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December 2020 by Eric F.
Had a craving for tamales and saw this place on Yelp. Stopped by to only find out that this is not a restaurant. They are not set up for dining in or outside. They do catering. I asked if I could buy some tamales and the person said I can order some and come back later today or tomorrow to pick them up. I asked about a minimum order and he said half a dozen ($8.50). I ordered 3 beef, 2 pork, and 1 chili cheese. He said to come back in 5 or 6 hours to pick them up. I came back about 7 hours later and the same guy packed my bag of tamales in the back. When he was packing them, I reminded him of my order. I wanted to have one immediately but all 6 were cold. When I got home, I took my 6 tamales out of the bag to find out that he made an error with my order. He gave me only 1 beef but 3 pork, and 2 chili cheese. I tried all 3 types and my favorite was the pork, then the chili cheese, and lastly the beef. So, based on my tastes, the order he gave me was perfect. To me, the beef was overly seasoned. The pork was good. The chili cheese needed more chili and/or cheese. The masa for all the tamales were good. Food: 3 Service: 3 Value: 3
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December 2019 by Teresa B.
AMAZING! The Maza was savory Not too Greasy and taste really good. They open early and will have orders ready. I will admit placing an order was not easy because I ask a bunch of Questions, but as soon as I tasted the Tamal it all went out the window. AMAZING
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May 2019 by Michelle G.
Satisfied Customer!! I had never been to The Tamale Shop before today. I ordered two dozen of the pork tamales & one of there Chile Cheese for a Cinco De Mayo Celebration at my work. They were absolutely delicious & everyone else thought so too! I highly recommend them for any of your future needs & I wish I would have gotten the name of the gentleman whom helped me. He was very kind & helpful. He even offered to carry them to my car. 5 STARS
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November 2018 by Rose R.
These tamales are legit. The masa is savory on its own. Soft and not too greasy. The filling, we tried beef, pork and Chile cheese, was very good. The pork and beef had just the right amount of moisture so it wasn't dry. He Chile cheese was just spicy enough. Besides the food being delicious, the owner was so nice! We didn't know we had to make an order but when we called he was very accommodating and took our order and had them all ready to go when we came in for pick up. Super nice guy. I'm never buying tamales from anywhere else, if I'm not making them myself I'm buying them here.
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October 2018 by Frank L.
I have been getting tamales from from this place for years they also make homemade tortillas I'm glad they are back you people got a try them
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May 2017 by Mark S.
Al Rodriguez, owner and chef of the Santa Maria tamale shop, hosted a public event at my market, Old Town Market, where he and his staff served up 75 home cooked dinners to my local patrons. Dinner was fabulous which included tamales, quesadilla, taco, rice and beans. Two thumbs up for an excellent dinner.
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December 2016 by Dave C.
Great tamales and ready for pickup when I needed them. Really nice owner as well. I shall return!
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February 2016 by Terii Richard
Gone by this shop several times & there was always a "sold out" sign in the door. This day altho' the sign was up, the door was open & we went in. Al Rodriguez, the owner was as nice & welcoming as could be. He explained that he is a one operator shop & usually runs out of orders early but after hearing that of my many attempts to try his tamales, he made one just for us to sample.
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February 2016 by Johnson Family
My mother's "specialty" was Mexican-food and among her many great dishes, her tamales were my favorite. I have fond memories of those wonderful dinners and I've hoped to find a place that had tamales (almost) as good as the ones mom made. Anytime I've been at a restaurant that had them on the menu or learned of any place that sold them, I've given them a try but I've always been disappointed. So when I noticed the Tamale Shop sign, I had to check it out. As I went through the door, I found a simple setting - a couple tables and a small counter with a kitchen behind it The clerk appeared and I told him that I would like to get a couple tamales to take out. He mentioned three or four options and I settled on one pork and one beef, which he prepared as I watched. We talked a bit and it turned out that he was the owner - and a very pleasant guy. I learned that most of their tamales go out in the morning to restaurants up and down the Central Coast. He ticked off a number of varieties they offer - pork, beef, chicken, vegetarian and several others that I don't recall - I was surprised there were so many. I thanked him, paid and headed home with (as always) high hopes for a taste feast. As soon as I got to our kitchen, I opened one of them and tried it. It was absolutely delicious. While I was eating it, my granddaughter came in, so I gave her a taste. Her reaction was that we should have a tamale dinner ASAP. So, finally, I've found tamales as good as mom made. For our dinner, I also got enchiladas. They make a nice selection of those too and like the tamales, they are truly delicious. In fact, they may be my new favorite.
