La Tamalería

Loved the tamales here! The masa had good flavor and was the perfect texture, not too dry nor too wet. There was a good amount of filling as well. I do wish they provided some salsa, but overall, and I really enjoyed the tamales here!

If only the food tasted as good as the pictures... the service was ok. The ladies don't greet you but they stand there waiting for you to order. The service is quick. Everything is already made, just packaging is what takes time. Tamales are ok. Just ok. Very greasy and mushy. Very moist. The flavor. Just ok. Not salty but not flavorful. Wish there was more to say. The seating area is very close to the pick up area so we were able to hear our order number clearly.

I guess I've been lucky with the service at this tamale shop inside Northgate Mercado. Seeing the negative reviews on here about the workers' attitude makes me wonder if I'm at a different place because it has always been pleasant regardless of their age. I really like the tamales from here. I especially love the banana leaf ones! There are only two flavors for the banana leaf tamales- mole chicken or pork ribs ($4.99 each). I like them both! The masa is flavorful and not dry. However, I always steam them when I reheat at home, so if you take the lazy way and microwave, don't blame them for dry tamales. The banana leaf tamales are also a good size with a good amount of filling.The corn husk tamales ($2.99 each) are also really good. I personally don't like sweet tamales, so I can't speak to those. But I really like the beef and pork tamales - full of flavor and packed with meat! The one big issue I have with this place is that they often sell out or don't make enough of the banana leaf tamales. It's disappointing because I never know if I'm wasting a trip to visit this place because their banana leaf tamales stock is so inconsistent.

I'd skip this place all together if you see younger people working here because I got my tamales with an attitude and it ruined it for me. Not sure if it was a crazy Monday, but I encountered the same attitude all night from the various vendors here at Mercado, but this experience was especially off-putting. I revisited Mercado to sample more food and was eager to try La Tamaleria, especially since there was no one in the queue. Upon reaching the front, I encountered a young girl with pulled back straight, black, hair that was leaning sideways on the counter looking disinterested and unresponsive. I greeted here and asked if I could get a Tamal de Res and a strawberry tamale she remained indifferent and didn't respond and just pushed buttons. Another employee fetching the tamales had to confirm my order and then proceeded to get them for me. Despite the lack of enthusiasm and hospitality from the staff, I paid for my food and left feeling let down and disappointed by the experience. Save your money and time and get your tamales from a lady in the parking lot that made it with love and like her life depends on it.

I was finally able to swing by the north gate mercado and get to try a few of the food stalls within - one of them being La Tamaleria.This place is pretty good and they have a few tamale flavors that I've never had. The flavors that they offer are pork, chicken, beef, sweet corn, jalapeno and cheese, pineapple and strawberry. I thought that the standout tamales were the chicken and sweet corn and if you had only one to choose, definitely give the sweet corn a try for dessert.The others were still good but I'd suggest to stay away from the pineapple one.Pricing for all of the food stalls seemed to be very well priced, especially now with how expensive other restaurants are getting away with charging.The staff was nice and gave a very good recommendation for the sweet corn.

Decent Tamales are served at this place in the North Gate Mercado. They have a bunch of variety including strawberry tamales which I have never heard of until today. I was still in the mood for more savory kind of tamales so I got the Beef and Chiles tamales with rice and beans. The tamales were both tasty and had good flavor but at the end it was still average from what I have tried. But that's not a bad thing as I would still eat here again. I'm definitely interested in trying the other tamales they have available. The only thing is service was a skittle awkward. I see other comments about that and I now get the attitude or the lack of service but at the end of the day I don't expect the best service at counter top service anyways.

We decided to try out La Tamaleria when we visited the amazing Mercado in Costa Mesa. (Fun place with lots of little areas serving different foods.) La Tamaleria serves, you guessed it, Tamales.Very unimpressed. The chicken tamales had so little chicken in them, they should have just been called "masa tamales". And the masa flavor was pretty boring as well. Maybe the tamale maker was having a bad day. But he didn't make us happy for our first time.I was really hoping for something special and was very disappointed. The local lady on my Tustin street corner selling her tamales is so much better than this place. And the counter guy was pretty bored and moved slower than molasses. Maybe other service staff are decently efficient, but not this guy.

Perfect place for holiday tamales! I knew it was good when I saw a long line waiting for these delicious tamales. It's located inside of Northgate towards the front, you can't miss it! There's some seating tables nearby too so you can enjoy. The tamales were delicious!

Don't believe the hate. The food here was super good. We had the tamale combo with one chickens and one pork and also tried the strawberry tamale. They were all amazing. They were cooked perfectly had and went perfectly with the rice and beans. The strawberry tamale was surprising and great! Would totally recommend that and can't wait to try the other flavors. It was weird to taste strawberry in the masa but you really have to try it to understand.

I haven't even read previous posts but I saw the 3.1 stars and thought it was a little high. There only saving grace is the strawberry tamale. There is strawberry in the masa as well as the filling and it's super tender and flaky. I just tried a chicken and I've had beef in the past. They are so lacking in flavor and filling. The chicken tamale I just had only had filling in half the tamale and the chicken had no flavor. The salsa was the only flavor I could taste. So disappointing because so many of the other stands at the market are fantastic. I just with this place would read their reviews and improve their quality.