All Star Tamales

They’re called «All Star» for a reason! And let’s add in affordable as well– 2 tamales for $ 5! Cheaper if you buy them cold and by the bulk.
About 20 varieties– savory, sweet, meaty, vegan. You name it, they got it.
Gluten and lard free. They also serve burritos, tacos, and drinks. Salsa already packaged in to-​go containers. And very friendly servers!
They’re at the Heart of The City’s Farmer’s market. There’s always a long line (that moves quickly). Also at Alemany Farmer’s market.

You see a long line at a food truck and figure you’ve got to try it, right? Me too. Wow, in this case I have to wonder… have any of these people in line ever had a real tamale? I mean, sure, maybe corn and carrots are legit tamale fillings in some regions. But they’re honestly the last thing I ever expected to find wrapped in masa.
It would be forgivable if the rest of the tamale was amazing, but there was a lot of masa and the pork was so-​so. They were also really oily, which was a definite turn off. I only had the red and green pork, but I feel like those are pretty good reference flavors.
Finally, the black beans were super dry and flavorless and the rice was meh. Based on the long line and great reviews, they’re obviously doing something right, but it’s definitely not the right thing for me.

OH MY GOD THIS PLACE.
First of all, my existence depends on Wednesday. Not simply because I am half-​way through my work week, but because it is finally TAMALE WEDNESDAY.
I have been coming here every single Wednesday (besides NYE because even though I still showed, they had taken a much-​deserved holiday) for good reason. THEIR TAMALES ARE TO DIE FOR.
My order is always the same– 1 Oaxaca pork tamale and 1 mini bean and cheese burrito. Don’t forget about the sauces! The green and orange ones are my favorite. All of this, PLUS great service is $ 4.75. Yeah, you read that correctly. A lunch in SF UNDER FIVE DOLLARS.
The line moves fast so NO EXCUSES. You have to try this place!

I got a green pork, green chicken, and sweet corn empanadas.
The line was about 7 people deep right before noon on Wednesday.
They were all decent empanadas but nothing spectacular or special. Not really sure what the other reviewers are raving about…

All Star Tamales is on the list of «How you know you’re a true San Franciscan» because people will literally wait in the longest line of all the farmers market to get their hands on the smallest dish available.
Despite all the other amazingly delicious food trucks around (I love you Hella Vegan Eats!), I will wait patiently for 30 minutes to get my hands on a tamale the size of my hand.
But like an atom bomb, you can’t judge something by it’s size.
They have 2 vegan tamales here-​Vegan Mushroom & Vegan Veggie. There will be weeks where I prefer 1 over the other. Right now, it’s the vegan mushroom. It’s a combination of a few different types of exotic mushrooms, a hint of umami flavor, and great texture. The vegan veggie has all sorts of plant goodness inside that crumbles with every bite, so you can taste and feel every vegetable they put into it.
They also have a vegan burrito, which is essentially the fillings of the vegan veggie rolled up into a mini flour tortilla. All these offerings are $ 3 a pop, but if you buy in bulk, you’ll save a few bucks off each one.
The salsa here is a whole ‘nother story. They automatically provide red and green sauce, but ask for the orange sauce. It’s smokey and easily my favorite. Ask for the big container too. Do it. You know you want to drench that tamale. They have a fourth salsa, so if you’re feeling creative, ask for all 4 and see which one you like best.
I’ll come around every week for their tamales. As long as there’s a line, you’ll know I’ll be in it.

Hmm… Now I’m conflicted. For the last year, Wednesday’s at the Heart of The City Farmers Market have usually meant one particular go-​to lunch, the Pupusa. I should have tried All Star Tamales sooner, because I would have realized two things:
1. The long-@ss line moves a lot faster than it seems, and is actually a LOT quicker than waiting for pupusas.
2. These are some legit tamales.
There is a huge selection of different tameles — also Burritos and Enchiladas, as well. So far, I’ve enjoyed each one that I’ve had, and as I look over the menu (look below, I listed them all!) I’m pretty excited for Wednesday’s to come. Everything has been good, but the winner was the Green Chile and Cheese tamale. That was the first tamale I’ve tried that does not have meat. The chile and cheese with the tamale is a great combo, and it’s bursting with filling. I’d also have to give a BIG thumbs up to the side-​sauces that come with your order. Good range of mild to caliente. Get two tamales for $ 6, and that is stout meal.
The one downside — it’s sorta messy for street food. The tamales are pre-​wrapped (why the line moves fast) tightly in plastic wrap, and they’re a little greasy (in a good way) on the outside of the corn-​husk. Make sure to grab lots of napkins when you visit — It gets a bit messy unwrapping the delicious tamales. Much easier if you can go find a table or bring these back to the office.
Are Pupusas a thing of the past for old Adam S. Nah. But, this is a new regular in the rotation.
Here’s the list ‘o Tamales:
Red Pork: Shredded pork in a mild red sauce.
Green Pork: Shredded pork in a tomatillo sauce with bits of red potatoes, carrots, and pasilla chilies.
Pork Mole: Shredded pork in a Oaxacan style red mole and steamed in a banana leaf.
Red Chicken: Shredded chicken in a mild red sauce.
Green Chicken: Shredded chicken in a tomatillo sauce with bits of red potatoes, carrots, and pasilla chilies.
Chicken Mole: Shredded chicken in a Oaxacan style red mole and steamed in a banana leaf.
Beef: Shredded beef in a mild red sauce.
TexMex: Ground beef and black beans in a chipotle souce.
Picadillo: Ground beef, with bits of red potatoes, carrots, cooked in a green sauce.
Vegi-​Vegan: Black beans, green beans, carrots, cauliflower, corn, roasted red peppers, and spinach.
Black Bean Cheese: Home style cooked, black beans, cheddar cheese, and mozzarella cheese.
Spinach and Cheese: Fresh spinach, mozzarella cheese, and cotija cheese.
Green Pasilla: Pasilla chilies, cotija cheese, mozzarella cheese, steamed in a banana leaf.
Chile and Cheese: Anaheim chilies, cheddar cheese, and mozzarella cheese.
Vegan Mushroom: Portobello, shiitake, and brown mushrooms with red and green peppers and cabbage in a mild garlic sauce.
Sweet Corn: Fresh yellow sweet corn, butter, and a dash of sugar.

MMMMM
red chicken and green pork
OR
green chicken and red pork
OR
sweet corn and spinach
OR
enchiladas! !! :D

I wanted to do something fun and different for Christmas dinner (other than the traditional, boring roast and sides that my family does) so I ordered 3 dozen tamales, 2 kinds of enchiladas, plus rice/​beans/​chips/​salsa from All Star. I went out to their factory in Pittsburg and it was cool to see the giant kitchen where these magical little tamales are made. I ordered the larger 7oz tamales, and most people could only eat 1 or 2 — they are VERY filling and delicious! They even made up some special salsa for me that was loaded up with onions and cilantro — a nice touch, and I LOVED it! I can’t wait to order food for another family gathering or stop by at the farmers market to get some more soon!

I just moved to the area and I’ve challenged myself to eat at every food truck at Heart of the City Farmers Market (
).
I have a love-​hate relationship with Tamales. More often than not, I don’t like them because it’s so easy to ruin them — too much masa, too little filling, too soggy — you name it. But All Star Tamales gets it just right. I ordered a Chicken Mole and a Red chicken for $ 5 and both were so super yummy. I’m a tiny person and one tamale is just right for me for a filling lunch. I froze my second tamale and ate it for lunch the next day! When they ask you which sauce you want — spicy or mild? Say both! So delicious. I could just eat sauce all day (maybe not, but you get the drift!).
They are extremely vegetarian friendly — so many vegan and vegetarian options + no lard, what’s not to like! They are at the market only on Wednesdays, so stock up! Try not to come here during peak lunch time though, lines will be long, lots of office goers!

I’ve had:
— Red Chicken (shredded chicken in a mild red sauce)
— Chicken Mole (shredded chicken in Oaxaca-​style red mole and steamed in a banana leaf)
— TexMex (ground beef and black beans in a chipotle sauce)
— Chile and Cheese (Anaheim chilies, cheddar cheese, and mozzarella cheese)
The TexMex is my favorite and I usually get that with something else, depends on my mood. All of them are cheesy good, with the perfect protein, cheese and masa ratio. I’m not as big a fan of the banana leaf wrapped ones.
Buy in bulk! They’re cheaper.

We LOVE these tamales! These are the best tamales me and my husband have tasted so far. We have travelled in Latin America, but we haven’t found anything as tasty as these. We love the Green Pasilla and Cheese the most. The important part here is the sauce. Their salsas are very authentic and tasty. Try these tamales and you will become addicted!
Every time we go the the Farmer’s market we stop at this stand and enjoy great taste of these tamales.

Hands down the best tamales I have had in the bay area! You can slap sauce an a tamale but All Star Tamales don’t need salsa to be outstanding on their own.
Be aware if you visit their stand in Old Oakland Farmer’s Market, SF’s UN Plaza, or other remote locations they take cash only.

These tamales are good! It makes me happy that they have so many vegetarian and even VEGAN options.
Tamales that are LARD-​FREE and delicious y’all!

Damn Unilocal maintenance, I lost my long review for All Star Tamales. Ok long story short, I love Trader joes Tamales Green Chile and Cheese and that’s what I base my tamale standards on. Jalapeño popper tamale, rubbery cheese and they didn’t take the seeds out of the peppers= burning mouth! huge whole kernels in the masa= bomb tasting outside of tamales! The red pork=bueno! Get it I would get it again! Sauce, I like the green mild one the spicy one I couldn’t taste anymore after the jalapeño burning my mouth. 3.5 stars for these tamales I think it will be bumped to a 4 after I try the other flavors. I think I’ll skip the cheese filling the cheese might be rubbery from not being hot enough.

Cheap and great tasting Chicken Mole tamales. The sauces are always so good with it, I usually ask for extra so there’s enough for two tamales.
I always try to get here before lunchtime so I can avoid the long line.

SO FULL! I just had the sweet corn, the chicken mole and part of the vegan mushroom. Wow. So good! Can’t wait to go back and try the green pork which they were sold out of. Very nice people working the cart as well.

Try to get here a little before noon to avoid the lunch rush. We got here at 11:45 and waited less than 5 minutes.
The heated tamales are 2 for $ 5.50 and the cold tamales are 2 for $ 5. I really liked the green chicken, which was cooked perfectly and had a little bit of heat. Make sure to ask for hot sauces because they really add to the tamale. The sweet corn was good, but very sweet.
Definitely planning to come back next week!

TAMALES MIERCOLES!
*UNA ESTRELLA*: LARD FREE = Guilt-​Free (Well, kinda…)
*UNA ESTRELLA*: 14 Tamale Varieties Including Green Pasilla, Picadillo, Chicken Mole, Pork Mole, Green Chile & Cheese, Green Pork, Red Pork, Black Bean & Cheese, Vegetable, Beef, Spinach & Cheese (My Fav), Red chicken, Green Chicken and Sweet Corn.
*UNA ESTRELLA*: GENEROUSLY PACKED WITH FILLING! Firm, yet soft fluffy corn masa nestled with meat, veggie and/​or oooey goeeey cheese in EVERY bite!
*UNA ESTRELLA*: Awesome homemade pasilla (mild), tomatillo (mild), habanero (spicy) and chipotle (spicy) salsas that impart additional moisture, tang and a kick of heat!
Other Notes:
*Cash Only
*Tamales are 2 for $ 5 (cold) and 2 for $ 5.50 (hot)
*Breakfast burritos and enchiladas are also available
*TIPS FOR REHEATING: If frozen, thaw first then steam. Crunched for time? Wrap frozen tamale in wet paper towel and microwave.
MmMmM, delicioso! CUATRO ESTRELLAS!
This review was brought to you with the assistance of Google Translate.

I love their tamales. They’re all winners. Yesterday I had jury duty, and was excused around 11 a.m. Thought about where to go next, and then it hit me! All Stars is at Civic Center on Wednesdays. Woo Hoo!
Bought 3 cold tamales for $ 7.50. Hot ones are like $ 0.25 more expensive I think. You can get hot sauce in a little tiny container to accompany your tamale.
Went back to work, and zapped one in the microwave. Yummy, yum, yum.
First time I had the Tex Mex tamale. Great if you want to kick it up a tiny notch.

I LUUUV Tamales! And I love the fact that these tamales are made without lard!
I haven’t tried them all, because I always go back to the chicken red mole tamale wrapped in a banana leaf. I think it’s absolutely delicious! I also really like the sweet corn tamale.
Some people think $ 2.50 is expensive for a tamale, but I think they’re worth it.
I blogged it: