I'm bought the chicken tamales and spicy pineapple salsa today outside of Kaiser and it was the best (two!) meals of my life. I hope that everyone gets to try these and share the joy. Thank you. read more

Super expensive tamales that are 90% masa. when you get a sample from them they are clearly giving you sample worthy ones that taste nothing like the ones you get when you go back home. Just get your tamales from any local grocery store especially the del real ones. they'll be much cheaper and 10x better. read more

I've purchased Donna's Tamales in both Orinda and Concord, and while I wanted to like them, the last two times I've had the same serious issue: visible mold/discoloration in unopened packages well before the date on the package. The photos show sealed packages with dark spots visible through the plastic, including on both the Smoked Cheddar Beans & Yams and Beef & Cheese tamales. The date sticker says 07/04, so this was not a case of me keeping them past the listed date. For around $15 for a pack of two, these are not cheap, so I expect much better quality control. I tried to contact the company directly before posting. Their label lists a phone number and email, but the phone number does not work and my emails were returned as undeliverable. I'm disappointed because I do like supporting local food businesses, but mold or suspicious dark spotting in sealed packages before the listed date is a food safety concern. The lack of a working way to reach the company makes it even more frustrating. read more

Donna's Tamales - Mold dated 7/4 - Street Vendors Near Me

See all

$30 for 4 tamales. This place is a f*cking joke. Oh and $9 for an 8 oz container of salsa. Go back to Marin!

Paid $45 Zelle for tamales at the Pinole Farmers Market, please see the picture below for what was inside the "beef". My seven year old refused to eat so I opened the tamale and found the green stuff that had a rancid sour taste. No beef and the phone number on their packaging is disconnected. read more

Donna's Tamales - Supposed beef tamale - Street Vendors Near Me

See all

I'd heard about Donna's Tamales before, but during this year's Sacramento Vegan Chef Challenge I was finally able to experience them. During a pop-up event at McClatchy Park I took advantage of their deal and loaded up on the frozen tamales to enjoy at my leisure. Although not exclusively vegan (there's, meat and vegetarian options available too) they are all hand-made with organic masa and both lard and gluten-free. Vegan options available: *Red & Black Beans with Yams *Pumpkin *Summer Veggie *Spicy Cauliflower I also had picked up their Spicy Chipotle Sauce but was underwhelmed, so I'd personally skip that next time. From what I've tried so far, these tamales are flavorful and reheat from frozen quite well, with the masa holding a nice texture. Donna's vegan tamales, although good, are just not all too creative. I would love to see vegan versions that incorporate ingredients like jackfruit, nopales, and mushrooms. A vegan cheese option would also be a stand-out. I'll continue to keep my eye out for Donna's Tamales at the various pop-up events in the future in hopes these delicious tamales get even more creative. read more

See all

Tried the beef and cheese tamales (with tomatillo salsa) for the first time today when passing by a small farmer's market. Savory and not overly salty, which was nice. read more

These tamales are so good! For $5/tamale ($10/pack) very worth it. The guy manning the stand at the Stonestown Farmers Market is very nice & always offers samples of multiple flavors. The tamales have lots of filling. The end bite of the tamale are 90% masa but the masa is so good - moist enough and very flavorful - so it's alright! read more

See all

I buy from their stand at the Alameda Farmers Market. The guy there is super nice and generous with handing out samples. Love their tamales and salsa! Super delicious, easy to make (you can refrigerate or freeze the tamales and then you just steam them), reasonably priced. Even bought it for my Mexican friend and her mother, and they really liked it. read more

Donna's Tamales at the Divisadero Farmers Market San Francisco. It was great to see a nice mix of Tamale option via Donna's, and although I have no issue with Lard it's good to see an brand that excludes it. Plus they offer Gluten free Tamales. read more

Donna's Tamales - Donna's Tamales at the Divisadero Farmers Market San Francisco - Street Vendors Near Me

See all

I'm able to speak about the breakfast burrito, chips, and salsa. I saw a stand at the Alameda farmers market and everything looked so fresh and exquisite. The staff member was very nice and very knowledgeable of the product and how to pair what salsa with what. As it was the morning, my mind was into the breakfast burrito. I'm a big fan of mango salsa and had to try. Unfortunately no sample but usually mango salsa hits the spot. The burrito was nice. Very cheese and eggy. More in the soggy side but that's fine for me because the flavour is there. I added some mango salsa and it was one of those moments where taste buds are thanking you but your eyes are questioning the vision. The chips very fresh but a little bit too much salt. The mango salsa needs a bit more of a sweeter taste. In the end I'm happy. read more

See all

They were tasty but the cost at 15 dollars for 2 tamale and then half of one was just masa was a big disappointment i probably wouldn't buy them again just based on the cost and then that experience. the guys at the booth were nice. read more

WOW! These tamales are instantly my favorite!!! Can't wait to go get more! A super nice gentleman at the Donna's Tamales booth at the Brentwood Farmer's Market offered me some free samples. And I am so glad he did! Everything I tried was tasty and I love that these are fresh & made local! My favorite so far is Summer Veggies- and I don't even like veggies! That's how great these are! I definitely plan to be back for more! read more

Donna's Tamales - Summer Veggies Tamale - Street Vendors Near Me

I picked up Donna's Tamales outside of Kaiser. The gentleman that helped me was really nice and because I bought so many tamales, I ended up getting a free salsa and chips, which were also really good. These tamales are actually really big which made sense why I felt like their prices were a little bit high, but that's not gonna stop me from trying them again. They had a wide range of flavors and some unique combinations that I had not seen. Not a bad option considering I just happen to see them have a pop-up stall at the farmers market at Kaiser. read more

Don't order online. I placed a order on 7/6/2025. Hadn't received my order after a month so I called. They said they would send my order right out. It's been another 2 wks still haven't received my order. Terrible customer service. read more

Donna's Tamales is a true national gem, and for those of us lucky enough to live in the Bay Area it's right in our backyard and they sell at many area Farmers Markets and some stores, all detailed on their website. I say it's a national gem because it's the only tamale place that I found that actually sells healthy vegan tamales (and non vegan ones too). Donna's is the only tamale company I've been able to find that don't use garbage oils like coconut oil, hydrogenated oil, palm oil, or lard, and the other health metrics on their label and simple ingredients list is also unique. Jason who usually mans their Walnut Creek Kaiser station on Wednesdays is amazing and is so generous with samples... and if you try those you will be guaranteed to buy some... and lucky for you Jason will usually hook you up with a lower per unit price or throw in a salsa or something if you buy several packages. Besides having vegan tamale options, and especially the healthy oil they use, I also really appreciate that they load in a lot of masa dough into there tamales, which is my favorite part! Man that stuff is delicious! I can't believe the company has been in the Bay Area for decades and I didn't even know about them, my loss all these years. I love everything about their tamales and hope they never change a thing... these tamales are perfect already! read more

Review is for the Donna's Tamales at the Niles Farmers Market in the Tri-city/ Fremont area. Don't want to make a new Yelp page when Donnas shows up quite a bit all over the bay area on yelp. 3.5 stars total. The weird thing I want to share with people are their Tortilla Chips and Tomatillo Salsa are really, really good. If you've only come here and got tamales give them another shot and try their chips and salsa. The difference from FRESH tortilla chips and salsa is a big one and these are so much better than grocery store tortilla chips or even the chips they serve at restaurants. Just try them and you'll see. I would go back here just to stock up on the chips and salsa for the week. We ate them way faster than normal because they are good. The tamales themselves were OK, they have vegetarian and vegan Tamales which you should 100% try over the chicken one since it is their specialty. The chicken was a little dry but our Cheese Chili Corn Tamales was good. read more

See all

My husband and I tried the GF Tamales Red & Black Beans w/ Sweet Potatoes. Spicy Califlower and Spinach & Goat Cheese. My FIRST time eating a tamale. OMG! So delicious. We used the Spicy Pineapple salsa on top of all 3 tamales made them even BETTER. OH! I forgot....We purchased them from Donna's husband at the Vallejo Kaiser Farmers Market. read more

AMAZING taste Did you know one of the tamales is only 150 calories.... Just saying.. read more

I was in Moraga today, and I thought I'd try the Moraga market. I ran across Donna's Tamales. I'm so happy I did! I bought their chicken tamales, corn chips, classic tomato salsa, and homemade tomatillo salsa. Everything was delicious. The tamales were not dry, and the salsa were very flavorful. read more

Me and my wife had went to a Christmas bazaar at a winery and Donna Tamales was one of the featured food places in the event. Me and my wife ordered the chicken tamale. We both enjoyed the tamale and were throughly impressed by the flavor and the texture. We were greeted by the staff and the staff were very friendly and knowledgeable about the food. The ambiance was customer friendly. Great place to go and get a great tasting tamales. read more

the tamales were large and delicious,i am trying to buy some hot cooked one.i purchased some friday at kaiser.are you huys available today,i would love to buy some?? read more

We picked up some chips from the farmers market for 7 dollars for a small bag. The chips tasted like they never ever clean their oil. Additionally, the first bag they tried to hand me had a ton of crushed chips at the bottom. The person was nice about switching it out but unfortunately the product itself isn't good. Maybe their tamales are better? Oil aside, I wasn't a fan of the tortilla taste itself. Based off the chips I won't ever be buying here again . read more

We were on our way to Domenicos deli on Webster street in alameda when we passed by a farmers market. At the front end of the market was this stand for tamales. I absolutely love tamales so I had to pull over right away. They make vegetarian and gluten free tamales. I think they also have vegan options. Oh. My. God. These are the best tamales I've ever had. A pack of 2 is $7. And if you get 3 packs it's $20 and he throws in a free homemade salsa for you. The service was great and the tamales even better. Definitely will hunt these down again. Yummmmmmyyyyy! read more

Donna's Tamales - Black bean and chile tamales - Street Vendors Near Me

DO NOT ORDER ANY TAMALES FROM DONNA'S. I ordered some at the beginning of December. They were supposedly shipped on a Tuesday and arrived on a Saturday. That's a long time to go a hundred miles, but they were cold, so we put them in the freezer for Christmas. Our plans changed a little and I decided I'd like more tamales. I ordered $175.00 worth of tamales. After almost a week and a half I received an email stating my tamales were shipped. We have never received them. Donna's Tamales has never answered the phone when I've called, never responded to a single message, never responded to a single email. I deserve to either receive my tamales that I ordered, or have my money refunded. At the very least they could respond to any of my phone calls or emails. When I call the number on their website it rings several times, then transfer to a San Francisco (415) number that is never answered. Very bad business. read more

Donna's Tamales - Street Vendors Near Me

Buyer beware - I enjoyed the tamales at a farmers market in SF so much that I went and ordered some from their website. They took my money and I was given a confirmation email and they gave me a location to pick up the tamales in Sacramento - turns out the address they gave was for another business completely unrelated to Donna's. No response from either their listed email or phone number, and their website and social media presence looks like it hasn't been used in a long time (currently is showing a farmers market calendar from two years ago). Huge disappointment. What the heck Donna's? read more

Vegan, vegetarian, and organic tamales at farmers markets in the Bay Area. Donna's tamales was just setting up at the North Berkeley Thursday Farmers Market when I was walking out of Saul's. Even thought they were not open yet they gave me a sample of two of the vegetarian tamales and two of their salsas. After the first bite I knew I had to take some home. I purchased one pack and the salsa. My favorite was the spinach w/ goat cheese top with the mild salsa. I also sampled the black beans w/ roasted butternut and caramelized onions tamale toped with the hot salsa; it was tasty but could not compare to the goat cheese. The masa on most tamale always seems to be dry and overpowers the fillings. I seldom eat the whole tamale. Not these delicious treats. They are not dry, using olive oil rather than lard makes a differences. The cheese was plentiful. I even ate every last crumb of the masa. I do wish I had bought more than two. I will be checking their website to find out when and where I can pick up more. read more

Luckily the concord farmers market was able to figure out how to operate during the SIP! One of the lovely vendors we discovered was Donna's Tamales. Not only do we love tamales but my moms name happens to be Donna do it was fate. Jason the now owner of the company was manning the booth and we got to have such a lovely conversation with him. He purchased the company back in 2017 from donna who is retired in some state like ohio. Can't remember if that's right. But he is making them fresh and keeping it clean in his kitchen in Martinez. It seems they are very aware of allergies as he stressed that there is never meat used in their products! They only serve vegetarian and vegan tamales! We left with 3 bags of tamales. salsa and huge smiles on our face. So far I have enjoyed the spinach and goat cheese tamales with the mild classic salsa and its a winner! read more

Donna's Tamales - Deliciousness! - Street Vendors Near Me

The filling and masa are delicious but the tamale is formed in a very messy and random way. For example, all the masa might be at one end and the filling at the other. Or the filling may not be covered by the masa at all. This quality problem has been evident ever since they started their business. I told them about it a few times, and they must eat their own product, so they have to know about it. I just buy them once every couple of years to see if they have solved it yet. They haven't solved it yet and it makes me wonder what other corners they are cutting. If you don't have the discipline to form a proper tamale, please make a tamale pie instead! read more

Alan picked up a package of Donna's cheese chile corn tamales at this morning's Kensington farmers' market. Based in Fairfax, they sell tamales and other products at various farmers' markets in the Bay Area and at selected grocery stores. You can see the farmers' market calendar and the list of grocery stores on their website, as well as their list of products. They make vegetarian, vegan and meat tamales. Terry T. reviewed them last year at the North Berkeley farmers' market and loved their spinach and goat cheese tamales as well as their mild salsa. She also commented positively on the masa used to make the tamales. We had the tamales for dinner tonight, along w/ an assortment of leftover salads from previous meals. I steamed the tamales for about 10 minutes per the instructions on the package. We had our own salsa, although I would love to taste Donna's. The masa was as tasty as Terry said and the filling was excellent. Maybe next time we'll have a package of the cheese chile corn and one of the spinach goat cheese to share. The tamales made for a delicious dinner tonight and we look forward to having them another time. read more

These are usually really yummy when they are not moldy. The company seems to have a problem with their quality assurance. It's amazing to me that they are still operating but I guess when the product is not spoiled it's yummy enough to keep people purchasing. read more

Went to Oakland farmers market today and stopped at this stand to grab a bite to eat and had the best breakfast burrito of my life

I really hate to give this review a 1 star because of the other reviews. To the vendor who represented Donna's Tamales, who was at the Winter's Holiday Festival over the weekend, in Winters, CA, I would like to know why I was charged $20.00 for two tamales and some tortilla chips? I understand that food at festivals are pricey, however, the tamales were very small for the price and they tasted burned! From what I gathered from the other vendors at the festival, the vendor at the booth caught the tamales on fire and still served them. I was hoping for a good tamale but this was disappointing. I will never purchase Donna Tamales again. read more

Found this gem a while back at the Martinez farmer's market. The spicy cauliflower tamales are my FAVORITE they are so delicious. So happy I found these because I love tamales and actually haven't had any since going vegetarian over a year ago so this was such an amazing find! read more

I love their tamales. I often get the breakfast one, it's one of my favorites. Today I got some pumpkin tamales and they were sooooo yummy! I definitely need to get some more. read more