There are actually two table service restaurants in Epcot's Mexico Pavilion in World Showcase, La Hacienda and La Cantina. For the purposes of this review, let's go with the newest of the two, La Hacienda.
I don't really want to compare and contrast between La Hacienda and La Cantina (because I do like them both), but where La Cantina is dark and crowded, La Hacienda is bright and open:
(my lamp fetish continues)
Let's get on to the food! We've only eaten there twice (December of last year and 2010, right after it opened) but, believe it or not, I didn't get the same thing both times (that might be a Disney World first for me!).
December 2013 (and there were four of us so lots of food to choose from). They do give you free chips and dip:
but the way I eat dip, that is approximately one chips worth in each bowl.
Appetizers first:
Entrees:
I had the shrimp tacos and there was WAY too much purple cabbage on it...I had to pick it all off (I like cabbage, but not raw and it's probably the only thing I don't like purple):
and desserts:
And here is 2010 - the salsa bowls were bigger that year (and I like multicolored chips for some reason):
Am had the margarita flight:
We had no appetizers that year so straight to entrees (and that peachy thing under the sauce was a cactus leaf...it was weird and I only had a bite), but the cow was nice and bloody, so that made up for the weird cactus (don't get me started on the "tater-turds", aka plantains, at La Cantina):
We also got beans and rice with our meal - it was included, we didn't ask for it (which we didn't get in 2013) and a mysterious duck turned up telling me to lay off the beans:
Dessert:
OK, so technically I got the same dessert as 2013, but they were different flavors and this one had one more scoop than 2013 did:
The only bad thing I can say about this restaurant (or La Cantina for that matter) is that the Mexico Pavilion has the worst CM's of any of the Epcot Pavilions, and I mean that Pavilion wide, not just the restaurants. I don't like being "harassed" every two minutes by sales clerks or waitresses, but I do need my drink refilled more than once and I HATE waiting for a check or for a clerk when trying to make a purchase. When I've got what I need or I'm finished eating and I'm ready to leave, I want to leave, I don't want to spend longer than it took me to eat waiting on a check. They bring out your food and just disappear. Or, when in a store, they just stand in the corner and ignore you. I HATE that! But then again, Morocco is my favorite pavilion (it's absolutely gorgeous), but their CM's are the exact same way, rude to the point of fault, so it's not the Mexican culture (and we have a large quantity of them here in Arkansas, especially during this time of year, and I know that's not how the Mexican people are, they do keep to themselves, but they are generally friendly when spoken to and are very hard workers). Canada, the UK and China/Japan have the absolute best CM's and I can't say I've ever encountered a bad one ever in Canada (of course the "real" Canada was the exact same way, so I would say that is cultural). But, as always, when encountering a bad CM, I just put on my best Southern Belle smile, throw on the charm, and hope I make it out the otherside with what I need. They just look at you evil in both Mexico and Morocco in Epcot. At least I can say I tried and I'll continue to do so! Eventually, it's gotta work on ONE of them, right?
I don't really want to compare and contrast between La Hacienda and La Cantina (because I do like them both), but where La Cantina is dark and crowded, La Hacienda is bright and open:
(my lamp fetish continues)
Let's get on to the food! We've only eaten there twice (December of last year and 2010, right after it opened) but, believe it or not, I didn't get the same thing both times (that might be a Disney World first for me!).
December 2013 (and there were four of us so lots of food to choose from). They do give you free chips and dip:
but the way I eat dip, that is approximately one chips worth in each bowl.
Appetizers first:
Entrees:
I had the shrimp tacos and there was WAY too much purple cabbage on it...I had to pick it all off (I like cabbage, but not raw and it's probably the only thing I don't like purple):
and desserts:
And here is 2010 - the salsa bowls were bigger that year (and I like multicolored chips for some reason):
Am had the margarita flight:
We had no appetizers that year so straight to entrees (and that peachy thing under the sauce was a cactus leaf...it was weird and I only had a bite), but the cow was nice and bloody, so that made up for the weird cactus (don't get me started on the "tater-turds", aka plantains, at La Cantina):
We also got beans and rice with our meal - it was included, we didn't ask for it (which we didn't get in 2013) and a mysterious duck turned up telling me to lay off the beans:
Dessert:
OK, so technically I got the same dessert as 2013, but they were different flavors and this one had one more scoop than 2013 did:
The only bad thing I can say about this restaurant (or La Cantina for that matter) is that the Mexico Pavilion has the worst CM's of any of the Epcot Pavilions, and I mean that Pavilion wide, not just the restaurants. I don't like being "harassed" every two minutes by sales clerks or waitresses, but I do need my drink refilled more than once and I HATE waiting for a check or for a clerk when trying to make a purchase. When I've got what I need or I'm finished eating and I'm ready to leave, I want to leave, I don't want to spend longer than it took me to eat waiting on a check. They bring out your food and just disappear. Or, when in a store, they just stand in the corner and ignore you. I HATE that! But then again, Morocco is my favorite pavilion (it's absolutely gorgeous), but their CM's are the exact same way, rude to the point of fault, so it's not the Mexican culture (and we have a large quantity of them here in Arkansas, especially during this time of year, and I know that's not how the Mexican people are, they do keep to themselves, but they are generally friendly when spoken to and are very hard workers). Canada, the UK and China/Japan have the absolute best CM's and I can't say I've ever encountered a bad one ever in Canada (of course the "real" Canada was the exact same way, so I would say that is cultural). But, as always, when encountering a bad CM, I just put on my best Southern Belle smile, throw on the charm, and hope I make it out the otherside with what I need. They just look at you evil in both Mexico and Morocco in Epcot. At least I can say I tried and I'll continue to do so! Eventually, it's gotta work on ONE of them, right?
Comments
Linda