San Angel Inn- just give it to me straight

Personal experiences are just that...Personal. Everyone has their own opinions and standards as to what a dining experience should be. If it is something you want to do, then do it. Form your own opinions, don't base your decisions off of someone else's. Personally, I love Biergarten, but I know several people who swear it is aweful. I like prime time, I know people who hate it. I don't like the crystal palace. I know people who do it every trip. I know my comment isn't much help, but Disney is an experience unto itself, and only you can decide which ones are worth the money.
 
We love going to San Angel Inn, maybe go every couple years. I always get the Chicken Mole dish--the mole is delicious! Lol, I never get anything else as it's tough to find good mole at the Mexican restaurants we go to in Massachusetts. (The one place with yummy mole closed years ago...I have to get my fix at Disney now!)
 


We ate there in February. I personally would not go back again. I thought my food was really dry and tasteless. I couldn’t even finish it - this is the only time that's happened to me at Disney. Also, agree with others that the table are too close together. I think there are much better choices.
 
Opinions of WDW restaurants are like back ends... We all have one. I avoided SAI for a few years because of the many negative opinions of the place. Finally, I gave it a try. My opinion of SAI is mostly positive. I will say that I have had spotty service at times and I sure do wish the tables were not so close. But the closeness of the tables is nothing out of the unusual in Disney (Can we say Le Cellier). As for the food; I enjoy that it is not your typical Tex/Mex restaurant found on every other block of any city out there. I think for this reason it does get mixed opinions of the menu. It's just not what some are expecting. SAI is one of my regular go to restaurants for lunch while in Epcot (Tokyo Dining is the other).
 


Just to add in my experiences, my DH and I have been to San Angel quite a few times (probably 7ish in recent years). We have always enjoyed the food. Everything else is mixed. We’ve had good service and terrible service (never great). We’ve been sat in a secluded location and a table that might as well have been connected to the two on either side. We love the atmosphere and food so that’s what brings us back. Not every trip, maybe every other or so.

I do think that personal experiences and opinions have a place and I take them into account with my planning. They may not be my sole deciding factor, but they contribute.
 
I am trying to finalize dining plans for July and my DH and DD saw San Angel Inn last visit and thought it was the coolest setting for a restaurant. My husband is familiar with the setting and name of the same restaurant in is home country of Mexico and my DD loves the ride that goes through the Mexico pavilion. We are at La Hacienda last summer and liked the food fine. (We are from Texas and we eat Tex-mex so we don’t need 100% authentic) They really want me to get reservations for San Angel this time. I have read VERY mixed reviews on this place and most are from like 2 or 3 years ago. Anyone been there within the last year or so that can confirm or deny if this place is decent for a nice lunch?
We're native Texans and have been to the San Angel Inn a few times. The food is fine, nothing great, nothing bad. Average for WDW. The ambiance is stellar. I would happily go again.
 
DD and I got a last-minute reservation there last week (we decided we wanted a table-service meal). It was really good. We split the pollo a las rajas, which was really good. DD ordered the guacamole, which was good (but not the best we’ve ever had). Service was very good. The table was tiny.
 
Has anyone ever had the Carne Asada Tampiquena (Beef Tenderloin)? I can't seem to find any feedback on this particular dish.
 
Has anyone ever had the Carne Asada Tampiquena (Beef Tenderloin)? I can't seem to find any feedback on this particular dish.

It's amazing. Pricey (it's Disney) but it's one of my favorite dishes to get. I've had it twice, both times asked for medium rare, both times receive a great piece of medium rare steak. Flavor was really good.
 
It’s not typical Spicy Tex-Mex, it’s actually a more authentic Mexican (I forget the region in Mexico)... but that earthy menu is the main reason for complaints.
The other main reason for complaints is how close together tables are.

It’s certainly worth trying, especially with interest from family.

LOL...the main reason for complaints is the poor food quality.
 
We have eaten there many times and have always had good service and excellent food. I have never understood the reviews because our experience has always been positive. We always ask for a table by the water and wait a bit if needed to get it.
 
We ate there a few years ago and really enjoyed the food. They must be wildly inconsistent or some people obviously have very different standards. The ambiance was nice too. It did feel a bit crowded though.
 
We went 2 or 3 times. We enjoyed it. There are better places and worse places, but the atmosphere is so cool. And that is why we go to WDW.
 
Has anyone ever had the Carne Asada Tampiquena (Beef Tenderloin)? I can't seem to find any feedback on this particular dish.
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OMG I did last December! Here it is!

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I loved it! So much food!

I also had tostados de pollo ap:

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And then the vanilla flan:

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I always have a terrific time here! It's a must-do for me. Go every vacation. I mean, here is me and look at this atmosphere, can't be beat!

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Husband and I ate here a couple years back and although I wasn't a huge fan of the food, the atmosphere is amazing!
 
We have also avoided it over the years as its consistently the worst ranked TS in epcot (with Coral Reef always neck and neck). Which is a shame as both offer very detailed environments. We have a DP coming up for our September stay so I think we will give San Angel a shot just to enjoy the atmosphere.

Its hard to listen to others opinions because availability of quality restaurants in their home area may vary. If Outback is the best thing you have in your area then you may thinks it's great People in metropolitan areas with tons of independent restaurants will quickly turn up their noses at any chain. So who wrote the review that San Angel was great or bad? What's their point of reference?
 
Lot of myths in this thread regarding "authenticity." Tex-Mex IS authentic food. It is food from the Northern Mexico / South Texas area. Remember, the border is a recent and artificial invention. In general, people seem to use the word authentic with a value judgement, as if someone's idea of authenticity means the food is better. I'd take tasty and inauthentic over lousy and authentic any day.

Back to San Angel - the food is neither authentic, nor tasty. The reason many people don't like it has nothing to do with its frequently claimed authenticity. Those poor tourists just don't know that tex-mex isn't real Mexican food...lol. Couldn't be more wrong.
 

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