Pilar’s Tamales

It’s been less than a month since I moved away from Ann Arbor and I already miss Pilar’s delicious tamales, especially the unique seasonal specials that you won’t find elsewhere (fillings like fresh-​from-​the-​farm spinach, kale, butternut squash, brussels sprouts, etc). Also feeling pangs of withdrawal from the amazing refried black beans.
Sylvia (the owner) is consistently overflowing with smiles and genuine warmth towards her customers; you can see and feel her passion for her work and her community.

I’m on my way back for second day straight… I think that says enough! GO! Now!
And pilar is so pretty and nice!

I’d like to give it 5 stars, but there were some definite problems. I placed my order by phone around dinner time. I was told 20 minutes, which was kind of a bummer because I did NOT have a lot of time. I chose to wait, and got there 20 mintes later. The lady (owner?) acted like she didn’t even know I placed an order. She asked the guy who took my order over the phone about it and sure enough it was there… not even started. So I waited several minutes longer until my order was started and completed. They really need to get more orangized. I got the taramind juice, which I absolutely did not like. Bleh. The food was really good though. Very startchy and salty so you may want to order smaller portions. If I do go back I’m going to have to have a lot of time set aside.
$ 10 credit card minimum by the way, but the food isn’t exactly cheap so your order will probably be at least that much. They do use all organic, «anti-​biotic» free (as their menu reads) ingredients and all that so the price isn’t too bad in my opinion.
I’m glad they have their own (shared) parking lot but it is a bit of a pain to get in and out of and there aren’t many spots.
Coup de grace — they forgot silverware for my TO-​GO order. I live two hours away and had to eat in the car. I had to make an extra stop at a gas station. :’/

This place makes the best tasting tamales in town! The business is pretty nondescript from the outside and on the inside it may look a little bit messy and unkempt but their tamales are the best!

Well that was a delicious tamales and a pretty darn good pupusas. To date I had only have pupusas and tamales from an El Salvadorian place near Mexican Town in Detroit.
I did the Perfect Pair special which lets you pick two tamale/​pupusa or one of each. Came with cabbage slaw (curtido), fried plantains, beans and rice (some name I can’t recall) and a house drink for which I chose a horchata. I did the spicy pork tamale and the red sauce that came smothered over it was well balanced and hearty. Not really sure what it’s made of. The masa was appropriately tender and buttery and inside the spicy pork I ordered was perfectly juicy and tender.
For my pupusa I had the Amish chicken which comes with refried beans inside, the external layer of the pupusa was a little chewy, drier that that I’ve had at other Salvadoran pupusas places but all around very good. It was served with the same red sauce that comes over the tamales but in a dipping Cup so you could apply as desired, or like I did rip up the pupusas and dip it. There was just not much flavor in the pupusa at all. I never tasted or noticed the chicken. I would get a second tamale next time.
It was the holiday week so very light lunch traffic, I could imagine the place getting pretty cramped. You order at the counter and then go sit and they bring your food. We did have a group of six and everything came out at the same time and was piping hot.
The décor slightly annoyed me (i’m 6′ 7″) because I kept ramming my head into it.
Overall I’d say 4 with the pupusa quality being not nearly as good as the Salvadoran locations elsewhere I’ve been to, but seems they are all about the Tamales here.

Great ambiance, the owner waited on me and was friendly, enthusiastic and helpful. The food was delicious. I had a mini special that was perfect size! The coffee hit the spot too. I also liked that the coleslaw size was not a creamy sauce.

This place is so quaint. The food is really unique and tasty. The owner greeted me as soon as I entered the door and took my order. I enjoyed browsing the goods in the storefront as I waited for my food. I would definitely recommend this place for a unique flavor.

Wow… Just AMAZING. Best food I’ve had in a long long time. Owner of friendly and engaging. Recommending her favorite meals, and rich history. Love love love!

Pilar’s has been a perennial favorite since I moved to the area. The food is filling, consistent, and made with high-​quality ingredients. The house drinks are all delicious. The season options are farm fresh and the restaurant is very fastidious about letting you know where your kale, squash, and Brussels are coming from. Sylvia, the owner, is a warm, welcoming, and important part of the local community, active and innovative in her business and beyond. They also have a stand at the Ann Arbor Farmer’s Market — check it out!

Stopped here for lunch one afternoon and have to say I have mixed reviews. The tamales were very good… just a little dry. The one that had cheese (a chicken/​cheese) was much better than the only meat option. It needed some kind of sauce or soemthing.
I would say very good tamales, just make sure you get a side of sauce and order the ones with cheese.

I never really cared for tamales until I tried Pilar’s. I dream about these tamales. I’m a bit greedy and ordered the Perfect Pair special for myself. You can choose two tamales or two pupusas or one of each, and it comes with fried plantains, casamiento (beans and rice), curtido (cabbage slaw), and a house drink. All for $ 12! What a steal. I can usually pack it in pretty good, but I was struggle bussing hard by the second tamale. The spicy pork tamale was delish. My favorite was the casamiento, however. The best beans and rice I’ve ever had without a doubt. There’s something so wonderful about wholesome, homemade, authentic food, and Pilar’s Tamales definitely delivers.

This place was amazing. First time trying a papusa and it was excellent. I had the papusa special, chicken papusa, beans and rice, fried plantains, slaw, and a delicious salsa on the side. The owner, Sylvia, is a sweetheart as well. I will definitely be back to try the tamales and fried yuca!

This might be one of the highest 5 stars I have ever given!
This place has all the ingredients of a perfect 5 star review. Unilocal was programmed to make places like this shine. It is tucked away in a place with no foot traffic, barely visible from a main road, yet offers delicious food cooked from the heart.
The absolute best tamales I have ever had
Us Caifornians like to gripe and complain about the lack of good Mexican food out here in the Midwest. However, Pilar destroys every single other Tamale I have ever had in my 23 years in California.
I have had the bean and cheese, Christmas chicken, and veggie special and they were all delicious. Even the Horchata was the perfect mix of creamy, but not thick and chalky.
Pilar is one of the friendliest people ever. Strike up a conversation with her and you are sure to leave in a better mood.
Brotips
–Seating can get cramped so be prepared to share a large table with someone else
– tamales can come with sides, which can fill you up. If you are a big eater like me, 2 tamales should be enough to satisfy
– the drinks are super unique and really done nicely. Agua Fresca and Horchata tastes completely different when made with care and love.
– Pupusas are pretty much a ton of cheese inside of thick tortilla. I haven’t had them here, but I am sure they are good! However, if deciding between the two, I would recommend the Tamales
This place is a must try for Ann Arbor!!!

Do yourself a favor and eat at Pilar’s right now. Don’t let the unassuming location and exterior fool you — the food is wonderful and unexpected. You can taste the care and time it took to make each tamale from scratch. And the homemade tamarindo is easily drinkable by the gallon.
I had the combination plate with a tamale, beans and rice, cabbage slaw, and fried plantains. Each element ranked in the top five I’ve ever had. I had a tamale filled with chicken, olives, and spices — exceptional flavor when combined with the tangy red sauce served on top.
I will be back soon.

We just moved here from out of town and when we saw this place off of W. Stadium we knew we needed to try it asap. We were not disappointed! It is delicious and very authentic. The people that work there are super friendly, too. Great prices, delicious food and nice atmosphere.
If I had any ‘room for improvement’ it would be to serve the tamales without the sauce on top. The sauce is delicious, but it would be nice to serve it like they do with the pupusa, with it in a dish on the side. Next time I’ll ask to hold the sauce on the side so I can taste more of the natural flavors of the tamale itself.
highly recommend and we will be frequenting this place for sure!

Stopped here for lunch and got a chicken pupusa and a spicy pork tamale and a Mexican chocolate to drink. I could barely finish all of the food. The Mexican chocolate was delicious and dairy-​free. The spicy pork tamale also was very tasty. The chicken pupusa was less flavorful and next time I would only order the tamale.
The food arrived quickly and the people who work here are very nice.

Wow. Tamales don’t have to be dry and bland. Who knew?
I love this place: I love the food they make, and I love the people that run it.

Tiny little place! Everything I have eaten I loved. I didn’t know I liked Tamales but now I do.
Favorites are Pork Tamale and the Sweet Plantain Tamale
It is different but that is the point. Why would I want another hamburger when i can have Sweet and Spicy Tamales with some kind of Cole Slaw and Horchata

Yes, yes and yes.
I really love having a diversity of cuisine and I have been pretty lucky to find some gems lately. Checked out Pilar’s today for lunch and the tamales were oh so yummy. I’m used to really cheap tamales in CA, so the price was a bit more than normal, but I recognize there are also not as many places with Latin American flare in the area so I’ll pay it!
They have a lunch special of 3 for $ 10.50, but otherwise, tamales are $ 4/​each. There are so many different types of tamales they offer for veggies and non-​veggies alike! We tried 4 varieties (tempeh, kale, jalapeño, and spicy pork) and enjoyed them all. Spicy pork was probably my guy’s favorite, while I’ll vote for the jalapeño. Kale was pretty innovative so gets some kudos.
The place is also super adorable and the ladies behind the counter are the sweetest. Can’t wait to come back.

I met my friend at Pilar’s Tamales, and had no idea what to expect. I’d never heard of it, but the website seemed promising. When I pulled up, I was surprised at how tiny it was: just a little storefront in a small stripmall.
My friend hadn’t be there, either. We each ordered a perfect pair. I had the Chicken & Cheese tamale, the loroco & cheese pupusa, and a spicy mocha. It was really delicious. It came with beans and plaintains, and the spicy mocha was seriously good: warm, chocolatey, with a real kick.
The staff was very sweet and helpful (at first we weren’t entirely clear on how to order, what to do, etc.). We ended up staying for a long time catching up, and it was a great experience. I highly recommend it.