The restaurant is best known for its fajitas, Williams said. 'I've been here almost 20 years, and I still love the food,' he said. La Hacienda Ranch is a scratch kitchen, and the produce is delivered to the restaurant six days a week, Director of Operations Bruce Williams said. Today, La Hacienda Ranch is surrounded by many other restaurants, but Martinez's focus on providing high-quality food has not changed, he said. 'The mayor of Frisco opened up his house, his personal home, and he let our employees stay there because there were no apartments and no hotel in the vicinity,' he said. Bob Warren, who was the mayor at the time, offered to help so the employees would not have to drive home on icy roads, Martinez said. Martinez also said it was sleeting when the restaurant opened in November. In 1992, La Hacienda Ranch received the city's first economic incentive, worth $5,000, from the city to install a fire hydrant, according to the Frisco Economic Development Corp. Martinez received some help to open the Tex-Mex restaurant. So in 1993 Martinez opened La Hacienda Ranch on Preston Road. 'I guess it's the old 'Field of Dreams' story,' he said. He said his food is of such a high quality that people will drive long distances for it. Planting a business there would essentially mean planting it in the middle of nowhere.īut Mariano Martinez, La Hacienda Ranch founder and owner and creator of the frozen margarita machine, said he liked the idea of having a restaurant in the middle of nowhere. Pioneer restaurant in Frisco still thrivingįew businesses lined Preston Road in Frisco in the early 1990s.

The South Texas Surf and Turf ($27) includes grilled steak and shrimp served with rice.Ī photo from the restaurant’s early days shows Mariano Martinez, La Hacienda Ranch founder and owner, demonstrating his frozen margarita machine. The price point is better and you’ll have the same great view of the water.The Spicy Chicken Verde ($17) is a grilled chicken breast with green tomatillo sauce. If you want the experience, eat at the quick service place for lunch and grab a table inside the icy cool restaurant. Sorry! There are too many other great places to eat around Disney property and in Epcot. They do however offer 10% off food only for Disney Vacation Club members.

They don’t accept Tables in Wonderland or have an AP discount.

We have eaten inside many times, ice-cold AC anyone, so I wanted to see a transformation in the evening. Additionally, you can eat inside La Hacienda de San Angel when ordering from the quick service next door at lunchtime. It made a great impression on me as a kid and it is so fun. As I mentioned I prefer the restaurant inside the Mexico pavilion. Although the portions were big, so was the bill. If you are looking for a light dinner option, look elsewhere. Sometimes in the Florida heat, I’m not so interested in stuffing myself. My husband’s meal was so large it could have been split. So big, I got an appetizer for my dinner and I was glad I did. However, I 100% prefer the ambiance and mood of the San Angel Inn. My kids are pretty adventurous eaters and they don’t like the menu inside. The restaurant inside the pavilion, San Angel Inn, has less kid-friendly options on the kid menu. They have traditional ” kids food” like chicken fingers and some more tame Mexican dishes ( quesadillas). With beautiful windows, it is an ideal place to watch the fireworks over World Showcase Lagoon. This restaurant is located right on the water. The Mexico Pavillion has a lot of choices for food, from quick bites, drinks, or sit down meals. I’m going to give you a rundown of the pros and cons, in my opinion of this restaurant. It is located on the water of the world showcase lagoon.įirst things first, this restaurant is only open for dinner. This restaurant is located in the Mexico Pavillion at Epcot. On our, seemingly never-ending, quest to eat at every restaurant on Disney property we tackle La Hacienda de San Angel.

La hacienda margarita