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A spread of tamales with green and orange salsa.
Monkey’s Tail offers red chile pork and green chile chicken tamales during the holidays.
Becca Wright

17 Top Places for Tamales in Houston

From food trucks to full-service restaurants, these spots have bountiful tamale options

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Monkey’s Tail offers red chile pork and green chile chicken tamales during the holidays.
| Becca Wright

Like waiting overnight for a Flying Saucer pie at Thanksgiving, tamales are a Houston holiday tradition. Sure, they’re not hard to find in the city year-round, but it’s leading up to Christmas when restaurants, food trucks, and bakeries pull out all the stops, offering sweet and savory varieties — some through Christmas Eve.

Scarfing down a half-dozen may not take long, but plenty of effort and hours of labor go into preparing each one hand. Behold 16 destinations that have thoughtfully prepared tamales for Houstonians this holiday season.

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Balderas Tamale Factory

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What began as a husband-and-wife team making tamales out of their house has since grown to become a trusted restaurant serving San Antonio-style eats on Jones Road. Get beef, pork, chicken, or bean and cheese tamales by the dozen and half-dozen. Missed the deadline to pre-order? Tamales are available at the restaurant through Christmas Eve.

JQ’s Tex Mex BBQ

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This Tex-Mex and barbecue pop-up has been on the move this year, but just in time for holiday season, it’s staying still enough for you to order some tamales. Try the brisket tamales or the spicy red pork tamales — both $24 a dozen.

El Alebrije (Food Truck)

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Parked at Northside brewery Astral Brewing, this food truck brings comforting and exciting street food straight from Oaxaca. Try its best-selling tlayudas, street tacos, flautas, and its deep-fried chicken tamales. A rarity in Houston but a common Oaxacan, the two tamales are steamed in their corn husks, then deep-fried and covered in sour cream, pico de gallo, and queso fresco for a decadent snack. If seeking tamales by the dozen, you’re in luck. The food truck, which also offers catering, sells chicken or rajas tamales — the latter a combination of tomatoes, onions, peppers, and cheese — by the dozen for $15. Call the truck to place your order ahead of time.

Alamo Tamales & Taco

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Available year-round, Alamo is a go-to for both machine-made ($10) and handmade tamales ($16-$17). Though the best-seller is the tender pork-stuffed tamales, you can also get your hands on chicken, beef, jalapeno cheese, and bean tamales, plus sweet tamales during the holidays.

Sylvia's Enchilada Kitchen

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If you weren’t able to make it to one of chef Sylvia Casares’ tamale-making classes this season, both locations of her restaurant Sylvia’s Enchiladas will offer chicken, pork, and a combination of the tamales for $22 a dozen through December 31. For those ordering in bulk, buy five dozen and get an additional 12 tamales for free. Orders can be made by phone or online.

This Mexican restaurant, which prides itself on its many corn offerings, should be an obvious choice for tamales, which come stuffed with pork in green tomatillo sauce, chicken in red mole, or rajas. Order tamales to-go by the dozen for $24 or in a package of six through December 23 either online, over the phone, or in person.

An opened chicken tamale at Maize, topped with red mole, crema, and micro greens.
Maize offers delicious tamales to go by the half or full-dozen.
Becca Wright

Cyclone Anaya's Tex-Mex Kitchen

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All six locations of Cyclone Anaya’s will offer pork tamales this holiday season. Choose between tomatillo or chili gravy, with a half dozen for $14 and a full dozen for $26. Pre-order by December 22 for pick up at any location on Christmas Eve before 7 p.m.

A platter of tamales
All six Cyclone Anaya’s locations will offer tamales through Christmas Eve.
Lisa Gochman

Goode Co. Kitchen & Cantina

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Houston restaurant empire Goode Company will sell pork tamales daily by the dozen for $25 at its Kitchen & Cantina and Goode Co. Taqueria, with chili gravy and cheese available for ordering on the side. Be sure to order 24 hours ahead.

El Bolillo Bakery

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This iconic Mexican bakery is known for its plentiful baked goods, pastries, and famed whole tres leches cakes, but it’s also a reliable destination for tamales. Have a fierce masa craving in January? Find tamales sold here year-round.

Monkey's Tail

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Monkey’s Tail’s tamales have made a comeback for the holidays and are available daily during the winter season. Red chile pork and green chile chicken varieties are $16 for a full dozen and $9 for a half, and come with salsa verde and roja.

A closeup of tamales in a basket.
Monkey’s Tail tamales are $16 per dozen
Becca Wright

The Original Ninfa's Uptown

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Though Ninfas is typically credited for its fajitas, this Tex-Mex haven will celebrate the holiday season with handmade tamales through December. Ninfa’s veteran Maria Chavez will handmake carnitas con chile verde tamales, which are available by the dozen for $24, and rajas con queso, made with thin strips of nopales, poblano peppers, onions, and queso, for $20 for dozen. Cover your bases and be sure to order dessert with the mermelada de pina y coco tamales, which are stuffed with pineapples stewed in piloncillo, Kahlua, and warm spices. Though available at both locations for pick-up, guests are encouraged to pick up their tamales from the Uptown location.

An assortment of the Original Ninfa’s tamales served with salsa.
Maria Chaves, the Original Ninfa’s employee of 24 years, makes its tamales by hand.
Sergio Trevino

Arnaldo Richards' Picos Restaurant

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Picos tamale stand is back for the holidays, making it easy for Houstonians to stock up on the go. The outdoor kiosk, located onsite at the Upper Kirby restaurant, features Norteno-style and Oaxacan-style tamales, wrapped in banana leaf, alongside Picos’ moles, queso, and salsas.

James Beard Award-winning chef Hugo Ortega continues the tamale tradition at each of his restaurants. Order tamales stuffed with chicken mole poblano, mushroom pipian, pork cochinita, or chile muya from Hugo’s; mushroom tamales, chicken with salsa costeña, or pork with mole coloradito at Caracol; or pork with adobo or pecho de res tamales at Urbe — all for $24 a dozen.

An opened pork tamale at Hugo’s, topped with salsa verde, crema, and radish, and plated on a corn husk.
Chef Hugo Ortega makes tamales available at all of his restaurants.
Paula Murphy

Tacos A Go Go Midtown

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Tacos A Go Go is offering jumbo tamales in spicy pork and vegan varieties, available by the half-dozen. Find the Texas-sized tamales at any one of the restaurant’s five locations. Get them while you can — these babies make an appearance only during the holiday season.

Molina's Cantina

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These tamales are so good, they were shipped via plane and hand-delivered to the White House when the Bushes were in office. Available for pick-up through New Year's Day, find Molina’s tamales stuffed with chili-laced braised pork or the original chili con carne tamales, which date back to 1941, for $14 a dozen this season. All orders should be made at least 48 hours ahead of planned pick-up.

A pile of Molina Cantina’s tamales in corn husks with a side of salsa verde and a glass of iced tea.
Molina’s Cantina offers tamales made from a family recipe that dates back to the 1940s.
Julie Soefer

Cochinita & Co.

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Cochinita & Co. is offering tamales in vegetarian, non-vegetarian, and vegan varieties. Pork, chicken, roasted vegetables, and cheese with poblano peppers are $13.75 for a half-pound and can be pre-ordered conveniently by text. Submit your request, and receive an invoice texted back immediately to complete the order.

Bob's Taco Station

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This Rosenberg restaurant has earned a reputation for its carne asada, barbacoa, and some of the best pork and chicken tamales in Fort Bend County, which are available daily for $22 a dozen or $12 for a half-dozen, be sure to get its gravy or salsas on the side for some added spice.

Balderas Tamale Factory

What began as a husband-and-wife team making tamales out of their house has since grown to become a trusted restaurant serving San Antonio-style eats on Jones Road. Get beef, pork, chicken, or bean and cheese tamales by the dozen and half-dozen. Missed the deadline to pre-order? Tamales are available at the restaurant through Christmas Eve.

JQ’s Tex Mex BBQ

This Tex-Mex and barbecue pop-up has been on the move this year, but just in time for holiday season, it’s staying still enough for you to order some tamales. Try the brisket tamales or the spicy red pork tamales — both $24 a dozen.

El Alebrije (Food Truck)

Parked at Northside brewery Astral Brewing, this food truck brings comforting and exciting street food straight from Oaxaca. Try its best-selling tlayudas, street tacos, flautas, and its deep-fried chicken tamales. A rarity in Houston but a common Oaxacan, the two tamales are steamed in their corn husks, then deep-fried and covered in sour cream, pico de gallo, and queso fresco for a decadent snack. If seeking tamales by the dozen, you’re in luck. The food truck, which also offers catering, sells chicken or rajas tamales — the latter a combination of tomatoes, onions, peppers, and cheese — by the dozen for $15. Call the truck to place your order ahead of time.

Alamo Tamales & Taco

Available year-round, Alamo is a go-to for both machine-made ($10) and handmade tamales ($16-$17). Though the best-seller is the tender pork-stuffed tamales, you can also get your hands on chicken, beef, jalapeno cheese, and bean tamales, plus sweet tamales during the holidays.

Sylvia's Enchilada Kitchen

If you weren’t able to make it to one of chef Sylvia Casares’ tamale-making classes this season, both locations of her restaurant Sylvia’s Enchiladas will offer chicken, pork, and a combination of the tamales for $22 a dozen through December 31. For those ordering in bulk, buy five dozen and get an additional 12 tamales for free. Orders can be made by phone or online.

Maize

This Mexican restaurant, which prides itself on its many corn offerings, should be an obvious choice for tamales, which come stuffed with pork in green tomatillo sauce, chicken in red mole, or rajas. Order tamales to-go by the dozen for $24 or in a package of six through December 23 either online, over the phone, or in person.

An opened chicken tamale at Maize, topped with red mole, crema, and micro greens.
Maize offers delicious tamales to go by the half or full-dozen.
Becca Wright

Cyclone Anaya's Tex-Mex Kitchen

All six locations of Cyclone Anaya’s will offer pork tamales this holiday season. Choose between tomatillo or chili gravy, with a half dozen for $14 and a full dozen for $26. Pre-order by December 22 for pick up at any location on Christmas Eve before 7 p.m.

A platter of tamales
All six Cyclone Anaya’s locations will offer tamales through Christmas Eve.
Lisa Gochman

Goode Co. Kitchen & Cantina

Houston restaurant empire Goode Company will sell pork tamales daily by the dozen for $25 at its Kitchen & Cantina and Goode Co. Taqueria, with chili gravy and cheese available for ordering on the side. Be sure to order 24 hours ahead.

El Bolillo Bakery

This iconic Mexican bakery is known for its plentiful baked goods, pastries, and famed whole tres leches cakes, but it’s also a reliable destination for tamales. Have a fierce masa craving in January? Find tamales sold here year-round.

Monkey's Tail

Monkey’s Tail’s tamales have made a comeback for the holidays and are available daily during the winter season. Red chile pork and green chile chicken varieties are $16 for a full dozen and $9 for a half, and come with salsa verde and roja.

A closeup of tamales in a basket.
Monkey’s Tail tamales are $16 per dozen
Becca Wright

The Original Ninfa's Uptown

Though Ninfas is typically credited for its fajitas, this Tex-Mex haven will celebrate the holiday season with handmade tamales through December. Ninfa’s veteran Maria Chavez will handmake carnitas con chile verde tamales, which are available by the dozen for $24, and rajas con queso, made with thin strips of nopales, poblano peppers, onions, and queso, for $20 for dozen. Cover your bases and be sure to order dessert with the mermelada de pina y coco tamales, which are stuffed with pineapples stewed in piloncillo, Kahlua, and warm spices. Though available at both locations for pick-up, guests are encouraged to pick up their tamales from the Uptown location.

An assortment of the Original Ninfa’s tamales served with salsa.
Maria Chaves, the Original Ninfa’s employee of 24 years, makes its tamales by hand.
Sergio Trevino

Arnaldo Richards' Picos Restaurant

Picos tamale stand is back for the holidays, making it easy for Houstonians to stock up on the go. The outdoor kiosk, located onsite at the Upper Kirby restaurant, features Norteno-style and Oaxacan-style tamales, wrapped in banana leaf, alongside Picos’ moles, queso, and salsas.

Hugo's

James Beard Award-winning chef Hugo Ortega continues the tamale tradition at each of his restaurants. Order tamales stuffed with chicken mole poblano, mushroom pipian, pork cochinita, or chile muya from Hugo’s; mushroom tamales, chicken with salsa costeña, or pork with mole coloradito at Caracol; or pork with adobo or pecho de res tamales at Urbe — all for $24 a dozen.

An opened pork tamale at Hugo’s, topped with salsa verde, crema, and radish, and plated on a corn husk.
Chef Hugo Ortega makes tamales available at all of his restaurants.
Paula Murphy

Tacos A Go Go Midtown

Tacos A Go Go is offering jumbo tamales in spicy pork and vegan varieties, available by the half-dozen. Find the Texas-sized tamales at any one of the restaurant’s five locations. Get them while you can — these babies make an appearance only during the holiday season.

Molina's Cantina

These tamales are so good, they were shipped via plane and hand-delivered to the White House when the Bushes were in office. Available for pick-up through New Year's Day, find Molina’s tamales stuffed with chili-laced braised pork or the original chili con carne tamales, which date back to 1941, for $14 a dozen this season. All orders should be made at least 48 hours ahead of planned pick-up.

A pile of Molina Cantina’s tamales in corn husks with a side of salsa verde and a glass of iced tea.
Molina’s Cantina offers tamales made from a family recipe that dates back to the 1940s.
Julie Soefer

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Cochinita & Co.

Cochinita & Co. is offering tamales in vegetarian, non-vegetarian, and vegan varieties. Pork, chicken, roasted vegetables, and cheese with poblano peppers are $13.75 for a half-pound and can be pre-ordered conveniently by text. Submit your request, and receive an invoice texted back immediately to complete the order.

Bob's Taco Station

This Rosenberg restaurant has earned a reputation for its carne asada, barbacoa, and some of the best pork and chicken tamales in Fort Bend County, which are available daily for $22 a dozen or $12 for a half-dozen, be sure to get its gravy or salsas on the side for some added spice.

Related Maps