Tucson Tamale

Best lunch ever!
My favorite tamale joint of all time. Doesn’t matter what you get it’s going to be good. My favorites are the Arizona and the Madison.

Great staff, quick service and delicious vegan tacos! Also, really great homemade salsas at the salsa bar.

Delicious. If you want tamales, there really is no other option if you’re in Tucson. The ingredients are fresh, there are tons of options, and the staff is friendly. They are also super cheap! When we went, they told us they were out of some ingredients on the toppings bar because «it’s been impossible to find tomatoes that meet our standards.» I love the quality control! They list nutritional information on their website so you can get healthier options or more traditional options with cheeses, meats, etc. Vegan and vegetarian options are available as well. Loved the New Delhi, Vegan Blue, and Tucson tamales! While the restaurant is casual and fun to eat at, we prefer to buy them frozen as they are super easy to pop in the microwave and cook. Delicious!

We were headed to a different restaurant, but to our fortune we saw This restaurant on the way. We decided to give it a try. It’s a fantastic place. The staff is extremely helpful in explaining the various choices of tamales. The selection is never ending and everyone tamale we tried was better than the previous. I tried the January special and it was labeled extra spicy and it did not disappoint. My lips were burning, my eyes were watering and my sinuses were cleared! It was delicious.
The salsa was fresh and offered many varieties. The dessert tamales were exceptional. The ambiance is clean and pleasant. Thank goodness they ship.
Clean restrooms, clean restaurant, excellent food and great staff! We may not return to Tucson anytime soon, but we are thrilled that they ship.

We normally LOVE Tucson Tamale. We come a long way from Houston, TX. On a Tuesday (Dec 22), we happened in at about 2 pm. I actually ordered the burrito (new?) which was excellent. However, the attitude of the folks that work there was less than stellar. First, they were out of red salsas. The lady said they had none, the guy found a container of «spicy» which was the very non-​spicy. But 3 of 6 containers were just OUT. Dry. (I have pictures). The burrito and the tamales were good, although my spouses vegan was still frozen in the middle. Our chips were chipped chips, i.e. little crumbs. No salsa anyway. The salad, normally a real winner, was just wilted. We will be back, but probably travel another 25 minutes to the Broadway store. I’ve never seen anything like this there. NEVER an attitude…

We went for lunch for the first timeand weren’t disappointed. The tamales were delicious. The women behind the counter were are friendly, and our food was served quickly. They have a great selection of salsa at the salsa bar. We’ll definitely go back.

Came to pick up a Togo order. Restrooms trash overflowing.
One of the workers got up from Table with a burrito in her hand and a mouthful and went behind the counter for something. Not impressed.

If you come in one hour prior to closing the grill is turned off and they act like you broke their heart walking in the door I could have gone anywhere for my anniversary but I chose this place .
My favorite the black beans are spectacular. I love the burros, okay so we went to another Mexican food restaurant. You can be replaced. Employees and/​or restaurants

Because they seem to have a very official name of Tucson Tamale, I had tried many of their frozen flavors and have been repeatedly dismayed. I thought that perhaps I wasn’t preparing them right and tried out the store, with the same results.
Their chicken/​beef tamales just taste dry, and the cheese-​filled vegetarian tamales are so skimpy on the cheese! We literally dug around our tamale looking for cheese and couldn’t find any on one that was supposed to have cheese.
Shop itself is okay, with indoor and outdoor seating as well as a salsa bar. Service was fast.
Personally I think Reforma has the best tamales in Tucson– it’s my go to when I crave a perfect cheesy/​, well flavored Tamale.

I’m not a fan of tamales but mom loves them. So for her 74^th birthday I phoned in an order for take out. The girl who took the order was difficult. I asked questions but she didn’t seem to have answers. Finally we got clear on 18 tamales and 2 12 Oz sides. Hubby picked it up. The order was missing the 3 green corn, which were the only ones mom wanted. And had 2 8oz sides. called Max who apologized and determined gal took the order wrong trying to save me money. Then the person who filled it didn’t check it. Max offered let me drive 20 to pick them up. Opted to get a refund.
So, their sloppiness ruined what should have been a birthday celebration was a total let down.
Check your order, apparently they don’t always.

We were in the area for a tennis match and referred here by Unilocal.The tomales were fantastic. Good iced tea and Mexican coleslaw as well. No complaints about anything we ordered. Would definitely come back.

Yes, they have a huge variety of tamales. Alton Brown loves them (not a good endorsement IMO). Their salsas are delicious. The fillings are creative, fresh and well prepared.
But, for God’s sake, they don’t use lard in their masa. I mean, really? First, it makes them so light and airy when you whip it into the masa, since it melts out while the tamales steam. It’s not a fat-​bomb either, since the bulk of the fat winds up in the steaming water, not the masa.
Their masa is too dense and pasty for my tastes. Maybe that’s just me.

Tucson Tamale Company is delicious; super psyched when we got one on this side of town! My favorite are their green corn Tamales. They have great prices for a plate or often I grab a dozen or two frozen and take them home for the week. The frozen ones are great because they’re two to a bag and the pouch they come in is microwavable– you just puncture holes into the bag and zap. They never taste like they were frozen.
Their ingredients are fresh and the masa isn’t overly dense– it’s just right. I just now finished dinner and my mouth is watering just thinking about them…
I come here only for their tamales, and they never disappoint.

I have returned many times and can report two things, one try the tamale of the month, especially if its the thanksgiving one. And two if you are lucky enough to get Megan as you cashier you will also get a smile.

Fun to go to a tamale restaurant, even though it had the feeling of a fast food chain. Something we don’t get back home, fresh homemade tamales! Not sure I would order them shipped back to North Carolina, but it was a fun and different treat for us while we were visiting Tucson.

Really good and fresh. A big variety to satisfy all tastes.
I will certainly be back to try the other offerings on the menu.

These are probably some of the best tamales! We got ours frozen to take home as we’re packing my grandmother’s house to move her to California. We didn’t have much time, so we got a bunch of different kinds to try them throughout the day.
The place is easy to find and I liked the inside as well as the patio area. Employees are friendly and got everything we needed right away. As for the tamales, so far we tried the Santa Fe, Santa Cruz, New Delhi, and Tahiti. They have all been delicious!
I’m actually sad I only discovered this place right as we were leaving Tucson… Boo. Well, if I ever pass through, I’ll be sure to remember this place! And I’ll probably dream about those New Delhi tamales every night until then…

I had heard great things about this place and I wasn’t disappointed by the tamales! I got two different tamales and they were both delicious. The service was fast, we got or food very quickly.
The only thing that I didn’t really like was the sides that came with the meal were very small. I was expecting more than a small cup of rice as a side! Other than that it was awesome. I would def go back!

Super fast service! Every single tamale that I try is just absolutely perfect! This location is great with outdoor seating! Super yummy salsa bar. Best part is two tamales and one side cost me $ 7.15! You must try it!

This is not your traditional tamale shop. They’ve done with tamales what the Cornish Pasty Company (in Phoenix) has done with pasties. Instead of your typical selection of veggie, chicken, pork, or beef, you are confronted with a large menu of somewhat off-​the-​wall tamale offerings. I don’t usually like when places stray too far from the classics, but Tucson Tamale does it in a way that really works.
The first decision you have to make is how many tamales you want to order. I got two, the correct answer is three. The second decision you have to make is if you want a side. I got beans and rice, the correct answer is no side (or go for the salad to offset the three tamales). The rice and beans were ok, but nothing compared to the goodness of the tamales. The final decision is what kind of tamales you want to order. The correct answer is… probably any of them. I went with the Santa Fe and the Santa Cruz. The Santa Cruz was the superior specimen, but both were top notch.