Tamale Boy
1764 NE Dekum St, Portland, OR, 97211
Tamale Boy Menu
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Address :
1764 NE Dekum St
Portland, OR, 97211 - Phone (503) 206-8022
- Website https://www.tamaleboy.com
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Tue
- Mon :Closed
Specialities
- Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Accepts Bitcoin : No
Parking : Street
Bike Parking : Yes
Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
Caters : Yes
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Gerardo R.
The owner is such a great host! Genuinely kind and always smiling. They just opened their new restaurant! Great food! Definitely the spot to hit up for great tamales. The beans con puerco are excellent. Esquites are also bomb. Can't go wrong with anything on their menu.
(5)Jenny M.
BACKGROUND - I'm a Mexican food junkie...my friends often have wondered why I was not born Hispanic instead of Asian. PROS - Both kinds of tamales (corn husk and banana leaf) are delicious. I had both kinds with chicken as well as the vegetarian option. CONS - None. POINTERS - I support this tamale business in every way possible. I vote Tamales to lead our nation!
(5)Don B.
Best tamales I've ever had. Hands-down. No question. Jaime makes up both styles - Oaxaqueño (wrapped in banana leaf) and Norteño (wrapped in corn husk). For my money, it's all about the banana-leaf tamales, which come in mole chicken and veggie (vegan) form. I've never been able to try the dessert tamales he offers since I'm always stuffed from the main event. Plus, it's all about the savory anyway. A meal here would not be complete without a side of the frijoles puercos, beans refried with a variety of pork products. They're so oinky and delicious. But even if you're vegan and/or gluten free, there are multiple tasty tamale and side-dish options from the limited menu. Everyone wins! The only down-side to this cart is that it doesn't have a permanent location and only pops up every once and a while. It's mostly catering and event-driven, but will make deliveries for large groups (see his site). So if you want this tamale deliciousness you have to stalk the cart hard. But the rewards are probably worth it.
(5)Mish M.
After living in Tucson for many years, I thought I'd had the best Mexican food to be found without actually going to Mexico. I was wrong, at least when it comes to tamales, because Tamale Boy is it. My favorite is the chicken mole Oaxaqueño tamale. So. Much. Flavor. I could go on and on about how incredible and moist their tamales are, how reasonable their prices are, or how awesome Mr Tamale Boy Jaime is, but I'll do you an even bigger favor: I'll cut to the chase. Find out where Tamale Boy is and go there. Just get in your car and drive! I only wish they had a permanent location. Make sure to pick up extras.
(5)Christy L.
The tamales were amazing! Flavor AND presentation. Super friendly and I loved how they made table side guacamole! It's across town for us, but we will be back! Cute outdoor space too!
(5)Kaysey C.
I have never written a Yelp review about anything, but I love this place so much I feel compelled to say something! The tamales are absolutely delicious (cochinita pibil and chile verde are my favorite). The guacamole is fantastic. The drinks are wonderful. In addition to the fabulous food, the service is outstanding and the patio is massive and welcoming. Forget Por Que No- I'm a Tamale Boy convert!
(5)Robert C.
Tamale Boy is awesome. l loved the tamles and amazingly the beans and Spanish rice were good as well. they do the little things well and that is the diference between good and great. I cant wait to go back. cmon man real the fricken ochata was the best i have ever had ...well maybe not the best both my grandmas are mexican..it was Hella good though.
(5)Liz S.
Nestled in between homes in the neighborhood, the brand new space is beautifully decorated and the food is outstanding. The service is fast and accommodating and the prices are right - $4.50 for a Oaxacan tamale? Yes please. I lived in Nicaragua and fell in love with their Nacatamales, and while I can't find them anywhere in Oregon, the Oaxacan pork tamales from the Tamale Boy are a close replacement. You can even buy in bulk and save 50 cents per tamale. I will most definitely be returning - soon.
(5)Daniel P.
This cart is among the most straight forward in town, from the straight forward name to the simple menu. Fortunately, what it lacks in glamour it more than makes up for with quality. Some of the best tamales in town come from here, offering a real made at a home freshness, but sized like you would hope to find at a restaurant north of the border. If you want my recommendation, grab a veggie norteno for the most flavor. And don't miss out on having the beans at least once - rich and flavorful, they're a surprisingly indulgent counterpoint to the moist masa of the tamales.
(4)Jessica S.
Great tamales! I mean being from Texas where Tamales are around every corner, i'm totally excited to find somewhere that has true tamales(this is a real art form) and they taste great. I mean they even come wrapped like little presents with bows on them, which is fancier than I have ever made tamales. I mean i'm good with just folding up the end so you can stack them in the pot but the ribbon is cute. So I am totally a Norteno as far as upbringing, but I have had tamales from over the mountain (Oaxaqueño) and those are great too. Banana leaves will a taste on the food, but if you don't know the difference you won't notice the taste. It's not a bad taste just different so naturally those tamales have a different taste than what I am used to. So traditionally for Christmas we'll make pork tamales so i had to try one of the boy's! The pork is cooked to perfection. This means it shreds the right way in order for the meat to pull out of the tamale without you making a mess. I will go back to try the Oaxaqueño! The beans I got to taste later at the Food Mobile Fest. These beans are full of flavor. You get spoonfuls of plump beans mixed with chunks of pork with a big bite! Haven't tried the dessert ones yet, but maybe. So take the time to track this truck down, sometimes it's hard because there is no permanent spot but find him on facebook and then it's no trouble seeing where he is posted up. Oooh also I think he may have a late night spot that he is trying out, just saw the post on fb like yesterday.
(5)Celso N.
Every year starting on the day before Noche Buena, Christmas Eve, my mother will begin cooking tamales. After two days of work there will be hundreds of tamales scattered across the kitchen. This exact process is replicated in almost all the Mexican households in the neighborhood. There is, at this juncture, a problem of excess, there are way too many tamales that a single family could not possibly eat. How strange! What happens on Noche Buena and subsequent days is a very interesting sociological phenomenon. Everyone distributes these "excess" tamales to neighbors, friends, extended family, etc. Trips to see an aunt or cousin are grouped together and are sometimes little more than a "tamale exchange". There are even overnight packages with dry ice shipped around the country... really. This is the world I grew up in. I, like many kids I grew up with, knew what each other's mother's tamales tasted like. For the aforementioned reason I feel very comfortable saying I am an expert in homemade tamales. Wrapped in corn husk, corn leaves, banana leaves, etc, I have tried them all. Now, on to the topic at hand, this Tamale Boy fella. These tamales are among the best I have ever had. Here are my impressions on the menu after 10+ visits: Norteños - These are your standard corn husk wrapped tamales. They are always fresh and have a good filling to masa ratio. The chicken with the garlic and chipotle is my fave of these. Oaxaqueños - These are banana leaf wrapped tamales. It may be that you have never seen these and not sure about them. Believe me when I say that you owe it to yourself to try one of these. The Mole Negro is my favorite, it has a slight kick that is balanced out by a slight sweetness that it absorbed from being steamed in the banana leaf. One is very filling, but if your happen to order two, the second one will make excellent leftovers. Frijoles Puercos - This translates to "Pork Beans". With bacon, ham, and chorizo cooked in with the beans, they are crack. You may find yourself licking the bottom of the flimsy tray that they are served in. Do so proudly. If there are any naysayers, they have obviously not experienced this deliciousness. Nevermind them. Bring along your Veggie/Vegan/GF friend. There are many other delicious options for them that I didn't cover. Go find this guy, check his website, twitter, FB, etc. He moves around, but the hunt is worth it! ¡Buen Provecho!
(5)Valerie W.
Chicken tamale in a banana leaf....what more needs to be said because it was gah damn delicious. I could eat half a dozen of these bad boys, but alas that would likely not be a good idea. You can order the regular style wrapped in a corn husk but I like the way the banana leaves make it taste...I duno...different....nom nom nom. The prices are more than reasonable for what you get. $5 vs. $3 if you want the banana leaf (Oaxaqueño). The salsa is quite good as well. Certainly the best tamales in town!!
(5)Jan W.
After I had the tamales from the Tamale Boys at one of the Yelp events I can never go back to a regular tamale again! The fillings were delicious and had just the perfect amount of spicy kick which left me wanting for more! Usually I would deter away from ordering veggie tamales, but if they are from the Tamale Boys I would order them in a heartbeat! The difference between Tamale Boys' tamales and others are that they seasoned the corn meal with perfection to compliment whatever the fillings. I wish they have a permanent location in Beaverton because I'll sure be one of the many potential regulars in line!
(5)Crystal D.
A little bit of home...finally! Ive had all types of tamales. Mind you its a staple back home in Tx. More so a tradition. We get together around the holidays and make a TON. Mind you they arent as big as the ones Tamale boy has and we traditionally use a cows head for the meat...I KNOW.. GROSS! Dont knock it until you try it. But, being here in Oregon I feel I cant find ANY good mexican food, let alone tamales. SO.. from the chicken to the veggie. I had a veggie one at the Boas and Bowties event along with ceviche that could go against any ceviche Ive tried from Tx to Cali. THE ONLY ISSUE is the price..mind you they are large, but we are used to paying no more than 15$ a doz back home. I tack that up with all the special ingredients. Being oragnic, gluten free and fresh ingredients. I would pay over and over that price to eat something thats worth a million bucks!
(4)Rosie R.
Went here with my husband recently. He was excited about it and gave his savory tamales the thumbs-up, but I was disappointed. I ordered a burrito al pastor - the rice and beans were well-seasoned, but the meat was bland and had not been cooked long enough to break down the fat, which kept showing up in big rubbery chunks. At home, we do slow-cooked pork shoulder enough to know that this needed a few more hours over the stove. The smear of guac on the plate, while tasty, was itty bitty. We also ordered a dessert tamale, peanut butter crunch with seasonal preserves, which we both agreed was not something we would order again. There was no crunch - just soggy peanut chunks. The grape jelly tasted suspiciously of grape-flavored Koolaid, though it had dissolved into the masa too much to really tell what it might have been. Overall, kinda gross, and a waste of $2. I really wanted to like this place. Perhaps they're just having some growing pains, but based on our visit, I'd say Tamale Boy is a one-trick pony. Just stick with the tamales, perhaps?
(2)Lisa E.
Tried the chicken tamale at the Yelp event last night. Hands down one of the best I've ever had. Tamales are historically dry for me and not my favorite. Tamale Boy's were delicious, soft, moist and flavorful. Loved the spicy salsa too!
(5)Lisa K.
If you are convinced you don't like tamales, you have to try Tamale Boy's tamales. You'll be singing a new song. At least that's what happened to me. If all tamales were as good and inventive as theirs, I would've been eating these things years ago. Better late than never, I suppose. The crew is energetic and you can tell they love what they're doing. Maybe that's the secret ingredient in their tamales that puts them on a tier to their own. Thanks Tamale Boys for showing me what a good tamale tastes like!
(5)Tyler A.
The most amazing, "light" fluffy tamales. Thanks to the intro at the plaid Yelp Elite event, my life has kind of changed a bit. Ordered 3 dozen for my office holiday party last night and they were amazing. I am a huge fan of the oaxaca style banana leaf pork tamale. Cannot wait to try the other styles, I am going to order an array for our xmas - I cannot wait! Not to mention, Jaime delivered the tamales himself. I cannot wait to have a reason and the budget to have the truck come do an event for me. I am pretty sure there is a spot opening on Alberta St's 15th Ave pod, PLEASE set a truck there!!!
(5)A. F.
Tamale Boy is ok and the price is ok. However, I will measure all tamales against the ones that this little kid slangs door-to-door from the trunk of his parents' old Jetta here in NE Portland every Sunday... those tamales are BOMB and the kid is a hustler. Tamale Boy needs to hire the real tamale boy
(3)Jessica M.
I'm a lucky girl! I assumed this food cart was down town so I called them up and they told me they are in Tigard every thursday at 13333 68th Place I just so happen to be heading that way. They were a little tricky to find but I found them and I'm so glad I did. I ordered 2 banana leaf tamales one chicken and one veggie and 2 regular pork tamales they were all soooo good I think my favorite might have been the veggie. The best part of the whole meal was the frijoles puercos OMG best beans I'be EVER had. There salsa is amazing as well every thing went together so nicely! I will be back next thursday :0)
(5)Chris O.
Hands down the BEST tamales I've ever had! These are big ones too. I think the banana leaf tamales are bit more moist. The beans are also great.
(4)Sara H.
I have never liked Tamales before, but one bite into the Tamale Boy's vegetable tamale I was sold. Chicken was great, too. Is it the banana leaf? I don't know, but it was amazing. I've been trying to figure out when I'm going to get some again soon!
(5)Christy H.
I am so glad these little gem just opened up their first official restaurant. I love going to the cart during lunch time and now having multiple options makes it even better! The new location is awesome. I love the space and the large outdoor patio makes a great spot for entertaining large groups. The menu here is simple and to the point. Tamales, in both corn and banana leaves, along with a few side items like corn, beans, and rice. They also have some yummy mixed drinks including one of the best margaritas EVA!! The corn husk tamales are tasty. They are a little smaller than the banana leaf tamales. Both are super moist. My personal favorite corn husk tamale is the pork chile verde. I tried the mole negro yesterday and was very impressed. A little bit of spice to the sauce added nicely to the flavor. The beans are THE BOMB! The tins pieces of bacon make it so amazing. I also love the pickled onions! The service here is unbelievable. Everyone here loves what they are doing. They are all full of smiles and here to make sure you are happy with your meal. Last time I was in one of the chefs gave me a sample of their latest coffee drink. They added orange peel and some cinnamon. It was delicious! Oh...and you can also get large bulk orders to go....or have them do catering for an event you are planning!
(5)April C.
Great opening day! I had never been able to try the food cart so I was really happy to be able to make it over for opening day on my lunch break. I tried the vegetale and tinga de pollo tamales and both were spot-on. The masa was light and very flavorful and the fillings were delicious as well. I tried the corn side dish and it was spicy (I have a wimpy tolerance for spice) but any normal person would think it was the perfect balance of spice, sweet, and freshness. There was a sweet tea drink offered and while I have no idea what the name was, it was DELICIOUS. It sits there in the glass container all unassuming and then after the first sip you immediately wish you had filled your glass to the brim. I can't wait to come back and try the sweet tamales!
(4)Michael F.
Tamale Boy oh Boy! First experience was a Yelp event it was fantastic. My second experience was just going for lunch and it was perfect. Second experience I had them cater a birthday party and I got rave reviews from the attendees. Everyone wanted to know where I got the food from. The manager was easy to work with and responsive. The food was ready on time and met my budget. Third time was just as good as the others.
(4)Melvin T.
The Oaxaqueño tamales are the best tamales I have ever had. I am from SoCal and have lived in Hillsburrito for 12 years, so I have a little background in the area. The Oaxaqueño tamales come in chicken mole and vegetarian. The masa is wrapped in a banana leaf. Their masa is so silky smooth, moist and flavorful. I have never had a masa this fantastic. The chicken mole filling was smoky and delicious. The tamale was absolutley stuffed. They don't skimp on filling. The veggie was so good that I didn't miss any meat. The tamales are huge. One tamale and a couple of sides is a big lunch. The beans are OUT-OF-BOUNDS. The flavor is so exploding with chorizo, bacon, pork....Its basically the best pork and beans you will ever have. The combination of the Oaxaqueño tamales and their super pork and beans are the most unique Mexican food you will experience. Tamale Boy is a mainly a catering business that will do some food truck stops on the side. They need to get out more and spread Tamale Love to the masses. Until then follow them on twitter and facebook. They also need to improve their to-go container situation. They only have plates. It is very difficult to travel with just two plates sandwiching your food. Oaxaqueños tamales and mega pork and beans. Feed Me More!
(5)Andrea L.
I take it all back. This is my 2nd time trying Tamale Boy food and I am now a fan!. The first time was indeed a yelp event, but the menu items were blander choices... and I wasn't impressed back then. Last night had both chicken and pork tamales as well as some ceviche slaw (full of veggies, vegan I think). It was all delicious! They don't have a tip jar out (perhaps they aren't allowed when prvoding catered food) but I made sure to tip them anyway. So yummy in my tummy as I drank little tequila drink after little tequila drink...
(4)Roman S.
i don't like tamales i LUV Tamale Boy. there's something about his tamales that make them delicious. all the flavors mix well and the chicken and the veggie versions are both equally delicious. since i'm not a tamale connoisseur i can't go into comparisons what i can say though are that these are the only ones i have liked that i've tried.
(5)Mary B.
I'm the idiot who didn't try the tamales at the 50 Shades of Plaid Yelp event. Seriously. Someone should have shoved those down my throat that night. I heard everyone raving about them but I was using the "I'm too full of the 50 other amazing things I ate tonight" excuse. I should have listened. Shame on me. Luckily, thanks to Melvin T., I got my second chance at a UYE he put together. We really had to track down where this moving tamale truck was going to be. You either have to stalk its where-abouts or get very very lucky. I ordered 4 different tamales and shared them with the hubz for lunch that day. They were all very good but there was one that REALLY stood out. The Oaxaqueño (banana leaf) Veggie Tamale. There's something very special about this particular tamale. The masa is incredibly moist. The veggies inside are intact but still soft. There's a tang to the veggies that make the taste of it out of this world. I don't know what all goes in to making this tamale but it's probably one of the best things I've put in my mouth all year. I even went back near the end of the UYE to pick up 2 more for dinner. FANTASTIC. Let me tell you, I won't be passing on these tamales ever again (no matter how full I am). Lesson learned.
(5)Chiemi N.
I adore the Tamale Boy's tamales! I'm so happy that he has both vegan and vegetarian versions, I've had both and they're simply delicious! I've ordered a dozen or more tamales for special occasions, and I get a variety to satisfy my other family members that aren't vegetarian...and they couldn't get enough of them! I love that the ingredients that goes into his tamales are local and sustainable ingredients. Definitely quality tamales! My only complaint is that I can never find his truck out and about! When he's at a place close to home, I'm usually somewhere else!
(4)Diane C.
My husband and I went here for an Elite event and had a great time. We arrived, checked in inside, and and headed out to the patio to find the drinks and food. They were serving margaritas and beer. The margaritas were pretty thin on the booze; I had 3 and didn't even feel a thing. The tamale choices were veggie (great for me) and pork (great for my husband). We both really loved the food. The tamales were moist and had lots of delicious filling. The spiciness was variable, depending on what we asked for. I am a spice wimp, so I went for the mild. It was perfect for me. The patio is lovely. What a great space! They didn't have umbrellas yet, but they are coming and they weren't necessary. The day was spectacular. We met lots of other amazing Yelpers and it was so much fun to hang out with these folks. I love my Yelp community!
(4)Kal C.
Muy delicioso! I was a bit disappointed by the oaxaqueño cochinita pibil tamale. It was overly dry, which tells me not so fresh. Knowing how popular it is, I didn't expect that. However, the tinga de pollo tamale was perfect. LOVED it. The masa was great. I might be a white girl, but my childhood neighbors weren't, esse. My mom learned how to make tamales from our neighbors, and let me just say that above all tamales, I love 1) my mom's tamales, 2) Cuban tamales. Sad I missed out on the dessert tamales, but I'll be back to try those. The frijoles puercos aren't traditional frijoles refritos you see served as a side at sloppy joints. Order them. Something to note: the marinated onions are AMAZING. They might as well be a side dish for everything ever.
(4)Joe M.
Tamale Boy has converted this fella into a true a fan! I won't lie, I am pretty picky when it comes to tamales. My main pet peeve is when I open the banana leaves or corn husk and all I see is 90% masa and 10% filling. This food van does not disappoint one bit. When I heard when the next stop would be located, I planned ahead and arranged for the meet up. Upon walking to the van, I froze up and let others order ahead of me. I had them before at a special event in the past and they got hooked me since. I hoped the high quality and flavor would be retained for this visit. I ordered 2 chicken tamales with the corn husks $3 a pece with a side of roasted seasoned corn for $2 and a coke in a bottle. Cards are greatly accepted with a 50 cent surcharge FYI. After a couple of minutes, my food was dished out and I glanced in its glory. Each corn husk tamale is neatly wrapped with a red ribbon tied at each end. After unwrapping the gift from the tamale gods I ate the first tamale with my hand and dipped with both the red and green sauce. The sauces just have the right amount of heat and flavor. Each bite of the tamale there was no skimping of the filling. I devoured the corn which had a balanced blend of seasonings added. I paused for a few minutes to reflect how great this meal was. I finished the 2nd tamale and left a permanent grin for the rest of the day. I look forward to the next announced visit. I have seen quite a few people buy in bulk to take home and the guy ran out just before time was up. That's a great sign of things to come and I hope Tamale Boy will be around in the long run!
(5)