Hands down my favorite place to stop when im home for a visit. The food is great and service is always better. Drive thru only. Jolly Tamale has been a favorite of mine since I was a child. read more

Jolly Tamale - Menu October 2025 - Mexican Near Me - Springfield, Illinois

I tried to get a steak wrap, and I wished to have it with sour cream and salsa. I was given a very difficult time trying to say I couldn't add the side order of anything that they just made it one way and I had to take it that way she acted insulted that I wanted to alter it. Then when I got the steak wrap, this is the second time I've come here and order the steak and it has been freezer burnt. It had an immediate taste. You knew as frozen meat. Would not recommend ordering the steak. That's why I gave it two stars that and the customer service. She could've told me no that she could've done it in a pleasant way. read more

I always stop in for a super sancho every time I'm in Springfield! It's comfort food to me!

Always great food, and our stop for fish Tacos and some funnel fries.

I love love love Jolly Tamale!! The owners, and staff are absolutely wonderful, they provide fantastic customer service, the food is amazing and it has a cute cozy atmosphere!!! I would recommend them a million times over. I go so often that they know my order and I love that so much!!! Can't ask for anything more! read more

Exactly as I expected plus a tad bit better because of pie?!? I knew because of Covid that I could only do drive thru which was fine by me. I also knew this place was the fast food version of Mexican in Springfield. I grabbed the usual suspects, two hard shell beef tacos and a beef sancho. Both were good and in fact, I actually like their sancho better than Taco Gringo's (less grease by far). The surprise to me was the Apple Mexican Pie...I ordered it simply from the name with no questions asked. It was like an enormous pile of broken churros with the apple pie stuffing from McDonald's and then crushed up red hots sprinkled on top! It was delicious and so big I had leftovers for the night. If you want quick Mexican give it a go; by the way, I had the friendly employee, not the grumpy owner that other reviewers have commented on. read more

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Attendent at drive-up is rude. Only one tamale to choose from. Beef Sancho contains some sort of meat like product. read more

Food is amazing, but service with a smile is a no. I love the food, but always feel like I'm bothering the workers when I order. Service with a smile is not a priority read more

The owner is RUDE. I was at the intercom placing my order. She stopped repeating my order back. I said excuse me, are you still listening. She didn't respond. So I waited. Then she comes back and said I'm listening. I complete my order. Very snidely she repeats my complete order back. When I got to the window, I asked if she was having a bad day because she's normally very nice. She responded again in a very snide manner. I stopped responding because I was dealing with the man in the truck and you were taking forever to order. You kept stopping. I explained I stopped because she stopped repeating my order back. That I thought she was distracted. I handed her my card. She gets ready to swipe it. Then turns and says , would you like to go somewhere else tonight. I responded, I can. She hands me my card. Then says, you're a rude fucking bitch. COMPLETELY UNCALLED FOR and COMPLETELY UNPROFESSIONAL! read more

sadly instead of respecting customers that have been around since his Mom opened up, JT has no loyalty or honor towards paying customers that gave an honest review as the 1 I did last September! Saturday I was in the area, so I pulled in for 3 HARD SHELL TACOS yet again, I'm at window a couple of minutes when the lady (I believe is the owners wife) comes to window asking if my names Karen? I said yes, she said "you're on DO NOT SERVE LIST" because of my review of their RUDE staff... LMAO seriously?! that is sadly hilarious and way to go jolly tamale... I'm certain he's really making his momma proud running her business in such a manner nowadays! smdh read more

The food is great! Service is EXCELLENT. Been going here for years and they have always been consistently good!

This place has been around since I was a kid and it is a family favorite! The food is always great and the staff super friendly!

My complaint is more of a customer service lesson. Had I not read the recent reviews with similar complaints, I may have simply stopped going. My advice is, when you wait on a customer, whether it be drive up or in store, consider that person's potential circumstance. What caused them to choose you? What kind of a day could they be having? Are they celebrating? Or perhaps there's something devastating happening in their lives and they've chosen you to make this moment in time a little easier? Before reading the other reviews, I was willing to assume the rude, condescending woman who waited on me was also having a bad moment in time. Otherwise why would you treat a potential future customer like her business is unimportant to you in a pandemic recovery period? When I asked for a bag for my loosely wrapped food, I was told no, because that's how it always comes. Admitedly, I felt a bit defensive after picking up 'attitude ' when ordering. My response was, I've gotten bags in the past. Her reply; 'no you haven't, I've been here 16 years and that's how it always comes.' Then she shut the window of the drive up. At first, the defensive turned to anger. But then, I'm having a really bad day! Then, as I was driving anyway, I thought maybe she had a day as horrible as mine. Then I read other reviews as I ate. My conclusion is, after going there periodically since my kids lived at home 20 years ago, I now have a bad taste in my mouth. Looks like Taco Gringo gets a new regular. read more

Have to give a shout out to the crew at Jolly Tamale. No matter what kind of day I am having I can guarantee I will pull away with amazing food that is always worth the money and a much-needed laugh. Chris at the window is always friendly and normally has my order before i can tell him what i want and exactly how i want it made. The crew is always funny and friendly. I dont know how anyone can keep a smile on their face after dealing with some people they have to deal with. I have been going there for over 30 years and the food is always consistently fresh, tasty and affordable. I have never had bad service or bad attitudes from any of them!! HIGHLY RECOMMEND!! read more

Satisfying, but not traditional Mexican by any means. I ordered the Sancho deluxe after reading other Yelp reviews. It was pretty tasty & consisted of meat, cheese, sour cream, tomatoes, & lettuce all wrapped in a flour tortilla. The nachos were fair, kind of bland, but ok. The hot sauce has some "zing", but is not really hot. The portion sizes are good & if you drink water, you can spend around $6 for lunch. Cash only - they don't take credit cards! Meh, not bad, but not a mind blowing experience. read more

Jolly Tamale - a view from a restaurant window - Mexican Near Me - Springfield, Illinois

Jolly tamale has the best super nachos in Springfield!!! I order them at least 3 times a month and every time, they are delicious read more

Meh. Nachos had so much sauce they were soggy upon my first bite. Sauce is too sweet. Meat didnt taste like anything and was like eating mush. Idk I remember always loving this place but just doesnt suite my taste anymore. read more

Very rude staff, including manager and owner. Several reviews on Google maps about issues with rude manager. She says she is owner too, so don't have any one to complain to. read more

Went to the drive thru today. One of our favorites when in town. Whoever took our order was beyond rude. We answered numerous times , not our fault the speaker wasn't working. Lady was awful. We should of drive away. Took forever to order and get food. I know places are short staffed but damn . read more

I am partial to Jolly Tamale because I grew up on their Sancho Deluxe. I do mean grew up back when they were still a Taco Gringo on Wabash. Before the Wingo's who owned it got divorced. Circa 1978 or 9 I think. Anyway I digress, I love the Sancho Deluxe I can easily eat two and do whenever I am back in town. Also the Mexican apple pie with cheese! Yes cheese don't knock it till you try it, fall in love and order it again! Bottom line worth a peek, beware it is fast food so if you are expecting gourmet Mexican fare you will be disappointed. But if you are in the mood for some greasy hometown joint goodness go here! This is Mexamerican food! Not traditional Mexican food. Don't expect a Texas tacoria either. Sancho Deluxe is seasoned ground beef, shredded cheese, onions, lettuce, tomato, sour cream and taco sauce wrapped in a thin warm flour tortilla! I don't order mine with taco sauce it tends to be on the sweeter side. The Mexican apple pie with cheese is crispy fried tortilla strips, dusted with cinnamon and sugar, topped with apple pie filling and sprinkled with shredded cheese. IT IS SO GOOD! These are the only things I ever order and I know they are yummy! FYI it is cash only, & the location on Wabash doesn't have a drive thru. read more

MMMMMMMmmmmmm! I love the Jolly Tamale! I order the Sancho. I crave it often. The prices are affordable and the atmosphere is lame. I guess you can't have it all sometimes. Whatever is in their taco sauce is fantastic. I recommend coming in after 1:30p beat the lunch crowd. They close early though at like 7pm I think so be prepared for that. There is a drive thru but we always go in. And warning they don't take plastic. When you are done you can run over to Pricilla's "Where Fun and Fantasy Meet" read more

What a fun and unique place to eat. They do Mexican food their own way, and it's so good. I highly recommend the Sancho, a kind of hybrid burrito, tamale, taco. The hot sauce has just enough heat and is still flavorful. The staff is so friendly and speedy. If you enjoy "chain" restaurants? Drive on, this isn't the place for you. If you enjoy a place like no other? Stop in, and enjoy. read more

Jolly Tamale - The Sancho! So good! - Mexican Near Me - Springfield, Illinois

Came to town for a visit and wanted some Mexican food. Mom wanted Jolly Tamale so we went. I read reviews before going so we ordered a sancho deluxe, chalupa, and the mexican apple pie with cheese. I ate some of a chalupa and the pie. The beans on the Chalupa have a great flavor and really made the chalupa for me. Because of the reviews we ordered their hot taco sauce on the side. It really is oddly sweet. Not bad, just unexpected. The pie was good too. Our particular one could have used some more of the apple mixture and less cheese to balance it out better. All and all, I would go back. :) read more

Decent cheap mexican food. Tortillas for the burrito were old el paso type, dry and thin. They have something like a Mexican pizza which was the best part of the meal. It was loaded with meat and beans, lettuce, guac, and all the good stuff. The tamales are different, but nice and meaty. Ended it all with a churro which was still a bit cold in the middle but good nonetheless. Stopped on the way back to central il from Texas where I am spoiled by all the good true Mexican food. It was funny that there wasn't a single Mexican working in the place. Two of us ate for 16 bucks and rolled our tubby selves out! read more

If you to thru the drive thru make sure to bring a mega phone they can never hear you unless you scream at them. Foods good

I went there yesterday and it's like everytime i go there the woman at the window have an attitude and really rude all because when i ask for a chicken deluxe soft taco they always end up giving the beef and when i ask her about can she hear me clearly or if something wrong with the speaker she always get on the offensive side an start getting rude and loud when i was being nice to her and respectful so from hear on out i will not be going back there no more and i think she racist to be honest. read more

Who ever the girl is that yells listen every time you ask a question to the woman taking your order should get fired. The taco meat was super dry. This place is pretty close to trash. read more

Went there recently, never had an issue before, but this time wasn't the best. It's probably turned me away from them for a while.. the lady who takes the orders was very rude to not only me, but some of her workers, I found out from someone she's the owner?! Okay story time, I went there with my cousin who is from Decatur, and I raved about this place. When we entered, I told her take as long as she needed to look over the menu, it's a big one. I knew what I wanted, so I ordered and paid for mine. My cousin finally figured out what she wanted and went to order, she asked for no cheese or sour cream, she is lactose intolerant, the owner? looked up and kinda sighed and rolled her eyes. My cousin went to pay for her meal, and realized she grabbed the wrong debit card, so I said I got it. The owner you should of paid together then.. whatever. We finally got our food, and I got 2 chicken taco with mild sauce and waffle fries. My cousin got 2 soft tacos and some waffle fries. I opened my tacos and start eating. All I taste was some bland chicken and 2 drops of mild sauce - no lettuce or cheese and my other one was like that. I went to the counter and asked for some cheese and lettuce - I was looked at like I asked for all the money in the register. I told them I only had chicken and a small amount of mild sauce. So one of the guys handed me to go bowl with both of them in and apologized. I went to sit down, and asked me cousin how she likes it. She was upset!! Her beef tacos were dry - no chipotle sauce like she asked, and her fries were greasy. Now my cousin isn't the one to take food back, but since she felt the owner was already rude towards her, she didn't care. She went up to the counter and talked to them. Next thing I know we are being told to get out or they will call the police. I asked why, we have done nothing wrong. The owner is saying we are trying to get free food out of her by complaining about perfectly cooked food. So I just ask for a to go bag so we can put everything in it and we were told no and she was already on the phone with the police. We just grab all of our stuff and leave. As we were putting things into a Walmart bag I have in my car, we were still being yelled at to leave her property. At this point, we had enough of this ladies bullshit - we start backing up and see a cop pull in.. we were think oh here we go, but he was going to Patricia's, because he kept driving. We finally get out of that nightmare and laughed about it. We ended up eating our tacos and just throwing away our greasy fries. read more

The food was good. However, the redhead who took our order was pretty rude. I don't know if she had just had a bad day, but not a good excuse for giving me a bad first impression. I mentioned it to a friend and she even knew who I was talking about. That is a problem. I'm fine with paying for refills and it is okay you can't add a deluxe to the daily special for an extra fee. It was the way she spoke to us that was the problem. Kinda ruined the first time experience of a place I'd heard such good things about. read more

Best Sancho's and Tacos and Funnel Fries! We make an occasional trip from Decatur, just to eat there. Great service and friendly employees!

Had a taco salad. Lots of lettuce, barely any cheese, chips & sauce. Hamburger was quite greasy with little flavor. Smoky flavor. Not good! read more

Rude, rude and more rude! The lady taking my order at the drive thru said she could not understand what I was saying. I offered to drive up to the window and she told "you need to slow down and quit talking so fast". I did and she still tried to give me a Sprite instead of the Diet Pepsi I asked for. Then after she ran my card she handed it back to me and sarcastically asked, "Happy?". And, my husband said the taco meat was so poor tasting he did not eat it. Next time, Taco Gringo. read more

Wow unbelievable visit. i stopped by to get a couple taco's on my way home from work, who new it would go so badly. So, it started off fine the lady sounded really nice over the speaker but when it was time to pay she informs me that to use my card I'd either have to come in or tell her my PIN number.She didn't look like a crook so I gave it to her. I tried to give the lady feedback (which anyone who provides a service should be prepared to hear). This is where it all went wrong. So tell her when she is handing me my food that they should really get the number pad for customers. At this point she immediately gets defensive and saying "its cecfu's fault" at which point I responded that "its your business processing the cards this is your issue". Here is the thing had she simply said " I appreciate you feedback, I will let them know" everything is over. I, as their customer will feel as though my concerns were listened too and possibly addressed. But know this person begins to deflect and defend herself by stating "thats why I asked and informed you" and finally closing the window in my face. Mind you at this point I have no idea who she is or what her position is. Ive managed restaurants for almost 20 years in this community so if this happened at my store I'd want to know. I pull my van forward enough to get out and go through the door on the D.T. side, to get a contact number or speak to mgr on duty, but it was locked. I walked around to go through the north to hear the lady telling coworkers "I'LL JUST CALL THE POLICE ON HIM AND HAVE THROWN OUT" I approach the counter and ask for a phone number for the owner or mgr. The lady tell me "you don't need it, I asked you........." on on about how this isn't her fault. I again tell I'm trying to give feedback and can I have a number to call. She again went though the reasons why its not her fault that they ask you to tell them PIN numbers. She finally tells me that she is one of the owners and to say that I was floored puts it mildly. I tell her wow see if you would have told me that in the beginning this whole situation wouldn't have happened. I'd simply inform you I won't comeback. I begin to walk out and tell her she is operating shitty business. As I'm leaving I hear the staff talking about getting the info off my work van so they can call and get see in trouble at my job. I couldn't believe it. I turned around and said so because you can't take feedback and are bad at your job your gonna try to get me in trouble. she stated that I was causing a disturbance. SO LETS RECAP. 1-THE BUSINESS IS ASKING CUSTOMERS FOR PIN NUMBERS INSTEAD OF ORDERING A NUMBER PAD (IM SURE THIS VIOLATES THE RULES GOVERNING Credit Card TRANSACTION) 2-OWNER SHUTS WINDOW IN CUST FACE PROVIDING FEEDBACK (THE OWNER NOT AN EMPLOYEE, crazy right) 3-THREATENS TO HAVE CUSTOMER ARRESTED FOR PROVIDING FEEDBACK 4-ATTEMPING TO GET ME IN TROUBLE WITH MY JOB BECAUSE I PROVIDED FEEDBACK. AVOID AT ALL COST. I hadn't been there in a long time, like a year at least. The last time crew person, with gloves on, reached in pocket and put candy in his mouth w/out changing his gloves or washing his hands. The person who looked to be in charge, larger guy" watched it happen and said nothing. I attempted to talk to him about it, how it was unsanitary and he just looked at me. I left and called the health Dept immediately. I don't know why I tried them again, they don't know what they are doin. its a shame the food can be really good. AGAIN ALL THIS COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED IF THE OWNER HAD ANY BASIC MANAGEMENT SKILLS TAUGHT AT ANY ENTRY LEVEL MANAGEMENT TRAINING COURSE. tip for you unless you, the staff, are saying goodbye the customer should usually get the last point in the conversation. Any point counterpoint on your end is a losing battle. try the LAST acronym LISTEN APOLOGIZE SATISFY/SOLVE THANK read more

If anyone is thinking of going to jolly tamale anytime soon... Don't. They gave us wrong drink, left out a soft taco we paid for, gave mild sauce instead of medium, and the fries were burned. Then I called and spoke to a manager, and she basically called My fiancé a liar. So just save yourself the hassle and don't waste your money on shit service. read more

I will never eat here again. The lady running the counter is extremely rude and unprofessional.

First and LAST time I'll eat here. The lady behind the counter was incredibly rude to me and other customers, the food was cheap but it was pretty garbage. My chalupa wasn't even hot. Parking is atrocious due to the drive through. read more

Best 6 dollar lunch ever. Two sanchos and a drink. Should have gotten the deluxe ones with tomatoes and onions though. Great little hole in the wall. I wished i lived closer! read more

If you want real Mexican food, you'll get closer at Taco Bell, and even that is stretching it. The kitchen is mainly a few microwaves and the dining room is a step below greasy spoon. Head down the road further until you hit La Fiesta, Cancun, or Xochimilco. read more

The restaurant looks beat up and dirty. The seating area is clean enough but the "kitchen" looks quite gross, too. For a place with "Tamale" in the name, pretty disappointing they only have beef tamales. After looking at the menu online, I wasn't expecting a total array like you'd find at tamale places in other cities, but they don't even have chicken or pork options. Beef only. Pretty much everything in the place is made with ground beef, I guess because it's cheap. No warning they only take cash. read more

En route to Manhattan, KS from South Bend, IN. Pit stop in Springfield. Jr. chalupa for $5.41 = WINNER!