Killer tacos; killer tamales. Friendly staff, too. And somehow they still have Topo Chicos in stock! Couldn't recommend more, the food is awesome. I got tacos a few times and figured I'd try the tamales. As good as the tacos are (breakfast or non-breakfast) the tamales are somehow better. They DESTROY other tamale establishments- I won't mention names. read more

Food was amazing First time, Jorge was very attentive and gave us a sample of the tamels. They were very authentic and delicious. Thank you read more

Within walking distance of my house, it's nice having this place available to produce delicious tamales. Upon being implemented in early 2022, it's nice they are still here and serving the Oak Forest area. I typically pick up tamales to go from here; I usually strive for the combo packs which is a combination of spicy pork, beef/brisket, and/or chicken. I've also had the bean tamales here too. You can't go wrong with either of them as they all have that nice corn taste with a decent amount of meat packed in. While I've found tamales priced cheaper at other locations, the convenience of this location keeps me coming back along with the customer service I've experienced here. They also do delicious breakfast tacos, served all day! They are of good size where 2-3 will keep you full. Other items they have here are breakfast plates and chilaquiles. They also serve margaritas and micheladas here; might have to try those next time. But I've mainly been here for either tamales or the b-fast tacos. I've always gotten my eats to go so I haven't eaten at the establishment. But when I come, it's always clean with proper utensils and condiments available for your eats. So maybe next time I'll enjoy the food here instead of carrying it back with me. Glad this is in the neighborhood and only a couple blocks from mi casa! read more

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Amazing , delicious tamales! I got jalapeño and cheese, and some that were sweet corn OMG !! I also got queso and chips and the queso is so good Very clean inside and tables outside, the guy taking the orders must be the owner and he's SO nice. I'll definable be back! read more

The food was a little expensive, but the disappointing thing was I went home with a empanada and it hardly had any meat in it. It was mostly air. read more

The Tamale Joint - Holding the empanada up to the light so you can see inside it - Mexican Near Me - Houston, Texas

First time here! Place was very clean & welcoming. They took our order and it promptly came out fresh. Had the Cafe de Olla which was great! The tamales had great flavor, beans were fresh! Kids had the pancake which was absolutely delicious! Great prices, even better food! We will definitely return! read more

The Tamale Joint - Jorge's Breakfast - Mexican Near Me - Houston, Texas

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The Chilaquiles Verdes were delicious! Very crunchy and just an enough spice. Will be coming again!

I bought a few dozen for our Christmas gatherings and they were a huge hit with the guests. Having just bought HEB tamales, the comparison left HEB as a commodity brand. The Jalapeno and Cheese were my favorite but the Chicken and Beef were absolutely delicious and disappeared quickly. read more

Zero STARS if I could. Unfortunately tonight...... was a horrible experience. The Grey bearded little man shot us down. As a patron of a Houston based company. Tonight the service and respect had very little to be desired. The availability of product, and disrespectful welcoming was horrendous. I tried to explain my need to support a large company in purchasing a lot and help this (The Tamale Joint) company tonight. I will not be returning after over 3 years of encouragement and support. The catalyst was, " we don't care if you want hot sauce, it cost now". That attitude doesn't work well with me. I don't recommend this place under its new leadership. His attitude was to profit and bonus over costumer service and hospitality. I'll be buying my company teams breakfast from Taco Ago-ago or the Empanada place off TC Jester. WARNING TO ALL- BEWARE! read more

I've eaten a lot of breakfast tacos in my life and these are, hands down, the best I've ever had. They're huge! Also, they make their own corn tortillas (also flour). I love a good homemade corn tortilla. Try their habanero and creamy jalapeño hot sauces! read more

I never actually sat down in here and ate, but the service is always top notch. They are attentive, fast and helpful. I promise you will not find a place with more tamale options. You will find a choice whatever your preference is. Being from San Antonio this is a gem. They are delicious I have pork and chicken. Filled with meat or your filling , they don't skimp. read more

The food is absolutely delicious, their tamales are SO good! I also tried their new birria tacos... OMG so flavorful and juicy. Highly recommended! The staff is very attentive, and Don Jorge took such great care of us. Great service, amazing food. definitely a place you need to try! read more

Amazing food and customer service! Jorge was amazing! I love to hear him sing. I we definitely keep them in my rotation

Thumbs Up: This place is conveniently located near the TC Jester hike & bike trails. Neutral: The tamales are overpriced for their low quality, even when ordered by the half-dozen. That said, I understand the business likely has higher rent costs in this part of Houston. Thumbs Down: We ordered a half-dozen pork and beef tamales, but only pork tamales were brought to our table. After waiting quite a while for the beef tamales to appear, we had to ask about them, along with the salsa that should have come with the meal (more on that below). Thumbs Down: The beef tamales weren't included because our order was taken incorrectly, even though the restaurant wasn't busy, we spoke clearly, and nothing was lost in translation. Thumbs Down: The tamales we did receive were not great. They also fell apart easily when using a fork. Thumbs Down: The tamales did not come with salsa. Salsa is a basic expectation with Tex-Mex/Latin food, yet none was provided. I searched the restaurant assuming there was a self-serve station, but there wasn't. When I asked, I was told they charge extra for salsa. Charging for salsa, which should have came with the food, is inexcusable. Thumbs Up: The queso portion was generous. Thumbs Down: However, the queso was extremely runny. Thumbs Down: There were not enough chips to go with the queso, and given that basic items cost extra here, we were hesitant to ask for more. Thumbs Down: Customer service was poor. The restaurant was not busy, yet our order was taken incorrectly. At the very least, customers should be warned upfront about how unusual this place is regarding what does and does not come with the food. Neutral: Overall, you couldn't pay me to come back to this restaurant. read more

This is my go-to tamale spot for when I want to buy a couple dozen tamales to share at a family event. Their tamales are just excellent and the salsas are the perfect complement. I love mixing the avocado and green salsas together. On top of the great food, the owner has served me many times and always has the most positive and joyful attitude. He makes you smile the second you walk in the door! Long live Tamale Joint! read more

The Tamale Joint - Mexican Near Me - Houston, Texas

This place is the real deal. I order spicy pork tamales, and they are absolutely delicious, flavorful, with a bit of kick to them, and is the closest I've gotten to having tamales anywhere like my grandmother's. For dessert I indulge in the churros which are made ready to order, hot, crispy, and sweet. I would recommend this place to any friend or family if they are looking for great quality Mexican food. The staff is always friendly and super welcoming! read more

Been to this place enough times so time to give my review. The tamales are pricey but they are flavorful with the perfect masa to filling ratio. Brisket and spicy pork tamales never miss and ask what their special for the day tamale is. They do charge extra for salsa but the salsa is definitely made with love. Order the salsa verde because it's damn near the best green salsa I done ever had. Me personally, I order a dozen for myself with a 8 oz salsa verde and a half litre of glass coke, never misses. Believe that. read more

This was the perfect place for authentic fresh made tamales and empanadas! The counter service, staff and food was ALL wonderful! Family owned and food was all FRESH made to order! Put it on your list!! read more

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I had been craving tamales all week, so I was eager to try this place. However, I was left disappointed by my meal despite all the rave reviews. I ordered Jorge's Breakfast with pork tamales, beans, and potatoes. The food overall was quite bland but particularly the tamales, eggs, and potatoes. I actually liked the tamales as leftovers the next day better than when I got them fresh. Perhaps because it was heated up more? Regardless, I would still expect the day of to be the best. I did really enjoy the beans though! I thought they had a slightly cheesy flavor to them. Their queso was enjoyable too. read more

The Tamale Joint - Jorge's Breakfast - Mexican Near Me - Houston, Texas

Picked up tamales for Christmas. They were fresh and delicious. The staff was very friendly.

Great open restaurant, quiet. Staff friendly, even came around and gave us an update on our food. We really liked our tamales and breakfast tacos. We will definitely be back. read more

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Saw this on the way home from the wood store and decided to try it for lunch. My husband got the tamale plate and I got the kid's tamale plate (only one less tamale than the adult one and you get a drink-winning). The tamales were perfectly made with a good balance of meat and masa (we both got pork). The rice was not my favorite. Something was off about the grains and flavor. The refried beans were delicious but a smidge too runny and I say that because we were given a really nice heavy duty metal fork but the beans kept slipping through. I finally started swiping my tamale in the beans to get all of it. The accompanying salsas (red and green) had a good amount of heat and flavor. Very clean place and beautiful murals on the wall. The man taking our order (who also brought it out) was extremely nice and patient. Parking was easy and not too hard to find but flowed one way which made sense based on the side of the street it was on. read more

The Tamale Joint - Order at the front counter - Mexican Near Me - Houston, Texas

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While tamales were delicious, I also loved the beans! The salsa and chips were great. The chips are homemade. I also liked that the masa for the tamales is not too thick and has the perfect amount of meat. read more

The Tamale Joint - Mexican Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Rating: 3.5 stars I came by Friday afternoon around 3 PM. There was two other customers in the restaurant when we stopped by. Space itself is very limited to dine in so best to plan on getting the food to go. Service itself was super quick. We were able to order at the register and get our food piping hot around 5 minutes after we ordered. We got the plato especial with three different tamales. The tamales were so delicious and perfectly cooked. The rice on the side though was fairly average and the refried beans were just not very good. They had a strange aftertaste. We also got a side of the elote en vaso. The elote seemed to be warmed canned corn laddled the corn into a cup and topped with mayo, cotija cheese and tajin. The corn was so watery. Flavor itself was fairly lacking and they were way too heavy handed with the mayo so the whole thing just ended up tasting like mayo which was disappointing. I also got a side of horchata. The flavor of the horchata was way too sweet and just ok. All in all, if you come just for the tamales it is truly a treat; however, their sides are not as good. read more

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The best tamales abs b fast tacos in town! I love this place !! Loved the fresh salsa too .

The sweet corn, beef tamales were delish. The meat in the Birria taco was flavorful/moist. Can't wait to go back and try the refried beans, and Mexican rice. read more

So this place is a very cute small place to get your tamale craving satisfied. JORGE was behind the counter and he was so fun to talk to super friendly and since I wasn't sure if I wanted tamales or tacos or what he said I should get the tamale combo with 3 tamales, rice and beans i decided to order that and a Jamaica agua fresca (hibiscus) I had jalapeño and cheese, chicken and pork. Definitely the best one for me was the pork one. The rice and beans were really good too I was pleasantly surprised because usually those sides aren't good in many restaurants I've been but here they nailed it The tamales are good size not too big and not too small, they sell them by the dozen as well. I want to come back to try the corn in a cup and the churros, staff super friendly and the food pretty good too, too bad it's far from me but whenever in the area I'll stop by. read more

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I love the tamales and the churros! These are my favorite churros in Houston! I can't wait to try more!

Jorge has the greatest attitude and brings a smile to everyone's face! The verdes enchiladas are awesome. Fantastic rice & beans as well as their homemade chips! read more

I've been here before just for tamales but on my recent trip I discovered that they also have breakfast tacos and breakfast plates available. They offer egg with potato, bacon, chorizo or mexican style eggs. They also offer a breakfast plate that consists of two tamales of your choice, eggs, refried beans and potatoes. Plus chilaquiles. I enjoyed their breakfast plate. AI love their red salsa it's fresh and spicy. The restaurant is clean, they are also planning on expanding with the place next door but it's scheduled to be done by August. They also have a selection of agua frescas, beer, and frozen margaritas. read more

The Tamale Joint - Menu as of Apr 2023 - Mexican Near Me - Houston, Texas

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This is a great place, and not just for tamales. Delicious, fresh food with friendly service.

Always got my tamales from HEB or a random in the hair salon or my dada had a lady in Louisiana that were pretty good but yesterday I saw this place on the news and had to stop. These were so tasty and flavorful. I tried pork, chicken and beef, they were all chefs kiss. I'll be back to try the breakfast tamales and Menu. read more

Really fantastic tamales. The enchiladas here are amazing too. Chips and queso are good and they offer a breakfast menu as well. They are very fast and great to talk with about food choices. The place is very clean and they have a good sized dining room. I would definitely recommend them! read more

Not a terrible tamale place. It gets the job done, but not the best you'll have. I got the Plato especial with the pork tamales. Jorge said they stopped letting people mix flavors. The beans were super watery. The tamales were a bit soggy. Service was really good and Jorge was great! They have their own parking lot. read more

The Tamale Joint - Plato especial with pork tamales - Mexican Near Me - Houston, Texas

Live in Pasadena and made the trek to the Tamale Joint and found an awesome tamale/mexican food joint!! Had the spicy pork tamales and chorizo egg empanadas and diced potatoes and beans and all were fresh delicious and super yummy an added bonus they serve breakfast all day!! The owner/manager was super nice and friendly,to all the tamale/Mexican food lovers give the Tamale Joint a try I promise you're gonna be a fan read more

The tamales are great! Had the pork and chicken and absolutely delicious. The ratio of meet to masa was perfect. Service outstanding. Will definitely be going back! read more

Good flavoring but the tamales are too soft and don't feel cooked thoroughly. Overpriced for that type of quality.

Service is super friendly top tier Food is interesting small street food Lovely the store is super clean and organized Fantastic read more

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The chilaquiles, cheese enchiladas and corn tamales were delicious - housemade tortilla chips, flavorful guajillo salsa, queso fresco, and soft and fluffy tamales. Only took one star off because there was no option to have beans without lard - otherwise we would have tried out more dishes! read more

I went for the first time today and everything was wonderful. The manager is the nicest guy ever and he gave me a tamale to try since it was my first time. Some of the best tamales in Houston! I'll be back read more