Delicious Tamales — Restaurant in San Antonio

Diminished Traditions: A Disappointing Tamale Experience

The anticipation of finding authentic tamales in this establishment quickly gave way to disappointment. What arrived at our table were mere shadows of the traditional Mexican comfort food I've known and loved throughout my life.

The tamales themselves were comically small, barely larger than a pair of tweezers. Gone are the days of substantial, palm-sized bundles of masa that could satisfy a hungry diner. These miniature versions felt more like an appetizer for an appetizer.

The filling—or rather, the suggestion of filling—was perhaps the greatest letdown. Traditional tamales should burst with generous portions of seasoned meat or vegetables, but these offered only the slightest hint of stuffing. It was like trying to find a needle in a haystack, except the needle had somehow shrunk.

The chile sauce, a crucial component that should sing with deep, complex flavors, was virtually imperceptible. Any hint of heat or traditional spicing had been muted to the point of disappearance, leaving behind only a vague memory of what proper chile sauce should taste like.

As I picked at these diminutive offerings, my mind wandered to the tamales of yesteryear—the ones that grandmothers and aunts would proudly serve at family gatherings. Those were proper tamales: plump, generously filled, and bursting with authentic flavors that told stories of generations of cooking expertise.

Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ (1 out of 5 stars)

Price: $$ Verdict: Save your money and time. The search continues for tamales that honor the traditional preparation methods and generous portions...

So my husband went to get two dozen pork tamales from here. When we got home the tamale fell apart. So we opened a second one. It crumbled. Not enough masa in it to hold the meat. So we returned them for a refund but the woman said that since the owner wasn't there, we couldn't get our money returned to the card till Monday. She also said we could get another two dozen that just came out of the oven. So we wound up getting more tamales. They did let me sample one from the batch first before I took it , because you know,tamales are freaking expensive to buy. Went home started to eat them but here is the problem, if you go light on the MASA then the whole tales falls apart. We couldn't even pick them up with our hands,we had to scoop them with a fork. Clearly some one is being CHEAP! You can't go cheap on masa. That's what makes the whole tamale! Anyway,very disappointed in the product. 🤔Don't know if I'll...

This was very disappointing experience! Today, 2 days before Christmas I was excited as I stepped into this place and there was no line! I really thought I was lucky today until I opened my pork tamales to “sample” before serving them on Christmas. First, they was liquid grease everywhere and although I know and expected some grease, this was overload. Second, I unwrapped the leaf and the tamale itself was tiny. Okay, I didn’t expect a huge Maza but i’m telling you that the maza did not even meet any coverage of the pork. This and lastly, I have posted a picture of the lack of quality control and the loss of words to look at this limpy and poor quality of tamale that I paid $9.00 a dozen! I only buy tamales once a year, but, this was a MAJOR disappointment as I have always purchased from here but i will not...