21 replies to this topic

[Scooby]

While I've had many tamales in TJ, I won't claim expertise.
What I do know is that sometimes they can be dry or wet, some quite tasty and others not.
Oaxaca style have an added flavor to them because they are wrapped in banana leaves.
Size varies from tiny to large.
The biggest I found were a fat seven inches at Col Federal.
Many are sold by roving vendors, some in shops, others at mercados, etc.
Prices I've found were from 8 to 16 pesos.
Vegetarians can can often find tameles sold that are meatless.
Anyone with some added knowledge on this common item,
please let it be known. . .. .

[Alicia]

Ditto, Scooby!

Anyone know of some outstanding tamale vendors in TJ?

-Alicia

[Alicia]

Anyone have suggestions on places to get great tamales here in TJ which are open daily?

[Scooby]

I recently discovered a new place which serves very tasty tamales wrapped in banana leaves (hojas de platanos). This style is often said to be from Veracruz or Oaxaca but is sold all over the place. They can be dry and almost tasteless like many places, but the ones I'm mentioning are moist, flavorfull, and a decent size. The location is cento on Constitution between 9th and 10th directly across from the so-called famous Tacos "Gordos".

As I infered before Alicia, the veggie variety exists but often sparse.
Los hojas estilos son de carne normalmente.

[PLAYAZ]

Hey I only like the belize style tamales in the leaf.
My daughter loves 'sweet' tamales, but I dont know where to find them.
Only place was a restuarant in Rosarito, that gave us one after the meal.
dont know the name but its menu was mostly Mole style? close by to Vinces.

Scoob what is the name of the place u are speaking of?

I got " on Constitution between 9th and 10th directly across from the so-called famous Tacos "Gordos"."

[Pieancho]

There is a family that makes great tamales at Popotla. Take the dirt road along the south wall of the Fox Studios. They set up their van and stand just at the turn into the fish restaurants. The maiz tamales are the best.

[Scooby]

Hey I only like the belize style tamales in the leaf.
My daughter loves 'sweet' tamales, but I dont know where to find them.
Only place was a restuarant in Rosarito, that gave us one after the meal.
dont know the name but its menu was mostly Mole style? close by to Vinces.

Scoob what is the name of the place u are speaking of?

I got " on Constitution between 9th and 10th directly across from the so-called famous Tacos "Gordos"."

That's it Playaz -- across from Tacos Gordo and a few doors down from a tiny but popular panaderia & a whole-in-the-wall parking lot full of a hundred Elvises. :shock:
The tamale joint is fairly nondescript (if not boring!)
It's kind of funny the way the Mexicans refer to everything as having a particular style: Sinaloa, Veracruz, Oaxaca, etc. Now we can include Estilo Belize to the list of banana leaf (hojas) wrapped tamales. One place I recently tried these was in Soler and I asked the type or "style" of theirs to which they didn't know the style;
we agreed to call them Estilo Tijuanense or Cachanilla... 8)

[Tj 4 Rent]

There is a little stand on Calle 3ra across the street from the park lt. guerrero where they sell very good banana leaf style tamales.

[mikethedog]

There is a family that makes great tamales at Popotla. Take the dirt road along the south wall of the Fox Studios. They set up their van and stand just at the turn into the fish restaurants. The maiz tamales are the best.

Great. :roll:
There's only about 20 tamales vendors there.

[hickslayer11]

in the mornings you can get tamales of pork or pollo at the corner of madero and 2

if you are driving down 2 towards san diego exits ---- it is on your left, there is a pemex direcectly across the street

this is also the corner where there are two stands that sell 3 x1 tacos asada
they are great tacos for the price, better than most of the the doller per taco stands in my opinion

the hot tamales are wrapped in bannana leaves and are 15 pesos

[tjglfr]

Great Tamalea accross the street for the Red Cross (Cruz Roja).
I think is 10th or 11th St.

[Sledhead43]

The tamales at calle 2 and Madero are some of the best I ever had !!!!

[Moose]

I love those tamale wrapped in banana leaves. The maiza absorbs some of the flavor from the leaves. Some tamales are too dry which is why I prefer them to be moist.

[sdc]

Best tamales are in Bario Logan in San Diego, Las Cuatro Milpas 1875 Logan Ave. You go here any day there is a line around the block nothing fancy just the best tamales not made by my grandmother....

[Scribbles]

There is a chain of Tamale places in TJ that have very tasty and big tamales. One just opened up near the border here.
El Surtidor Del Tamal they have multiple locations in Tijuana including downtown at 5th and ninos heros and near the Pemex station in Otay near the border.

[zunigan]

I do not like most of the tamales I have gotten here. They use maseca. I have been makeing tamales for the last 40 years and I use masa. I do not mix it with that maseca stuff. I rarely buy tamales because of this. When I want tamales I buy them in the usa from a girl that makes them at my job. They are good. I bring them here, or I buy the masa there and make them here. How can they use this stuff?

[Scribbles]

This sucks, there are 2 new tamale vendors that pass by my house and they fly by at around 20 miles per hour. The older vendors drive by at around 5-10 so you have time to get your shoes on and find your keys and so on. The newest guy has 5 peso tamales and they're very good.

[Scooby]

........They use maseca. I have been makeing tamales for the last 40 years and I use masa.....

So what is the main difference between the two ?

I don't think I'm not very experienced but I've had quite a few tamales in TJ.
To me, most places here serve only tolerable ones because they are usually too dry and lack much flavor.
Then again, maybe that's what they're supposed to be like.
If one doesn't have some variety in quality to choose from, how can somebody compare and form any meaningful opinion ?

I too like visiting the 5th and Ninos Heros place for their types wrapped in las hojas de plantanos.
Definitely need to check out some of the others mentioned, incl. the claimed best in SD's Barrio Logan.

[sdc]

First off all tameles use "masa" that means dough....that is the cornmeal that covers what ever meat or filling is inside the "masa" or tamale...Meseca is lard which is normally used in the "masa" this makes the masa more juicy, moist and rich...All tamales have masa...99% of tamales in Mexico have menseca in the masa..

[TJDave]

First off all tameles use "masa" that means dough....that is the cornmeal that covers what ever meat or filling is inside the "masa" or tamale...Meseca is lard which is normally used in the "masa" this makes the masa more juicy, moist and rich...All tamales have masa...99% of tamales in Mexico have menseca in the masa..

LOL... SDC, I love you man, but you are way off...

You got some things right... all tamales do use "masa" which does constitute the "dough". However, there is no such thing as "Meseca". I think you were trying to say "Manteca" as in manteca de cerdo which is pig fat, or lard.

The earlier post mentioned "MaSeCa", which is a dried masa brand, to which you add water (or broth) and manteca (to make it more moist, as you pointed out).
BTW, MaSeCa is a combination of the words Masa Seca, which literally means dried dough... there is also a brand called "Masabrosa"... those sly Mexican's love their play on words.

You can also buy fresh masa from any tortilleria.

Don't ask me how I know all about this stuff... I just pick it up and it never seems to go away...