Mexico

Mexico Review

Housed in a spectacular Mayan pyramid surrounded by dense tropical plantings and brilliant blossoms, Mexico welcomes you onto a "moonlit" plaza that contains the Gran Fiesta Tour boat ride; an exhibit of pre-Columbian art; a very popular restaurant; and, of course, shopping kiosks where you can unload many, many pesos.

Modeled on the market in the town of Taxco, Plaza de los Amigos is well named: there are lots of friendly people—the women dressed in ruffled off-the-shoulder peasant blouses and bright skirts, the men in white shirts and dashing sashes—all eager to sell you trinkets from a cluster of canopied carts. The perimeter is rimmed with stores with tile roofs, wrought-iron balconies, and flower-filled window boxes. What to buy? Brightly colored paper blossoms, sombreros, baskets, pottery, jewelry, and maracas.

One of the pavilion's key attractions is the San Angel Inn Restaurante, featuring traditional Mexican cuisine and wine and beer, and overlooking the faux "moonlit" waterway traversed by Gran Fiesta Tour boats. The pavilion's Cava del Tequila bar serves up aged spirits, tapas like blue-crab tostados, and exotic blended margaritas. The casual, outdoor Cantina de San Angel along the World Showcase Lagoon has been refurbished as a 150-seat quick-service eatery adjacent to the brand-new La Hacienda de San Angel, a 250-seat table-service restaurant with the ideal waterside view. You won't want to miss trying Mexican treats like chiles toreados y chorizitos (roasted sweet peppers with lime and sea salt, served with mini chorizo), tacos de camarones (fried shrimp, chipotle-lime aoli, cabbage,and salsa verde with flour tortillas), or La Hacienda mixed grill served with beans and fresh salsa. Margarita and tequila flights make perfect pairings.