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    Tio's Tamales

    4.6 (374 reviews)
    Closed Closed
    Updated 2 weeks ago

    Order Tio's Tamales Takeout or Delivery

    Tio's Tamales Photos

    TIO'S TAMALES ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - Tio's Tamales

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    Picking up a dozen chicken tamales
    Kathy A.

    I'm a tamale fan and this is one of my two favorite spots to pick them up. My family luvs the chicken with green chilies, I buy them by the dozen for dinner always hoping for leftovers but rarely getting any. When you buy them they come in foil wrapped packs of four. Cheaper by the dozen....way cheaper. They are steaming hot so I take them home, unwrap the foil packs then remove the corn husk wrappers off each tamale and put them in a single layer in a large casserole. Then I just open a can of green enchilada sauce and pour in over, layer some grated jack cheese and baked until the cheese is melted. Way too easy and so good. My family likes sour cream on top but they put it on as they make their plates. Add refried beans and a salad. Easiest dinner ever. This is a really small shop on Nuuanu and they're only open from 10:30 to 2:30 every day but Sundays. Parking is metered on street and I've never failed to get a spot. They do have burritos, chimichangas, tacos and nachos also but I come here specifically for the tamales...try them imho they are great!

    New Mexico red tamale
    Celeste G.

    Food was great. Lots of flavors. Super friendly. Small place. Limited seating. Definitely will be coming back.

    2 Single order of carne asada taco, 2 two carne asada taco and 1 carne asada taco plate and two sodas. Enjoyed it, be back soon.
    Debbie V.

    Service is always friendly and the food was 'ono! Came last week and tried new things this week. Will be back soon! Mahalo nui!

    Carne Asada Chimichanga

    CARNE ASADA CHIMICHANGA!!! I got mine with out sour cream and the sauce on the side. Meat was juicy and flavorful, sauce was amazing spicey and tasty, could use more lettuce and smaller onions in my opinion. Personally don't like my food smothered in sauce when it's deep fried so I recommend sauce on the side to dip into to enjoy the crunch. As a Mexican living in Hawaii it's hard to find comfort food but this hit the spot, can't wait to try more.

    Vilay H.

    I made a last minute catering order and they totally delivered within an hour! Definitely a delicious save! Guys had no complaints, one of whom has just moved from Vera Cruz, Mexico. Another has always wanted to try tamales and the spicy sauce were on point! Mahalo for the ono grinds!!!

    1 tamale chicken plate
    Jo C.

    Delicious authentic Mexican food on Nuuanu Ave! I've passed by so many times and finally stopped by. Parking was easy metered stalls right in front of the restaurant. The owner is really nice and helpful. I originally wanted chili relleno my fav but he mentioned they make it a little differently than the traditional way and it's fried. I ordered a 1 tamale plate and a side order of the chili relleno to try it. The tamale plate is really good! Everything was delicious and generous portions. The side of the chili relleno was good as well but I think I prefer the traditional style. I will definitely go back and try other things. They do a lot of take out and the plate was so large I ate the rest for lunch the next day.

    Carne asada fries
    Pabs G.

    Hole in the wall on Nuuanu Ave. New Mexico food is delicious. Learned so much from owner, Tio about the green chile. The carne asada fries was very delicious! Serving size is HUGE and I finished it off in two days. Very tasty. My taste buds went into sensory overload. Love the spices and generous serving of carne asada. This is a must order. The tamale plate was very filling. The beans was delicious too. The burger was okay. Parking is along Nuuanu Ave. Very clean quaint shop. Owner loves to share his passion for New Mexico food and family history. Definitely going back for more authentic New Mexico cuisine.

    Store front

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    1 month ago

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    19 days ago

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    11 months ago

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    10 months ago

    I just special ordered 2 doz chili cheese tamales. So good! Best on the island for a basic tamale.

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    9 months ago

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    2 years ago

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    1 year ago

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    10 months ago

    Food was on point! Customer service was awesome! It was my first time trying the food & I loved it!

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    1 year ago

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    10 months ago

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    1 year ago

    Very welcoming staff and ono food. We needed more options for good Mexican food here. Mahalo!

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    2 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    10 months ago

    Good was awesome. And owner did an amazing job considering he was as working by himself! Will definitely be coming back here.

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    4 years ago

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    1 year ago

    Excellent Tamales and food. They do platters or just plates to go or dine in. Super nice owners, great food! Most authentic food on island.

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    Page 1 of 10

    Tio's Tamales Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Tio's Tamales

    No more breakfast burritos?

    We still serve breakfast burritos on Saturdays! We may also be able to accommodate an order for breakfast burritos if it's not too busy on other days if you call in and preorder.

    What do you use instead of lard? I have an allergy to seed oils. Thank you!

    We use Corn and olive oil

    Hi! I really miss green tamales, are the green chilies fresh? Thanks!

    No, we bring our green chiles in frozen from Hatch, New Mexico. We can't bring them in fresh because they're only in season during the months of August and September. We hope you will come in and try them! Take care!

    Are the vegetarian tamales lard free? Lard is delicious but I want to share with a friend who can't have any lard. 😆

    The veg tamales are lard-free. Actually, everything we have is lard-free! We don't use lard in anything.

    Are the sopapillas more of a thick doughy or a tortilla like?

    It's more like puffy fry bread. If you want to try it, please call in an order (early if you can because sometimes we run out). We only serve them on Fridays. Take care!

    Do you have vegetarian tamales?

    Yes, they are filled with zucchini, corn, and onions!

    Do you sell those cool t-shirts you are wearing?

    Yes we do!

    How's the parking? Or where do we park?

    Hi, there is street parking only. Plenty of meters out front and around the corner.

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

    Review Highlights - Tio's Tamales

    Everyone loved them and someone even said they hadn't had such a good tamale since they'd been to New Mexico.

    Mentioned in 40 reviews

    Read more highlights

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    Taqueria El Ranchero

    Taqueria El Ranchero

    4.0
    (2.4k reviews)
    16.6 mi
    $$

    We got here on a Monday, the day before Cinco de Mayo. We were having dinner with family before…read morethey returned home from vacation. Mexican sounded good to everyone so we picked this spot and we're all very happy we did. Our server was kind and attentive. The place was lovely and decorated with just the amount of fun you expect. Some great photo ops in there. He even told us they were having a mariachi band tomorrow and invited us to come back. The food from the start with nachos and salsa to the end with tres leches was all delicious. I ordered the chorizo queso and it was fantastic. My son ordered the guacamole and it was so fresh and limey. Also delicious. My grandkids shared a quesadilla which was definitely large enough to do so with. My oldest grandson ordered a torte and he loved it. Also a generous portion. My son and I both ordered the grande burrito. He got his wet and I didn't. His was served on a plate and mine came wrapped in foil in a basket. I wish it would have also come on a plate. I like to cut it up to eat and the foil made that difficult to do. We ordered the tres leches to go because we were all so full. Enjoyed it the next day. Three of us could share on piece. It's delicious but very rich.

    We visited this establishment as part of a group. We had difficulty communicating with our…read morewaitress. I believe she didn't quite understand us, and we didn't quite understand her either. It took a while to order and to get her attention throughout our time there, but we eventually received everything we ordered. The birria was very tasty, with juicy meat and a crispy shell. The Margarita flights were small, mini tastings which left us wanting more (and yes, we did order more). Regarding the tres leches, it's not the greatest we've ever had but not the worst. Yelp limits how many photos are posted with my review, but there should be 19 photos.

    Photos
    Tacos in the cantina
    Tacos in the cantina
    WATERMELON SANGRIAS
    WATERMELON SANGRIAS
    SEAFOOD WET BURRITO

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    SEAFOOD WET BURRITO

    Tio's Tamales - newmexican - Updated June 2026

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