Tamale Boy Russell — Restaurant in Portland

Tamale Boy used to be incredible. It wasn’t just a place to grab food, it was one of the best and most authentic restaurants in Portland. I used to go out of my way to recommend it, to talk about how much care went into the menu, how the seasonal dishes felt intentional, how the flavors actually had depth. It was a place you could count on.

That’s not the case anymore. I don’t know what happened behind the scenes, but something shifted, and not in a small way. The quality has completely fallen apart. The tinga de pollo, which used to have rich, smoky, balanced flavor, now tastes bland and off. The texture isn’t right. The queso fundido, which was once an absolute highlight, now tastes like someone mixed heavy cream with green food coloring and called it a day. No depth, no seasoning, just a pale imitation of what it used to be. And the rice? It honestly tastes like it came from a bag.

On top of that, the customer service has gone downhill too. If something’s out of stock, fine, that happens, but replacing it with whatever’s left without telling people? That’s not just bad service, it’s lazy. And let’s talk about the prices. They’ve skyrocketed, and for what? If the quality was still there, I wouldn’t care, but you can’t charge premium prices for something that tastes like an afterthought.

I fully believe that when they opened Colibri, they either pulled all the good cooks from Tamale Boy or just stopped caring about keeping it at the same standard. It doesn’t feel like anyone’s putting in the effort anymore. The attention to detail is gone. The love that made this place special is gone.

I had it yesterday, and it was the last time. I won’t be back. It’s honestly disappointing to see a place that used to be so good fall this hard. If the changes they made were worth it to them, good for them. But as a customer,...

It's getting more and more popular but this place deserves it's high scoring reputation.

It can be a bit stressful with no assigned seating and not a great que area but come on off hours or order ahead for take out and you'll feel like the king! Summer into fall there is outdoor seating with heaters and some cover so there's more room this time of year.

The tamales are of course amazing but I recommend splitting one as they are very large and very messa heavy! The real treat here for me is the other menu options. They are unique, seasonal and flavorful. The seafood burrito is smothered and cheesy goodness on a giant plate, the bowl burrito is kind of a dream and the things I have had here seasonally can be explained as nothing less than amazing.

Friendly service and authentic but modern remakes of Mexican classics. Go, take friends and make an evening of it. Bassotto is right next door for dessert or better yet PREssert!

Pro tip: check out their menu online before going so you are less overwhelmed and don't get confused by the multiple places they have menu...

Walking into the restaurant it is a cramped space and you are expected to wait there and order there before being given a number to put on your table. No instructions on here is water there's utensils, no assistance in finding a table during a busy time. No greeting really about the restaurant and the choices and difference between the 2. We found a table and found what we needed. our food came out all together and we had to go back to order more drinks. The tamales are what I ordered 2 different ones. I got a chicken one with veggies and it was full of big pieces of carrots and I didn't like it. The other one was a different shell and pork. It was really dry not the meat but the tamale itself. I added salsa and sour cream but it didn't help and I was not impressed for this to have the word Tamale in their name. I wouldn't recommend it and I won't go back. I think other people enjoyed the tacos but not notably. And the queso was like a soup not...