Opinions of San Angel Inn

[mking624]

I live in Southern California, and we have plenty of excellent Mexican restaurants here. Not Tex-Mex, but Mexican. The food at San Angel pales in comparison to the very authentic Mexican restaurants I frequent, and San Angel is not more authentic than those places are. I find the food at San Angel bland and not very well prepared. However, it is located in a theme park, so my expectations are not high anyway.

As for San Angel being more authentic than most Mexican restaurants, I would have to disagree. There are items on San Angel's menu which I would not consider more authentic at all. Nachos, which do appear on San Angel's menu, are hardly more authentic than a taco is. Nachos are more American than Mexican. Mashed potatoes (also found on San Angel's menu) are also not very authentic, either. Black beans are not as commonly used in Mexican food as pinto beans are, yet those beans are heavily used at San Angel. The menu at San Angel is different than many typical Mexican restaurants, but that does not mean it is more authentic.

The problem with San Angel is not the fact that the menu is different, but the fact that even that food is poorly prepared. It is just an overpriced theme park restaurant. Go for the wonderful atmosphere, not the food.

I think the issue here is that you're looking at it from cuisine froma Southern Caliornia viewpoint...which only encompasses a small region of Mexico. Black beans are heavily used in some parts of Mexico, but not all. Tacos are a huge staple in Mexico (just go to any street vendor down there) though they are not prepared the same way they are here (for example, flour tortillas are not huge in Mexico like they are here, though they are common in a couple of regions). Mashed potatoes can be found in Mexico...actually potatoes can be a common staple there, be it "regular" or sweet. A lot of dishes I had there when I traveled to Mexico featured potatoes...some mashed.

As far as the "blandness" is concerned...it always surprises me when people expect Mexican food to have some sort of spiciness (not necessarily meaning "heat", but in terms of actual flavor). Mexican food can range anywhere from very bland to extremely flavorful and HOT.

I don't fret about the Nachos...just about every restaurant that caters to a certain food cuisine also caters to the people who expect certain things...i.e. Nachos from Mexico. Boma serves chicken tenders and spaghetti...not exactly authentic to Africa, but it helps those who may be a little more picky.

I agree with you that ultimately, it's glorified theme park food (just like ALL the restaurants there). But I still believe it excels as being closer to Mexican than a Tex-Mex place.

 

[MagicMe]

We went for the first time last year (4 adults). It is dark but our eyes adjusted quickly and it was fine.

Our server was great!!! We were not familiar with all of the ingredients and he happily helped. He asked what type of items we generally liked and then based on that information, pointed out things he thought we would like.

He was very attentive and served our food hot!

As far as the tables being close, we got a corner table so we only really had one table next to us that was a little close.

Bottom line, we loved it and it's a must repeat this year!!!

 

[aclov]

I had a late lunch there in May with two of my girlfriends and we all liked it. All three of us know decent Mexican food since I'm Mex-American, one friend Mexican (she was born there) and the other is Puerto Rican. But I know there's been alot of discussion on this particular restaurant so it really will depend on your taste buds. The service was slow and the waiter forgot to bring out my friend's virgin margarita with her food. He brought it out after she was done eating and said it was her dessert, I guess to cover himself up.

After we ate there, one of my friends said we should have tried Morocco since we eat Mexican all the time I had been asking her where they wanted to go eat when we were planning the trip and she said it didn't matte! I had went went San Angel Inn because of the atmosphere. Ugh!

 

[scrump]

We love the atmosphere more than the food, but we've always had good service.

 

[Mich Mouse]

I live in Southern California, and we have plenty of excellent Mexican restaurants here. Not Tex-Mex, but Mexican. The food at San Angel pales in comparison to the very authentic Mexican restaurants I frequent, and San Angel is not more authentic than those places are. I find the food at San Angel bland and not very well prepared. However, it is located in a theme park, so my expectations are not high anyway.

.

I live in New York, and have access to fine restaurants serving all types of cuisine. San Angel's Mexican fare is just not that good, in our opinion.

But that atmosphere does not compare to any NY restaurant. What a wonderful place to sip a frozen margarita!

 

[byoung]

Had a great dinner there, but had a hard time seeing what I was eating.

 

[cdndislvr]

We love it here and have visited on every one of our trips. It's always a "don't miss" for us and we have an ADR for New Years Eve this year. I enjoy the "dark" atmosphere, and have always had good food and good service. As with all of the restaurants, I'm sure you'll get reviews on both ends of the spectrum and everywhere inbetween....I say "try it...you might like it"...if not, you don't have to return.

 

[BuzzPrincessMom]

We ate there on June 21st. Our server was attentive. We had an ADR and was seated on time. I thought the margaritas were pretty good. Food was good, my only comment is dessert menu was lacking. It was a good place that 4 adults and 2 kids could all find something to eat.

 

[2angelsinheaven]

We really liked to Polo Salad, yummy!

 

[castleeto]

The atmosphere is great, but the food is SOOOOO disappointing. I live in California and get alot of fantastic authentic Mexican food, and San Angel doesn't come close. There are a couple dishes on the menu (which I haven't tried) that sound somewhat authentic, but everything I've eaten has a very little spice and an "Americanized" flavor. The chips and salsa are SO bad- nothing like what you get at a good Mexican restaurant. The setting is somewhat romantic, but the service always seems a little frantic to me and detracts from the mood. However, unlike a previous posted mentioned, every time I've had a margarita there, it has been good and quite strong!

 

[MrToad]

It is one of our family traditions. We love it. Over the years the service and food has improved. I really don't know what others are complaining about. Ten years ago I could have understood somewhat (although ten years ago most of WDW food was average IMHO). However, the last 5 years or so San Angel has been excellent in food and service.

 

[La2kw]

I think the issue here is that you're looking at it from cuisine froma Southern Caliornia viewpoint...which only encompasses a small region of Mexico. Black beans are heavily used in some parts of Mexico, but not all. Tacos are a huge staple in Mexico (just go to any street vendor down there) though they are not prepared the same way they are here (for example, flour tortillas are not huge in Mexico like they are here, though they are common in a couple of regions). Mashed potatoes can be found in Mexico...actually potatoes can be a common staple there, be it "regular" or sweet. A lot of dishes I had there when I traveled to Mexico featured potatoes...some mashed.

Actually, I am Mexican and I have eaten at Mexican restaurants in Southern California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, various regions of Mexico, and even Florida. I've also eaten in plenty of Mexican kitchens in Southern California and Mexico. My experience is not just limited to restaurants in Southern California. I've never been to Kentucky, so I can't comment on the Mexican food served there. I never said black beans weren't used in Mexican food. They just aren't as common. You are correct regarding tacos and flour tortillas and that proves my point that many dishes found in typical Mexican restaurants are just as authentic as what we may find at SAI. I have yet to eat mashed potatoes in a Mexican dish, but have certainly had potatoes cooked in a variety of other Mexican dishes.

As far as the "blandness" is concerned...it always surprises me when people expect Mexican food to have some sort of spiciness (not necessarily meaning "heat", but in terms of actual flavor). Mexican food can range anywhere from very bland to extremely flavorful and HOT.

You are absolutely correct in that Mexican food can range in a variety of flavors. However, if I order something from the menu with ranchero sauce on it, I expect it to be spicy. If I order something with salsa, I expect it to have some spiciness and flavor in it. Because SAI is located in a theme park, the spiciness and flavor is often lacking. I think the food is poorly prepared, and that has nothing to do with it's authenticity.

I don't fret about the Nachos...just about every restaurant that caters to a certain food cuisine also caters to the people who expect certain things...i.e. Nachos from Mexico. Boma serves chicken tenders and spaghetti...not exactly authentic to Africa, but it helps those who may be a little more picky.

I personally enjoy Nachos. However, my point is that calling SAI more authentic than most other Mexican restaurants is incorrect since even SAI serves nachos.

I agree with you that ultimately, it's glorified theme park food (just like ALL the restaurants there). But I still believe it excels as being closer to Mexican than a Tex-Mex place.

I'm not sure what a Tex-Mex place is, and that's probably part of my problem. If you are referring to restaurants such as El Torito, Chevy's, or On the Border, I disagree. Most of the dishes served there are just as authentic as the items served at SAI. SAI does serve some dishes not typically found in chain Mexican restaurants, but even those are not very well prepared, IMO. Having a menu that's different than what is more commonly found in Mexican restaurants does not make it more "authentic", it just makes it "different".

 

[La2kw]

I really love San Angel. We've gone during a time that it wasn't that busy, so we didn't have an issue with service. As someone else said, it's AUTHENTIC Mexican food...NOT Tex-Mex. Tex Mex really is an Americanized version of Mexican...or as I like to say "fake Mexican" food. Those who are only used to Tex-Mex and consider it their "thing" probably will not like San Angel because authentic and Tex-Mex are two different cuisines (it always makes me giggle when people claim to love Mexican only for me to find out it's Tex-Mex they're referring to...I have nothing against Tex-Mex lovers, but it's NOT real Mexican food they're loving). Anyway, really the biggest factor is to decide whether or not you like authentic Mexican. If you do, you'll probably enjoy San Angel.

What do you consider Tex-Mex?

 

[Laurajean1014]

LOVE IT. Enough said.

 

[La2kw]

The atmosphere is great, but the food is SOOOOO disappointing. I live in California and get alot of fantastic authentic Mexican food, and San Angel doesn't come close. There are a couple dishes on the menu (which I haven't tried) that sound somewhat authentic, but everything I've eaten has a very little spice and an "Americanized" flavor. The chips and salsa are SO bad- nothing like what you get at a good Mexican restaurant. The setting is somewhat romantic, but the service always seems a little frantic to me and detracts from the mood. However, unlike a previous posted mentioned, every time I've had a margarita there, it has been good and quite strong!

I agree 100%. I could never figure out how a restaurant can screw up chips and salsa so badly!

Go for the atmosphere, not the food.

 

[CheshireVal]

Atmosphere:

Service:

Food: (in other words, just okay)

 

[momomonster]

OK, it was close to nine years ago, but it was lovely. I didn't know or care whether it was authentic or anything. All I know is we enjoyed ourselves, thought the atmosphere was truly romantic (I am a sucker for "outdoor" indoor buildings), and would return in a heartbeat. I honestly cannot remember the food, but it couldn't have been that bad if my overall memory is so positive.

 

[jjarman]

We have eaten there 3 times in 2 different trips to WDW and we loved it. DS, who will not help me plan our next trip in March, said that is the only place he wants to eat. We have been lucky in getting to sit near the river all three times. I have gotten the same thing all three times as well. I don't remember the name of it but it amounts to Mexican spaghetti with shrimp. It is delicious. The chips and salsa were great. The margueritas were very good. Service is spotty. The first two times service was good. Last time not so good. The tables are very close together but it is quiet in there. I don't remember it being very dark. I could see my menu and food just fine.

 

[JennyMominRI]

I think the issue here is that you're looking at it from cuisine froma Southern Caliornia viewpoint...which only encompasses a small region of Mexico. Black beans are heavily used in some parts of Mexico, but not all. Tacos are a huge staple in Mexico (just go to any street vendor down there) though they are not prepared the same way they are here (for example, flour tortillas are not huge in Mexico like they are here, though they are common in a couple of regions). Mashed potatoes can be found in Mexico...actually potatoes can be a common staple there, be it "regular" or sweet. A lot of dishes I had there when I traveled to Mexico featured potatoes...some mashed.

As far as the "blandness" is concerned...it always surprises me when people expect Mexican food to have some sort of spiciness (not necessarily meaning "heat", but in terms of actual flavor). Mexican food can range anywhere from very bland to extremely flavorful and HOT.

I don't fret about the Nachos...just about every restaurant that caters to a certain food cuisine also caters to the people who expect certain things...i.e. Nachos from Mexico. Boma serves chicken tenders and spaghetti...not exactly authentic to Africa, but it helps those who may be a little more picky.

I agree with you that ultimately, it's glorified theme park food (just like ALL the restaurants there). But I still believe it excels as being closer to Mexican than a Tex-Mex place.

I agree wiith you and spent 16 years living in San Diego.. It's not Alberto's, but it's good...The Carne Asada was good

 

[tiggersmom2]

IMO the food is mediocre at best, the service is spotty but the atmosphere is beautiful.