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Landing on anyone's list: The tamales from Tamales Olmeca.
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Tamales Olmeca
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Topline:
Did you really celebrate the holiday season if you didn't eat a tamale or three? Nope. These are our favorite places to get them, and it's best to pre-order as they sell out fast.
Why it matters: It's that wonderful time of the year, when tamales start appearing everywhere you go. Whether the tamales are Mexican, Puerto Rican, El Salvadoran... the more tamales the merrier in our book.
Why now: We're giving you a heads up: after your Thanksgiving feast you may not want to think about food for another, say, trillion years, but trust us, these places sell out fast.
We repeat: You need to order if you want tamales!
For many of us, it's not the holidays until we've tucked into a tamale. Doused in hot sauce. And you can find plenty of places that sell tamales at this time of year. But finding the best? That's harder.
Luckily, the LAist staff was up for the challenge: We asked the newsroom for their favorite places to order holiday tamales, and now we're sharing those picks with you.
One thing to keep in mind, though: You’ll see that many of the places on this list are mom-and-pop storefronts, solopreneur pop-ups and even families selling out of their home kitchens. Have patience with these small businesses trying to navigate the holiday rush.
Did we miss your favorite place for holiday tamales? Let us know and we may include it.
Editor's note: This story first ran last year; it's been updated to reflect 2024 prices.
Tamales Olmeca
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Tamales Olmeca
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This tamale pop-up — run by Yunia Funes-Mata — lands on any list of top tamale suppliers in and around L.A. Order online and you’ll get a pick-up location, or catch up with Funes-Mata on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon, or until supplies run out, at The Golden Poppy Marketnorth of Elysian Park and Dodger Stadium. Favorites pay homage to Funes-Mata’s Guadalajaran roots and include Sesy’s Beloved (carnitas, tomatillo salsa verde) amd the vegetarian A Que No Te Rajas (queso, rajas and salsa guajillo). Typically $7 a piece, pre-order $70 for a dozen for the holidays. "It's a boutique style," Funes-Mata told us of her tamales, "but I think people see the hard work that goes into it."
La Mascota Bakery
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La Mascota Bakery
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How’s this for a recommendation: LAist 89.3 AirTalk host Larry Mantle says the tamales from La Mascota Bakery in Boyle Heightsare the best in L.A., full stop: “They've ruined others for me,” Mantle said, “My favorite masa. My in-laws' holiday tradition for decades.” Tamales are $2.84 apiece when you order online, or $33.79 a dozen. There are six varieties to choose from: Red chile with pork, red chile with beef, green chile chicken, green chile and cheese, vegetable and a sweet option with pineapple.
La Moderna Bakery
How good is La Moderna Bakery in Whittier? It’s where LAist food editor Gab Chabrán’s mom buys her holiday tamales. And this is the time to be planning your order. Their banner outside says “Xmas Tamale orders start the day after Thanksgiving.” La Moderna is known for old-school classics, and rock bottom prices: Red pork, green pork, green cheese, red beef, green chicken, and sweet tamales. $15.50 for a half dozen, $31 for a dozen.
Shane's Tamales
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Shane's Tamales
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If you’re vegan, many tamales remain out of reach. Enter Shane’s Tamales, which has now moved into its permanent Garden Grove location after much acclaim as a pop up. Tamales are $54 for a dozen, and include Chick'n Green Chile, "Pork" red chile, bean, cheese and rajas, and spinach and crema. "Contemplating moving to CA just for these tamales", says one online reviewer.
Señor Big Ed
Might as well make it a meal.
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Gab Chabrán
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LAist
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For a Puerto Rican tamale — made from a masa with green plantains — head to Señor Big Ed, a beloved hole-in-the-wall restaurant located in the city of Cypress. The pasteles are filled with pork and wrapped in a banana leaf and boiled instead of steamed, resulting in a darker, softer, velvet-like texture. The restaurant’s menu is half Puerto Rican favorites, half Mexican dishes. So, try both style of tamales. A dozen pasteles are $58, pork tamales are $4.25 a la carte. And while you’re there, might as well enjoy some sweet fried plantains and arroz con gandules.
Mayra Soto’s take on holiday tamales channels her Michaoacan roots, as do many of items on the menu at her Lynwood location, Tacoz. There are uchepos, a sweet corn tamal made with a coarser masa and wrapped in a green corn husk (while others are made in a dried husk) and the seasonal corundas, which are chunkier in size, and wrapped in a long corn leaf, or milpa. (Their appearance on the menu went viral on IG and Tik Tok.) Uchepos and corundas, $3.50 each. You are even invited to bring your own pot for the pickup, to ensure “safe travels” for your corundas.
Tamale Man
You’ll have a hard time beating the prices at Tamale Man, located northeast of DTLA. It’s $30.50 per dozen tamales, with your choice of cheese, pork, chicken or sweet corn. The tamales are made with an “heirloom recipe” that has been handed down for generations, and has a devoted following: “My family has been eating tamales here for the last 15-20 years,” said one online comment. If you stop by, might as well try one of their tamale-centric breakfasts or lunches, such as tamales and eggs, $11.95, or the two-tamale combo, $10, both meals served with rice and beans. Order online for pickup, delivery options available for a fee.
Lupita's Bakery
Take a look at Lupita’s Bakery’s Instagram account, and you’ll see lavishly decorated birthday and wedding cakes, and young women in their quinceanera dresses. But go beyond the bakery sweets to find… Taqueria Lupita, tucked inside the bakery locatedon W. Florence Avenue in South L.A. The menu includes all the hits — hardshell tacos, chili rellenos, quesadillas and more. And this time of year, the menu extends to include a seasonal favorite: El Salvadoran tamales. These tamales are wrapped in banana leaves, versus the traditional corn husks used in Mexican kitchen. Fans say the banana leaves lend an earthier flavor. Here’s how you know Lupita’s are traditional: Cashier Erika Rodriguez told LAist that the tamales are made by the cook’s wife, who is El Salvadoran, and she goes back home for the holidays. “So if you want them, you have to order ahead.” Luckily, she said, they can sit in your fridge for a few days before reheating and serving. In case you are wondering why a kitchen that serves up so much Mexican food makes El Salvadoran tamales, Rodriguez said: “That’s what people ask for.” Tamales are $3 apiece. There’s just one flavor, chicken.
Chiquis Tamales
You’re not going to get more homemade than this: An LAist staffer swears by the tamales sold out of a home in East L.A., so you definitely need to order ahead and arrange for a pickup: Chiquis Tamales makes a wide range, include chicken, pork, cheese & jalapeno, and strawberry and pineapple varieties. Call: (323) 383-3376. Price: $2.50 a piece, and $30 for a dozen.
