Quality of the Food: My son and I got a couple of tamales to go. As soon as we opened the container, we realized we may have made a mistake. The tamales were in a plastic bag with water collected inside. They were even wrapped in paper (over the husk), which was drenched. After his first bite, my son's first word "No good." I have to agree with him. The tamales were MUSHY! I found another reviewer who complained about their "soggy" tamales although many others loved their tamales. At least for us, if the texture is ruined, the flavor doesn't matter, a deal breaker. Since our order was ready in less than 3 minutes, I assume those tamales were sitting in a steamer for god knows how long. It really beats the purpose of making tamales fresh every day. COVID Measure: Their website says their employees are all fully vaccinated. Personally, I don't care if the cashier doesn't wear a mask if they are fully vaccinated; however, I do care if the people in the kitchen do not wear masks. You may not get sick if you're fully vaccinated, but you can still contract the virus. NO ONE in the kitchen was wearing a mask (just so that you know). ************************************************************ If you found my review helpful, don't forget to hit "useful" and/or "cool"! It helps other Yelpers. If you liked my review, follow me on Yelp or send me a friending request. Stay safe and healthy and keep Yelping! read more

I love tamales & have wanted to try the New Tamale Co since they opened. There were many choices & combinations. I ordered the Two (Wet) Tamale Plate, one pork w/green sauce & one chicken w/half red, half geen sauce with 2 sides (rice & beans). The tamales were delicious & had lots of meat in the middle & the corn meal did not dominate the whole tamale. The sauces were also very good, the beans were creamy & the rice was not dry. The service is great & welcoming! read more

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I had to come out to NM Tamale Co for other reasons but then I saw their Wednesday "twofer" deal of 2 wet burrito orders for $20 so I had to take the bait. It was a quick wait and a friendly employee brought it outside for a contactless pick up that was quick and easy! Their Wet Burrito is AMAZING! This is the real deal that can be hard to find in our neck of the woods. The pork I got inside was juicy and plentiful and the sauces they put overtop were the perfect amount of kick to where your lips burn just a tiny bit but you can't stop eating. I got the red and green sauces and I'm glad I did because I can't tell you which one is better because they are both so so good! Adding this to our dinner rotation! read more

New Mexico Tamale - Wet Burrito with red and green sauce - New Mexican Cuisine Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

We Love ALL the tamales but especially red and green pork and chorizo! Always consistent and delicious food. Last time we also tried chicken Pozole, which was very good with the right amount of spice. Service is always fast and friendly. We order online and pick up in store. Very delicious and affordable. read more

Best tamales in Bellingham. I've been eating them since they started in Ferndale. Great selection of vegan too. Stuffed with filling, cheap and filling! read more

Wow, so yummy. We had curbside pickup, the tamales were double wrapped so as not to spill any water, nice and hot. The taste is so great, good blend of spices, not too hot, super fresh corn meal. She had a mix of veg (yams, beans, carmelized onions) that she really enjoyed, I had pork and green chili which was very nice, so fresh and tasty. I appreciate that they don't overwhelm you with hot spices, so that you can taste all of the ingredients. Our order was ready for us, the curbside person was very friendly. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm read more

Went on Sunday for weekend brunch starting at 10:00 am. Fast and friendly service even though busy. Menu had many choices to make so needed to study before ordering at the counter. Chile and chorizo had heat. Huevo rancheros sauce light on cumin but heavy on tomato, would choose enchilada sauce instead. New Mexican art on the walls. Tables movable for larger groups. Plan to return to try other things. Sweet and savory and good portions await. read more

My taste buds are still jumping for JOY! We ordered the Santa Fe (Red Chile Chicken) and Harvest Blend (Yams , black beans, caramelized onions, brown sugar and green Chile) and just wow! I could not pick a favorite between these two.. so totally different from each other! So yummy! We ordered online and Jack brought them right out to out car in 2 minutes flat! I cannot wait to go back and try ALL the flavors! Very filling and as they say "Be prepared to Unwrap Goodness"!!! read more

New Mexico Tamale - New Mexican Cuisine Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

Holy guacamole, why did it take me so long to visit this place?!?!? I finally made it to Ferndale around lunch time last week and...WOW...I gotta find an excuse to get up there more often. New Mexico Tamale, located in downtown F'dale, is rocking the local tamale scene with spicy, delicious amazingness. I ordered a tamale plate, which included two tamales of my choice (I got one red, and one green) plus beans and rice. It was MORE than enough food for lunch, and the flavors were on point. If you like a homemade tamale, this is the place to go. But go early, 'cuz when they're out for the day they don't make any more until tomorrow. They also had a vegetarian option, and chips and salsa were free! read more

New Mexico Tamale - Tamale plate. - New Mexican Cuisine Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

Tried them 2x now, about 6mo apart. The flavor is there but they are consistently serving soggy tamales. 4/6 were soggy this time and 2/2 were soggy last time. This time, one of the husks also had some mold on it, no doubt it's mold, will post pic for your viewing pleasure. Our thought is if you are mediocre at best 2/2 times, good luck. Won't see us return. read more

New Mexico Tamale - 4/6 were soggy - New Mexican Cuisine Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

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When we arrived the pull up spot in front was open so we pulled up and called the number posted visibly on the door. The call was answered by a chipper person who gathered my info and said they would be right out. We waited all of maybe 1-2 mintues maybe and saw a masked employee coming out with our food. They greeted us confirmed who we were handed us our food and we were off. Time spent was equal or less than a typical fast food joint which is great because you are not getting greasy unhealthy typical fast food but its just as fast. You do need to make sure and check before you pull out of the pull up spot it is close to a fairly busy 4 way intersection. The tamales had good flavor with appropriate ratio of filling and masa dough. They were not too dry or moist and they include reheating instructions. read more

New Mexico Tamale - View from pock up spot - New Mexican Cuisine Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

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It deserves no stars. Flavorless and my chicken was grey looked like they warmed it up in the microwave or who knows how long it sat out. They forgot all the stuff that goes on top. The owner needs to retrain her staff in the kitchen these are not what gorditas should look like and taste. read more

New Mexico Tamale - Chicken Gordita - New Mexican Cuisine Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

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Fabulous food, lovely service. Beautiful owner Miss Dora. Would love to adopt her. So friendly. Debi read more

OMG this place is AMAZING!!! 10/10! I'm from Los Angeles and I don't often eat any Hispanic food outside of LA, because many places aren't the best. But this place was sooo good and my wife and I can't wait to be back up here and have it again! read more

New Mexico Tamale Co offers a range of delicious items at reasonable price. I was previously "wowed" by the tamales and ventured back for something different. I ordered two wet burritos for dinner because I thought, "They probably won't be as big as they look in the picture." Wrong. They're massive! So much food for the price. My vegetarian friendly burritos were hot and covered in delicious sauce. I'm both proud and ashamed to admit that I ate every last bite; small "breather" required between burritos. Online ordering is super easy. I appreciate the multiple options for filling. Vegan? Yes. Bean type? Absolutely. Rice? No prob. Sauce type? Included. -Quick service. Order ready in about 15 minutes. -Curbside pickup is convenient. Very little wait time. -Quality food containers. I'm a rinse and reuse lady. read more

New Mexico Tamale - Wet Burritos - New Mexican Cuisine Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

Best green chili in Washington. She imports them directly from Hatch NM. Food is healthy and tasty.

The first time we tried this place after seeing it was a ranked as one of the top 100 restaurants in the country by Yelp. Not being tamale fans, we decided to give it a shot anyway and ordered the chicken and pork tamales with both red and green salsas. Well, maybe we had never had good tamales before, because these were excellent! I would highly recommend to even tamale sceptics. Five stars. Our second time here, we decided to try the wet pork burrito with Christmas salsas. We've had wet burritos in NM state before and are fans, so we had high expectations here. Unfortunately, the burrito was exceedingly salty and lacked any defining flavor beyond salt in any of the burrito components. I unfortunately got no enjoyment from the meal and let my husband finish my portion. One thing to note is that the pork burrito has ground pork in it, rather than the tasty shredded pork in the tamales. The menu doesn't specify so I can't fault the restaurant, but I was still disappointed. I would absolutely not recommend the wet pork burrito. Giving three stars since the the type of meat was not their fault. Four stars on average, considering the tamales were good. Sadly I will be hesitant to return after the bad experience. read more

Stumbled upon this gem as my husband and I were waiting in the endless long line at the Canadian border trying to enter US to come home from a weekend getaway. After over an hour wait, we were starving and were so excited to find NMTC via our Yelp search. Upon arrival, we were warmly greeted by the owner. They were busy, busy taking orders at the cash register and via phone. The restaurant location is very small. It seemed more like they catered to party orders and to go. However, there is a small dining area, as well as outdoor seating. As we were waiting for our food, we overheard the owner being congratulated by incoming customers. NMTC was just awarded "Top 100 places to eat in the US" by Yelp. "Evening" news was scheduled to interview the restaurant owner the following evening. Everyone was quite excited. We felt so blessed to be part of the excitement and have an opportunity to eat at one of the best restaurants in the US! :) We are from San Diego, so our standards for Mexican food is HIGH! Loved the chilauquiles and flaunta plate. The pork tamale was the best we have ever had. Loved the queso tamale as well. Typically, tamales feel very heavy as they are normally made with lard. At NMTC, the tamales tasted very light and very fresh. The owner explained that she made her ingredientsas vegan-friendly as possible and did NOT use lard. We also picked up her avocado and cilantro dip. LOVE LOVE it. Highly recommend! Parking: Street Pricing: Added up quickly... For our two plates, two tamales, avocado dip and chips= $45. Didn't realize that if you dine in, they provided chips. Note to self for next time! Tip: If you are making the drive, call ahead. Apparently, they run out of tamales FAST! read more

New Mexico Tamale - Congrats congrats!!! - New Mexican Cuisine Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

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Really, Yelp brought me here. I read they are in the top 100 list for America. I drove down from Vancouver BC. I like to support independent local businesses. TBH I typically head straight to Bellingham but this time I popped into Ferndale, am I ever glad I did! We went around 2 p.m. on a weekday, the owner was there to take our order at the walk-up counter service. I asked her what Hatch is, she explained it's a chile grown in New Mexico, where she is from. She is so lovely! She checked in on us after. Anyways, I had to try a Hatch tamale! I also tried a chicken one. Both were tasty and unique. Great masa and lard-free. We dined in and were given complimentary chips and salsa. Red & green salsa, both perfect. I would have taken some home, they sell them in containers. I was just worried about bringing it across the border. They definitely use fresh ingredients. Five stars for service, taste, cleanliness, and great hospitality. I will be back as soon as travel restrictions are lifted. I want to try their pozole next. Go out and support your local small businesses! read more

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Great flavors and awesome owner. She cares about her customers and the quality of the food. If so could eat here everyday I would. Green or red salsa is flavorful and the vegetarian and vegan options are excellent. read more

This place is truly five stars in every way. The tamales are as good as I've had. The hatch pork was my favorite though the queso was also good. The owner is a wonderful lady who enhances the experience. If you're in the area, you need to come here. read more

Number 45 on the Best Restaurants on Yelp in the United States! So, of course we had to make the trek up to Ferndale, in the snow, to partake in their tamale's. First, let me say, I usually end with comments about the staff (in this case the owner) but here I'll begin with them. What a friendly, open and genuine woman. She was wonderful, she was like a ray of sunshine. I suspect her staff are very happy. She threatened to make me work in the back at one point ( a joke) and to tell the truth, I sort of thought about it! On to the food! Yup, this is a special restaurant. I love tamales, I've had them everywhere in the America's and I have to say, these are some of the most delicious tamale's I've ever had the pleasure of eating. Many, many tamales have an over-abundance of dry masa and just a bit of filling. These on the other hand are not masa heavy, the masa that is there is the perfect amount, they're flavorful and moist, and the fillings are fantastic and generous. I had two tamale's. One red pork tamale and one Hatch pork tamale. Each was a flavor fiesta. These were rich, delicious, works of food perfection. I ordered 1/2 dozen to go. Every one of us was in love with their food. We decided if we lived closer we'd be there at least once a week. Seriously, if this little restaurant from heaven was close to my work I might even be there 5 days a week for lunch. Now, this is a little restaurant, they have.. I don't know, 5 or 6 tables? While we were there, in the snow, with deep slush on the sides of the road, it was still very busy. Every table was taken and most people were in there for pick up, so I think pick up is the key here. I seriously wish her the best, I hope this restaurant shines on for many, many years to come. read more

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I was excited to try a tamale from this restaurant and was really disappointed in everything. The pork was dry the tanale fell apart completely and everything was overly salty read more

Excellent food here! I'm vegan, & there are many options to choose from. Their service is good too!

Amazing as always. Also she has some yummy pumpkin pastry Balls. To die for even if you're not a huge pumpkin lover. Everything is definitely made with love here! read more

New Mexico Tamale - 2 Pork #1 - WET Tamale Plate - Two Tamale - One side - New Mexican Cuisine Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

Very fresh and delicious tamales! Also loved the chips and salsa. We were traveling through and so glad we stopped. wish Dora had a location in Iowa! Keep up the great food and kind, friendly service! Thanks for taking such great care of us Dora! read more

The NM Tamale hut in Ferndale used to be one of our very favorite "dives." The tamales, especially the pork tamales with green Hatch chili sauce, were divine when fresh, and still pretty good when frozen and steamed at home. It was a very simple menu, but well worth going way out of our way to patronize them. Therefore, I was very excited when they announced their move to my Bellingham, because then we could go there far more often. Or so we hoped! But... Since their move, I have to say things have gone downhill, more than a little. All the complaints mentioned in these reviews are - so regretfully - legitimate and so sad to see. Yes, the quality has become somewhat inconsistent. Yes, the portion sizes have decreased. Yes, freshness (vital for a great tamale) is inconsistent. Yes, some added menu items have been disappointing (especially their weird-at-best molé and odd burritos). Yes, the paper plates and single-use plastic cutlery and containers are off-putting (and wasteful). Yes, the storefront and shop is unappealing. And, yes, the service can be iffy. This all can't be good for a successful business. Also, their expanded menu has been a big mistake. In Ferndale, they had the formula for great tamales down-pat - and they really delivered - but the rest of the menu pales in comparison. Most regretfully, this focus dilution and the resultant apparent decreased business, has even hurt their mainstay tamales, which are indeed much smaller and often much less fresh. I suspect that a big part of the decline is their hard-to-find new location. As the saying goes, "business is all about location, location, and location." They can be difficult to find mostly because their Meridian St. address is quite misleading: they are really located in a little strip-mall area off Westerly and Cordata, about 3 blocks west of Meridian. I'm sure many others - especially their loyal Ferndale following - have tried and given up trying to find them. Also, while they now have much more room, the environs have lost their former "cute" charm: the new store is rather drab, utilitarian, and uninviting, both inside and out. As much as I loved their tamales in the past, the net result is we've only gone to Bellingham location a few times with much less satisfying results and frankly don't feel the urge to go there anymore. So sad... read more

I make it to Bellingham about once a year but due to covid-19 it's been about two. All that time I have been wanting come try this restaurant. I was impressed with the overall Yelp average and I do love Mexican food! This was our first stop upon our return to town. I was definitely excited! And I was not disappointed. For my lunch I got their special, the chicken posole which was very good! A great blending of flavor and freshness made this soup great! I can't quite recall what Steve got but the bite I got was delicious too! We came prepared. Not only did we dine in but we bought a frozen pack of their pork tamales to take home. We brought a cooler with us so it could endure our other stops. The tamales were very good as well! Fresh tasting and savory! We steamed them and I put just a bit of a chipolte shake seasoning on it (Dash) and some of the green Cholula hot sauce which added a nice touch to it. I would love to come back to get more tamales and other food items from the menu. Management and staff are very kind and accommodating! read more

I had an absolutely terrific expertise at NMTC! My husband had stopped by to try out the tamales last March. We enjoyed them so much, he sent me back to get more. As I arrived, I noticed the door was locked and realized that the store had closed 5 minutes earlier. While staff was cleaning up, the owner let me in and offered me the last tamales of the day before they were put away. She even offered me a discount! I was very pleased with both the quality and the service! read more

I have only come a couple of times but each time I have the food I received wasn't something I was impressed with. I am used to moist, spicy and flavorful tamales and these were dry and lacked a depth of flavor. On the other hand the Owner is literally the sweetest lady you will ever meet you really feel at home when you visit. Very clean establishment that is right next to a fun European grocer. read more

Great tamales. Not too oily and flavorful. Meats are all seasoned. Not salty. Tasted very clean fresh ingredients. I tried traditional pork and chicken. They are so light. Not too dense tamales. the owner and her staffs are very lovely. I will go back to try a green chicken posole next time read more

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We were in Bellingham for the weekend and by chance discovered this restaurant in a travel magazine. So happy we did. It was very very delicious. We order the chips and salsa, the verde polsole and a chicken tamale and a hatch pork tamale. We are from South California, so we have a little experience with eating tamale and Mexican food. The salsas were flavorful and had a nice level of heat. The polsole was delicious and could have been a meal in itself. The tamales were outstanding. The masa was moist and very flavorful. Both of the fillings had tons of flavors. They also have a great beer selection. I wish I lived closer, because I would be here all of the time. Enjoy. read more

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An amazing find with lots of vegetarian/vegan options. Vegan tamales were wonderful with lots of flavour and taste. Thank you Dora for your wonderful hospitality. These Vancouverites will be back for more!! read more

I'm Hispanic and Born and raised in So California, this is the worst mex food I've ever eaten. For $27, we had the 'flautas' which is three small 4in corn tortillas rolled up with chicken inside and layered with a lime green spread they call guacamole. My guest had "layered enchiladas" that consist of corn tortillas laying flat and drenched in tasteless red sauce with light cheese sprinkled in. Think canned food of the lowest quality. read more

We get up this way from the southwest every summer and we make this place a must do every time. Today did not disappoint. Our favs....Corn Queso and pork with hatch chili tamales.. I like that they include full instructions on cooking them at home. Following their directions has worked perfect very time. They are perfectly moist and NOT dried out. Truly the best tamales in all our travels. We will be freezing a bunch and hauling them back home with us. Can't wait a whole year! read more

New Mexico Tamale - Cooking instructions for fabulous tamales. Yum!!!! - New Mexican Cuisine Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

I've been working too much. Like really, honestly. I know a lot of people say that or whatever but ya girl is not telling tales here. So anyways I took a sick day. Cooking is also work so I didn't do that. Instead I ordered two queso/corn tamales with beans and a side salad from here and also a southwest bowl because I probably won't cook later either and ya know what I also just really wanted two entrees so here we are - and I didn't even pretend there was someone else here to help me eat both like I used to do in college, yelling "I'll get it" when the delivery driver showed up but really I lived alone. I digress: if I only ever had these refried beans ever again I'd be fine. Wow. I can't wait to tell my friend Christina about these, we have an affinity for beans. She's gonna love them. Tamales also hit the spot - love the option to make them *wet*. Loads of flavor and we're steamed to perfection. I honestly might go back to work after this cause I've been revived. Lol jk I'm gonna watch the original Jason Bourne movie and eat this amazing southwest bowl. Five stars - easily. read more

I am not sure how this place got on our radar but it did. As a displaced native New Mexican, finding authentic food is very difficult. Most "Mexican" food is white washed for those with weak palates and soft sense of culinary adventure. At any rate this place was suspect from the get go. It took six months (Thanks Covid) before we finally got up there to eat. Last Friday (1/22/21) we took a family outing for lunch to try the New Mexico Tamale Company. And hot diggity am I glad we did! We ordered a family platter of six tamales, which included rice and beans. I don't mind telling you that the rice was made with love and attention, just like grandma would have made. The beans, perfectly flavored to remind me of fall day watching the sun across the Sandia Mountains. Lastly, the tamales were just the homemade style that your Aunt would serve! Masa packed with meat, red chili giving it the perfect flavor. I swear I felt like I was home. And because it's never a New Mexican winter without pozole, we ordered a cup of the green chili pozole.....GODDAMN WAS IT AMAZING! The staff was friendly and accommodating for curbside. I can't wait for this pandemic to reside so I can eat indoors, but until then I'm going to get my food to go as often as I can. Thanks for the great food and keeping it authentic! read more

If you're trying to decide where to eat, this is your place!! My friend and I went for elite week and it was amazing!! I was concerned about the drive out to Ferndale but I will happily do that drive for the perfect plate of food New Mexico Tamale gives you! The place is easy to find and is so cute, and even better they have outdoor seating! The day we went it was beautiful out and we got to sit in the sun and eat! The menu is simple but has enough options for everyone to find something they like, including veggie and vegan options!! I ordered a white queso (aka heaven) and a Santa Fe (also heaven) with refried beans. The plate came with rice and a small salad, that had the best salad dressing I've ever had. You also get free chips and salsa to eat while you wait, which was no time at all! The owner was the sweetest and right at the front counter when you walk in! The prices were amazing and the "buy local" vibe rings so true! Love this business!! Absolutely recommend this place to anyone looking for some AUTHETIC yummy tamales! read more

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Delicious! Service was lovely and met the delightful owner! Clean, bright and great experience read more

Had the vegan wet burrito and it was sooooo yummy! Prices were all super reasonable, the owner and other workers were very friendly amd had quick service. The chips and homemade salsas were delicious too. This place is awesome :) read more

New Mexico Tamale - Vegan wet burrito :) - New Mexican Cuisine Near Me - Bellingham, Washington