Los Hernandez Tamales

The asparagus and cheese tamales are phenomenal! I can’t speak to the meat ones since I’m a vegetarian, however my dad enjoyed them. The asparagus variety are seasonal so get them while they’re hot. Worth the long winter wait. Also, the owner is so friendly and informative. THE person to speak to if you want to make your own!

I have nothing add except my 5 star votes here excellent pork tamalies and salsa, the 59 others have covered it all!

Hands down best tamales! Always so moist and the perfect ratio of meat to masa! Staff is always very friendly.

Had one chicken and one pork. Quite possibly the worst tamales I’ve ever eaten. Bland, undercooked, mushy. Fortunately the salsa was ok but you have to pay more than one tamale to get any!

We bought a dozen pork tamales, and yes, they were a little small, but this fact was more than compensated by the excellent flavor and seasoning of the pork and the fact that there was relatively little dough. We have had better homemade tamales, but just one time, and that was in Southern California where there is a larger Hispanic population and therefore more to choose from. But for commercially made fresh tamales, these were the best that we have had. We live in Newcastle, so we phoned our order in and then drove over to Union Gap the next morning to pick them up. They were ready as promised, and the price was about $ 16 plus tax for the dozen. Unfortunately, the selection is small. Our only options were chicken and pork. They make a cheese tamale but only during asparagus season, as they mix the two. If they offered cheese with jalapeños, we would try them, but they don’t.

This is so funny quit a few years ago I was taking tickets at our high school basketball game and this man came up to pay me. I took his money then he said to me I hear you guys have the best tamales. At first I didn’t know what he was talking about, then he said can you tell me where this tamale place is. He thought it was in Union Gap well as soon as he said that I knew exactly what he was talking about and where to send him. I’ve had their pork tamales and their asparagus ones. Their pork is outta this world delicious. I’m not crazy about asparagus but if you like asparagus then you need to give them a try. I sure hope the man from the basketball game got his tamales. He wasn’t from our area and he was staying over just to get some tamales. Yes, they are that good!!!

Amazing find!!! Love the salsa and tamales best I have ever had!!! They are serving asparagus tamales and they are soooo good! Loved the chicken and the pork! Stop in so worth it!!!

Excellent Tamales! And that’s all you can buy here folks. I like to pick them up to go and every kind I’ve tried was delicious.

This place has incredible tamales. Don’t leave without trying the asparagus and cheese tamale! The prices are exceptional as well. $ 1.50/tamale.
You won’t be disappointed!

They make the tamales fresh! Adorable little brick one room space. Not fancy just delicious. Friendly service. If we weren’t on vacation I would take a dozen to go!

Dropped by on our honeymoon after hearing about this place on a TV program about the Pacific Northwest. Wife and I both had a couple of Asparagus Tamales. Perfect!
Very friendly staff.

Best by far!!! No other tamale compares! And when in season the fresh asparagus n cheese tamale is to die for!

I’ve lived my whole life in Texas, so my standards for tamales are high! Their seasonal asparagus & pepperjack cheese tamales are a must try, but I’ve had better chicken and pork tamales! I don’t mind paying for the salsa, which I think is superb. Zesty and spicy. Los Hernandez is a solid 4 for me.

Really great Pork Tamales! My Husbands family somehow stumbled across this place and now when anyone is in Yakima we all have to stop and pick up a couple dozen to bring back! I have yet to try the Asparagus Tamales but have heard nothing but great things! Only 4 stars because the place could really use a facelift. But I promise if you stop here for Tamales, you will not be disappointed! Sorry no pictures.. . Already scarfed them down! Enjoy!

My girlfriend and I went on a wine tasting road trip to Yakima Valley and Walla Walla Valley this past weekend. When we asked some friends from the area for recommendations, several of them recommended trying the tamales at Los Hernandez Tamales in Union Gap. I’m from Texas where tamales are really popular (and really good), so I was a bit skeptical about a place in Eastern Washington having amazing tamales, but I thought I’d give it a try.
Los Hernandez sells both frozen and fresh tamales. They offer pork and chicken tamales year round, and at the time we visited they also offered jalapeño and cheese tamales. We ordered a dozen of the jalapeño and cheese tamales (~$ 16 for a dozen), a dozen of the chicken tamales (6 fresh, 6 frozen), and one of the pork tamales ($ 1.50 for a single tamale). We also got some salsa. They charge 50 cents for a thimble’s worth of salsa which is kind of silly. I can’t think of any place in Texas that charges for salsa, especially such a small amount.
The tamales were good, but definitely not the best I’ve ever had. The masa was kind of bland and the meats were only slightly more flavorful. The salsa was pleasantly spicy (you could taste the fresh jalapenos in it) and really helped the taste of the tamales. Overall, they were satisfying but not quite hype-​worthy.
I don’t know if I’d go out of my way to get these tamales, but if I was in Union Gap, I’d definitely go back and get some more.

La-​la-​la-​love Los Hernandez! BELIEVE THE HYPE! The seasonal asparagus tamales are a must if you can swing it. Make sure you reserve them ahead of time though. But all the other year-​round flavors — pork, chicken and jalapeño & cheese — are just as delicious. When we’re visiting family in nearby Selah I always stock up on a couple dozen for my freezer. They easily reheat in the oven. Yay tamales!

This Mexican-​American raised in Southern California on Grandma’s homemade tamales gives Los Hernandez 5 stars for sure! Awesome masa, nice filling to mass ratio, and excellent flavor. Had both pork and asparagus.

Wow! Amazing tamales! My wife and I were in the Yakima valley area over Labor Day weekend for a wine tasting adventure. We both love Mexican food and I did some research. All the reviews on this place were awesome so we decided to try it.
The asparagus and cheese tamales were outstanding and the pork tamales were awesome as well. I normally don’t crave tamales when I go out for Mexican, I’m more of a burrito guy, but this place is special.
The flavor is incredible, it melts in your mouth and makes you want to eat more and come back for more. Anyone driving through the area must stop here! It’s well worth the stop.
Excellent!!!

ERMAHGERD!
So, I heard about this place in a round about manner and decided to go snipe hunting. You see, I didn’t get the name of the place, only the location. It’s in a small «suburb» of Yakima. I figured there weren’t too many places specializing in tamales in Union Gap. Thank GERD I was right!
So, I’ll start with the amazing highlight first. When they have them seasonally, Los Hernandez makes startlingly good asparagus tamales. You did read that correctly; I did say asparagus tamales. In truth, the filling is asparagus and cheese. I’m guessing that it’s a quality jack cheese base, but there seemed to be an otherwordly creaminess not typically associated with jack. It could be they’re using some fantastic jack brand or that there’s more to the cheese than just jack… heck, it could even be that I was fatigued by ~200 miles on my motorcycle by then. I don’t think it was the latter. All I know is that the asparagus tamale has become my high-​water mark for tamales of any stripe!
The chicken tamale was nicely balanced, with sufficient filling, with sufficient seasoning, to balance out the masa and create a cohesive, yummy package! The chicken was tender. The masa cooked, but not dried out or overly gelatinous. In other words, constructed and cooked perfectly.
I did get a pork tamale as I have to try and balance. I’m not a pork fan. My foodie credentials were long ago rescinded when it became clear that I dislike or even hate pork and fungus. How can you be a foodie and hate truffles?! Anyway, the pork tamale had the same balance of textures and flavors that made the chicken tamale wonderful. However, the pork suffered in comparison to the chicken and especially to the asparagus simply due to my preferences.
I will dream about that asparagus tamale tonight… and I lament that it’s a 400 mile round trip to get more, but next time, I’m bringing a cooler as Los Hernandez offers take out and even shipping (according to rumor…). Next time, I’m coming and I’ll get ~50 tamales and have a party the next day at home, too!
EDIT: I was talking to the owner on my last visit and he explained that they make their own masa, which explains the wonderful texture of the grain. It’s not heavy and brick-​like the way some tamales arrive. The owner got a gleam in his eye when I nodded and concurred that the masa really is the key foundation and as he said, «You either get it or you don’t!»

Why oh why can’t you have a business on the west side of the cascades?!
These are the best tamales in WA. Actually some of the best I’ve had anywhere.
Perfect consistency, nice flavor.