La Hacienda the good and the bad.

[Swalphin]

We ate at La Hacienda last night, I was so excited to try it out . I really wanted to like it and sadly neither of us did. The restaurant is very pretty, my DH found the restaurant too bright. I have to agree they need to put a dimmer on the overhead lighting. We both had the Hacienda Salad to start, I enjoyed it DH not so much . Our main dislike about La Hacienda was the lack of taste of our meals. He had chicken, I had steak and they both tasted like they were prepared for people on special diets, hospital food, really bland. We both probably would not go back.

 

[jen_eck]

like the review

 

[Mrs. Darcy]

Thanks for the review. This place has been on my list, but now I'm not so sure.

 

[MickeyNicki]

Dont feel bad, we didnt like it either and I really wanted to love it

It wasnt lack of flavor, for us it was way too much heat/spice

 

[NonScents]

My experience was just the opposite!

BFF and I went for a long weekend 2 weeks ago. We LOVED La Hacienda.
Had ADR for 9:05, requested and got a window table so we had a perfect view for Illuminations. Lights were subdued to begin with, once the show started they went lower in order to see the show better. I usually skip the show, don't like staking out a spot an hour before the show and dealing with cold breezes or muggy bugs, depending on the season. This is the only way to go, for me.

Great service from Memo (be sure to ask for him if you go!)
The "Sol" beer is delicious if you prefer a lighter pilsner type instead of the Dos XX lager. Yes, one of the salsas they give with the chips is a little hot, but there is also a milder tomatillo salsa if you don't like it hot.

My friend had steak, I had the shrimp tacos, both were yummy. Black bean and rice side dishes were tasty.

Empanada de Manzana (sp?) for dessert, a warm apple turnover with dulce de leche ice cream. Really so good!

Any place could have an off night. I suggest trying it at least once for yourself, with an open mind.

 

[Swalphin]

Dont feel bad, we didnt like it either and I really wanted to love it

It wasnt lack of flavor, for us it was way too much heat/spice

MickeyNicki I lurked on your TR, loved it by the way, and was expecting La Hacienda to be spicy. The night we ate there it was so totally bland, I love spicy and was really bummed out.

I'd give it another try but DH, he said no way.

 

[CanadianPaco]

We have ADRs for Wed night. DD said she wanted to go the the CS Mexican instead. The more I read about La Hacienda teh mroe I think we will

 

[jmhazlett]

We ate at La Hacienda Thanksgiving week and agree the food was very bland. We will not go back until it improves.

 

[maxiesmom]

MickeyNicki I lurked on your TR, loved it by the way, and was expecting La Hacienda to be spicy. The night we ate there it was so totally bland, I love spicy and was really bummed out.

I'd give it another try but DH, he said no way.

Wow really? I found the food to be very spicey! I could hardly eat any of my taco trio appetizer, as it was so spicey!

We ate there Dec 2 and I would say it is definately worth another visit. It is odd that our experiences are so different. I wonder if it is different chefs?

 

[coopersmom]

Wow really? I found the food to be very spicey! I could hardly eat any of my taco trio appetizer, as it was so spicey!

We ate there Dec 2 and I would say it is definately worth another visit. It is odd that our experiences are so different. I wonder if it is different chefs?

We had the taco trio too and it was super-bland. You couldn't even really tell the difference between the meats (pork, beef, chicken). It was edible, but little more. It tasted like a tortilla and some kind of meat. That's it.

I will say, though, that La Hacienda had the best service we experienced during our trip to Disney. (Waitress Esmerelda was fantastic: attentive, kind and helpful.)

PS: And the Mango Fire margarita was really wonderful. That and the service almost made the meal itself secondary.

 

[Sweettears]

Wow really? I found the food to be very spicey! I could hardly eat any of my taco trio appetizer, as it was so spicey!

We ate there Dec 2 and I would say it is definately worth another visit. It is odd that our experiences are so different. I wonder if it is different chefs?

I think that a lot of the WDW restaurants use multiple chefs (which could help to explain some of the wide variation in reviews). I was at San Angel a couple of weeks ago and was considering the mole as it was a bit spicier than the other other dishes. Before I ordered the waiter went back to see who was cooking. Apparently one chef is better at mole than the others. I ate it any way and thought that it was excellent.

We ate at La HAcienda earlier this month and were disappointed. I'd give it another shot before writing it off. The view of Illuminations was super. The combination of the cocktails and the view more than made up for the subpar meal.