Having a group over tomorrow and would like to know the best place to buy homemade tamales (prefer chicken as I'm doing a pork green chile stew). . .any recommendations??

Mexican Bakery on Central, just south of downtown, east side of the street. But I think the "fresh" day is Thursday. If you don't mind frozen, Beef Jerky Emporium sells frozen, packaged tamales from a place in Santa Fe. For frozen, they are really good.

Without a doubt -- Tamales El Patio

http://www.eataroundokc.com/tamales-shady-restaurant-of-the-month/
http://www.okctamales.com/

Cooking Girl on May makes some amazing tamales. She is latina.

Without a doubt -- Tamales El Patio

http://www.eataroundokc.com/tamales-shady-restaurant-of-the-month/
http://www.okctamales.com/

Score!! Having two for lunch right now (chicken with jalapeno)!!

I would bet that those are some of the best tamales ever.
Yet . . . On an existential/epistomological level . . .
Are they really "Homemade"?

As in "Cocino de Youro?" =)

(Please be advised that there is no way I would personally ever go to all of the "trouble/effort" involved in actually making "homemade" tamales. =)

Even if all of the ingredients are readily available at the Buy For Less just up the street. =)

I would bet that those are some of the best tamales ever.
Yet . . . On an existential/epistomological level . . .
Are they really "Homemade"?

As in "Cocino de Youro?" =)

(Please be advised that there is no way I would personally ever go to all of the "trouble/effort" involved in actually making "homemade" tamales. =)

Even if all of the ingredients are readily available at the Buy For Less just up the street. =)

I have done tamales. . . it's definitely not a one person thing. . . great fun for a party. As far as the reference to "homemade". . .perhaps I should have said I wanted something that tasted like homemade. And, OMG, did these fill the bill. And it's certainly not a "traditional" restaurant in any sense of the word. . . their "thing" is definitely tamales. . and (imo) "award-winning, at that!!

Without a doubt -- Tamales El Patio

http://www.eataroundokc.com/tamales-shady-restaurant-of-the-month/
http://www.okctamales.com/
I second this, as well as their elotes!

I have used Digna the tamale lady for year. You can custom order the tamales just the way you like em. I prefer chicken jalapeno. She is sweet, friendly and delivers in the metro area. Try giving her a call at 525-3746.

Without a doubt -- Tamales El Patio

http://www.eataroundokc.com/tamales-shady-restaurant-of-the-month/
http://www.okctamales.com/

Agreed! I drug my hubby there on Sunday to pick some up after church after reading the review on your blog. They were awesome! My 2 year old loved the red pork.

Jalapeño and Cheese from Tamales El Patio are the bomb. Get some elotes while you're there.

I had some today. They were good I thought, 4 other people said they were the best they've ever had. One guy said they were not very good. Hard to say, I liked them, I work near airport so its very close.

We used to buy tamales (guessing they were truly homemade) on Saturday mornings from the trunk of a car on the northwest corner of the Farmer's Market (near Reno and Western). The car hasn't been there lately. Sure do miss those tamales; they were great.

We used to buy tamales (guessing they were truly homemade) on Saturday mornings from the trunk of a car on the northwest corner of the Farmer's Market (near Reno and Western). The car hasn't been there lately. Sure do miss those tamales; they were great.
Haven't seen it in years, but those were the best tamales I've ever had anywhere. If you see the lady again. Please let me know.

Every Saturday, there's an elderly couple that drive up and down Agnew from Exchange to SW 29th selling homemade tamales. They stop at the car wash just S. of Cattleman's around noon and sit there for 30 mins or so selling them. Without a doubt the best I've ever had.

Do they have jalapeño y queso?

Yeah, not fair rcjunkie! Ya gotta tell us what kinds they sell!

rcjunkie, how do the car trunk specials down at the car wash compare to Tamales El Patio on SW 29th just a touch west of I-44?

I can't wait to try Tamales el Patio! Going this week. Thanks for the recs.

Sam's has some frozen pork tamales that are pretty darn good. If you are in a bind and can't get some from the places posted above they will do just fine. They are pretty big also..

rcjunkie, how do the car trunk specials down at the car wash compare to Tamales El Patio on SW 29th just a touch west of I-44?

They're better if you can find them, but El Patio is good.

I haven't heard about any far North side places. I live near Edmond, and I have enjoyed the Mexican place on Memorial near Western, just haven't tried their tamales. Any suggestions?
C. T.

Every Saturday, there's an elderly couple that drive up and down Agnew from Exchange to SW 29th selling homemade tamales. They stop at the car wash just S. of Cattleman's around noon and sit there for 30 mins or so selling them. Without a doubt the best I've ever had.

Husband tells the story about how an elderly woman, what appeared to be her daughter and a young child came knocking at his door about 20 years ago. They couldn't speak a word of english but he figured out that they were selling tamales from a freezer that they were taking from door to door. He felt sorry for them so bought 3 - 4 packages of tamales, not expecting them to be that good. Twenty years later, he still raves about how wonderful they were and how he would go outside in the evening for weeks after that, hoping to see them hawking their stuff, again. They never came back.

I haven't heard about any far North side places. I live near Edmond, and I have enjoyed the Mexican place on Memorial near Western, just haven't tried their tamales. Any suggestions?
C. T.because good authentic Mexican or almost anything besides chain restaurants are hard to find in far north OKC suburbia.

VIP,
Well maybe they will freeze. I'm off this morning from far North East OKC to far South West OKC. I'm not a good judge but will give you my opinion after I have tried a couple. I'm going to pick up a few other things in the area while I am there to make a couple of frozen meals plus one meal for tonight.
C. T.

because good authentic Mexican or almost anything besides chain restaurants are hard to find in far north OKC suburbia.

The Beef Jerky Emporium on Danforth at Kelly brings them in frozen from Santa Fe. The chicken and green chile are pretty good.

Debzkidz,
I have tried those and they are good. Two problems, a little pricey and I prepare meals for one, so five or six is a waste since they are frozen so solid. I had to use a hammer to separate the frozen tamales and ended up thawing out too many the second time I served them. They are from New Mexico. I want to get some fresh ones and freeze two in several vacuum sealed packages. If that doesn't work, it's back to the Beef jerky place. If I could partially thaw them, that would work too.
C. T.

The Beef Jerky Emporium on Danforth at Kelly brings them in frozen from Santa Fe. The chicken and green chile are pretty good.

The Beef Jerky Emporium on Danforth at Kelly brings them in frozen from Santa Fe. The chicken and green chile are pretty good.

Mexican Tamales - imported from Sante Fe.....

Well, 43 miles r/t, I hope they are good. I did make a mistake and bought what I thought were ala carte tacos, burritos, and beans and rice. I ended up with three Mexican dinners in three styrofoam containers. Not exactly what I was expecting but it does appear to be true Mexican food so I will figure out some way to freeze them.
C. T.

I agree they are pricey and I don't buy them all the time. There's just 2 of us, so I just thaw them out, then separate them into appropriate serving sizes and refreeze them.

A couple of additional ideas for the north side.

Chalos Tacos (NW 50th and Rockwell) has some pretty good tamales for cheap. The poblano and cheese are vegetarian and good for something different.
The Shamrock Station at NW 50th and Portland has some surprisingly good food for cheap. They have tamales for $1.50 each and they are pretty good sized. The chicken with green chili version was very good.

Debzkidz,
I didn't know I could thaw and refreeze. If I'm not happy with the El Patio ones (at 1 dozen for $13) I will give the Beef Jerky Emporium again and try that.
C. T.

I agree they are pricey and I don't buy them all the time. There's just 2 of us, so I just thaw them out, then separate them into appropriate serving sizes and refreeze them.

A couple of additional ideas for the north side.

Chalos Tacos (NW 50th and Rockwell) has some pretty good tamales for cheap. The poblano and cheese are vegetarian and good for something different.
The Shamrock Station at NW 50th and Portland has some surprisingly good food for cheap. They have tamales for $1.50 each and they are pretty good sized. The chicken with green chili version was very good.I'll have to try Chalos pepper y queso ones. If you know of anyone else who makes that kind besides El Patio, let me know, they're my fab but hard to find.

When, I worked at Leam. Near Morgan and 10th. A mexican lady came every friday. 10.00 for a dozen. She had homemade sauce. Pretty good. She must go to many of the businesses.

I had some this weekend at a friends house, they got them from a Mexican lady she works with who makes and sells them for extra money.... they were delicious.

Los Comales on Agnew

Digna and Alisara, used to travel the bar circuit, under the thumb of Glenn, their cruel boss. They had the best tamales I've ever eaten (I'm from the Rio Grande Valley, for the record). After Glenn died, the girls kept making the same great tamales for years, and traveled the bars (Thursday night, for Midwest City) with their ice chests full of pork and chicken tamales. However, my wife and I quit doing the "bars" after we got into our late 50's (and decided to start a family). I still judge all tamales by Digna's, and would love to know if anyone still sees them? The phone number in this thread (from 2011) is no good anymore. PLEASE HELP!!!