Progresso Tamale Parlor

Don’t let the outside fool you the food is awesome, great hometown, food, family. service is great too! We have never had bad food or bad service here.

Upon walking in, we were greeted with a smile and told that we can sit wherever we like. When we sat down they brought us corn and flour tortilla chips and salsa. I have never had flour tortilla chips, they were really good and reminded me of fried wontons.
My daughter had the kids bean and cheese burrito which was a big portion compared to most places kids orders.
I ordered a chicken and a chile verde tamale with whole beans and rice. I tried whole and refried beans, they were both very tasty. The tamales were full of chuckny portions of meat. Not about 1pz like most tamales. But stuffed with flavorful meat. Yum. I would definately come back!

This place is awesome! The food is great! Nice quite place to enjoy a peaceful dinner. Our waitress mayra is so attentive. Checks on us the perfect amount. The dinner always comes extremely hot. Ice cold drinks. Prices are good. Will definitely keep coming here!

Some of the best Mexican food around. Will be back.soon. We asked around town for a good place to eat and everyone we spoke to said this was the best. Guess what? They were right

Definitely not ²¹⁄₂ stars, the food was good just needs a little seasoning (salt) the portions are generous and the chips and salsa are great, good prices, the staff is friendly and attentive. great little restaurant. we have only been there once but am already a fan.

Maybe if they were open when customers wanted to order dinner they would be more successful. It’s like they are doing you a favor. Staff is rude. It’s a shame because the food is good

I’m not sure why the stars are soo low here. I have lived in Hollister for 4 years… From the first time I came here it was my favorite Mexican restaurant! The food is awesome, the crew is outstanding, and customer service is always top priority. The prices seem low for the great quality of food we get. 5 stars all the way!

Finally went to the famous Progressor Tamale factory. I ordered the «El Rey» with Chile Verde pozole. The pozole was really good which is what made this place a 4 star. I told my hubby that I am going to try to make it at home which made my hubby happy. I would have been happy with the pozole and crispy taco. I would label the food more tex-​mex style with an overload of sauce and yellow cheese all over the plate. The food was tasty but I would not say it is authentic Mexican food. I would go back though especially for the pozole and if I want some tex-​Mex food. But for authentic Mexican food I would go somewhere else.

How does this place only have 2 ½ stars??? MY FAVORITE MEXICAN RESTAURANT IN TOWN! THE BEST CHEESE ENCHILADAS EVER! I have been here about 10 times in the 3 years I have lived in Hollister which is a lot less than I would like. I love everything I’ve ever ordered. Everything has fantastic flavor. I have been systematically trying other mexican places and testing their cheese enchiladas and I have yet to find a match! Order the half order of super nachos, they come with (beans I think) cheese, sour cream, and guacamole on each individual giant chip. My description doesn’t do it justice, just trust me, order it. I can’t say enough good things about this place. I am seriously baffled at the bad reviews. Oh well. I will continue to go here as often as my schedule and funds allow! PROGRESSO TAMALES ROCKS!

Mitch we gave a second chance and it will be the last. The chips and salsa was the best part of the meal. The dinner was over priced for what we got and the food was so bland who would want more. No favor what so ever in the sauces. I ate very little of my meal and was given a box to take it home. No one asked how we liked our dinner.
The wait staff were all very nice and friendly. I know it’s not their fault the food is so bad. We paid our bill in full and left a tip but we will not be coming back. There are to many good places to go closer to home…
So much for good old memories… :(

My favorite Mexican restaurant in town. I can’t get enough of the chips. Chicken enchiladas have a kick to them order them every time.

So, after a lengthy absence, my family and I decided to give this place another try. The chips and salsa are still tasty and they do make great soup regardless of which kind.
However, that is where my charitable review ends. The food itself is not horrible, but it is quite bland (my best friend’s chicken mole is still light years better!). But this review concerns the service. The majority of servers are between 16 – 17 with palpable apathy. After we were seated we were given chips and salsa and asked for our drink order and since we’d been there for a few minutes we were ready to order as well. The food did arrive in a timely fashion but our drinks were AWOL as was our waiter. At first I thought it I was because we were in a corner in the back but honestly he just didn’t give a damn.

We made a reservation for a party of 11, arrived early to get the process started (water and menus on the table)
We were promptly seated and chips and salsa on the table. The rest of our party arrived and no menus, waters or a waiter in sight.
A young man (teenager) arrived to take an order. We had to ask for waters several times. Still no menus 15 minutes later. I think he missed that part of the training.
Some of us ordered some pitchers of blended margaritas. I think we just got blended mix. No one tasted the tequila.
Food arrived after a while. Bland, lukewarm, at least the sour cream was cold! Can’t mess that up. I could go on with the rest of the food around me, but I won’t.
I couldn’t get past the teenager getting upset at us and rolling his eyes. Service is truly what makes an ok meal better, or an ok meal worse with bad service. I’m not from Hollister, nor did I grow up eating here.
I won’t be recommending this place to anyone, in fact I will warn others to stay away. Unless they want watery salsa and chips.

We had not been here in a while and I think maybe I remember the food being better here. It was just ok as far as Mexican food goes. I had to keep salting and resalting my food. It was bland. Not sure if we came on an off night but it was just ok. We had an enchilada, tamale and taco platter. Both my husband and I thought that there was a serious lack of seasoning in all items. Even the beans and rice. I poured pica de gallo on everything, then used a ton of salt. Even then it was still just ok. We will not be visiting again. :(Disappointed…

I had not been to this place in maybe 9 years (honestly dont know why!) and recently went with some friends on a Friday night.
The food was great, service is good and the atmosphere is what you’d expect from a small town staple. I liked how our waitress brought a pitcher of soda for table side refills rather than taking cup by cup for refills, and managed not to make it go flat.
Best chicken enchilada I have had in recent memory, not to mention the amazing tamales (which is a given)…love the red sauce.
YUM YUM YUM!!! Can’t wait to go back!
BEST FLOUR TORTILLA CHIPS EVER. MUST TAKE SOME HOME WITH YOU!!!

Eh… it’s subpar Mexican food, i would honestly rather drive to gilroy for Chevy’s over this place and I often do…

Just not like it use to be… Sorry guys!

I went to eat at Progresso’s with my family. I ordered iced tea but I got a iced tea syrup with carbonated water instead. It was really disgusting. I ordered water and they gave me chlorinated, metal-​tasting tap water. My husband ordered chile verde and it arrived with hamburger chunks in it. My kids got chicken tenders which I think came frozen from a bag. Neither one of my not-​picky kids could finish them. The worst was the nachos. They gave me a plate with 10 chips with a huge dollop of beans, sour cream, and guacamole. No cheese. No jalapenos. I asked for jalapenos when I ordered and they said they didn’t have them. Then, they said they did. The meal came and I waited for the jalapenos and they didn’t have them. I ended up walking across the street to the Mexican market to buy my own jalapenos and some bottled water. By the time I got back, the sour cream and guacamole had made the beans cold. I tried them anyway and they were just terrible. The bill never came so my husband had to go to the kitchen door just to pay. He noticed that not one person working there seemed to be older than 18.
This was the worst restaurant experience I have ever had in Hollister. If you want good Mexican food, first go to Jalisco’s, then Kristina’s or Super Taqueria, because Progresso’s has gone to the dogs.

Meh.
We went here hoping for a good meal and great tamales. Instead we got a meal that was barely average.
The upsides: they give you a mixture of flour and corn tortilla chips and the tamales were very fresh with plenty of filling… that is all the upsides.
The downsides: most items were covered in the same reddish sauce that was bland and un-​flavorful. The lettuce in the salad was turning brown, the tamales were covered in that red sauce so it took away from the tamal itself. The chile relleno should be called «egg wash relleno». It was literally almost all egg batter, with three strips of green chile inside and some cheddar cheese… I’ve had better out of a frozen box.
We would not go back for any reason to be honest.

The chips they serve here — especially if you mix corn and flour — are delicious.
I had the Chicken Fajita Salad. It was pretty good! The seasoning on their chicken would be a 3 out of 5 and their salad is nothing out of the ordinary. The size is pretty big although it’s under their appetiezers. I’d come here again to try their tamales as their full name is «Progresso Tamale Parlor» :)
The service is friendly, prompt, and they know how to cater to their guests.