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All Star Tamales

4.1 (102 reviews)
InexpensiveMexican, Food Trucks
Closed 12:00 pm - 5:00 PM

All Star Tamales Photos

ALL STAR TAMALES ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Moderate noise
Outdoor seating
Good for kids

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Recommended Reviews - All Star Tamales

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2 vegan options
Lanie L.

All Star Tamales is on the list of "How you know you're a true San Franciscan" because people will literally wait in the longest line of all the farmers market to get their hands on the smallest dish available. Despite all the other amazingly delicious food trucks around (I love you Hella Vegan Eats!), I will wait patiently for 30 minutes to get my hands on a tamale the size of my hand. But like an atom bomb, you can't judge something by it's size. They have 2 vegan tamales here-Vegan Mushroom & Vegan Veggie. There will be weeks where I prefer 1 over the other. Right now, it's the vegan mushroom. It's a combination of a few different types of exotic mushrooms, a hint of umami flavor, and great texture. The vegan veggie has all sorts of plant goodness inside that crumbles with every bite, so you can taste and feel every vegetable they put into it. They also have a vegan burrito, which is essentially the fillings of the vegan veggie rolled up into a mini flour tortilla. All these offerings are $3 a pop, but if you buy in bulk, you'll save a few bucks off each one. The salsa here is a whole 'nother story. They automatically provide red and green sauce, but ask for the orange sauce. It's smokey and easily my favorite. Ask for the big container too. Do it. You know you want to drench that tamale. They have a fourth salsa, so if you're feeling creative, ask for all 4 and see which one you like best. I'll come around every week for their tamales. As long as there's a line, you'll know I'll be in it.

Vira P.

I LUUUV Tamales! And I love the fact that these tamales are made without lard! I haven't tried them all, because I always go back to the chicken red mole tamale wrapped in a banana leaf. I think it's absolutely delicious! I also really like the sweet corn tamale. Some people think $2.50 is expensive for a tamale, but I think they're worth it. I blogged it: http://sexydishes.blogspot.com/2011/06/its-just-lunch.html

Chris R.

Hands down the best tamales I have had in the bay area! You can slap sauce an a tamale but All Star Tamales don't need salsa to be outstanding on their own. Be aware if you visit their stand in Old Oakland Farmer's Market, SF's UN Plaza, or other remote locations they take cash only.

All Star Tamales
Adam S.

Hmm... Now I'm conflicted. For the last year, Wednesday's at the Heart of The City Farmers Market have usually meant one particular go-to lunch, the Pupusa. I should have tried All Star Tamales sooner, because I would have realized two things: 1. The long-@ss line moves a lot faster than it seems, and is actually a LOT quicker than waiting for pupusas. 2. These are some legit tamales. There is a huge selection of different tameles - also Burritos and Enchiladas, as well. So far, I've enjoyed each one that I've had, and as I look over the menu (look below, I listed them all!) I'm pretty excited for Wednesday's to come. Everything has been good, but the winner was the Green Chile and Cheese tamale. That was the first tamale I've tried that does not have meat. The chile and cheese with the tamale is a great combo, and it's bursting with filling. I'd also have to give a BIG thumbs up to the side-sauces that come with your order. Good range of mild to caliente. Get two tamales for $6, and that is stout meal. The one downside - it's sorta messy for street food. The tamales are pre-wrapped (why the line moves fast) tightly in plastic wrap, and they're a little greasy (in a good way) on the outside of the corn-husk. Make sure to grab lots of napkins when you visit - It gets a bit messy unwrapping the delicious tamales. Much easier if you can go find a table or bring these back to the office. Are Pupusas a thing of the past for old Adam S.? Nah. But, this is a new regular in the rotation. Here's the list 'o Tamales: Red Pork: Shredded pork in a mild red sauce. Green Pork: Shredded pork in a tomatillo sauce with bits of red potatoes, carrots, and pasilla chilies. Pork Mole: Shredded pork in a Oaxacan style red mole and steamed in a banana leaf. Red Chicken: Shredded chicken in a mild red sauce. Green Chicken: Shredded chicken in a tomatillo sauce with bits of red potatoes, carrots, and pasilla chilies. Chicken Mole: Shredded chicken in a Oaxacan style red mole and steamed in a banana leaf. Beef: Shredded beef in a mild red sauce. TexMex: Ground beef and black beans in a chipotle souce. Picadillo: Ground beef, with bits of red potatoes, carrots, cooked in a green sauce. Vegi-Vegan: Black beans, green beans, carrots, cauliflower,corn, roasted red peppers, and spinach. Black Bean Cheese: Home style cooked, black beans, cheddar cheese, and mozzarella cheese. Spinach and Cheese: Fresh spinach, mozzarella cheese, and cotija cheese. Green Pasilla: Pasilla chilies, cotija cheese, mozzarella cheese, steamed in a banana leaf. Chile and Cheese: Anaheim chilies, cheddar cheese, and mozzarella cheese. Vegan Mushroom: Portobello, shiitake, and brown mushrooms with red and green peppers and cabbage in a mild garlic sauce. Sweet Corn: Fresh yellow sweet corn, butter, and a dash of sugar.

Tamales menu
Joanna L.

They're called "All Star" for a reason! And let's add in affordable as well- 2 tamales for $5! Cheaper if you buy them cold and by the bulk. About 20 varieties- savory, sweet, meaty, vegan. You name it, they got it. Gluten and lard free. They also serve burritos, tacos, and drinks. Salsa already packaged in to-go containers. And very friendly servers! They're at the Heart of The City's Farmer's market. There's always a long line (that moves quickly). Also at Alemany Farmer's market.

Yummmmm

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Ask the Community - All Star Tamales

Tried to find you at the Old Oakland Farmer's Market today. Are you doing any Farmer's Markets in the East Bay right now?

we are not doing Oakland market anymore but we are starting a market in Pinole on Saturdays

Do they have a storefront we can visit?

Hi Erica! Yes we do have a storefront to pick up cold togo orders opened (with limited hours). Please call ahead or email so we can make sure your order is ready for you. We are also going to be starting Doordash within the next week or so. Once… 

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Wow, just WOW. This was some of the best Caribbean food I've ever had! We got the jerk chicken…read moreplate, a side of mac and cheese, and a bread pudding to share and it was absolutely delicious! The jerk chicken was fall-off-the-bone tender and juicy, and so flavorful. The jerk sauce was sweet and savory with just enough kick and the red beans and rice was the perfect accompaniment. The bread pudding might have been the best I've ever had. That sauce was so good! The portions were generous, we had enough for my boyfriend and I for supper and leftovers for him to take to work for lunch the next day. The staff was so friendly and welcoming and you could just tell they really enjoyed what they were doing and put a lot of love into the dishes. They were quite proud of their work, as well they should be! This was every bit as good as the food I had in Jamaica, highly recommend!!!

I was in the area and have been wanting to come by. We ordered a bit of everything. We did the…read moreoxtail plate, the jerk ribs à la carte, pepper shrimp, curry shrimp, and escovitch fish. Oxtail plate - really tasty, heavy on the sides but a little light on the meat. Another piece would've done it for me. I got extra oxtail gravy which was really good to add on to the rice and peas. Jerk ribs - SO DAMN GOOD!!! Great flavor, fall off the bone, I could easily eat more of that. Don't skip it! Pepper shrimp - eh, it was ok I think. My daughter wanted that so I only had one piece of shrimp mixed with some other things on my own plate. I do think there was only maybe 5-6 shrimps. They were a good size, but again, a 2-3 more pieces would've made it perfect. Curry shrimp - I really enjoyed the curry shrimp and I appreciate that they package the curry shrimp separate from the sides that come with the meal. Definitely going to get those again when I return. Escovitch fish - I had never ordered a whole fried fish before so I was excited. I had escovitch fish when I was in Jamaica but it was served not as a whole fish. I thought it was fried well and had good seasoning. I like the pickling too, I ordered extra. I also ordered a beef patty and an oxtail patty but I haven't eaten them yet. Looking forward to it though. Also, the plates came with cabbage. I'm not sure if it was supposed to be cooked, I've seen that and that's what I expected. But what was on the plate was dry bagged salad like you get from the produce section to make Cole slaw. There was no sauce and it was uncooked. Not sure about that. I ordered online so I didn't really get "service" but the woman at the register was kind and had a warm smile. Overall, I can't wait to return. And now that I know what I like, maybe I won't spend quite so much to try everything lol.

Photos
Seating inside the restaurant
Seating inside the restaurant
Escovitch Fish
Escovitch Fish
Jamaican D&G Pineapple Soda   This is really good!!

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Jamaican D&G Pineapple Soda This is really good!!

All Star Tamales - mexican - Updated July 2026

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