge.

Also, they changed the seating from beautiful hand-painted chairs to commercial restaurant chairs.

The quality of the food dropped as well.

Still an ok restaurant, but I won't be back because I'm looking for a new favorite.

 

[SuzieN]

My favorite meal on my last trip! Sooooo disappointed that my daughter doesn't like Mexican food (except for regular tacos) so we can't go on our upcoming mother/daughter trip.

 

[BebopBaloo]

One of my new favorites! I live in an area with several very good options for Mexican food and I would choose San Angel over any of them. Not only is the atmosphere unique, I had the best steak that I've had on Disney property at San Angel Inn. I can't have dairy and it's become obvious to me that a lot of Disney restaurants rely on their butter for flavoring and texturing their steak. At least in my experience, whenever I've had a steak without the butter that everyone else has on theirs, mine has been very dry and tough, wheras everyone else has a reasonable piece of meat. EXCEPT- San Angel Inn served the most delicious, well seasoned steak last August. I was the last one to finish eating simply because I was savoring my food. The guacamole is also excellent.

 

[hsmamato2]

I'm going to disagree with many pp's here.... it is NOT worth bothering with....it's actually quite awful....(IMHO,no flaming please) We last ate here about 8 or so years ago,and will never do it again...but I come from a culturally diverse university town, we have many types of great ethnic food locally,including tex-mex,and "actual" Mexican food...San Angel Inn is neither of those things....I think it's about on par with frozen food you can buy at the grocery store an microwave,at ridiculous prices..... I would avoid it.
Epcot is full of fun,delicious food....so many great choices.....

 

[DisneyMama0913]

We are here in September 2013. We arrived early for our ADR and were seated right away right near the wAter. The setting and ambience was truly awesome and very unique. The food was above average but nothing that blew us away. I would go again just for the setting but go at off peak hours as someone else noted the tables are very close together.

 

[TinkyCheeks]

Until our last trip, this was our must-do restaurant. It was a tradition. It is such a beautiful restaurant. But when we went last month, the food was less than average, as was the service. I'd still recommend trying it once for the experience, but it's now off our list.

 

[brockash]

I'm going to disagree with many pp's here.... it is NOT worth bothering with....it's actually quite awful....(IMHO,no flaming please) We last ate here about 8 or so years ago,and will never do it again...but I come from a culturally diverse university town, we have many types of great ethnic food locally,including tex-mex,and "actual" Mexican food...San Angel Inn is neither of those things....I think it's about on par with frozen food you can buy at the grocery store an microwave,at ridiculous prices..... I would avoid it.
Epcot is full of fun,delicious food....so many great choices.....

We agree. We went 2 yrs. ago and won't be back. The atmosphere is why we went and it was nice, the food was ok, but the service was absolutely horrendous. It is by far the worst service I've ever experienced. The service was very slow, and the server was pretty rude. It took 25 mins. just to get our drinks and over 30 mins. to get our bill after we asked for it and it was not busy etc. We won't be back.

 

[BebopBaloo]

Bummer to hear about the bad service, but keep in mind that it can happen anywhere. It really may depend on the server you get and the mood they are in.
We've had two meals with great service at San Angel Inn.

On the other hand, we had one meal at Via Napoli with awful service. A lot of people talk about how great the service is there. I'd be willing to give it another go sometime, but we did have a pretty terrible experience with our waitress.

 

[hookedonears]

The menu looks appealing and I know my girls would love the setting. How's the food though? I don't want to go just for a cool setting though. The food is my greatest concern. It gets mixed reviews which leaves me iffy. We've tried mixed review restaurants before-- 1900 PF (we love the food and the character interaction; so glad we tried this one) & Coral Reef (setting wasn't as great as I expected (noise interfered), poor service & food was mediocre at best).

If it helps to know our tastes, some of our family favorites are 'Ohana, Boma, Akershus, Teppan Edo, & 1900 PF (not sure why I included this info; I know you can't guess if our family will like San Angel; I'm really looking for your take on your experience. Thought it might help just to say we like a variety of things)

I know everyone has different tastes, but would love to hear what you all thought about San Angel Inn.

As I've posted numerous times, there're going to be good and bad reviews for almost every restaurant. Throughout the last several years, San Angel is usually around a 50/50 - 70/30, good/bad, depending on the thread. I don't want to eat anywhere where there's a 50/50 good bad ratio. That all being said, yes eat there once for the atmosphere alone. From then on, you can develope your own opinion.

 

[tatolee]

I agree with the previous person. Try it just for the atmosphere, and then you can develop your own opinion.

I personally thought it was worth it.

 

[Huff]

The atmosphere is nice, but if you know Mexican food, and if you are looking for authentic and refined dishes, you will be disappointed. The SAI serves up stuff I can get at the local Mexican eatery in my home town for one third of the price. Its not quite Taco Bell, but its not nearly the caliber of its namesake restaurant in Mexico City. I was there years ago... I wonder if it is still open?

Not sure what Mexican restaurants you have in your home town but theres nothing all that similar here in Arizona, which has a TON of very good MX restaurants since it borders MX. That said, I find San Angel similar to what I've had throughout Mexico. However, to be honest, nothing in Epcot is all that authentic. They can't be. They have to sell to a very diverse crowd with varying tastes.

 

[Huff]

On the other hand, we had one meal at Via Napoli with awful service. A lot of people talk about how great the service is there.

At Via Napoli our waiter chased after us way outside the restaurant as we left yelling that we didn't leave a big enough tip (party of 4 so no mandatory tip). He didn't like our 15% that we had left. We were almost to the lake when we heard him yelling. Very strange.

 

[BebopBaloo]

At Via Napoli our waiter chased after us way outside the restaurant as we left yelling that we didn't leave a big enough tip (party of 4 so no mandatory tip). He didn't like our 15% that we had left. We were almost to the lake when we heard him yelling. Very strange.

Wow.

In our case our waitress decided to all but completely ignore us. She had an attitude of being completely annoyed by our existence, yet we witnessed her being nice to other tables. It became a little funny after awhile. I promise we were polite to her from the moment we sat down.

 

[catra121]

I ate at San Angel Inn twice in 2013...once in April and again in September. I loved it both times. The atmosphere is wonderful...in April I ate there with my boyfriend and it was so peaceful and romantic. September I was solo for the first few days of my trip and ate here again and it was just as wonderful.

The service has been great both times. The waiter the first time even offered to have them make me up some chicken quesadillas as a full entrée when I ordered the appetizer as my main course...and they were AWESOME! It was so nice of him to do that. Both times the servers were attentive but not obnoxious.

Both times we ate here it was at the earliest dinner seating and that was nice. I don't know that I would like eating here when it's crowded...but I use a walker and that makes me feel somewhat claustrophobic when a place is too crowded and the tables are pretty close together. But I know this...which is why we try to eat at off times no matter where we eat.

 

[jfoster]

San Angel Inn was our favorite meal when we went last May. We ate at BOG, Tutto Italia, T Rex, Kona, 50s Prime Time, Teppan Edo and SAI. We loved the atmosphere; it was beautiful and serene. I got a chicken dish that was outstanding and my husband got Chili Relleno. Our three kids all got the steak tacos. It is the one meal that we all agreed we have to do again this May. We usually like to try new restaurants when we go, but this was one that we had to repeat!

 

[Dizzytime]

It's always been one of our favorites, a must do every trip. Ate there last a few weeks ago and left with the same feeling.

 

[wendybeth75]

We love it. I like the Mexico pavillion, just the whole feel of it. The food is good and my DH who is a celiac has a easy time eating there.