Paseo

When we’re looking for superb elevated Mexican cuisine, the no-brainer choice in Orange County is Maizano in Costa Mesa – with Taco Maria on hiatus, it’s currently unparalleled in its mastery of corn as a conceptual base and myriad Mexican ingredients ranging from individual spices and herbs to complex moles and tasting menu-caliber presentations. But if you’re visiting Disneyland and want the closest approximation one can get without leaving their Anaheim campus, Paseo is trying to join that exclusive club with similarly high-end plating and recipes.

Opened as the flagship in a trio of commonly owned Mexican restaurants at Downtown Disneyland, Paseo has an ambitious menu loaded with beautifully plated seafood, intriguing cocktails, and some land-based favorites. As appetizers, there’s roasted octopus with salsa, a crispy tlayuda with sausage, pork belly, cured meat, vegetables, and cheese, and mussels in a saffron white cream sauce. Fish, shrimp, pork shanks, lamb barbacoa, and steak are available as entrees.