Tamale season is here! Even though we can eat them all year long, tamales just seem to satisfy our cravings in the cold weather and the holiday season. For Latin families like mine, tamales are one of the main dishes for the festivities.
There are all kind of tamales: pork, chicken, bean, spicy, green sauce, red sauce, veggie, and sweet, among many others. Seriously, they say that there are 5,000 varieties of tamales just in Mexico. In San Antonio you can find tamales in pretty much every H-E-B and other grocery stores. Many women cook tamales for the season, and several local restaurants sell tamales or masa so you can make them yourself. After doing some research, asking friends, and surveying some local FB groups, here are some of the places around the city that are famous for making tamales. (At the end you will also find a woman who makes tamales with cauliflower instead of the regular masa.)
Tellez Tamales & Barbacoa
1737 S. General McMullen Dr., San Antonio, TX 78237 | (210) 433-1367
They offer hand-spread, filled, and rolled tamales in chicken, pork with jalapeños, beans, and beans with jalapeños.
Adelita’s Tamales and Tortillas
1130 Fresno, San Antonio, TX 78201 | (210) 733-5352
Their tamales are made with stone-ground corn nixtamal. They offer a variety of tamales, including pork, pork & jalapeño, bean & jalapeño, and chicken. Prices start at $8.75 a dozen.
Besides selling tamales, they also sell the masa so you can make them yourself.
Del Río Tortillas y Tamales
1370 Gillette Blvd., San Antonio, TX 78224 (also have another location in Poteet) | (210) 922-4810
Their most popular tamales are pork, chicken, and beans tamales.
Besides selling tamales, they also sell the masa so you can make them yourself.
Delicious Tamales
This company has seven locations around San Antonio; see website for specific locations and contact information.
They offer hot or cold tamales for pick-up. Cold tamales can also be shipped. Their menu includes pork, jalapeño, bean, chicken, jalapeño cheese, sweet, and vegetarian tamales.
Mi Casa Tamales
25930 Interstate 10 West, Boerne, TX 78006 | (210) 698-6672
Offering 13 different flavors of tamales that you can buy hot or cold, including pork tamales and chicken verde tamales.
TAMAHLI
314 Spencer Lane, San Antonio, TX 78201 | (210) 877-9949
They offer a variety of traditional, sweet, banana leaf wrapped, and gourmet tamales. Their vegan tamales are also sold at Whole Foods.
SA Tamale Boy
5300 S. Flores St., San Antonio, TX 78214 | (210) 663-2033
SA Tamale Boy has a variety of the traditional classic tamales, including pork, chicken, and beef for $13 a dozen, but they also carry their own tamales like the BBQ brisket and Kadillak, which includes cream cheese, chicken, spinach, and jalapeño.
La Hacienda Products
6421 Blanco Rd., San Antonio, TX 78213 | (210) 377-0808
They offer traditional and organic tamales, including banana leaf tamales. Their most popular are bean, jalapeño & cheese, and pork.
Ruben’s Homemade Tamales
1807 Rigsby Ave., San Antonio, TX 78210 | (210) 337-0025
During the month of December they only hand-make mild pork tamales, don’t take special orders, and sell on a first-come, first-served basis; reserve enough time to visit because long lines form all month long.
Vida Mía Mexican Cuisine
They have two locations in the north of SA: 19141 Stone Oak Pkwy #803, San Antonio, TX 78258; and 22250 Bulverde Rd. #114, San Antonio, TX 78261 | (210) 490-2011
During the holiday season, the restaurant takes orders for homemade tamales, including chicken, pork, rajas poblanas, beans, beans with cheese, and sweet tamales. They recommend ordering at least two days in advance.
Pepe’s Molino
1439 W. Hutchins Pl., San Antonio, TX 78221 | (210) 927-6805
Their most popular tamales are pork, pork with jalapeños, and beans with jalapeños. Price for the dozen is $8 plus taxes.
Tortilleria Los Reyna
5405 S. Flores St., San Antonio, TX 78214 | (210) 274-8846
Their most popular tamales are pork, chicken, and beans; price per dozen is $9.73.
Morenita Barbacoa
4302 S. Flores St., San Antonio, TX 78214 | (210) 409-2783
Morenita Barbacoa only offers tamales on weekends; they have chicken, cheese, pork, and bean. However, if you are planning to place a large order, they can have it ready during the week.
La Unica Barbacoa & Tamales
2622 Goliad Rd., San Antonio, TX 78223 | (210) 337-0026
Their most popular tamales are pork, chicken, chicken with jalapeño, and beans with jalapeño. Prices range from $8 to $10 a dozen.
Cauliflower tamales by Beatriz Jimenez
(210) 870-3317 | While I didn’t include any other businesses without a physical address, I think this one is worth including, as Beatriz Beatriz Jimenez uses cauliflower instead of masa in her tamales, making her tamales a healthy option for those with dietary restrictions.
Beatriz Jimenez uses cauliflower instead of masa for her tamales; the price is $20 a dozen, which is higher than traditional tamales, but it is an option for those with dietary restrictions or certain preferences.
Do you have any others tamale spots that you like in San Antonio and around? Let us know about them in the comments section!
