WDW Cravings Countdown: Day 4 - La Hacienda de San Angel and La Cava del Tequila

Day 4 – La Hacienda de San Angel and La Cava del Tequila!

Let me start by saying: We LOVE the newest dining additions to the Mexico pavilion.

Our first visit to La Hacienda de San Angel was in October 2010. I was very excited as I love trying new restaurants and from what I had seen, this place was beautiful and offered some interesting options. You see, Mexican food isn't exactly plentiful up here in Toronto and my family has recently discovered that we quite enjoy it.

Sign at restaurant entrance

Interior Check-in Area

High Chairs (or as Mom joked...a cage for bad children! lol)

Place Setting

Chips with Chipotle Salsa (red) and Tomatillo Salsa (green)

Generally, I'm not a huge fan of salsa. However, these were smooth, almost puree like and very flavourful. The tomatillo salsa was good, but too mild for my tastes. The chipotle on the other hand was smokey, sweet and had quite the kick. It was very addictive.

View from our table into the main room

Botana - a sampling of cheese empanada, chilorio sope (marinated pork) and chicken tostada

The chicken tostada was the strongest offering, followed by the cheese empanada. The marinated pork was nice, but the corn cake it was served on was very dense and not the most pleasant texture.

Queso fundido - melted cheese with poblano peppers and chorizo

Yum! This is a fantastic appetizer. My only complaint is that they don't give you enough tortillas to start. However, if you ask your server, they will gladly bring you more. This reminded us of the chorizo quesadilla from the Food & Wine Festival in 2009. The cheese is gooey, stringy, and salty while the peppers add heat and the chorizo adds an earthiness.

Pollo al Pastro - achiote marinated chicken with roasted vegetables and pineapple, served with corn tortillas

I tried a little bit of this and it was delicious. It was mildly spicy and the pineapple helped to balance that spice. The vegetables were nicely cooked and were a nice addition to a "taco" assembled with one corn tortilla and some chicken. 

Rice and Beans

Rice and beans are offered family style with all entrees at La Hacienda. I love the rice, as it is seasoned with a delicious tomato sauce and is light and fluffy. Mom & Dad love the beans. Personally, I think black beans taste like eating dirt...but to each their own! For those who like black beans, my parents swear these are the nicest they have tried.

Tacos de Camarones - fried shrimp, chipotle-lime aioli, cabbage, spiced lime and salsa verde on flour tortillas

Theses shrimp tacos are absolutely to die for! The crunchy sweet shrimp, the tangy spiced lime, the kick from the chiptole aioli, the crunch from the cabbage and the coolness from the salsa verde make for an amazing combination. The Food & Wine Festival booth for Mexico lists "Shrimp Taco" as one of their offerings this year. I can only hope it is a replica of these!

Overall, our meal at La Hacienda de San Angel was very enjoyable. We can't wait to return.

We also love La Cava del Tequila, located inside the Mexico pavilion. La Cava, or as it is affectionately known by some...the Ditch (Cava translates to "Cave" or "Ditch" in spanish), is the best use of space in the pavilion! What used to be a small, under-utilized store, is now an extremely popular bar!

We especially love the small seating area with the couch and low stools and have been lucky enough to snag it, even during peak times!

I have only tried 1 type of margarita (the magic blue - silver tequila, agave syrup, lime juice and blue curacao, with a hibiscus salt rim) so far (blasphemous, I know), but I think we will try the margarita flight this coming trip.

Sadly, I don't have any pictures at the moment, but I will try to take some next week!