State-wide tamale crawl!!!

Everybody get packing and gas up the RV. Or should we charter a bus?

Tamales Don Pepe - yes! Authentic Mexican. Little spot in a rundown strip center just off Stella Link, S. of 610. Excellent food but often out of tamales.

Mamma’s (Bellaire) - not so sure. I went the first year and liked them but haven’t been back.

Alamo ??? Did they go out of the tamale business completely?

I’ve never heard of The Tamale Joint.

One in Katy but nothing in Shiner? Oh Jaymes, so sad. Or do you just make your own?

And Austin - ???

3 Likes

Must be getting about time to place orders for Nochebuena.

2 Likes

Just saw this but, no. I actually drove in from Shiner to Alamo in order to be sure to satisfy our Christmas tamal fix. We still think Alamo are the best. :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

2 Likes

:+1: :+1: :+1: :cowboy_hat_face:That’s the Texas spirit!!!

1 Like

Nudging this toward being an on-going reference thread, a post from the DFW restaurant news thread:

And some philosophical discussion and a brief list from San Antonio:

2 Likes

IMHO the best come from somebody you know who just makes great tamales. The best “in the business” tamales I have had were Ruben’s in San Antonio and that gas station way south on Manchaca in Austin (-ish). Gracious, but I do love tamales. They are great with chili and innumerable other toppings, but my favorite is pink taco sauce, a zingy salsa and crema. I need to try Delia’s (or start a whole head tamelada in the neighborhood).

2 Likes

I remember the old days when the best tamal in Austin could be had at Green & White Grocery. Been trying for years to find some as good.

2 Likes

Not a traditional tamal, but I still miss the vegetarian tamal at Las Manitas, stuffed with mushrooms and squash, topped with a crema based sauce and pecans. Actually I miss pretty much everything about the place.

2 Likes

Gosh. I never had that but it sure does sound good.

The Salvadoran tamal de elote at La Roca in Houston was a revelation - silken texture, just masa with a bit of corn kernels, with a dollop of Crema Salvadorena, a wedge of cheese (likely cotija), and, of course, a cuppa Nescafe Instant :grinning: I never though of using crema on a Tex-Mex tamal - that will be remedied soon.

I hadn’t heard of Las Manitas - wish I had known. Radical Eats was a too-short lived vegetarian/vegan Mexican place here. Never had the regular tamales but had the nacatamal and the enchiladas (mushroom and spinach). Just about take-your-breath-away stuff.

2 Likes

Where was Green and White? What era? Sounds vaguely familiar. All I remember is Kash-Karry and one H.E. Butt Grocery!

Smoked turkey and collards! I think so :yum:

1 Like

Green & White Grocery is still in Austin. But at some point when the father died & the son took over, he stopped doing tamales.

1 Like