Monday, January 11, 2010

Who cares about the “Tamale Guy,” when you got “The Tamale Lady!!!”















spot: The Tamale Lady!
address: There is none! It’s in the “Discount Mega Mall” parking lot on the corner of Sacramento & Milwaukee 5 a.m. – 10 a.m. ish Every single day.
food type: Tamales. Only.
Neighborhood: Logan Square

Who cares about the “Tamale Guy,” when you got “The Tamale Lady!!!”

That’s right, “Tamale Lady!” I know everyone loves “The Tamale Guy” who cruises the Chicago bars with a cooler full of hot/warm tamales.
He mostly hits the Bucktown, Wicker Park, and Ukrainian Village neighborhood bars/nightclubs. “The Tamale Guy’s” tamales are good, but good at best. I think the lure is the convenience of being in a bar, drunk or drinking, and having tamales brought to you, ready to eat, immediately! And at a decent price too. I think you can get 6 tamales for $5. That’s fair, I have eaten them myself. But if you want a high quality, great tasting tamale at an even better price: The Tamale Lady!
“The Tamale Lady” has, and has had, a permanent set up in “The Discount Mega-Mall” parking lot on the corner of Sacramento & Milwaukee for over 10 years!! Yes, 10 years plus, and counting. And she is there everyday from 5 a.m. till she sells out, which is everyday, by or before 10 a.m. I don’t care if it’s storming rain, a snow blizzard, or extreme heat, she is there. And 7 days a week! Can the U.S.P.S. beat that?
The tamales are delicious too. They are never dry, or lacking of meat. The mild chicken tamales are “Monte-licious!” And these tamales have few, if any competitors. And you get a half dozen for $4!!! Inexpensive Yo! Also, “The Tamale Lady” serves up something you absolutely need to try, and that is a hot chocolate type of drink that is filled with rice. It is so freakin “Monte-riffic!” You won’t believe it until you try it. It is exactly what I said it is too: A really thick hot chocolate, filled with really, super soft rice. It’s almost like drinking hot, chocolaty, rice pudding. You will want to hug me for turning you on to this drink, it is that good.
And “The Tamale Lady” is Honduran, not Mexican! Can you believe that? The best tamales are not Mexican!! Whoa! Another thing you need to know, she barely speaks English. I had to look up what I wanted to say to her on the Internet, write it down, and read it to her when I got there. In Spanish.

4 comments:

MzChiCity said...

Dude I am totally going there this weekend! LOL Can't pass up a good tamale!

Thee Erin said...

Hey I recognize her. A few years ago I was lost and she gave me directions to West RP. Thanks Tamale Lady!

Bruno911 said...

I live in Logan Square and cannot find this tamale lady! Where is she located? Thanks!

Monte said...

She moved, her and the family were forced out of the Discount Mega Mall parking lot. They are in the parking lot that is just south of the mall parking lot, it's in that lot right between the Mega Mall parking lot and the El. It's on Sacramento about a few hundred feet south of Milwaukee on the west side of the street. Hope this helps. They are there from about 5 a.m. till they sell out, which is usually 9 a.m. ish.