I think this was the best tamales I have ever had here. The tamales are affordable and delicious. When we go across the border, we make sure we stop here to get their tamales. Their pork tamales is very juicy and delicious. Definitely a worthwhile stop if you are in the area. read more

Good but kind of dirty and run down. Taste was good on the tamale but the vibe of the whole place wasn't my favorite

Super friendly service. Tamales are delicious. Lots of options available but no chicken today. Beef was delicious. Slightly spicy but lots of flavor. The masa for these tamales is what sets them apart from lots of other places. Tender and delicate without being overly cheery or a crumbly mess. read more

Tamales Ancira - Menu - Mexican Near Me - Chula Vista, California

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I think expectations were higher for a business that's been around for that many years selling just tamales. I had the pork and the chile con queso. They were both average flavor. The pork needed a bit more seasoning. 3.5/5 The raja one definitely needed more flavor, I added the green salsa they have which made up that missing flavor. 3/5 Overall they are ok. read more

Tamales Ancira - Tamal chile con queso - Mexican Near Me - Chula Vista, California

Tamales are a must when the weather cools down . This place is my favorite . The sides of beans and rice were not as good as tamales but tamales by them selfs are a 10/10 . Rice and beans are a 6/10 read more

Business hours are from 8:30 to 6:00 pm , but if you stop by at 5:00pm They don't have Tamales. What's the purpose of having the store opened when you don't have what you're supposed to sell. Always....afternoon is opened but you stop by only to waste your time. They are useless read more

Such great selection of flavors! Champurrado is the best in the area! The man who packed my order packed it with such care and made sure to separate by flavor and even took the time to add a sticker so it was clear! Really felt like he went above and beyond. Small place great for pick up! Parking is right in front, I could see this being a major plus especially if you have a big pick up party order! read more

Love their tamales. I normally order the chicken, beef and picadillo but still need to try the other flavors. This place gets crazy around holidays with the line going all the way across the whole parking lot. It's a small storefront and they have a huge freezer in front. They offer fresh and hot tamales and frozen ones for a discounted price. Highly recommend. Their tamales are not dry and have a good amount of meat in it. Good ratio of masa and meat. read more

The most delicious tamales I've ever had on this side of the border. The salsas are really good too!! read more

Tamales Ancira - Menu inside store - Mexican Near Me - Chula Vista, California

At $3.25 apiece I was expecting a really good tamale, it wasn't, mostly corn meal. There was very like pork in it and I'm disappointed to say the least. To be fare it had good flavor but again, it need more meat for my taste: read more

Been coming here every Christmas for the past 7-8 years, also every once in awhile for just a quick snack. Christmas eve, you need to get here around, I'd say 4:30-5:30ish to get a good spot in line. After 6, good luck. But not to worry, they make plenty for everyone, however after they stop making, when it's gone, it's gone regardless of time. For good reason too, the tamales are the bomb! Don't forget the Salas. read more

Big fan of this place! I haven't had tamales too many times, but I could tell that these were really good. My friend who lives in San Diego agreed! When you're that close to the border, they've got to be good! The meat had a great texture and I loved the flavor of the masa. The shop was pretty small and located in a strip mall. It's definitely more of a takeout spot, so don't plan on hanging around there for too long. We ended up eating our tamales in a park, which I highly recommend, because they can be a bit messy. There was only one woman working there, but she was very sweet and packed up our tamales nicely. Highly recommend if you're looking for a chill tamales experience! read more

Tamales Ancira - Exterior - Mexican Near Me - Chula Vista, California

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One of the best tamales that I've ever had. So many types of tamale. Service is excellent. Someone is always there to help you and give you stuff asap when you ask. The place is small, but clean and makes you feel cozy. Most of the time, people come to buy for togo. It's pretty busy. Since it opens in the morning, people keep coming in and out to buy a lot of tamales. read more

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Don't bother wasting your time! 3rd time I've tried to try this spot and each time I have came they say they have no tamales. It doesn't matter the time of day they still have no tamales. How are you supposed to be a "tamale business" but never have any tamales. read more

I love their tamales! I get my Christmas tamales here every year. The Champurrado is delicious as well. read more

Let me start with saying the chicken tamales I had from Tamales Ancira about two years ago were delicious. I asked my boss where he got them from and he recommended I stop by and get some. Fast forward two years later and I did just that. I arrived around 4:30pm and all they had was chicken and beef. So make sure you get here early if you want the other flavors. The tamales were very good but the employee was not. She was rude and made it seem like the lady in front of me and I was bothering her just from merely ordering tamales. Anyhow I ordered a pint of beans and some salsa as well. When I asked for red salsa, she told me she didn't have any red salsa when I was looking at two large containers of red salsa that were individually packaged in the glass cooler right behind her. Then she charged me twice for the pint of beans. I can't say I'll be returning to this location for tamales anytime soon. They definitely need better customer service. read more

First and last time going to this place ! I got their contact from a family member as I was in search of BEANS only tamales. I called the restaurant and asked if they sell beans ONLY tamales. They tell me yes and that they have 7 left. I ask if they can hold them for me and I would be there in 15 minutes. I arrive to the restaurant and tell the man I was the one who called about the bean tamales. Before paying I SPECIFICALLY asked if it was beans ONLY on the tamales because I do not eat any animal products ,meaning no meat or dairy !!! The man said YES ! So I paid almost 30$ for 7 tamales and they all had CHEESE !!! I'm so upset because I noticed after already taking a bite. I had to check them all to see if they all had cheese and they all had cheese! I called the restaurant to let them know i had been given bean AND cheese tamales and the women who answered basically said " o well we can't do anything about it ". read more

Tamales Ancira - Bean AND CHEESE tamale. - Mexican Near Me - Chula Vista, California

I've been coming here for years. The tamales was always full of meat, and the salsa was the icing on the cake! But they have been slowly loosing their way. I recently bought 2 dozen of pork tamales on March 1st because they were out of Beef. The tamales was a little under cooked, and basically ALL masa! They also changed the salsa a few back, but it was still good. Not as good, but still fairly good. After this last purchase which was $70 for 2 dozen, they just lost a life long customer. I'm not paying all the money just for under cooked masa. read more

Tamales Ancira - I call these "massales" not Tamales! - Mexican Near Me - Chula Vista, California

Arrived at 11 am and they were out of Beef tamales. In fact all they had was pork, chicken and 2 cheese. We ate the cheese the next day and I was glad that we didn't buy more. It was all masa. They weren't making gorditas as well, which was one reason why we drive 40 minutes to go here. I hope that it was just a fluke. We will try again next year for our Christmas tamales. read more

My wife ordered about 4 dozen of their tamales for Christmas Day, their tamales were very tasty and the masa was very good not dry or thick. Good amount of protein inside. read more

Tamales Ancira - Chicken Tamale - Mexican Near Me - Chula Vista, California

The tamales were delicious, so moist and flavorful. I would recommend this spot if anyone is craving for tamales. They also have bundles to buy as well. read more

Great place to get your "down to wire" tamale order before Christmas. I drove down on Dec 21st, arrived at 8:45 am, stood in line for maybe 10-15 minutes, and was able to secure 3 dozen tamales. I think the masa to filling ratio was great compared to some other places. The beef tamales with red sauce were our favorite. The chicken ones are made with green sauce, which were a little spicy, but good. We enjoyed the cheese and jalapeño ones as well. I would consider going back to get another order soon. read more

Just like all the others saying this place is definitely going to shit fast not only the food but the worker there is absolutely disgusting and rude. She does not want to be working. She wants to be at home sitting on her. You know what I asked for specific tamales and I get whatever she threw in the bag because she's lazy not going back ever again!!!! read more

been coming 15 years from oceanside . get here early holiday's service is good and then it's hard job and girl a little tired but still soldiers on . salsa very , very good friends in nort county love tamales i thank proffesional butchers at Encinitas LAZY ACRES with tamales . they earned great tamales .GREAT PLACE read more

The best in town!! Family owned business: Tamales tamales!! I'm glad we not to far away from here when I don't want to cook :) They also sell Mexican food here and drinks horchata, Jamaica etc. Very busy time for them But the cashier still a smile with my large order. And in summer Raspados and lots of flavors to pick from here. Brings back good memories as a kid. But don't tell everyone okay It's 10/10 here They don't have tables so it's all pick and take out here for now. And they need help wanted too So come check it out and put $$ in your pocket read more

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1st time here but have had their tamales on various occasions. So far these have been The BEST tamales I've ever had! Place is what I would call a hidden gem. Flavorful, moist, soft and not one tamale was dry. I bought 1dz of beef also got chicken and the cheese & jalapeño plus rice and beans, oh and the order came with containers of salsa. The only flavor I wasn't fond of was the cheese & jalapeño but that's just me. I've gotta say if this place has been consistently good quality this is my go to place for my tamales...in fact frozen tamales can also be bought and I'm going to buy a few dozen to hand out when I go out of state for family, yes that good! read more

Tamales here are so delicious! I first had them when a friend dropped off a few for me to try during Thanksgiving. I attempted to return during the holidays, but the lines were super long lining the parking lot. So we waited until after the New Year to check this place out ourselves. It's $2.25 each which is reasonable. If you order frozen it's $12 for a dozen or $7 for half but limited selection. We ordered family pack with a dozen and rice and beans. My favorite is the corn and picadillo. What makes this place overwhelming good is the masa. It's so fine and sweet that's proportional to the amount of fillings. Other places you taste the extra dough that it's hard to swallow but the tamales here are moist and delicious. I also saw flautas on the menu and not many places offer flautas. I was super excited assuming it would be as good as the tamales. I was so wrong and do not recommend getting them. It's a rolled taco not a flauta! Both are deep fried but what makes a flautas is being deep fried in flour tortilla. These were corn tortillas and made a huge difference. I don't like rolled tacos/taquitos because of the outer shell. If you pre-order dozens for pick up, it's labeled with stickers but when you order in person, it's not labeled. We got so many different flavors and had no way of finding out until it's time to eat. I wish they could slap on a label or use a pen. They also don't split payment. I had a Visa gift card and wanted to exhaust it then pay the difference but she let out a sigh so I was like whatever I'll pay in full with my cc. How hard is it to run one card then the difference in another form of payment? read more

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Good service, great tasting tamales - soft, a little brittle, and stuffed with more filling than the usual ones you get in bulk at the supermarkets. I think the main difference is how soft the masa is and when you get that at the supermarket it's kind of rubbery due to the preservatives. I take it home and dress it with sour cream, tapatio hot sauce and their green green salsa. The green salsa isn't spicy to me like others are saying here. I would say it's more medium since it has specks of spice. I was third in socially distanced line and someone before was taking a long time with their order so it took about10 mins of waiting until I could have my order in. No shade in the front. Of the three flavors I got, I really liked the beef one. The jalapeño cheese one the cheese inside texture was kind of gloopy. They do spray and wipe down in between customers! read more

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Nice and humble people they give great customer service and the food is out of this world! Highly recommended and will be back with the family read more

this place has a problem with consistency and attitude. last week went in, the tall guy that helped me was great, pleasant and informative gave me the salsa like anywhere does. the beef tamales and the cheese and jalapena were amazing! all product with very little delicate flavorful masa. i was blown away raving to my friends. mistake. I went back today all excited and got this sloth of a woman with a crap attitude, didn't understand anything I said, horrible customer service tried to charge me for freeking salsa! would only give me 2 for 4 tamales wtf. then tells me I just work here. the worst part the tamales were horrible! all hard chewy masa half filled to no filling at all falling apart. it was like I went to a different place. I will change my rating if the owner calls me and gives me a new batch of tamales and reprimands the crew that made the sat 4/25 batch and tells that girl to work somewhere else, like that will happen lol. the original tamales I had last week and their amazing salsa is 5 star! but i cant have a hit and miss experience. will try 1 more time and during the week. they better be amazing again and be nice and listen when I order. read more

I used to like the tamales but I bought some the other day and there is less than a tablespoon of meat if that in the tamales. Well guess it is time to find some other tamales. Total ripoff. Read other reviews about no meat and barely maza. DONT WASTE YOUR MONEY. Cannot understand all the 5 stars, might be family and friend reviews boosting the ratings. read more

Tamales Ancira - Mexican Near Me - Chula Vista, California

The tamales have a great taste and are very delicious. Service is good, I always wait about 5-10 min to get assisted in getting my order. I alway order ahead of time and just pick up but always end up waiting as if I was placing the order right then. Every time I go they only have one worker taking care of everything. They also do raspados there and that takes time from the cashier to assist you pick the pick up. At least that's what I noticed. Everything is good, I sometimes don't mind waiting but at times I am in a hurry and wish they had my food prepared and ready by the time I said I would pick up. Moving on I wish they would do much better with how they pack the rice and beans. I always end up spilling the beans in the bag because they are soooo hot and the containers lid does not support that much hot and also the weight of the beans. ** to the owner of this place; Please consider having employees wrap the containers with plastic OR change the way you pack the rice and beans on ToGo orders. Thanks read more

Tamales Ancira - Spilled beans due to poor packaging - Mexican Near Me - Chula Vista, California

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Can I just say- Gawd damn!! If you're familiar with the reputation of Tamales Ancira and how long they've been in business- you KNOW its the REAL DEAL. We have a tradition in our family- for our family Christmas party- we bring tamales. I bring lumpia however- and still there's no complaints! LOL-- However- I have one prima that buys tamales here and she'll arrive earlier to be first in line- just like I did. And at our annual family Christmas party- you can tell the difference of which are Ancira tamales versus grocery store tamales- THERE'S NO COMPARISON!! If you wanna complain about price- this isn't probably for you then.... I believe $2.50 for a single tamale is practical. Isn't that what you'd pay for a taco at a taqueria? Just saying.... Anyhow- I came here with my list- 1 dozen raja con queso (sliced jalapeños & cheese) 1 dozen beef 1 dozen pork (These are my personal gifts to the guys/ friends that work at National City Motorcycle) And for me- 4 raja con queso & 4 chicharon (I initially wanted picadillo- ground beef- but none were available). Total $99. After I dropped off the 3 dozen- I bee lined home to indulge in a raja queso & chicharon tamale. There's something about eating tamales fresh from the steamer. My taste buds exploded. I'm such a huge fan of chicharon tacos. But, this is the first time in my life that I had chicharon tamales! I think I died and watched my soul leave my body... ONLY to watch it crawl back into my shell as I was getting another mouthful of both tamales. The masa here is silky and creamy... creamy from all the juices created from their fillings. The masa isn't grainy- if you can believe it. I swear next time- I'm gonna be stingy and grab a dozen chicharon tamales for General Purposes. read more

Tamales Ancira - Got here early to be first in line - Mexican Near Me - Chula Vista, California

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Quick service, tamales were outstanding. Got the family pack and rice/ beans were very good too!! Also great salsa- will be back. read more

Tamales Ancira - Family pack tamales - Mexican Near Me - Chula Vista, California

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They're just not consistent with their filling and the masa as of late has been tasting terrible

I have been on a hunt for good tamales for a long time. Anyone can make tamales, but not everyone can make them as moist as Tamales Ancira. My first attempt to try their famous tamales was a no go. It was about 1:30 on a Saturday afternoon and they were out, and was told that more would be available later. They lost 1 star for that. Second attempt and after a 20 minute wait, I finally was able to snap a green pork and red beef tamale. Definitely one of the best tamales I've had, but service can be a little slow and off, especially during the holidays. It is on the more pricey side, $2.25 for a single tamale and about $25 for a dozen, but they are worth it! read more

Tamales Ancira - Red beef tamale - Mexican Near Me - Chula Vista, California

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Authentic fresh tamales, so tasty and reasonably priced! Frozen tamales also available.

My coworkers & i used to come here long time ago & we remember the tamales small but good! They are still small but now they are dry. Seems like they were left over tamales from the previous day. Hardly any meat!! . Cashier dolores does not seem to like her job. Rude, bitter, no customer service. Not coming back & updating my coworkers of their changes. Not coming back! read more

I was very disappointed today. This was my favorite place for tamales. I went this morning to pickup what should have been a delicious batch of just made tamales as it was early and they were fresh. But the amount of meat in here is pathetic, and even the maza was minimal as this is the skinniest tamal I've ever seen. I've come here for 10 years or more and I won't be coming back to feel ripped off. read more

Tamales Ancira - Beef tamale I picked up today.... Where is the meat?! - Mexican Near Me - Chula Vista, California

Best tamales in San Diego. Has been in business for many many years, I've frequented this business for several years and quality and taste remain constant. read more