Came here for a Saturday lunch and had a great time! A nice tamale restaurant located right next to the mission inn. Right away service was very welcoming and helpful in giving us recommendations. As for the food itself, it was amazing! I really enjoyed their chilaquiles and my wife got the pozole which was amazing as well. All of the ingredients were fresh, flavorful, and the portions were generous. Restaurant is clean, and has a classic and historic vibe. If you're looking for a good lunch spot in downtown this is one of the best! read more

The Tamale Factory - Mexican Near Me - Riverside, California

Came to see the Riverside Festival of Lights and as you can imagine all of the restaurants are absolutely packed and have really long waits. I was in a rush to get something quick and The Tamale Factory had no line. I was a little skeptical since there wasn't a wait like the other restaurants but it was actually just very quick and food was good! You just order at the counter and they assemble your plate in front of you as you make your way to the register. I ordered the Pork Tamale plate which came with rice and beans. It was a good amount of food and if you're extra hungry you can get the 2x Tamales. They also have other things like quesadillas, tacos, and enchiladas but when at The Tamale Factory I figured you better go with the Tamales. With the high number of patrons coming in at dinner time, I could tell they were really busy because tables took a while to get cleaned and their big water cooler never got filled up during my visit so unfortunately I did not have water with my meal. Other than that, this place provides quick Mexican food at a decent price. read more

OH. MY. WORD. This Mexican restaurant is an absolute dream. The food is so fresh, it tastes like it came straight from someone's abuela's kitchen, and it's crazy fast without ever feeling rushed or sloppy. Every bite is packed with flavor--perfectly seasoned, warm, comforting, and addictive in the best way. I genuinely found myself thinking, why can't I eat this every single day? If you love bold flavors, quick service, and food that makes you do a little happy dance in your seat, this place is IT. 10/10, no notes, already planning my next visit. read more

The Tamale Factory - Chilaquiles with carne, Asada and Machaca! - Mexican Near Me - Riverside, California

Beautiful restaurant, aesthetically pleasing. I was looking for something to wake me up and so I ordered an horchata cafecito and it was the perfect way to start the day. You order, pay, and pick where to sit. I will definitely try the rest of the menu next visit. read more

The Tamale Factory - Horchata Iced Coffee - Mexican Near Me - Riverside, California

I look forward to tamales in December. The Tamale Factory caught my eye on a recent trip to the Mission Inn. Yes, we can have them year 'round. They make them from scratch daily. Red chili with Pork meat is the original flavor, but they make green chili stuffed with cheese and meatless, which is my favorite. They are open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Menu highlights are: Huevos Rancheros (mild red sauce), Omelets, Breakfast Burritos (bacon, chorizo, scrambled eggs, potatoes, beans and cheese). Lunch and dinner offers soups, salads and combos (tacos, enchiladas, and chili rellenos). They do offer catering for your private events. There is a banquet hall on the second floor with a balcony. Reservations are not required, come hungry and don't forget to tell'em that Rosemary sent ya!! read more

The Tamale Factory - Tamales are in season year round at this location - Mexican Near Me - Riverside, California

Stumbled upon this place while staying at the Mission Inn for a conference looking for lunch. This place has potential; but fell flat. You order at the counter, chips/salsa are not included. It's similar to Chipotle where you can see them prepare the order. There's inside and outside seating and they service alcohol. My food was very salty. I had a salad w/chicken; so it must've been the chicken. I didn't say anything until my colleague mentioned hers was a bit salty too. The consensus was all of our food was salty; from the tortilla soup, the quesadilla, to the salad. I'm not sure where parking is when visiting. read more

The Tamale Factory - Chicken Ceasar Tostada Salad - Mexican Near Me - Riverside, California

We stopped here during the Festival of Lights today but never got to try the food. While we were in line reading the menu, an older woman by the bathrooms rudely told us that the restrooms were for customers only, even though we hadn't asked to use them. We told her we were there to order food not use the bathroom , and she still questioned us despite the sign saying to order where we were standing. The attitude was off-putting, so we left without ordering any food. Hope the CS gets better. read more

The restaurant was inviting, the food was delicious and tasty. The service was friendly and pleasant. I would come back.

Food wasn't good and the place was dirty. If I could have wasted my money somewhere else I would.

I recently went into the Tamale Factory during the Mission Inn Festival of Lights and the ambiance was very nice and a breath of fresh air from the chaos outside. The cashier listened/responded to my inquiries about which drink I should order, what's popular, and gave me a recommendation on what I should order. He recommended me a Bourbon Vanilla Latte and it was a 10/10 based off of the criteria that I gave him. Highly recommend a visit if you're in the area or touring the Festival of Lights. read more

The Tamale Factory - Bourbon Vanilla Latte - Mexican Near Me - Riverside, California

In town for a weekend getaway and dropped in for lunch. The brick building gives Old Riverside charm, but the dining room is quaint and decorated to reflect the Latin flavors they serve up. I had the one tamale combo with a corn tamale, topped with green sauce and black beans and rice on the side. We also ordered chips and guacamole. Everything was delicious and we enjoyed the quiet of a weekday before the lunch rush. The servers were great and our food was ready for us quickly. Will definitely be back before I leave to grab a few tamales to take home! read more

The Tamale Factory - Corn tamale with verde sauce, black beans and rice. A side of chips (the guacamole came later) and ice cold jamaica. - Mexican Near Me - Riverside, California

We were at the Festival of Lights looking for a bite to eat. We stumbled into this place and enjoyed it. My wife had a burrito which was delicious as I had a bite or two as well. I had the tamales, rice and beans which were all yummy. The tamales were not dry. Tasted muy delicioso! read more

My husband and I have been wanting to try this place. Came in on a Saturday before they closed and tried their pork tamale, cheese and corn tamale with beans and rice on the side. I saw that they sold pork pozole and wanted to try it. Everything was so good! I'm glad I found a place that sells tamales all year round since it's my favorite food. Definitely recommend this place, you should give it a try! read more

My family and I love this restaurant. Simple menu, fresh food bursting with flavor. The tamales are fabulous. read more

The Tamale Factory - One pork and one chicken tamale. Excellent. - Mexican Near Me - Riverside, California

I've been wanting come here for the longest time! Their hours never matched my schedule so it has been difficult to get here. I ordered a cheese tamale with beans and rice, but my voice must be too soft because I was given a vegetarian tamale a la carte! No worries though. It's delicious! read more

The food was very good. Surprised how good the meat in the carne asada was. Definitely worth the price

Probably one of the best tasting tamales I have ever had. The service was also excellent and the inside of the restaurant is very nice. They also have outside seating. We left with a dozen tamales to have at home. We will be returning. read more

Picked up lunch to go from here the other day when I had jury duty. Was immediately greeted by one employee upon entering and she assisted with my order. There is ample seating inside and outside; you order at the buffet-style counter and your food is plated to order, and you receive your food at the end of the counter when pay. There is a small charge when you use a card. I opted for a 1 tamale (vegetarian sweet corn) plate that included rice and choice of black or refried beans. Tamale was also topped with choice of sauce (verde, ranchero or rojo) as well as onions, cilantro and crema. Plating was beautiful, but sadly my meal was bland. The tamale was ok but consisted mostly of masa, and the toppings definitely were needed for flavor, as well as hot sauce (which I wish I had). read more

The Tamale Factory - 1 tamale plate - Mexican Near Me - Riverside, California

Went in randomly because I saw the tamale sign and wanted to see if they were the small skinny ones like in Texas. Ended up getting cheese nachos and added chile verde sauce and carnitas. The lady at the register said the meat was really good and she wasn't kidding. They were bomb af. The sauce covered just enough to not make the chips soggy and had good spice with mild heat. The meat was tender with the perfect amount of fat. There wasn't too much cheese and the chips stayed crispy for the most part. It came on a dinner sized paper plate (which was interesting). There was a good amount, not too much and not skimpy. Restaurant was clean, employees were nice. Pleasant place to have a meal :) Never looked at the tamales because I was happy with what I got and forgot. read more

The Tamale Factory - Cheese nachos with chili verde sauce and carnitas. Water is free. - Mexican Near Me - Riverside, California

Can't believe I've never been here before. Stopped by with a friend from work during lunch a while back. We were helped right away and I got the Fiesta Nachos with chicken. When you order, you go down the line to choose what you want on your entree like a " Chipotle" but better! I also got their blackberry empanada which are made in the morning and it was the perfect dessert after my lunch. To drink, I had the Spinach Pineapple agua fresca and it was sweet and very refreshing. My friend had the Fiesta Salad with chicken and also loved it. I definitely want to come back and try out their breakfast next time. Their website says breakfast is until 11:30am which is nice compared to other places that stop it around 10:30am. The staff was friendly and the place has an hacienda style look to it with outside seating. If you don't want to pay for parking, you can park across the street at the Food Lab parking structure for free for 90 minutes and walk over. read more

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I absolutely love coming to the tamale factory whenever I find myself in downtown Riverside early in the day. Parking: you have to be ambitious to find parking around DTR. Last time I came, it took over 20 minutes. There's very limited space close to the restaurant and they are all sought after. Selection: while I mainly come for tamales, there's a bunch of other amazing dishes like the Menudo. I love the cocktails they make from their aguas frescas! This time around I got pork tamales, my only complaint is more meat to mass ratio! Other than that the sauce is amazing and they dress the tamales up so nice with extra toppings! read more

The Tamale Factory - Mexican Near Me - Riverside, California

Had a burrito (chorizo) while waiting to pickup my son from his music class at RCC. Free wifi, clean bathroom, nice and quiet early morning, and food tasted great..and good size and fair price! Oh yeah ... service was awesome! read more

Beyond delicious. We had tamale plates in the restaurant. Over the top good. Magic beans. Gorgeous rice. Green sauce is the best. Chips crispy. The freshest guacamole. Spinach pineapple agua fresca was so refreshing. The room is spotless and comfortable. The people are so so nice. This is a delight whenever we come through Riverside. read more

I thought the tamales were just okay. They had three options: pork, chicken, and a vegetarian one. I got the plate with two tamales (pork & chicken), rice and beans. After tax it came out to about $20 which is pretty pricey in my opinion. The tamales didn't have that much meat and were mostly masa. I did like that you can add salsa, crema, cilantro and onions on top. It definitely made everything taste better. I'd say there are much better places in the area to get tamales. read more

The Tamale Factory - Pork & Chicken Tamales with Rice and Beans - Mexican Near Me - Riverside, California

I thought this place was great! I loved the way the tamales had three sauces to choose from. Plus they added creama, cheese and cilantro. The black beans were excellent (someone told me so were the pinto beans which were the other choice). The chips and salsa were really good too - thick crispy chips with a choice of salsa. Fast in that you order in line and pay at the end. Highly recommend. read more

The Tamale Factory - $2.00 chips and salsa - Mexican Near Me - Riverside, California

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Good food and service. My first time here and everyone was helpful. The location was great, clean, and welcoming. I sat outside and enjoyed my food with the amazing weather. read more

The Tamale Factory - Outside ambience. - Mexican Near Me - Riverside, California

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killerrrrr pozole. Super tender meat, well seasoned but not spicy, generous portion. Staff was very kind and efficient even with a long line. Maybe a little pricy but I think it was worth. I hope I can come back and try the tamales! read more

We drive from Anaheim to get dinner here and there has never been enough rain, wind, or traffic to make us regret it. The food is always amazing and so fresh, and the staff are always so nice and helpful!!! The actual restaurant is so pretty to sit in, too. We always look forward to coming back. read more

I love coming here with my family. The food is so good. Favorites are the taquitos and tamales. They always go out of their way to accommodate my family and the food comes out quick. read more

We've been wanting to try this place forever and today we finally had the chance to do so. The place is very clean with such a relaxing vibe and the staff was extremely helpful. My fiancé ordered huevos rancheros and I had the verde chilaquiles with pineapple spinach agua fresca. We also ordered chips and salsa, the chips were so good. Not your typical chips and salsa. Let me tell you, the food was DELICIOUS! My eggs were perfectly cooked and the potatoes had such a great flavor. This immediately reminded me of being a kid and the breakfasts that my grandmother used to make. We both cleaned our plates, that's how perfect our breakfast was because that never happens with us. We ordered chips & salsa to go, two more aguas frescas and of course we couldn't leave without a tamale. We chatted with the owner on our way out, she made us feel like we were old friends. We'll be back VERY soon! read more

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My family really loves this place. We always have a great time and love, love, love the food. They make the best Industrial grade mass produced tamales on assembly lines in commercial factory facilities that blow black plumes of exhaust clouds into the air in South East Asia. Just the way abuela made hers before Stage 9 covid took her too early. Children are hired to work the tamale equipment because they will accept less in wages (.01 per day according to Reuters). And The Tamale Factory passes that savings onto us the customers. Would give 10 stars if I could. read more

Always good. Fresh, delicious tamales (good meat to masa ratio, they don't cheap out)...generous size too! Great homemade sides made from top shelf ingredients. Expect to spend $20 a person per meal....not the cheapest but not the cheapest quality either. The staff is always cool and down to earth. Horchata is homemade and delicious. Comfortable setting, a little piece of heaven in downtown. read more

The Tamale Factory - Mexican Near Me - Riverside, California

I wasn't a fan of the cheese tamales, but I also should've noticed it said sweet corn, since I don't like the sweet taste. Rice and beans were really good and I had a taste of their chili verde which was great. Everything else looked good and worth trying still. read more

The Tamale Factory - Mexican Near Me - Riverside, California

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Love this place customer service is always amazing and the food is amazing !! Nice dining also!

I absolutely love this little location! It's in the heart of downtown Riverside near the mission inn. I've been coming here for a few years so this review is way overdue! We talk to the owners anytime we come in. They are so kind and sweet! This is family owned and has been in business for 30 years and 3 generations in. Food taste like it's made with love! I'll continue to visit. Always check the hours because they do close early on some days. Nothing has been bad yet, always delicious and flavorful!! read more

The Tamale Factory - Mexican Near Me - Riverside, California

My family loves the tamale factory. The service is always great, and it's very family friendly so we always feel welcome. We try to stop by after the farmers market on Saturday's, and they've got the best breakfast menu, the chilaquiles with machaca is my go-to! read more

This little restaurant next to the Mission Inn is excellent. We had the quesadilla (cheese) and the soft chicken taco plate. They both tasted delicious. The reason for the five stars is the friendliness and kindness of the staff behind the counter. They were all great. If you're in downtown Riverside and get a craving for Mexican food, make sure you check out this restaurant. You'll be happy you did! read more

The food that I've had is good. I've taken family there and they have liked it as well. Servers behind the counter are friendly and helpful. I love their decor. read more

The Tamale Factory - Crispy Chicken Tacos dish and chips and salsa - Mexican Near Me - Riverside, California

Order menu is basic and small... but their food and salsas are packed with authentic Mexican flavors. We ordered the chicken tamales, with the green salsa, a salad and a chimichanga. Personally don't eat pork but the folks we came with said the carnitas were delicious. cute on the inside, the staff was kind and welcoming. They made several recommendations made sure we tried their house salsa (glad we did... spicy but delicious) Glad to have stumbled across this little yet delicious authentic Mexican restaurant! read more

A long-time presence on the Main Street pedestrian section across from the Mission Inn, I remember when they rebuilt the multi-level structure but never could find the right time to try them. This may have been because they close early and I'm seldom downtown until the evening typically. Beautiful inside, the affect of natural light is wonderful and they have both a patio outside and upstairs. I popped in for breakfast one morning and tried something generic in the sense that breakfast burritos are more than common in SOCAL, nevertheless, it's a neutral place to start. I selected the wet-style and chose the chili verde sauce. Inside was eggs, potatoes, cheese, and chorizo. It didn't tack too long and appeared well made. I forgot that I don't like sour cream but it was mostly cosmetic and didn't distract from the meal, luckily. I guess I'll need to try tamales or something next time because while good, the burrito didn't inspire me to go back, at least for that. Why? For one thing the green sauce lacked some quintessential flavor that's the hallmark of such sauces. Neither spicy nor exceptionally savory, it was just wet and green. Inside the chorizo seemed to disappear, as in there's a color that suggested it was in there but no tell-tale greasy leaks or chunks to contrast the potatoes or eggs. Not bad, not great. As stated above, I'll go back to try something different at some point but it's not a priority presently. read more

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