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    Grandma's Tamales

    4.3 (181 reviews)
    InexpensiveMexican
    Closed 11:00 am - 6:00 pm

    Order Grandma's Tamales Takeout or Delivery

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    GRANDMA'S TAMALES ATMOSPHERE

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

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    Chilaquiles with Eggs Plate !! The breakfast of champions!!!
    Jessica D.

    Best hidden gem in Bakersfield!!!! This place always hits the spot! Breakfast for lunch? I think YELL YES! When I tell you there chilaquiles and enchiladas dishes with rice and beans are fire with green or red sauce! They are both equally delicious ! I love coming here for lunch! Don't forget to order there mango margaritas with a shot a patron for happy hour 5/5 food is delicious! 4/5 location and ambience 5/5 on parking and yes they have bathrooms, they play music and they charge extra for sour cream 2/5 ! Customer service is 5/5 elite, very friendly and nice owners, Other than that this place gets 5 stars from me

    Tortillas de Maís Hechas por Manos
    Gary I.

    I love and adore dive eateries if the food kicks azz. Grandma's Tamales is an exemplary dive....nothing fancy, down to earth, no nonsense, rock bottom price, good bang for the bucks.  Grandma's ain't going to win a prize in Architectural Digest, but I feel as though I'm in a more traditional street market in México. Only draw back...why does Grandma's on East California Avenue  close so dang early?  Probably because Grandma's gettin' on and tuckers out easily. But Grandma is smart as a whip since the whole place on East California Avenue is like an outdoor patio from years ago before anyone even thought or heard of the Pandemic. Walk up to the counter. Look up at the menu board and order. Food comes out pretty fast especially for slow precooked foods like stewed Guisados, Frijoles, Arroz. All they have to do is scoop it out.  1)  Chile Verde Plate:  The Salsa de Chile Verde seems meaty, chicken broth based along with thickening purée of acidic, citrusy sour Tomatillo, that originally looks like a green tomato surrounded by a thin papery leaf, piquant Jalapeño, onion, garlic, maybe some black pepper & cilantro. Slow braised in the Chile Verde, the shredded pork has almost the same consistency as North Carolinian Pulled Pork BBQ. This shredding allows the pork to absorb all the rich, satisfying Chile Verde flavours.   1a) The Frijoles de Pinto is earthy tasting, dark reddish brown possibly due to addition of a bit of tomato sauce and thickened from cooking in its own juices.  Scattering of Totopos/fried Tortilla chips to scoop up some of the smooth, pasty Frijoles.  1b) Arroz is tinged with tomato sauce, friable, dry. Standard, nothing out of the ordinary.  1c) Tortillas Hechas por Mano: At the East California Avenue, two ladies are out in front. One forms a hand full of the Masa/corn dough into a ball, and places it in a wooden press to form a flat round Tortilla. The second lady puts the corn Tortilla on the grill to toast it.  These Tortillas are very thin & light colored so it's either made from very white corn or the corn is mixed with wheat flour for a stretchier texture which is my guess.  $10.29....How did Grandma figure that price?  Maybe she's into kicking back & smoking some major ganja.  2) Chile Relleno: Classic treatment using "sweet" Passilla chile stuffed with mildly stretchy, white cheese. It is dipped in egg beatened w/ flour that when fried creates an eggy, soft, puffy coating.  The Pasilla chile is still a bit tough so frying a little longer would have softened it more. Salsa de Chile Colorado has a mild chile heat as well as tomatoey Umami countered by a touch of bitterness from the Pasilla. The bland eggy coating absorbs this flavourful sauce.  Darn good, and it's accompanied by Frijoles de Pinto & Arroz.  3)  Tamales:  a) Tamal de Puerco con Salsa de Chile Colorado: Fragrant corn Masa, that may be enhanced with Umami filled chicken stock, is firm yet slightly cushy, smooth surfaced. Chew & it becomes creamy with a underlying richness from possibly lard fattiness.  The thickened Salsa de Chile Colorado has long lasting piquancy & red chile mini pieces. Garlicky, "smokey" from maybe oregano, thyme, Epazote. Tomato based gastrique. Carnitas-like, chunks of meaty, moist, pork loin.   This Tamal de Puerco is not for "hot", piquant chile wussies.  b) Tamal de Pollo con Salsa Verde: Same tasty Salsa Verde as the Puerco de Salsa Verde which infuses into the chopped, shredded, pleasantly mushy, white meat chicken. Not particularly piquant.   c. Tamal de Queso y Jalapeño: Standard, possibly white Oaxaca, Asadero-style cheese & slices of green Jalapeño chiles.  Excellent, almost home style Tamales. I imagine there would be a line during the winter holidays.  Cool place to eat Mexican food that doesn't seem to be "gringoized"   I prefer eating at the E. California Avenue branch sInce it feels as though I've been teleported to México.  4- stars

    Tortillas being made fresh
    Henry S.

    The menudo is delicious not skimpy on the meat. The tortillas are homemade on the spot and delicious. I love coming here when I'm craving menudo or tamales. It's kinda in a shady part of town but that doesn't stop me from coming here. The service is always great and the people are nice. I've had a few different things on the menu in the past and for the most part everything I've tried is really good. Best thing is the corn tortillas though, I just wanna take a dozen home and make quesadillas with them lol.

    3 Corn Handmade Tortillas

    stopped here on our way through Bakersfield and was not disappointed. Were very picky with Chile verde and this one wasn't too spicy, sauce was authentic and home-made, and the rice and beans were soooo good. The chips were so crunchy and flavorful, the eggs didn't have that nasty "wet egg" flavor, definitely sad this place is 3 hours from home and was only a one time stop. I loved it! Music blasting and patio seating felt like I was home with my mom.

    Pork Tamale
    Vannessa J.

    4.5 hour drive from me now and every time a family member passes through I always try and make sure I get me a dozen of tamales by far. The best I have ever had wish they can open one out here in Sacramento. $35 a dozen is a lot but so worth it . These tamales are the size of two tamales and had the perfect meat to masa ratio! I wouldn't change a thing! The best deal and the best tasting and super moist !

    Jalapeno and cheese tamale.
    Juan B.

    When I came out of surgery on 7/20/2023 family bought me some some tamales and cabeza tacos from this place. Tamales are the best in town even from those who sell on the streets. It is a great size tamale with a lot of meat and sauce, depending which one you get. The one I ate is a jalapeno and cheese, pork, and chicken. Best in town. Now the cabeza taco, the taste is great but what killed the taco is that it had very little meat on a very large homemade corn tortilla. So when you bite into the tortilla there is more tortilla taste vs the cabeza tase. The cabeza taste too good to have it masked by the tortilla. I wonder if I could ask for extra meat without being charged for extra meat. Next time. I

    Breakfast Burrito, Machaca and Eggs Plate
    James H.

    Best breakfast burrito in town. They make the tortillas homemade right in the front of the restaurant. I'd give 10 out of 5 stars if I could. Will definitely be coming back. Delicious!

    Birria tacos, menudo hand made corn tortillas and cosido de res  one dozen tamales to go

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    6 days ago

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    4 months ago

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    1 month ago

    Best tamales for sure, especially the pork are so juicy and the masa is flavorful. The chicken and cheese are also on point.

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    7 months ago

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    2 years ago

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    6 months ago

    Great food as always. Recommend the cheese tamales. They were clean on the inside and packed my Togo order perfectly.

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    4 years ago

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    1 year ago

    Food was really good, bought a dozen tamales to take home they were delicious. Good service ambiance was different but it works.

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    4 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    1 year ago

    The service is good but, the food is great! This is a place where you can take anyone and have a good meal. The cheesecake is amazing!!!

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    2 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    2 years ago

    I'm gonna say you're gonna have to try red pork tamale. They get a little busy and it's outdoor covered area sitting.

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    4 years ago

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    1 year ago

    The food is AMAZING I could eat it every day. I live out of state so every time I go back to Bakersfield it's a must have.

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    2 years ago

    The menudo is delicious!! The tortillas are so soft and warm. I would come back. The ladies are reallt nice too.

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    7 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    1 year ago

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    3 years ago

    Food was great. First time here and definitely will be back . Food was nice and hot. Great customer service from the cashier

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    4 years ago

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    La Costa Mariscos

    La Costa Mariscos

    4.0
    (947 reviews)
    1.8 mi
    $$

    We came in to celebrate my 38th birthday today. I was on the mood for some shrimp fajitas…read more We'd been to the other location and didn't have as good experience as this. First off it was a steady flow of customers for a Wednesday evening. Many birthdays! We were sat immediately and waiter came to take our drink order. I had a mango chamoy margarita, while my husband got a roasted chili cucumber margarita on the rocks. His drink was SPICY! I ordered the shrimp fajitas and my husband ordered the chicken and steak molcajete. Our food was brought out super fast! The portions - humongous! But the food is so good! My husband is super picky when it comes to Mexican food, and he said this molcajete is his favorite so far compared to other Mexican restaurants we've been to. The bright colorful colors and great music selection really make it joyous and fun dining experiences. Highly recommend.

    Stopped here after work. We sat at the bar area but got a table back there. The service was lacking…read morejust a bit, the girl seemed overwhelmed and didn't check on anybody for a min. Some showed their displeasure. Since I was willing on a drink I was just watching. I ended up getting the chile verde plate and my wife got the chicken quesadilla. My chile verde was ok, the beans were cold. The quesadilla was not great at all. The ambiance in the room was good with the decor and natural lighting.

    Photos
    La Costa Mariscos
    La Costa Mariscos
    Michelada con Pacifico

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    Ay Mi Pa

    Ay Mi Pa

    3.3
    (145 reviews)
    2.7 mi

    Me and my best friend decided to meet Monday night for dinner and she choose this spot. I called to…read moresee how long the wait was and It's was recommended that I make a reservation and so I did but when we walked in the restaurant it was empty. The server was patient and we tried to decide what we walked to drink and eat. The restaurant had a quiet atmosphere even though they are located at the Valley Plaza and it was the beginning of spring break. We both ordered the same drinks and food. Both drinks and entree (it was actually a shareable plate) tasted great but the salsa that came with the chips was a bit ordinary with no spice. Another staff member brought out two more salsas and jalepenos torneados. These salsas had more bite to them.

    My bartender was cool until I asked for my bill and he decided to entertain the ladies on the other…read moreside of the bar. I couldn't really taste the difference between the Paloma and the margarita ‍. The place is decorated really nice but what they should've focused on was making agood food. I'm so glad I only ordered appetizers because had I ordered food I would've wasted so much money. Birria tacos simply taste like red beef tacos, no real authentic flavor. Shrimp skewers I was told was okay but even that had more veggies than actual shrimps. The rice wasn't cooked all the way. The presentation on nachos was excellent but the nachos were gross. No flavor in guacamole. Beans were plain beans bland af. The chicken wasn't seasoned and had an awful charbroiled taste, just awful! The salsa weren't spicy or tasty. I can only recommend this place for a good happy hour spot because prices are outrageous for drinks. Once again they should've focused on the food than the decor.

    Photos
    Full Beautiful Bar
    Full Beautiful Bar
    Ay Mi Pa
    Bad girl

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    Bad girl
    Sancho's Tacos

    Sancho's Tacos

    4.2
    (362 reviews)
    0.7 mi
    $$

    I feel as though Sancho's Tacos has been coming up in my feed, or I hear about the place from…read morefriends. I finally had an opportunity to stop in myself and was not disappointed. So good! The place is pretty easy to find on the corner of 18th & R. There isn't a lot of seating for more than parties of 4. We were a party of 6 and we all smooshed into a horseshoe booth inside. There are only 2 of these booths available and they indicated they are not able to place additional seating at the booths. I imagine you might be able to put tables together outside for a larger party. We were greeted warmly, and while I felt overwhelmed by the amazing choices, the gal taking our order put me at ease by walking me through the menu board. We got amazing carnitas quesadillas and tacos and another dish that came on top of a mound of delicious fries. It's the kind of place where you order, then sit down and they bring you the food. We were well taken care of. Our drinks were refilled and they brought us 'to go' boxes. Their portions are generous and just tasty. And the iced tea was perfect! We ordered a full order of chips and salsa. That is extra. It was $6 for a full order ($5 for half) and these chips were well worth the cost. We will be back!

    Vibe 10/10. Caliguey burrito 10/10. The salsas too. These were made with heart…read more Love

    Photos
    Comfortable seating.
    Comfortable seating.
    Burrito bowl (i think this was a burrito with tri tip, but he was able to make it without the tortilla)
    Burrito bowl (i think this was a burrito with tri tip, but he was able to make it without the tortilla)
    Tri Tip Burrito

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    Tri Tip Burrito
    El Puesto Cocina y Cantina

    El Puesto Cocina y Cantina

    3.6
    (334 reviews)
    2.4 mi
    $$

    We went to El Puesto Cocina y Cantina without a reservation and it seemed pretty crowded. I don't…read moreeven know if they take reservations. We had our order to go and went back to our hotel. It was just the best. Next time we will eat there. The place is spotless and really pretty. It is festive looking and ever so comfortable. We loved everything about it. Parking is easy. The prices are super fair. The food is amazing. We had burritos that were just packed with meat. We had chicken and beef. We also had chips and coffee to go. I have to say, their coffee is great. The service is so nice. This was our first time here so they were so helpful with the menu. We also took Papa Tacos and wow were they great. We loved the rice and beans. The rice was perfect, not dried out like some places. We will be back. Try it.

    I came in expecting a relaxed dinner where I could actually sit and catch up, but the experience…read morefelt rushed and poorly handled from the start. Before my guest even arrived, I was told the kitchen was closing in 10 minutes, which made it impossible to plan or order properly for both of us. About 30 minutes after being seated, the waitress asked to close out my tab and mentioned they were closing an hour and a half early, something that should have been communicated when I walked in so I could have chosen to go elsewhere. To make things worse, about 10 minutes before closing, they turned the lights all the way up and shut the music off, which made it very clear we were being pushed out. No one came by to offer boxes for our food (I had more than half my meal left), and my guest didn't even get to finish her drink. We were essentially rushed out before the already early closing time, with no proper send-off. Overall, the experience felt very unprofessional and uncomfortable. Unfortunately, I won't be returning.

    Photos
    Eating area
    Eating area
    Not your regular Chips and Salsa. YUM
    Not your regular Chips and Salsa. YUM
    Lunch hour margarita

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    Lunch hour margarita
    Buena Vida Tapas Lounge

    Buena Vida Tapas Lounge

    4.1
    (199 reviews)
    4.0 mi
    $$

    Buenas Vidas Tapas Lounge has always been one of my favorite spots when I'm in Bakersfield for…read morebusiness or spending time with my son. The food was absolutely delicious, which is why I'm leaving this review, but unfortunately the service missed the mark during our most recent visit. We ordered our steak medium rare, but it came out well done. When our server took our order, our appetizers arrived quickly and then our entrees followed, but we had to remind him about the Starry soda that was ordered and never brought out initially. The biggest issue occurred when the Aguachile Ribeye was brought to our table. One of the plates was broken, causing food and sauce to spill all over me and the seat. While the server acknowledged something happened, there wasn't much concern shown about the spill on my shorts, and no replacement plate was offered. A simple apology and a little more attention to the situation would have gone a long way. Later, when we asked for a box for the leftover steak, it took quite a while and I ended up having to remind our server again. Overall, the food was fantastic and is the reason I continue to come back. The kitchen clearly knows what they're doing. However, the service could use some improvement, especially when it comes to attention to detail and handling issues when they arise. I'll still be back because I genuinely enjoy the food, but I hope the service experience improves on future visits.

    Great place for happy hour or Sunday brunch. I love the margarita flight and their selection of…read moretapas. The food and drinks here are consistently good and at great prices. I appreciate that their margaritas are solid not super sweet. If I lived closer, I would probably be here a lot more often! The ambiance is relaxed and I appreciate some of the more modern touches in the otherwise natural feel of the restaurant. Service can be a bit slow at times, though I tend to not mind when I'm there catching up with friends or having a slow Sunday. The servers are generally very nice and caring.

    Photos
    Bar area
    Bar area
    Taquitos Dorados
    Taquitos Dorados
    Margarita flight!

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    Margarita flight!

    Grandma's Tamales - mexican - Updated June 2026

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