Evelia's Tamales is the kind of place you go to when you want authentic Mexican food not watered-down, not trendy, just real flavor. The tamales were the highlight. Soft, flavorful masa and generous filling. I also tried tacos and a quesadilla, and everything tasted homemade and well seasoned. You can tell they know what they're doing here. The toppings were fresh, and nothing felt rushed or sloppy. The vibe is simple and welcoming. It feels like a local neighborhood gem. Prices are reasonable, portions are solid, and the food actually delivers. read more

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After a gym session, my sister had a craving for tamales, so we decided to check out this place she'd been eyeing. Having never tried tamales before, I was pretty eager (thanks to her positive comments). We sampled both the adobo ($2) and birria ($2.5) tamales, and they were absolutely amazing. Personally, I found the adobo tamale to be slightly better in terms of flavor but both were equally well made with its rich, flavorful seasoning. My sister, who has tried tamales before, mentioned that these were even better than the ones she got from the random tamale table (near Woodside), thanks to the diverse flavor options available and how fresh they came out. The customer service here was exceptional. A friendly lady approached us, handed us menus, and took our order with a warm smile. Even though tipping isn't required, their service went above and beyond, making us feel genuinely welcome. We also couldn't resist trying the birria taco ($4), which arrived piping HOT. It was generously stuffed with birria, making it a hearty and satisfying choice. While it was a tad salty for my taste, my sisters thoroughly enjoyed it and had no complaints. Our total order came out to a little less than $10 for three people, which was perfect for a light snack before heading home for our protein dinner (get that protein intake in! EEEEEEEEEE) read more

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The tacos del pastor are the best I have had in NYC. I'm also a fan of their chilaquiles sandwich which comes with a protein for your choosing. I've tried the atole de galleta (animal crackers) and it's tasty. It's so tasty that it is usually sold out by midday so come early. I love their tamales verdes and rajas con pollo. I'm a forever customer. read more

Evelia's Tamales Restaurant - Al Pastor Taco - Mexican Near Me - Corona, New York

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I haven't historically sought out tamales since they are so often made with red meat, which my pescatarian palate doesn't touch. Evelia's however, changed the game a bit, offering lots of vegetarian options catering to a variety of palates. Evelia's has a reputation as one of the best places to get tamales in New York. I often organize casual restaurant crawls through Queens, and on my last one I made this one of the first stops. Their menu features an impressive array of options, including quesadillas, tacos, and tortas, but the real star of the show is undoubtedly the tamales. Determined to try all the vegetarian ones, I was kind of disappointed to learn that the Impossible tamales featured on their menu aren't ever actually on offer due to lack of demand. I ordered the only vegetarian one they actually had, which was queso and beans. The tamale itself was a revelation, bursting with flavor and paired so well with the bright, zingy sauce that accompanied it. I was very impressed by how savory it was. Evelia's has managed to prove that meat-free doesn't have to mean flavor-free. This Queens gem is worth a visit whether you're a tamale enthusiast or a skeptic like me. read more

Evelia's Tamales Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Corona, New York

I finally tried this spot out on an early Saturday morning and there was a line. I got a bunch of tamales and the texture and flavor of it was good; I would say the texture is better than most street carts, the taste is similar. The Oaxaquenos tamales are harder to find and I'm glad they have it here. I ordered the pork and it was prefect texture and spiciness. The torta was really delicious too. I always love the torta and the combination with breaded chicken, cheese, chorizo and works is such a excitement in my mouth. Everything here is good, it's a one-stop shop. I bought enough tamales so I can keep some in the freezer. The prices seem like it recently went up from the previous pictures. You can dine inside, a lot of people take their food to go. It's pretty spacious inside and the service is efficient. The sandwich will take a while to be made but there are some simple sandwiches on the counter. There's also a lot of drinks option in the fridge. read more

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Ate here today for lunch while working temporary substitute paraprofessional at P.S. 228 Q. I had brought and ate only the cheese jalapeño tamale with a glass bottle of Mexican soda that it tasted great and delicious. The service there was also attentive and super quick. Finally, I would definitely eat and come back again next time. read more

Evelia's Tamales Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Corona, New York

BLUF: Blue collar, homey, very filling food; good value. Food: OK (3 of 5 stars) Value: Good (4 of 5 stars) Overall: 3.5 of 5 stars Evelia's Tamales started as a sidewalk food cart by the Junction Boulevard subway station in Corona, Queens, and recently expanded into this brick-and-mortar location a few avenues further north on Northern Boulevard. Evelia's journey has been documented by the likes of the New York Times, Eater.com, and the New Yorker, among others. We ordered a few items for take-out on a recent visit: - Mole Tamale - Salsa Verde Tamale: $1.50 each. There is a decent amount of mole and salsa verde in each, respectively, considering their low prices. - Barbacoa Taco: $5. This lamb taco had a lot of meat, but could have used more moisture. The included lime wedge wasn't enough. - Enchiladas Rojas, with chicken: $15. Pretty good, with a light-to-medium heat. Service: Order and pay at the counter. The staff bring your food out to you or tell you when it's ready to take out. Payment: There is a cash discount. read more

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Always satisfying when I go. Delicious menu. Must try all. Great fast service and the ambiance feels like a home away from home.

I loooooove the tamales, if I had to chose I would go with the tamales Oaxaqueños pork or chicken everytime, especially if you never had them. My mom made these growing up and these spicy tamales are delicious and remind me of home. When I go I buy a few, and have some sitting in my freezer since it's so far away. I can also recommend the birria tamales - original and quite tasty. As far as other items on the menu, the tacos look amazing (carne asada, birria), but do find they lack a bit of flavor, they just need to add a little more salt/other seasoning. If you're thinking about the pozole, FYI they sell the pozole blanco so if you're coming for the spicy red one, this is not the place for that. read more

Congratulations to this place for winning the eater award for best street food in New York. Well, it's true. They make a great tamale moist without being soggy and the meat is not dry at all, which is a common problem with many run-of-the-mill tamale places. Come here for the oaxacan style tamales for something special. Whatever you order, though, if it has meat, we expect to have a whole chunk of meat bone in. I want to the chicken one, and it was so fragrant, the corn carried the flavor of the grape leaves, that the tamale was rotten, and the chicken as well, carried his fragrant aroma. It was moist, tender, had a little bit of a heat without being too powerful. It was a tamale like I've never had before. I do want to point out though that if you're not a fan of tamales in general, you still probably won't like these because at the end of the day they are tamales they're just really good ones even the regular tamales are done very well and at this price point I could probably eat ton of them. If New York City with so many places popping up worthy of trying, do I see myself going back to this place? The answer is yes! read more

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Best tamales in NYC hands down. They also have other delicacies such as Picaditas. Highly recommended venue . read more

Evelia's Tamales Restaurant - Picaditas Order - Mexican Near Me - Corona, New York

OK, I know everyone talks about the tamales and they are Great, but don't sell this place short... and the Champurrado is most excellent, but they have a few other dishes too.. The Huevos Rancheros is reasonably priced, quite tasty.. the beans and rice are good and the salsa verde is most excellent.. this ain't no white table cloth place, and I'm not reviewing it as such... this is a place serving good food at a reasonable price, Highly Recommended! read more

Evelia's Tamales Restaurant - Huevos Rancheros with Salsa Verde - Mexican Near Me - Corona, New York

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Very very very good food! Solid food/prices/casual ambiance!! Been a frequenter since they had their cart! So happy that they opened their storefront. Tacos (chorizo, steak, AL pastor) are great $4. I like their quesadillas that they use with Oaxacan cheese. My fav item tonight was the quesadilla with chicaron. It was minced pork juice goodness with some cilantro mix. Champurrado could have been warmer but it was room temp. It still tasted great. They didn't have some drinks like Avena and horchata when I went but it was also 8pm on Saturday. They accept credit cards! Left with a dozen tamales to take home to save/freeze! Will come again when I'm in neighborhood! I wish them continued success!!!! read more

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My friend ordered tamales for his party. I was the fortunate guest with a car.....so I drove him to pick up his order. Honestly & all jokes aside I'm glad I drove. Now I know exactly where this place is! I will be a frequent customer! TOP NOTCH TAMALES! read more

My daughter was raving about this place for a while now. I've never had a tamale before and she told me this was the spot!!! I saw Evelia's story on Instagram and was hooked. I came in around 8 pm on a weekday and it was packed! The space itself is nicely decorated, I loved the sign """live, love, eat tamales". Apparently it was the first year celebration so all the traditional tamales are $1. They're usually $1.50 for traditional which is such a good deal!! I ordered two of each!! When I got home, I tried them with my husband & they were delicious. My favorites were the mole & salsa verde! I brought some to work the next day & they tasted just as good! One of my coworkers never tried & she was hooked at the first bite! Will definitely be back! I have my eye on the sweet tamales :) read more

Evelia's Tamales Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Corona, New York

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The tamales and other dishes are on point and who doesn't love supporting a local immigrant business. But I would give this Evelia's only for pick-up bulk order. I had ordered online for pick-up 110 tamales in three assortments. I put pick-up at 10:45, I walk in at 11:30 and my order was still not ready. No bueno. Will consider other establishments in the future for large orders. read more

First the tamales, of which I had 2. The masa was pretty typical of the tamales I've tried, not dry, but nowhere near as moist and creamy as the ones I had years ago underneath the tracks of the 74th St. 7 train station. The mole filling was tasty and not too spicy; but didn't like the flavor of the stringy birria (stewed beef). I've come to the conclusion that a great tamale needs to be made with lots of lard and kept in a steamy environment. Which means that you're not likely to find one later in the day; I went at 6pm. That said, the barbacoa taco was impressive. Lots of tender, flavorsome, subtly flavored chunks of lamb--which they sell by the pound. Fast food ambience with pleasant service. read more

This place was a big disappointment. I love tamales. I had heard about this place and put it on my to-do list for when I was up in Queens. I had read a review in the Times that was pretty glowing, so I had high expectations. I got three types of tamale- red, green, and mole. They weren't bad, they just didn't live up to the hype. I thought they were on the skimpy side. Mostly masa with little meat. Perhaps I'm spoiled. I've been getting some great ones nearby in Philly, but unfortunately, they're only available on weekends. My go-to here in Philly is Tamalex at 7th & Federal. Lots of meat. Two of those babies is damned near a meal. I get the verde (green) because the roja (red) are too hot for my taste. Like I said, these are packed with meat (pork). I prefer the pork over the chicken anyway. In summary, Evelia's isn't bad, it's just not that great. If you're in Philly, I recommend Tamalex, but they only sell tamales on weekends. I recommend getting there early before they sell out. They're already open in the morning before posted business hours. read more

Evelia's Tamales Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Corona, New York

Finally got a chance to come visit after hearing so much about it. Overall, was a little disappointed by the tamale - we got the adobo one and it was quite dry (they were also out of the mole ones so that was disappointing as well). We also got tacos on a whim and those were quite delicious. Although $4, they were quite sizable and a respectable amount of meat. My favorite was the birria. read more

Evelia's Tamales Restaurant - Adobo tamale 7/10 - Mexican Near Me - Corona, New York

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Unfortunately, the experience here was poor. If you are here for tamales, strongly suggest visiting the cart instead. Regret having to say that the restaurant itself and the employees' ways of working were unsanitary, and saying this as those who have been to and enjoyed a wide range of places and are not stuck up on this point. There is a difference between the realities of restaurant work, things not always being perfect and clean; and a general sense of uncleanliness and an indifference to standards. The tamales were opened up and the food inside touched by hand (bare) repeatedly while also holding the phone, switching hands between phone and tamales, and directly after having been cleaning items behind the counter and restocking the cooler with the same unwashed hands. Other things were also unsanitary but will give as much leeway and benefit of the doubt to the restaurant as possible and not mention them here. The food (not tamales) was served at room temperature, with the middle of items cold. The rice was poor--stale and dry. The chips were stale. The tamales were good and the only reason they were eaten was because they were seen chosen properly without touching the food inside, and with a fresh glove--prior to seeing the above happen. Also suggest double checking your order is accurate before paying your check. It's unfortunate to share anything other than positive comments. Would respectfully suggest to the manager to revisit standard protocols with all employees across the board and become more strict in that area. Visit Evelia's food cart for their star item--tamales. read more

so delicious! the best tamales ever!! customer service was amazing, there was plenty of room to sit, although busy, we were still served in quick time read more

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I usually go here for the tamales and honestly they are some of the most affordable ones in the area that are available on the daily. They taste great considering that I thought why not try something off there menu. Honestly was a mistake. The posole had a good taste but was mainly broth, the tostadas were oily/stale tasting. The food my mom ordered wasn't any better the meat was dry, old, cold, and flavorless. The beans and rice were cold as well. I honestly would recommend sticking to the tamales. read more

So happy that I found this place! The tamales are delicious and affordable. My friends had tacos as well and they were also very tasty. I will definitely be coming back whenever I am in the area. read more

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Están ricos los tamales. Pedí los de carne de puerco en salsa roja en hoja de plátano, el de queso con jalapeño en hoja de maíz, y un atole de arroz con leche. Tengo que probar los demás. read more

I went in today at 8:20 pm to grab a fast dinner after work. I was excited ordering my meal since I frequent here and I typically gets the tamales which are good for the price. I decided to explore their menu and order something new. I ended up ordering a taco de birria (4 dollars), a carne asada taco (4 dollars), and a cemita de pollo. When I finally got my meal I went home and opened my bag expecting to have a greta dinner. But as I was opening my tacos I noticed I received a taco de pollo instead of a taco de carne Asada. This made me upset since I clearly had told the lady I wanted the carne asada. AT first I didn't see the issue and decided to eat the taco de pollo but it was bland, and not even the green and red sauce were able to give the chicken taco some flavor. The birria taco was also bland and it was greasy. I would not be going back for the tacos. Now after eating those disappointing tacos, I moved on to eating the cemita de pollo and it was just as disappointing. The cemita had rotten avocado which made the cemita have a displeasing taste. I expected more from this place and customer service is always great but today it was just not a great experience. I will be returning for the tamales but will no longer be exploring the rest of their menu. read more

Evelia's Tamales Restaurant - The rotten avocado ruined it for me. - Mexican Near Me - Corona, New York

Very good tamales, among the best in the city. Not so mind blowing that they're particularly destination worthy if you're not that into tamales, but overall very worth the hype and worth visiting if you want to explore NYC's tamale scene. read more

The service is not good the food was ok the tamales was ok average was ok price are ok for me no wat I expected

Seriously delicious food and great salsas. The Al pastor is super tasty and very different from other Al Pastors in the neighborhood. This one has more of a sauce on it. Their tortillas are also really good. Maybe homemade? The chicharrón quesadilla was so balanced, not as greasy as I thought it could be. Cannot wait to try the rest of the menu read more

The Tamales were excellent and the staff very friendly. I will definitely be coming back.

I came for lunch on a weekday. They only had about half the tamales on the menu available. I ordered bunch and they were all cold. Flavor was good, nothing crazy, but how are you going to serve cold tamales? Tacos were OK, nothing different than you would get at any other place in Corona. read more

Best tamales in NYC and possible in America. Very authentic and delicious with low prices.

They take so long to attend customers and they talk with each other and make people wait.I don't recommend if ur going to order something small.they don't have the good ready and make u wait for so long. if u want to be serve fast u should go to the junction post they have the give u the food way faster there.and they ask u do u want napkins and forks.like ofc I need it. read more

Seriously delicious tamales at a ridiculously good price. We ordered 10 tamales and it was enough for two people to have two meals each and only $15 for all that! Definitely recommended. read more

Surprised they opened a restaurant. Great part is they deliver with door dash. I was up all night working and decided to order some tamales and tacos. Super delicious, flavorful, and also gave me hot sauce which was amazing. Since the tamales are so cheap, I bought a lot to freeze some. The tacos were surprisingly good, filled with juicy meat and some toppings. I ordered from them like 3 times the past two weeks, and they are always consistent. read more

Very friendly staff and atmosphere. The tamales were good definitely have that home cooked feel. Unfortunately by the time I got to the restaurant, maybe around 7:30, they were out of quite of few tamales. However, there were a lot of other items you could try other than tamales. If language barrier is a worry for you it's not problem, staff can speak both Spanish and English. read more