Tamaleria Azteca

A neighborhood tamaleria with a walk up window - served in seconds - ideal for a birdchirping sunny day; ideal also for a blustery cloudy day. A tamal from Azteca is best eaten immediately. They decline precipitously when you allow them to cool and reheat later. You expect a drop in quality, but not this much of a drop. You will order the pork and /or the cheese. The lard in the masa will make you happy. A whole serrano pepper is enveloped with the cheese. Don't fear, the fat from cheese and lard and starch of the masa will barricade against the invading force of capsaicin. Insooth, you might want for more heat. Conflagrate the tamal with red chili sauce. You won't order the vegetable, as the veg therein is the frozen bag of peas, green beans and carrots macedoine. You won't order the chicken as it is too often desiccated. You might order a burrito, which comes from the Mission burrito lineage. I like their addition of lettuce.

So, the tamales are big and they were good. I was partial to the protein ones (chicken and pork) - that lard clearly makes them better. I didn't love the corn, it was like an extremely sweet corn bread. The story: I had some friends coming over for a holiday hang, so I texted a few days ahead for a dozen. The guy recommended 2/per person.A few things: They told me salsa was free, and I assumed they just included it, but sadly, no salsa. They also didn't mark which tamale was which, so we played a game of tamale roulette. $40 for a dozen, which included tax, as of Dec 2024.Overall, solid and filling tamales. I think they could step it up a bit with customer experience, but fairly cheap eats and non dry tamales.

Hole in the wall and right in front of the F bus stop is the perfect place for some tamales! I ordered the house special with a pork tamale and added on a cheese tamale, and I was super full. I couldn't finish half of the pork tamale. The tamales here are very hefty but delicious. I loved the cheese tamale because each bite was accompanied with sharp cheddar to balance with the fluffy masa. The beans also tasted very home cooked and the rice was very flavorful. I recommend getting the house special! However beware when you come that there is basically no seating. You can stand or sit on the chairs without tables. I recommend taking a stroll to temescal lake park to enjoy your tamales there!

This used to be my everyday lunch after work. I live a few blocks away and would always go here until they stopped making the green sauce that originally used to be served with the plate. It just goes better with the lettuce and tamale. I've had it with the red sauce and it's not the same! Still very delicious tamales and I still go here for my cravings I just miss that sauce.

You wouldn't even really know this place was here unless you've been here before or were walking on the street. And talk about a whole in the wall!! It's a literal order window!Heard about this spot from one of the field guys at my job and it definitely didn't disappoint. I order the house special with an extra tamale. They have different filling choices which is nice, they offer chicken, pork, cheese, veggie and corn. If you want something a little sweet I definitely recommend the corn tamale! I opted for two chicken and let me tell you......... the meat was tender, flavorful, the masa wasn't dry like a lot of other places. It comes with rice, beans and all the fixings on the tamales (lettuce, crema , queso fresco)Now this isn't a place to sit down and eat but they have an outdoor counter so that's were we enjoyed lunch today. And it was beautiful out so it made it that much better

I finally made it here !!I had to drive around in circles before finally being able to find parking My persistence paid off. No private parking lot Street parking only This place is a TO GO spot only. No inside or outside eating Get your food and be gone kinda of a spot lol Let's start off with the pork tamale ..... comes with a salsa roja that was very good!! I always say if the salsa is good... 10 times out of 10 the food is good !! The tamale itself is really good doesn't really need any salsa but I personally have to put salsa on everything!! Tamales are $3.50 each or 3 for $10 Tamale was a decent size Meat was flavored very well and the masa itself was really good !! Masa is soft and almost creamy (in a good way) and flavorful (Masa was not grainy ) If you know you know !!! I also ordered 2 super tacos One of asada One of chicken Tacos come with cheese, sour cream, green salsa, onion and cilantro ( I of course added salsa roja on top of them) Tacos are ok..... Customer service is friendly and fast Credit cards are accepted I definitely want to come back and try other flavors of tamales I only tried the pork because that is all they had available at the time ....

I finally had a chance to try out Tamaleria Aztecs yesterday after passing by it countless times over the years driving down Market Street. What a hidden gem!My wife and I got two cheese tamales, with one being a house special which included beans and rice, and cotija cheese and shredded lettuce over the tamale. The tamales here are honestly the best tamales that I've ever had. The masa is moist and flavorful, the cheese is evenly distributed inside the tamale, and the peppers inside give just the right amount of kick to not leave you wanting more hot sauce. Though the name of the restaurant would suggest otherwise, you can order tacos and burritos here as well, not just tamales. The Yelp information around cash only is incorrect - they definitely take card (and even have VISA and AMEX stickers on the window).Definitely would recommend stopping by if you're looking for great tamales.

What a gem. Pulled over real quick when I saw Tamaleria, didn't even know this was a thing! Prices are good, tamales are hefty, quality is amazing and the people are sweet. Easy to park. I got a cheese & chili and a chicken and both were delicious!

Like many I randomly noticed this spot.I'm a huge tamale fan and this place hits the spot. Hot, moist and perfectly cooked tamales for a good price. Quick and easy purchase at the window. Not sure why the internet lists it as closed Sundays I've been twice on Sunday and it's been open.

Always great food and great service. They are super responsive via text. It's mostly a to go spot so not really about the ambiance.