I am always amazed that in this age of new technology and social media, I can still get to this stage of my life as a Bay Area resident (and a Santa Clara County native no less) without knowing about a place that has been around for a long time that serves up one of my favorite dishes. I learned about The Tamale Factory when they were featured on the local news as a Bay Area favorite to grab tamales for the holidays. I absolutely LOVE tamales and couldn't believe that there was such an iconic tamale shop so close to me (I live in Mountain View). I stopped by here and ordered a variety of tamales as well as the rice, beans and chile relleno. The tamales were absolutely amazing and the rice and beans were even tasty as well. I do have to say that they did microwave the chile relleno but for what it's worth, it was still the best "non-fresh" chile relleno I have tasted. I will say that the prices are not cheap in terms of market value for these items as well as for the East San Jose area but the items are worth the price. I may be super ignorant but I had no idea that this place existed till now and I honestly feel embarrassed both as a foodie and tamale lover. This place is definitely my new go-to whenever I crave tamales, which is practically ALL the time. read more

I stopped in for a snack. I noticed the prices have increased quite a bit. I understand the manual labor intensive task of making them. Still just as tasty. read more

See all

THE BESTTTTTT IN THE BAY AREAAA !! Went for the first time today with my mom and god I ate the whole tamale ! We got chicken pork and elote. I promise you won't be disappointed! we've ordered at other places before and I've only ate half or took some dough off to get to the meat. but at tamales factory they fill it up with meat !! i will def be coming back you get what you pay for ! my new favorite place read more

Tamales were good and pretty big. The masa was moist and wasn't too salty. Maybe could've used less masa but it wasn't bad. The filling was carnitas and it was seasoned just right. I'd say if you're craving tamales outside of the holidays (Christmas tradition for us to have) this place is a decent alternative. read more

The Tamale Factory - Mexican Near Me - San Jose, California

The service and the food are amazing here I am very picky when it comes to Menudo and by far this is the best Menudo in San Jose that I have had, and I have tried many places 10/10! read more

The pork all good the Chicken sucks and no beef do the place Is limited not enough ingredients to make it worth the price asking cutting corners by more masa read more

The Tamale Factory will never let you down. Steaming pots of tamales always ready for a quick pick up. The staff is very attentive and quick. Prices have gone up but just know they haven't cut back on ingredients. The draw back...the BART construction traffic you'll encounter on Story & Capitol. Alum Rock, south to White or Tully, north to White are better options. Enjoy your tamales- read more

See all

They definitely know they're the best in town, but I do wish they'd put a bit more effort into handling the overwhelming demand during the holidays. While I appreciate that they offer online orders, there was still a bit of a wait. That said, I managed to try before the holiday rush, and it came out fast, hot, and absolutely delicious. It was so good that I came back for another online order during the holiday season which damper the experience. The tamales (chicken, pork, and jalapeño/cheddar) were fantastic, and we also really enjoyed the menudo. For the holidays, plan ahead ahead. Other than that, its worth the try. read more

Very friendly service. Got there 9am on a Saturday and there ended up being a long line shortly after (website quoted 1-2 hour waits). Very friendly service and food was delicious. Would go here again. This is a to-go restaurant only. They accept CC payments. Recommending preordering when possible to secure order while supplies last. They do sell out during busy times... read more

I ordered sweet tamales online 12/16 to be delivered at my work place on 12/19 at 830am. I waited for at least 30 minutes past 830am before I called the place to get a delivery update, I called every 15 minutes all day and no one picked up my phone call. I sent a message in their website. Everyday since 12/19 I have been calling to get some sort of clarity on my $200 tamale order that was supposed to be delivered in 12/19. I called again today and finally someone answered but unfortunately I do not speak Spanish. They asked me to call back in 2 hours as someone who spoke English will be onsite. It has been 4 hours and I have been calling and no one is answering. This is very disappointing.... read more

3 stars are the tamales are great -2 for the over price. Price range from 55-65$$$ per DZ wth happened to the 25-20 for a dz Check out the tamales in front of Lucky 7 they are $36 a DZ read more

Shocked I've never reviewed this place. Been coming here for years. We actually did a taste test for this place and several others a few years back and they won. Best tamales in San Jose if you ask us. Good price. Friendly folks that work there. Overall just a San Jose institution that everyone needs to try. read more

Workers bad attitude to customers Unhealthy conditions The cashier allowed people to eat their food Right on the counter, making unsanitary conditions. For the food they are preparing... THE Department of health needs to inspect this location as MANDATORY read more

honestly the tamales are extremely small way overpriced and you have to fight your way through homeless to get in the door literally it's right on white road right next to a mexican bread store that if you don't buy the bread before 9:00 a.m. it's going to be hard as a rock with flies read more

Although the storefront is small, lines can be long, items might be sold out or is unavailable, but the taste and how moist the masa is immeasurable. I've been here a few times in the past 2 years and not once did I eat a dry tamale. They accept cards and they accept online orders. Granted, I've never tried to place an online order, but they offer masa by the pound. I did try their chile relleno, but thought it was too greasy, but their tamales are top-notch. I would like to try their menudo sometimes, but that option isn't available online and is available only during the weekends. Their red salsa is spicy. It's good! I've tried their chicken, pork, and cheese and jalapeno tamale. The pork and chicken are recommended. The cheese and jalapeno tasted undercooked. Staff working hard. They try their best to make the line go by quick. read more

Probably the best corn tamales ever. Also I got to try the pork and they were very good. Next time. I'm going to try the cheese and pepper little pricey but it's worth it. read more

Lousy service! Went there to pick up order for a friend's memorial. Everything was ordered and paid for in advance; 6 dozens of tamales with 2- 32 oz containers of sauce/ salsa for $328. For whatever reason the 2 people working there knew nothing about the order and did not know how to confirm it even after calling a supposed manager. They had me waiting over 30 minutes while they helped different customers coming in making purchases. In between other customers they slowly prepared my order. This was extremely irritating as I had to drive 1 hour to deliver the tamales on time. Mind you I speak Spanish. On a positive note I tasted a pork tamale which was not only thick, but delicious. They keep their front door open with saran wrap. read more

The Tamale Factory - This is their front door, which they keep open with saran wrap - Mexican Near Me - San Jose, California

We were on a Tamale hunt. I had marked two places in San Jose and one in Hayward. The Tamale Factory was our first stop. We got three pork, three chicken and two Chile Rellenos. All items were served to us 'dry'. No sauces. We ate the Rellenos with some Chili Verde from another place. The flavors of the pepper, cheese and egg would have warranted a score of 5 because it was simply delicious. However, they had not removed the seeds and I ended up spitting them all out. The pork Tamale that I ate was fantastic. The masa was well seasoned. The meat to mass ratio was great. I broke my tamale in half so you could see thin the mass was. The meat was juicy and yummy. This was our best stop of the day. read more

The Tamale Factory - Pork Tamale - Mexican Near Me - San Jose, California

See all

Seems like it can be difficult to find good tamale places open for earlier lunch, so it was grand to stumble across The Tamale Factory. There's plenty of parking in the strip mall lot. There also weren't any other patrons present when I stepped inside the little shop. Tamales are $3.50 each or $42/dozen for pork, chicken, sweet, and jalapeno. Corn tamales are $4 each. Chile rellenos tamales are $4.25 each. Menudo is available on weekends for $13 for a 32oz cup. Salsa and sour cream costs extra at $4/small, $5.50/medium, $9/large containers. I ordered a dozen pork, chicken, and corn tamales to-go. The lady helping me scooped them out of the huge, steaming steel vats behind the counter. I liked the green pork tamales the best of the 3 I tried. It was the most flavorful, followed by the sweet corn tamales. The chicken tamales didn't seem cooked all the way. At least, the masa (corn flour) was wet and not completely steamed through. I ended up throwing them in the microwave for a few minutes to solidify them up. Not a bad place overall to grab tamales. I recommend the pork and corn ones. They are pricey, but it seems like everything has gotten pricier lately unfortunately. read more

See all

Been getting Christmas tamales there for years. Pork tamales are excellent as are the chicken.

I have to give a solid OK. My family has been buying from this location for years when we feel like having tamales, but not having the time to prepare them ourselves. We even occasionally buy the premade masa for ours from here. The staff for the most part are nice, but they have a small team (Roughly 5 people). If you are coming here for the holidays it is going to be a long wait. Unfortunately they did not separate lines for pre-orders (masa or tamales) and walk ups. People were trying to walk-in and not wait in line/confusing people who lined up. They were crowding the door way and making it hard to walk past (especially when holding a toddler). I don't know if they resolved this later on closer to Christmas/New Year's , but it's a turn off with how unsafe/professional that is. Regarding the quality and flavor, they are popular for a reason. It doesn't beat the home cooked ones but it hits the spot. Their mole has a nice kick, and the meat is moist. I do think because of the holiday rush the quality kinda lacks. I felt the meat was too stringy/needed more mole, and the masa was over packed. However, way better than bland Costco tamales. If your an atole fan, I do like to pick up one carton from here. Warms up the soul. Their prices are on the higher side, but at least they do take card. read more

We had party for Cinco de Mayo. we got a variety of. Tamales. we had the. Strawberry and. chicken and pork. The salsa was a bit spicy. It is taste like home Mexican food.. service was quick. read more

I've been on a tamale hunt for quite awhile and I stumbled upon this place through Yelp! My friend recommended this place to me as well. Upon arriving, the line was out the door because the store itself is pretty small. So, there were actually only two people ahead of me and the line went by fairly quickly. I chose the pork, chicken and jalapeno and cheese tamales. Each of them were $4 and they are pretty big. I believe that salsa is sold on the side so there aren't any that is given to you with the purchase of a tamale. Pork: 4/5 The pork itself was was very soft and tender but slightly bland. The dough was also warm and moist but still on the tough side. I enjoyed it but it tasted better with salsa which I got from another taqueria. Chicken: 2.9/5 The chicken filling was decent but there was much more dough than there was filling.. Jalapeno and cheese: 1/5 Out of the entire tamale, there was only half a jalapeno inside and it was mostly cheese. However, the cheese was a bit funky and rubbery. It wasn't very pleasant. I would not order this one again. read more

Annual Christmas delight; very good tamales; yes pricey but hey it's the holidays. So eat & enjoy !!

I have been going to the Tamale Factory for years. Couple of days ago I purchase chicken tamales with red chili sauce. I could not eat the tamale cause the chili was so hot, they must have changed the amount of chilies they used in this batch. I could not eat the rest of the tamale. I gave the remaining 11 tamales away. I called the store to let them know how hot the sauce was and if they had changed the amount of chilies they add to a batch of meat. The lady that answered did not speak English. I will sample other tamale stores nearby for mild sauce in their tamales! read more

Best Tamales in San Jose! The masa is soft and always has the most authentic flavor. The filling is perfectly salted and keeps you wanting more. These are pretty big, worth every cent! read more

The tamales were really good. The masa was really moist and not dry. I ordered the chicken and pork and got the red sauce. The red sauce is really hot and I like spicy food, so be forewarned. read more

Who doesn't love a good tamale? In my opinion, they are in short supply in this world. I've had so many mediocre or just ho-hum tamales, that eating one of those melt-in-your-mouth tamales are just a rare find. This is especially true in the Bay Area. The best tamales are always from someone's mother or grandmother. Those are the ones that are NOT mass-produced. The person making them is making them for flavor/taste. The filling-to-masa ratio is perfect. There is ample spices for both the filling AND the masa too. Unfortunately, this is usually tossed out the window when you're looking for good tamales at restaurants or stores. Those typically think only of profit margins (which are often pretty thin when it comes to the effort needed to make good tamales). The best store-bought tamales that I have ever had were from DELIA'S TAMALES in the Rio Grande Valley along the Texas-Mexico border. They have a newer location in San Antonio, Texas too; but, I've never sampled any there. But, I've been to several locations in the Valley. Even as I type this, my mouth salivates thinking of them! Delia's offered at least a dozen different types of tamales -- and there wasn't a bad flavor among them. My favorite were always the "spicy" variety (e.g., spicy chicken, spicy beef, spicy pork and cheese, etc.). With each bite, I'd sometimes close my eyes and be extremely thankful for Delia's amazing recipe! She had the perfect filling-to-masa ratio and the flavor was out-of-this world! So, during a recent drive back from the Lick Observatory atop Mt. Hamilton, I was already thinking of tamales! I set my GPS accordingly and traveled just a bit out-of-my-way to visit this wonderfully little restaurant. THE TAMALE FACTORY has a nearly-perfect filling-to-masa ratio too. The filling is very good and the tamales are quite large. The pork, chicken and jalapeño tamales are all worthwhile -- and certainly worth the trip to this modest store. My only disappointment is that the masa is a bit bland (and thick too). If it had a bit more flavor (like Delia's), I'd celebrate such thick masa. Unfortunately, there isn't much flavor in the masa. In fact, I'd be extremely happy if this restaurant offered "spicy" versions of pork and chicken -- and maybe some cheese in their jalapeño tamale. Still, these were pretty decent tamales for the Bay Area. Each tamales is $4 -- but they are pretty thick. If they were a bit spicier OR if there was more spice/flavor in the masa, I'd frequent this store much more often. AMBIANCE: There is no seating in the restaurant; so, you must take these tamales with you. The staff is very nice and friendly. Parking can be difficult because there aren't enough spaces (because most seem to be used by patrons of adjacent businesses). The next time you're in this part of San Jose, you should stop and pick up some tamales! It is worth the drive! read more

The Tamale Factory - Mexican Near Me - San Jose, California

See all

Have always been told these were the best tamales so we had to finally try them. We have tried a few other places and this place comes in second so far. This review is only for the pork tamales. For what they charge for a dozen, there definitely isn't enough meat in these and the masa could use a little more color to it. Can't say these were the best we've tasted, but not as bland as a few others we've had. Both meat and masa could use a little more chili to add more color and taste. read more

Best tamales. Not a lot of masa and they put a lot of meat. Beans and rice are good. Prices are a little high but so worth it.

Amazing Tamales & their Green Salsa is to die for sabroso. Just getting harder and harder to order for Christmas morning from them.

The girl was so rude . The cheese and chili had chunks of cheese ( little cheese squares, no flavor and we ended up throwing them away. We had been going there for years and the last two times was not worth the hour and a half drive. Glad there are other tamale places now read more

This used to be my go to place for Tamales but not it's all above making money now. Every sauce is a $1.00- not coming again.

I have patronized this small Tamale Factory for over ten years and their recipe has been consistently untouchable compared to many Tamale establishments I have tried and I have tried many over the last ten years. I don't mind that the prices increased. The service is great the staff is friendly and there's no room to sit and eat inside but I will always take one from my order and sit in the car and eat one. The heat on the Tamales have increased and I wish their could be an option for less heat and more heat. I like to enjoy eating and tasting my Tamale and not having to drink milk or water to cool my mouth down after each bite. I still give Props to The Tamale Factory for excellent tasting food. I will continue to patronize this establishment. read more

The tamales are pretty good and honestly these are dangerously delicious. If they were any cheaper, I would scarf these down continuously! The limited menu makes the decision easier but the question isn't chicken or pork, but how many you can consume this time. Service is quick and they are also on doordash now too. All in all though, this place is legit and is the place to go to get your tamale fix. read more

The Tamale Factory - Mexican Near Me - San Jose, California

See all

These tamales are amazing if you eat them immediately and fresh from the tamale factory.

There is something so simple yet beautiful about a freshly made tamale. I remembered learning how to make them from my friend's nana who taught me so much about the entire process. It's been a long while since I've last had one, yet after my visit to The Tamale Factory, the fond memories of delicious tamales came back to me in flying colors. I got myself the Pork Tamale, the Chicken Tamale, and the Sweet Jalapeño Tamale. All tamales are $3 each and are hot and ready to serve upon purchase. In sum, they are all amazing. The Pork Tamale and Chicken Tamale are cooked exactly how I wanted them to be cooked. The meats are tender and juicy. The masa (dough) has the right balance of soft and coarse that makes the tamales enjoyable. The Sweet Jalapeño Tamale is my personal favorite. It has Mexican cheese and cut jalapeño and absolutely kicks butt for something vegetarian. Pair your tamales (especially important for the sweet jalapeño tamale since the meat is absent) with their salsas and sour cream and you're completely set! I went here on a Sunday evening, an hour before closing. Parking situation wasn't too bad. First one in line. Got my order seconds after purchase. The lady who did my order was a real sweetheart and properly bagged my order. It was all a joyous experience. I am truly inspired by The Tamale Factory to relearn the art of making tamales. Until then, you will see me here when I need my tamale fix. I swear on it! read more

The Tamale Factory - Tamales - Mexican Near Me - San Jose, California

See all

Monday before Christmas, stood in line for 25minutes and was worth every second. Met some good people in line and it moved fast. I've been coming here for years and nothing tops their comforting masa that never fails in its consistency. They offer Pork, chicken, jalapeño and cheese, and a sweet one I've never tried. The jalapeño was spicy and looks like they use 2 kinds of cheese. Tasty and different. The meat ones are spectacular. Open for walk in until the 22nd then order pick ups only. I will be ordering early next year and sending some to lucky family on the east coast. These tamales add to the quality of life down here in the south bay. Excellent! PS- Sneak into the panaderia next door for cookies as big as your head and some interestingly yummy pastries and carby bread treats to eat while you wait! read more

The tamales here are still good after over 10 years of going there. This time I tried a jalapeño tamale. It was OK but I can spray the pork in the chicken. The food is very warm when you get it too I like that. The prices have gone up since I started coming here. That is shocking. However, I will continue to come back as long as the tamales are this good! It's a small walking place, so the service was quick. read more

The food was delicious! The tamales are a good size and had plenty of meat in them. I also had the champurrado and it was the best one I've had so far. The ladies working there were very nice and helpful. I will definitely be going back! read more