The ultimate question when visiting World Showcase is whether to start right or left. We’re starting left in the Mexico Pavilion! Margaritas, music, and fiestas, we are exploring everything this lively pavilion has to offer.

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The Pavilion

As mentioned, this opening day pavilion is the first pavilion you come to when you go left at the start of World Showcase. You’ll be greeted by the iconic pyramid modeled after an Aztec Temple of Quetzalcoatl (the god of life) at Teotihuacan. Quetzalcoatl is represented by large serpent heads along the entrance stairs. Fun fact! The artwork at the bottom of the stairs are not original to the pavilion. After some issues with guests climbing the pyramid, this was put in place to keep that from happening.

This pavilion has representation of many parts of Mexico. The outdoor areas represent the more desert type regions of Mexico while the indoor areas show more of the jungle and rainforest type regions.

La Cantina de San Angel

The first thing you will find walking up to this pavilion is the Quick Service location for this country. La Cantina features a variety of tacos, nachos, bowls, and of course margaritas. The seating is outdoors, but covered and as this can be a very popular dining location, it might be tricky to find a seat during peak meal times.

This restaurant does NOT offer mobile order, so I highly recommend dining here during off meal times to avoid long lines. However, if you time it right, you might be able to get a seat along the water close to fireworks for a relaxing area to enjoy the show. Be aware that you may have a bit of an obstructed view from the gazebo cover, but it’s one of the few places to be able to sit and watch fireworks without an expensive dining package.

La Hacienda de San Angel

This is the signature dining location in the Mexico Pavilion. This is San Angel Inn’s big sister and features authentic Mexican style fare. This is another place you can watch fireworks during your meal as they pipe in the music for the show! Reservations are highly encouraged and can be booked using the My Disney Experience App 60 days in advance.

San Angel Inn

This table service restaurant is located inside the pyramid and features super unique theming! You sit alongside the ‘river’ (aka the water for the Grand Fiesta Tour attraction) with views of the pyramid and volcano. It’s very dim and each table is lit by a lantern, so this could be a great romantic dining option.

This restaurant is named for a real restaurant in Mexico City and features authentic Mexican dishes. My personal favorite is the Enchiladas with fried plantains. This is a LARGE dish and easily shared between two people! This is also one of two places that you can get the famous Avocado Margarita and Black Magic Margarita.

Restaurants for this one are also highly encouraged and can be booked in the My Disney Experience App 60 days in advance.

Choza de Margarita

Speaking of Margaritas, heading back outside is Choza de Margarita. This is a grab and go Margarita stand featuring frozen pre-made Margaritas. The Fiesta is my favorite and features all three of their signature flavors.

You will also find some light bites like empanadas and tacos that are absolutely delicious!

La Cava del Tequila

The BEST place to get your Margarita and Craft Cocktail fix is La Cava del Tequila. This is located at the bottom of the ramp on the right side inside of the pyramid. There is limited seating available, but you can also head to the bar to grab a to-go drink. I’ll warn you that the drinks here can be spendy, but they are STRONG and expertly crafted! You might find some that have special presentations with smoke and other effects, but this is definitely a fan favorite to grab drinks.

That being said, La Cava is incredibly popular and can often get long lines. It opens at 11am, so visiting earlier in the day can help you avoid the crowds. (it’s 5 o’clock somewhere, right?)

Inside the Pyramid - Dia de los Muertos

Yes! You CAN go inside of the pyramid and there is truly a ton to see and do in here. There is both a stair entrance right out front and a ramp entrance off to the side. During Flower and Garden Festival, make sure to take the ramp entrance to check out the beautiful Orchid Garden full of live Orchids!

When you first walk inside, you will enter a sort of lobby/museum type area. Here you are greeted by the giant bride and groom skeleton statue as well as a variety of display cases full of artifacts and information about the Mexican Holiday ‘Dia De Los Muertos’ or Day of the Dead.

My personal favorite display is the Ofrenda themed after the one from Coco. Its simply beautiful and a really fun way to showcase Mexican culture!

You can also find an interactive screen on the wall near the entrance to the rest of the indoor marketplace where you can create your own Skeleton Character. You will scan your Magicband or Ticket and it will save the image of your character to your Photos section in your My Disney Experience App. If you have Memory Maker, you can even download this to share! Make sure to purchase Memory Maker with your package BEFORE your trip so that you can save money on it. To purchase pre-arrival is currently $169 and to purchase during your vacation it’s $199. There is also a single day photo package option available in the app if you are just visiting the parks for one day.

Plaza de los Amigos

Heading inside and down the ramp, you will find Plaza de los Amigos. This is an indoor marketplace that sell a fantastic variety of traditional Mexican souvenirs and is themed to look like a nighttime outdoor marketplace. The details in here are beautiful and this is a fantastic place to get out of the heat or take a break from the sun or rain.

Be warned, it can sometimes get pretty crowded in here during rainstorms or really hot days, but if you come earlier in the morning or later in the afternoon/evening, it won’t be too bad.

Gran Fiesta Tour

Is this my favorite ride in all of Epcot? Maybe….

In all seriousness, this is a fun slow moving boat ride similar to ‘it’s a small world’ and it features Jose, Panchito, and Senior Donald (aka, the three Caballeros). Jose and Panchito need to get ready for the show and Senior Donald is nowhere to be found! Be on the lookout for the mischevious fun that our favorite duck gets into while the end of the ride celebrates with the famous 'Three Caballeros’ song from the movie this ride is based around.

This is actually an opening day attraction that was originally called ‘El Rio de Tempo’ and was a more generic boat ride through Mexico. Then in 2007 it became the first ride in Epcot to add in IP (aka, Disney Characters) and turned into the Gran Fiesta Tour attraction that we know and love today!

This attraction has no height requirement and even has special boats that are wheelchair accessible, so everyone in the family can enjoy this one. It’s very kid friendly and there are no drops or anything, so it can be a good one if you have young ones that aren’t so sure about rides.

This one typically has pretty short waits or is normally even a walk-on, but there are rare occasions during rain, super hot afternoons, or especially crowded days like holidays where the wait could go up to around 30 minutes or so. If you walk in and the line is insane, come back later in the day and it will most likely be much less of a wait!

La Tienda Encantada

There are few ‘specialty’ shops off to the side of the marketplace near the exit of Gran Fiesta Tour. First is La Tienda Encantada - this can change up from time to time, but generally this is where they will have merchandise that is more movie specific. Right now it is themed to Coco and you can find some really beautiful details with Marigolds lining many of the shelving displays. You’ll find all your favorite Coco themed merchandise and there’s even a really adorable Senior Donald Plush that I have been eyeing for myself!

Arribas Bros - La Princesa de Cristal

Just next door, you’ll find the crystal shop. There are several of these Arribas Brothers Crystal Shops all around Disney World, but my favorite thing about this one is that you can watch the artisans create the crystal figurines live right there!

There are a variety of little figurines from Disney Characters to more generic options and you can also get beautiful Tiaras and Jewelry here for your little princess. You can even find some stunning hand blown glass ornaments and other baubles.

Kidcot

I will say this till I’m blue in the face - Epcot is a GREAT park for Kids! There is so much learn and do and one of my favorite activities are the Kidcot stations. This one is located down the ramp behind the fountain and here you can get a small ziploc bag ‘suitcase’ and a paper card. One side of the card will have a coloring page or activity and the other will have some fun information about that country with a little space for the Cast Member to add how that country says ‘Hello’ in their language. AND you may even get a little sticker too! This is a free activity and a great way to get your kids to talk to the Cast Members who are usually from that country.

If you wish, you can even purchase an Epcot ‘Passport’ from any of the main gift shops and as you go through World Showcase, you can have the cast members write in the book and place one of the sticker ‘stamps’ for each country you visit. This is even a great way to journal what snacks you tried or your favorite thing from each pavilion.

This is also where you are going to find the Pin Trading Board. You can purchase starter sets of pins in any of the main gift shops and then when you see a pin board, you may trade up to two pins per person. There are lots of different collections of pins out there so this is a great activity for kids and adults alike!

If you are looking for something a little more hidden, you might want to try out the Duck Tales World Showcase Adventure. This is an interactive scavenger hunt through the Play Disney Parks App that takes you on an adventure through each pavilion. The app will give you clues and then when you find the location, it will give you instructions on how to make the interactive elements come to life. (this could be something like a fountain squirting, a small statue may pop out, or a vase could grow flowers). I recommend doing this is you have been to Epcot a few times and want to do something a little different as it can take a bit of time.

Alebrijes

Probably the most unique souvenir in this pavilion can be found right next to the Kidcot location! These small colorful wooden figurines represent Alebrije - essentially a Mexican version of a ‘spirit animal’. These are simply stunning with all the details and they are hand painted live by artisans right there every day. I feel like every time I go by, there are new ones that I find.

These are so detailed that it can take a minimum of around 6 hours just to paint the tiniest ones! It can be really special to pick out the perfect Alebrije just for you.

Donald Meet & Greet

YES! There is a character that you can meet here and it is one of my favorites! Back outside just past the ramp to the pyramid and across from the ring carver stand, you will notice a stone wall. This is where you can find Donald in his colorful poncho and sombrero. We jokingly call this ‘Spicy Donald’ as this meet and greet always feels a little more mischievous with Donald’s Spicy attitude. You can usually find a photopass photographer at this meet and greet so that you can get some great pics with Senior Donald!

Mariachi Cobre & Marimbas de las Americas

There are TWO live entertainment offerings in this pavilion. Mariachi Cobre is probably the most known one and is… you guessed it… a Mariachi band! They are fantastic and come out several times a day to play both traditional Spanish Music and even some of your favorite Disney Songs from Coco.

The other live entertainment is Marimbas de las Americas. This is very similar as it’s several musicians coming out to play music, but this one features a marimba and two guitarists instead of an entire Mariachi band.

You can find who is playing and what time through the My Disney Experience App. Simply click on today’s Showtimes or you can go to the map and filter by ‘Entertainment’ to see that day’s performances. They will usually perform outside under the little gazebo area across from the Donald Meet & Greet (next to La Hacienda de San Angel)

Ring Carver

This little inconspicuous cart is often overlooked, but can be a really great custom souvenir! There are a variety of metals and designs to choose from in all different price points, but this could be a super fun way to commemorate your trip. You will find this cart right out front of La Hacienda de San Angel.

Pressed Penny Machine

And right around the corner under the covered gazebo where the live performers play, you’ll find this pavilion’s pressed penny machine. Disney has updated most of their machines to no longer need your own pennies and quarters and now instead can take card or cash. There are 8 pennies that you can get here that feature some of your favorite characters from Coco and you can purchase one or all 8! They are pressed onto copper blanks, so the images usually turn out really nice.

The Mexico pavilion is so full of culture, fun, and new adventures to be had! Let me know what YOU are most excited to experience for your next visit to Epcot!

Guide to the Mexico Pavilion in Epcot