Tamale Box — Restaurant in Spokane

Let me preface this review by sayingI grew up eating homemade tamales from my Mexican Tias, so standards and personal prefernces are different. I'm glad to see most everyone here on the reviews enjoy their food, and I love seeing local shops like this that aren't corporate. However, one of my tamales was soggy like a wet burrito. Not sure if that's the way they intentionally make them? My other ones were ok but lacked flavor, imo. For the price, I've had way better. I won't be returning, but I wish the owners all the best. Not everyone is gonna love their style and that's ok. Looks like there is more than enough fans to keep this local establishment up and running, and that makes me happy at end of day. Great, friendly customer service and I was served fast. I would definitely recommend giving them a try since most people love their food. Just not for me. My favorite tasting one was the jalapeño and cheese, but it was the soggy one, and that kind of texture grosses me out for a tamale. The shredded beef had lots of meat and was filling, but it and the chicken chile one just didn't excite me on the taste level....

We tried one of each tamale! Jalapeño & Cheese was super moist, with good flavors, but if you like a more firm masa, this one won't be your favorite, but it will still be delicious. I wish there were more jalapeños inside. The Shredded Beef was the best one... lotsa tender meat with a savory, slightly spicy red chile sauce. The Black Bean was shockingly impressive! I've never had beans in a tamale before, so this was a pleasant surprise. Pork Chile Verde and Chicken Chile Rojo were equally enjoyable. None of these tamales failed! The sizes were perfect. They have bottles of both red and green chile on the table. Both were good, but the red was superior! Spicy on a level I can appreciate with a garlic and chipotle flavor. The tortilla chips were fresh and delightful, and the perfect thickness to scoop up the homemade guacamole. Go try this place! It's great!...

Please understand that this is likely the best overall dining experience in Spokane, especially for the cost. Because of the nature of their offerings, speed is the name of the game. They almost always have every fresh steamed Tamale you could ask for, immediately and with a glass of water. Their portion sizes are plentiful, and considering that their half pound tamales are majority meat/filling, it is worth it. The flavors on offer in their product are diverse without being too spicy and worrying about being aggressive. The salsa on the tables is fresh and delicious. The guacamole is probably the best you can get in Spokane, and the surrounding 200 miles, especially at only $6 for that huge portion.

This has quickly turned into a twice monthly habit for my wife and I. Its hard to beat such a consistent experience so close to the AMC...