Tamale Spaceship

The tamales were horrible, dried out and bland. Tried one of each, no flavor. Tacos were very disappointing. One lonely star is for the really nice waitstaff. Maybe the food truck is better…

Stopped in for lunch today and really enjoyed the meal. I had the pork taco and the fish taco… Both were delicious and I’m happy I got to try two different tacos. She makes the tortilla too… So good. My husband had the simple tamale and the special, which was pulled pork. Very tasty. We had the corn side dish… awesome and big enough to to share with more than two people. I was intimidated to go in, but super duper happy that we did. Can’t wait to go back again.

5…4…3…2…1…BLAST OFF
O me, o my, o golly… come here and eat some tamales… every bite is a lucha libre body slam, it’ll make big star taste like your gammy’s ham.
Houston, the fish taco has landed

Cool little restaurant with great staff. I’ve eaten on their patio in the summer which is nice, and I’ve walked in and ordered to go a few times and always had quick service. The fish tacos are very good and I enjoyed all the tamales I’ve tried so far.
Raised prices in the last few months, now at $ 8 for 2 tacos and $ 9 for 2 tamales, which I guess is in line for the area… I’m probably cheap but I kind of wish I got more for the money. Am I getting old? I don’t mean to complain too much because I’ll still go back.

I was craving tamales
Took them to go and the only complaint i had was that there wasn’t enough sauces. I could have eaten them by the jar! The standard mole sauce is the best and many times I just order it with whatever tamale I have a taste for. Also they run a food truck across from my work on Wacker and Monroe so sometimes I can get a taste without having to deal with parking!

GET THE CHURROS — you won’t be disappointed!
The quesadilla was a little small, but still really good!

I ordered the Barbacoa tacos and was very happy with the taste and the service was great. I will be back to sample more of the various authentic mexican cuisine at the Tamale Spaceship in the Wicker Park neighborhood of Chicago. Located at Damen and Evergreen it is easy to get to and has a nice outdoor patio to enjoy the weather.

Tried Food Truck parked on Madison and Wacker today and the tamales I had were fabulous! There were probably a dozen different kinds so I asked for a recommendation that was not going to be too hot. I ordered «No Ones de pollo» shredded chicken with a green chili peanut sauce and they were delicious. Masa was moist and full of flavor and the tamales were supersized. 2 for $ 9, a bit pricy but worth it. Will definitely try the restaurant soon.

I don’t know why it took me so long to review this place. Went here with a girlfriend about a month ago on a Saturday night. It was busy, but no where near the ridiculous lines you see at Big Star just a little bit down the street. We were able to sit outside for our meal, which was awesome because we got to enjoy the beautiful weather. We brought our own bottle and mixed it with the jarritos they sell. Yum!
Fernando who is one of the owner’s took care of us. He was super nice, informative and he offered suggestions to meet our taste! We had some appetizers and for our meals we had tamales and tacos. Everything was tasty!
I can’t wait to go back! Give it a try. Casual setting, witty décor, friendly service, and mostly and mainly– Great Food!

Nice little hipster joint/​BYOB (which is always a plus). Menu is straight to the point with its options, the menus are pretty cool décor wise. Went on 8÷29÷2015 which was a rainy day so I couldn’t check out their patio eating area.
I had two chicken tacos. The tortillas appeared hand made, they were delicious. Much better than anything made by a machine. Still, the taco itself was fairly basic and was about $ 9. For the price you can defiantly get better elsewhere. But if you’re looking for a quick bite and don’t mind the twist on Mexican food, you’ll like this place.
However, if you’re looking for authentic Mexican quinine, chances are you won’t find it here.

Yes… this place is awesome. Guacamole is a must… simple tamale and baja fish tacos are superb!
The service was an A+++

The hostess/​waitress was so nice! I stopped in getting to use the restroom and ended up trying a fish taco. I haven’t had a good one since I left California.
I have to say that the tortilla was the best that I have ever had. They make them from scratch. The batter on the fish was great, too!
The only reason why I am not giving Tamale Spaceship five complete stars is because I’m used to having white sauce on my fish tacos. But you know, it ain’t California!

I wasn’t sure this place could get better, but it did. We came here after Green Music Fest rained out, brought some beers, ordered some chips and guacamole, and watched it storm outside. I can’t say enough good things about the dude who runs the place. You can just tell how much he cares, both that you love the food and that you have a great experience. Luckily they weren’t out of any specials this time so we tried some tamales. The veal one had some berms on top, and it was definitely the better of the two, the other one being the flank steak. I ordered the chicken wrap and it was monstrous and delicious. I love this spot and will keep coming back again and again.

This place is incredible. $ 8 for 2 tamales and you can mix and match. You will most likely be full after 2 individual tamales. The outdoor seating is great, BYOB is a huge plus, and the hospitality of the owner and team is above and beyond what we expected.
Big Star has always rubbed me the wrong way with the prices (+/​-​$ 35 pitcher of Margs?!), the wait, cash only, and really mediocre food. I cannot stand when people proclaim Big Star as the «best Mexican food» and the Cool place to be. Just keep walking south and grab a case of beers or limaritas and make a stop at Tamale Spaceship. You will not be disappointed.

Cliff notes: BYOB, dog-​friendly patio, awesome service and delicious fresh Mexican food.
The details:
So happy we finally tried Tamale Spaceship yesterday! Why so many people wait hours to get into Big Star when this place is a couple blocks south is beyond me.
We never went inside so I can’t speak to the inside but it does look fairly small. We sat outside on the small patio that’s decorated with cute string lights. We were anticipating counter ordering but we were pleasantly surprised by table service.
We arrived on a Saturday evening, and we were quickly welcomed by a very nice man who seemed to be the owner or manager. He offered to take our BYOB 6 pack to the fridge to keep it cold and brought our dog a bowl of water. He was super attentive, helpful and friendly in explaining the menu and options, and made sure both the humans and the dog were well taken care of. He seemed to be very excited and proud of the food (for good reason) which is why we guessed he was the owner.
My husband and I ordered the chile rellenos and guac for appetizers… 2 tacos (Barbacoa and chicken tacos) along with 2 tamales (Picturesque — pork, and Urbana– braised beef). All of the food was delicious with fresh ingredients, flavorful sauces, and tender and well cooked meats. We loved everything but the Barbacoa was to die for.
In comparison to Big Star right down the street, the patio is obviously smaller and not as much of a scene but the food and service at Tamale Spaceship was far superior.
I’m so glad we finally tried this place and excited to keep coming back.

Looove this place! Hubby had the chicken wrap. I did a mix and match — had the Urbano tamale with the Tomato Jalapeño sauce (recommended by waitstaff since its less spicy). Also had the Pollo A Las Brasas taco with no onions. Salsa that comes with it is REALLY good.
Highlights
1. Hands down, ingredients were the most fresh I’ve had compared to the Mexican joints I’ve tried in Chicago (Picante, Takito Kitchen, Big Star, Adobo Grill).
2. Food is perfectly seasoned. Not too spicy, greasy, or overly strong in garlic and onion
3. Despite its intimidating external appearance, Waitstaff is super friendly (Spent time describing the foods in detail and working with my food intolerances).
4. Large portions and great prices!
Breakdown:
Pollo A Las Brasas with no onions: I was skeptical of the Chicken taco due to it being garlic seasoned and reviews of the chicken being dry. This was not the case for me! Chicken taco came with slices of grilled chicken (not shredded chicken). Had great flavor and juicy! Tasted like was eating quality chicken. Not your run of the mill shredded chicken.
Urbano with Tomato Jalapeño Sauce: Don’t eat Tamale’s often so hard to rate. It was around 80% /​20% corn to meat. Beef was tender and delicious! Corn was flavorful too. May have been more corn than I needed, but that may just be due to the large size of the tamale.
Chicken Wrap: Came with side of guac and chips. Chips and guac were both VERY good. Both beat our current go to Mexican joint. Ingredients were freshest he’s had in awhile among the other Mexican joints in Chicago. Hubby thought chicken was a little dry but he still liked it. Chicken was same as mine and I thought it was fine. Large portions. He agreed he prefers it over our current Mexican go to.
Other thing is that I usually leave Mexican restaurants with a strong taste of onions and/​or garlic. I have a sensitivity to these ingredients. I don’t get the guac at Picante anymore b/​c of this. Picante is like the McDonalds for Mexican food but I’ve been able to find foods I can tolerate there. As much as Big star is a fun place to chill and drink, their food doesn’t work well with me for these reasons. It’s been difficult to find a Mexican joint that works with my food sensitivities.
Glad to have found my new GO-​TO for Mexican in Wicker! :D

Solid three and a half stars.
Super nice staff and ambiance. Cucumber flavored water. Got the mole and the spicy pork tamales. The mole is very rich, almost too intense to my liking. I enjoyed the pork a bit more. It’s spicy, sour, very fresh. The meat was a bit dry. The corn was very tasty.

We had heard of the food truck but decided to check out their store front in the neighborhood. It was a solid experience. There was no much seating inside (counter seating) but thankfully it was nice weather when we were there and they have a rocking patio. It is also BYOB which is a plus.
There food is solid. Service was good and they were helpful to recommend what we’d like to get. I really liked their guacamole. It had a nice level of spice and was perfectly creamy. Even though they are all about the tamales, the guac was my favorite item and it beats a lot of other place’s guac. We had to try the tamales — we tried the picturesque (roasted pork) the No One’s (chicken) and also split barbacoa taco. The tamales were very good and I loved the salsas with them. I thought the chicken one was just okay and I definitely preferred the pork. It packed a ton of flavor. The taco was just another taco and I’d probably stick to the tamales next time.
Overall, it was a good experience. I would definitely go back but I don’t think it is a regular spot.

An old co-​worker and I dubbed Friday afternoons as our Tamale Time. We’d share an order of the No Ones (barbacoa-​style roasted chicken with Michoacán green peanut mole) tamales and a side order of the chips and guacamole.
The tamale tastes delicious and is extremely filling. For $ 8 a pair, you get quite a bit of food. Those with smaller appetites can get away with eating one and taking the other home. The ratio of meat to cornmeal dough is appropriate. The mole isn’t very spicy and compliments the tamale well.
We’ve also tried the duck, which is confit style peking duck with plum mole and dried cranberries. In a way, it sort of reminded me of something you could eat on Thanksgiving. It was good and wasn’t too sweet with the addition of plum and cranberries. The duck was prepared well. However, it wasn’t my favorite since I’m not a huge fan of duck.
The guacamole is one of the best I’ve ever had and has a little heat to it. It’s perfect atop a crispy chip.
Be aware that the guys on the truck have masks covering their faces. It may be scary/​off-​putting to some, but the guys are very pleasant. You can tell that they put a lot of love in what they do and it shows with the delicious quality of their food.
The combo costs $ 11 and for what you eat, it’s a great deal. You can easily walk over to other place and easily spent over $ 10 and not nearly be as full or satisfied.
Check their website or Twitter to see their truck stops. Also, they are opening a tamale station in Wicker Park sometime this year so be on that look out for that.

In the words of my white friend, «se habla».
There was no «habla» from her that made sense, even her English «habla», because she was drunk. However, Miss Drunkzies, as I will so affectionately call her, had the brilliant idea to leave a block party for tamales.
I kind of have a lot of weaknesses. Romantic comedies, Carlos Quentin’s butt, Sumatra lilies, west coast IPAs and Mexican food, especially tamales, to name a few. However, I learned a very important lesson last year. Non-​traditional tamales walk a very fine line. I won’t name names, but I’m looking in your direction, tamale place in Pilsen with the Chicago flag logo.
Anyhow, Miss Drunkzies and I had previously chatted about Tamale Spaceship having a storefront. We parked on Milwaukee and walked about 8 miles to the address of a furniture store. That’s right, Miss Drunkzies gave us the wrong address and no one thought to question her, even our sober driver. It may be in Wicker Park, but it’s on that other popular street, Damen.
We get back in the car, make a few rights, a couple lefts and bam! We arrived. It was small, it was dark and it was almost equally as hot on the inside as it was outside, but I didn’t care. The ladies had wigs, the men had masks and the walls had luchadores painted on. I felt like I was amongst my people… in Pilsen, that is. Actually, I felt like I was in my mother’s kitchen. She’s white and doesn’t know how to make tamales, but she has this adorable luchadores painting I stand to inherit and she keeps the a/​c off so it’s roughly 80 – 85 degrees on any given day.
When it was time to order I ended up saying «whatever you want, I want elotes» and found out someone ordered the same tamale we tried a few weeks back from their food truck. :Insert side eyed emoji here: I really shouldn’t complain. It was flavorful, there was a nice kick to it and it was filling. I loved the elote, there was something different about theirs (but I had been boozing for hours prior, I couldn’t tell you what that was), except the portion was small, especially for the price. I can buy the ingredients for said elotes and feed the 4 of us that were there for the same price. However, isn’t that the point of these places? I can’t really complain though since I was given the go ahead to pretty much finish it by myself.
The service was great. I was offered water about 8 times, even though I was holding a cup of it. I’m a sweaty halfie, what can I say? I really did appreciate that though. We sat on their patio, they brought out the food and even offered to refill our water (they have a little cooler and plastic cups inside for you to do this.) They’re BYOB, and not that any of us needed to imbibe any more (but I totally did once we returned to the block party), if I had known that, we might have stayed a smidge longer. Only a smidge though as the patio isn’t big by any means. I think there was something like 4 or 5 tables following a longer, narrower path. It’s comfortable, but not «park your butt and drink awhile» comfortable.
If you’re familiar with Tamale Spaceship you’ll be familiar with the food here. The difference is this place has seats. Limited seats, but seats nonetheless. $ 8 for two tamales makes me feel like a chump, but they are good. Authentic enough with a bit of a twist done right. Miss Drunkzies ordered like a drunk and therefore passed a taco in my direction. Same as the picturesque tamale, except it seemed a little on the dry side. Not bad, but I’d stick to the tamales.

Thank you for making my day Tamale spaceship!
Muy sabrosa!