The Tamale Lady

HAHA, She doesn’t speak English and I don’t speak Spanish so it was kind of a guess. I asked for a dozen with cheese. A customer next to me said «dose» which is 12 in Spanish. There is never NOT a line so I am assuming communication will never be an issue. I shared my tamales at a work function. They were spicy jalapeño with cheddar. The most moist delicious tamales I have ever tried! HAHA, next time I am not sharing. She is 3 blocks from my house so now that I know… I see lots of tamales in my future! SO GOOD!

Oaxacan tamales wrapped in banana leaves. Incredible. I usually buy 20 and freeze them so I can keep enjoying… Yummy

Simple operation for authentic Mexican tamales! Like other reviews stated, she’s usually setting up right on the corner around 7am.
**NOTE SHE HAS RAISED HER PRICES** (at least since I last visited her in Oct)
$ 1.25/each, $ 14/​dozen
cash only.
still reasonable, but just be prepared!
I think she also has increased her selection, but I don’t read Spanish, so I’m not sure; I should’ve taken a pic of her new signage with the menu, but was in a rush this morning, but her staples are still available.

On point!
She is always on point.
Get there early to get what you want because she does run out quick!

These Tamales are to Die for!!! I make commutes from DeKalb to the city just to buy her Tamales. She is the ultimate «Tamale Master». Bless up, «They dont want you to eat Tamales» So eat them.

Drove here Saturday morning on my way to work in downtown. The line was long but quick. I must have seen at least 6 coolers full of tamales. I ordered a dozen tamales. 5 red 5 green and 2 rajas, one champurrado and one arroz con leche. My favorite are the red mild tamales. The green was good but spicy. The rajas con queso was decent. I was not a fan of the arroz (I know they added water) and I had better champurrado but it was ok. I only gave 3 stars bc these tamales do no reheat well and also bc there was too much masa for the meat. I would say the best time to eat them is right after you purchase them. If not I would avoid reheating in a microwave and instead heat on a comal (griddle) I’m sure they would taste better. I will give it another try soon so don’t feel discouraged not to try her tamales bc of my review!

One of the many things I do love about Mexicans is the hustler in them. When in the area stop by and grab a homemade tamale. On cold days this place will hit the spot. Glad I found this place on Unilocal.Take some home and freeze them. You can’t go wrong for the price :)

Monday morning driving by this place and noticed a line of people getting tamales.
«note to self, tamales must be good, stop one the way back» Note to self saved and stored in my brain.
Ran some errands and on the way back a couple of blocks before this location a red blinking light informed me that I had a note to self to check.
After reviewing and deleting the note, proceeded to find the «tamale lady» on Damen and 21^st pl. I hesitantly parked in the bank’s parking lot, didn’t want to get towed, so park there at your own risk.
It was around 10 AM and there was only one person in front of me, lucky me. I asked what kind of tamales she had, «solo verdes de pollo», I wanted to try a few different ones but they were out, so 2 chicken on green sauce and on sweet tamales, 1 small arroz con leche and 1 champurrado. Don’t drive much by this hood so wanted to try as many items as possible.
Sweet tamal was ok, verde de pollo really good, good meat and masa ratio, a little on the spicy side but I’m used to that. Arroz con leche and champurrado really good.
The lady is super nice and prices are unbeatable.
Note to self «come back here fore sure, if in the hood and this time of day».

This is the best tamales ever. This lady doesnt know that she have fans at Unilocal.The lady Tamales is awesome. I drive 30 min and i dont mine. I love this tamales.

Running late to a staff meeting bought 22 tamales in a rush. She was quick, and kind. There flavorful, meaty and cheap tamales. They know what there doing, no doubt. Will return.

Got Rajas with cheese today jalapeños were out of a can not fresh big disappointment it makes a big difference and the flavor is not there it has to be fresh jalapeño

There’s a reason why this lady is always busy, her tamales are the real deal & only $ 1 apiece. I live within walking distance of her & have made it a tradition to stop by at least once a week. I’ve had people who have lived in Pilsen their whole lives suggest her. I also don’t know very much Spanish & have never had a problem ordering. It shouldn’t be that hard to quickly look how to order before you go anyway. I’ll definitely keep coming back!

This is the real deal. always good thanks Tamale lady

Real simply… the Puerco Verde tamales are THE BEST tamales I ever had!!! All the tamales are great but the spice on the Verde is sex in a sauce.

Not a big fan of their tamales. Too much dough for my taste and the champurrado was too watered down.

Awesome Tamales! Every once in a while they end up being my breakfast too ! I’ve been getting them for about a year and they are always consistently good.

This lady is a unicorn!!!
Her tamales are fantastic and only $ 1 a piece!
The vegetarian (cheese and poblano) is spicy and flavorful and i’m downright addicted.

perfec

Cheap tamales, but nothing special. Very nice lady, but does not speak any English, so prep yourself before ordering.

If you are looking for authentic Mexican tamales, you have your place.
I have lived in two major Mexican cities and experienced both northern style and southern style tamales. The Tamale Lady hit my southern style and gave me a wonderful taste of «home.»
The rajas con queso packed a significant punch, which made me believe that the rajas weren’t 1) cleaned as I am normally accustomed to or 2) not really rajas. It didn’t really matter because the spiciness of the rajas con queso eliminated the need for an additional salsa.
The red and green tamales were excellent, offering an exact replica of the flavor experienced in Guadalajara, MX.
We arrived at about 3 pm, as the Tamale Lady was packing up to leave. I asked (in Spanish), for 6 tamales. I left with about 36. In Spanish, she told me, «ya nos vamos.» This attitude of «someone else should enjoy these» vs «I will just serve them again tomorrow» that you may think about street vendors was great. The Tamale Lady scores way up there in my book.