I got a vegan mushroom and roasted garlic from this lady at a farmer's market, I think it was the saturday cardiff market. There is a wide variety of fresh tamales with meat, vegetarian, and vegan options. You also get to select a salsa for your tamale, I went with the zucchini salsa on her recommendation and it was delicious. The tamale itself was also amazing. Tamale was $7 with cash. The lady here was so so sweet, happy I got to support her and get a yummy tamale at the same time! read more

Gourmet Tamales - menu - Mexican Near Me - Oceanside, California

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I wish they had tamales near me, they are too far. I loved the flavors and creative combinations. I wish they also deliver, as I have craved their tamales since my future husband brought them to our first day. Maybe I will be able to taste these delicious tamales for our 20th anniversary coming up in 2030. read more

Wednesday Little Italy Mercato farmers market and a different market on the weekend, I think Saturday Hillcrest market? Either way, vegetarian friendly as she does not use lard but the meat options are still delicious. The masa is smooth and soft but holds its shape well. Comes with free chips. If you buy 3 frozen, it is cheaper. Goto for lunch at the farmers market. Lovely kind seller also xo read more

Gourmet Tamales - Menu - Mexican Near Me - Oceanside, California

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Good selection of vegan tamales. I stop at the table at Hillcrest Farmers Market after church

Overpriced for tamales with less than a teaspoon of chicken or a single thin slice of chile. The vegetarian one had only a few veggies in it. All of their tamales were 99.9% masa and maybe 0.1% filling. Also, the masa was incredibly dry. Maybe we got ripped off this one time but this first impression makes me think Gourmet Tamales is very inconsistent with the quality of their food. Such a disappointment to my entire Mexican family. We usually have to travel to L.A., Santa Ana, or to my abuelitas for good tamales. read more

The best tamales! Kind of hard to find the store front location. You have to go behind the store. The service was quick and friendly! 10/10 go get some!!! read more

Food is delicious! It's a kitchen so text, call, drive up and order what you want. You won't be disappointed

This review is so hard so I'll try to keep it easy and what's most important. At the farmers market:: hot tamales are not hot. I'm sure they bring them fresh but they have them in a cooler (not a heating bag or bin, a cooler) and they do not hold heat. If you buy and it's cold, they will push back on returning it which is wierd because the food is cold! Frozen tamales: hit or miss. At times they are equal parts meat, maza, mole & it comes together well. Lately it's been lots of mana, barley any meat and the meats been dry. It's just sad because this was always my go to for work and now I'm really saddened by it. I'll keep supporting in hopes that the old recipe comes back read more

I've been a long time customer of gourmet tamales. Every time we have had their tamales we've had a great experience. Our tamale of choice is their green/chicken tamal. So yummy! Owner is very friendly and attentive. read more

The inside tamale filling was tasty. But the outside was very dry. On a scale of 1-10, I give it a 5.

Being from Mexico City, my family and I can be picky about tamales, but these tamales are truly delicious! We'd say they're the best you can get in San Diego. They have a large variety. We buy ours at the Little Italy market on the weekends. Highly recommend. read more

Gourmet Tamales - Types of tamales (not my photo) - Mexican Near Me - Oceanside, California

Amazing tamales and I love going to the farmers markets for their fresh salsas and tamales it's a guilt free tamale with no lard. The service is great and employees are very kind and make the experience wonderful. read more

I crave these tamales all the time. I discovered them ever since I started going to Hillcrest farmers market and it's such a treat!! You get get one that's been cooked and ready to eat or you can buy a pack of three to cook at home. All you have to do is steam it. They have meat, vegetation, vegan and even sweet options and all of them are fabulous. The complimentary salsas are also fresh. The tamales are huge too, not like the small sad ones you see in grocery stores. Nice and fluffy but dense with lots of filling...you just can't go wrong with them. They seem to be at a lot of SD farmers markets so definitely give them a visit when you're at one of them. read more

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We see them at the Little Italy Farmer's Market all the time. It was the Art Walk last weekend so all the regular market vendors were moved to a different street. We finally tried them out as they were located next to our favorite crepe place (Crepes Jourdan). Friend got the strawberry refresher drink that's served in a cool barrel kinda thing. The guy ladles out the liquid and puts it into a cup. It was $5 for a nice size drink. Drink was nicely cold and not watered down. Not too sweet either. read more

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Best tamales ever! Can't wait to get back down to South OC to grab some more! I stumbled upon these guys at the Laguna Farmers Market, and immediately searched for them on socials to find out where else I can get some more! read more

Great gluten- and dairy-free tamales that all of our family loves! Ordering again this year to make Christmas Eve dinner!

I've had lots of tamales in my day because I love them so much. I've had good tamales, some not so good tamales, some bad tamales and some...well....oof. I was going to my dentist next door and saw the sign for Gourmet Tamales. Mmmm....tamales..... I finished my teeth cleaning and had time to kill while my daughter was getting her cleaning so I decided to get some for dinner. The sign that I saw says you have to go around to the back. I walked around and it is in a backside of the industrial building. A man was there loading his truck. Now when you walk around that corner, don't have expectations of some small restaurant or anything. It's literally the back door of an industrial kitchen. No restaurant. Just a kitchen. You walk in and there you see some ladies making tamales and a menu on the back wall of what you can order. They come frozen and in bags of three. I wasn't sure what to expect because frozen tamales don't look all that appetizing ever. I ordered chicken with corn and cheese and cheese, corn and poblano for my cheese loving daughter and strawberry apple ones because they sounded interesting. The instructions say you can either steam them or microwave them. Steam them. Please. For the love of all that is holy, don't microwave them. Take the time to steam them which takes about 15 minutes. The result? OMG. The best damn tamales I have ever had in my life. The masa was flavorful and creamy and there was a ton of filling. Chicken in tamales to me is almost always dried out. The chicken in these tamales? So much of it and it was still very tender and juicy. If I had room to stuff ten of them in my mouth in one shot, I would have. Do yourself a favor and get some. You'll be glad you did. read more

Gourmet Tamales - Chicken corn and cheese tamale. - Mexican Near Me - Oceanside, California

We live in Long Beach and picked these up at the farmers market in San Clemente. These tamales are awesome. No lard and not greasy, chocked full of flavor and meat. I'm writing this while looking up to buy more of them. read more

Amazing food and service. We get these tamales every Christmas Eve and they are delicious. Quality ingredients and sweet family!!

Over priced, $13 for a 3 pack of frozen tamales. Decent flavor, masa was a bit too dry for our liking, expected fresher tamales. Suggest heating them longer in the microwave, found frozen bits in my tamale after following the instructions. Wife and I ordered a pack of rajas and a pack of pork with chile. Rajas were decent, spicy and cheesy. Pork tasted like bbq and wasn't spicy like I expected. read more

I've been buying these excellent tamales from a stall at the Hillcrest Farmers Market for years. Large selection of vegetarian and meat fillings. read more

Awesome. Love they have good variety of Vegetation and Vegan as well as many traditional options.

Was passing by today to see if the tamales were good as some reviews mentioned here. While passing by they were still setting up for the day and saw them unloading cans of corn, salsa verde, and other things. I honestly don't have a problem with that but don't use the word "gourmet" in your business just to up charge items. Thats false advertisement and makes me not even want to try them. read more

These tamales are amazing! Not greasy with delicious quality ingredients. I have never had tamales this good since my grandma made them. I am planning a trip to Oceanside from LA (mainly to pick up up an order). read more

The tamales very tasteful and super moist. Most masa are very dry but not these tamales. Please make sure to call before you head over cause their at the street fair alot. Thank you. read more

The staff were nice and pleasant, knowledgeable and professional. The tamales on the other hand were 100% the worst I've had. It was just cornbread mix inside of a corn husk - with 5 individual kernels of corn, and a single green leaf. For the insane 'gluten-free' price, these should be way better. I didn't even realize it until I took the pic, but apparently there's supposed to be cheese in here too read more

Gourmet Tamales - Sweet white corn, pablano, and fresco cheese. - Mexican Near Me - Oceanside, California

Best tamales aside from my mom's. I'll definitely buy them again. Their factory in Oceanside is a whole in the wall but worth the drive. Try them! You won't be disappointed. They're generously filled with goodness. Their salsa is also like mom's. read more

I dream about these vegan tamales!!! Their salsa is also amazing. I typically drive to the main location and by them rather than the farmers market. It's hard to find but worth the hunt! Seriously the best tamales ever!! read more

Big disappointment, too pricey and not authentic , you can get way better quality, better tasting never going back If you like these types of tamales you must not be Latin or Mexican read more

These tamales are awesome. There are many varieties to choose from. I got pork, chicken and cheese and beef tamales. The people are very friendly and helpful. I highly recommend this company! read more

Stumbled into the Tustin Farmer's Market on Wednesday and found this vendor there. The guy was very friendly and after asking for suggestions, I bought the Pork Green Chilies and Chicken Green Sauce frozen tamale packs. They were only $9 each for a pack of three pretty large tamales, and he threw in a free pack of salsa, probably cause I was there kinda late and most vendors seemed to be packing up but I appreciated it! I've tried both flavors and the salsa and am in love! I microwaved them, which was super quick instead of steaming and they were delish! I made the mistake of forgetting what he said about microwaving (wrap in a wet paper towel) and they were a little dry without the wet towel... so don't forget to do that if you are microwaving like me! My microwave was a little weak so 3 minutes wasn't enough... about 3:30-4min if you have a weak microwave. I'm too lazy to steam if but I'm sure that would be even better! I will definitely have to go back and try more of the flavors and salsas! Oh did I mention that they don't use lard! read more

Gourmet Tamales - yummy in my tummy - Mexican Near Me - Oceanside, California

Called on Christmas because I thought they were open they weren't but the owner was so generous to come open just so me and my family could have Tamales on Christmas. The tamales were a hit at our family get together, definitely will be back ! read more

Delicious tamales with a light moist masa. Chicken mole and tomato feta are my families FAVORITE! Very friendly staff and efficient service. I will drive to Oceanside if I am not able to buy at the Mira Costa College farmers market on Saturday. A little pricey, but worth every penny! read more

I was looking for vegan tamales and OMG I found Gourmet Tamales and they are simply delicious. I tried Spinach and Zucchini and I loved them. The flavor is amazing and they're vegan. I really encourage you to try them. The salsa also is really good. Just a little bit overpriced but you know... it's worth it. read more

If you love the drier style CA homemade tamales chock full of meat, veggies, or cheese, look no further. This shop has it all. They literally have so many options (including vegetarian and vegan!) it makes my head spin when I have to decide what I want to order! I tend to go overboard when it comes to stocking up on foods I love and this was no exception. Last time I was there I brought home a dozen tamales in 4 different flavors. I just had a couple for lunch and I probably could have done well with just eating one! They are not skimpy as you often find in restaurants - these babies are worth every penny you pay for them! My favorite tamales here are the ones with feta and spinach, but really I haven't ever had a bad one from this place! If you love tamales like a fat kid loves cake, do yourself a solid and bring a cooler for the frozen ones you will want to take home! read more

There is only one food that, should I ever end up stranded on a deserted island one day, I cannot possibly live without (besides cheese, because I don't consider that food...I feel it is necessary to maintain my existence. Like air...or water...or old pics of me with bad 90's hair). That food would be tamales. I could write an haiku: Corn husks filled with love - Homemade food I'd trust to buy - From a stranger's trunk. Seriously, if someone were in a parking lot selling hamburgers, cupcakes...or anything else that was not prepackaged and sealed...I would probably walk past their car without a glance. But tamales - I don't know why, but I've bought tamales from people I've never met selling them out of trunks, buckets, ice chests, and once...a wagon. Nope, not sketchy at all. If someone really wanted to do me in, they'd just need some foil-wrapped tamales and a big, white, unmarked van. Or just sell me some tamales dipped in paint thinner. I'd probably be halfway through my first one before I thought to question the taste. Yes...I will admit it. I've got a problem with tamales, and the only cure for it is...more tamales. Imagine my delight to find tamales I did not have to tell my family I got from "a friend." :) Seriously, there is nothing like good tamales, and these are about as authentic and delicious as any I've ever bought from someone selling them outright. I've seen how long the prep and making of real homemade tamales takes, and it's not easy making food this delicious! In fact, I'd say that it is likely one of the longest prepped foods I could never make myself (tried it once, failed miserably, my tamale-making license got revoked permanently). If you think it's a little expensive to buy them, I challenge you to take the plunge and make some from scratch. They'll take your license too. Better to leave the tasty food making to those who are excellent at it! Highly recommended. :) read more

We get these tamales every Saturday at the corona del Mar farmers market and it's just incredible. My favourite are the potato scallion vegan tamales... so delicious!!! read more

Gourmet Tamales - a plate of food on a table - Mexican Near Me - Oceanside, California

Seen them at farmers market for years, had them, was impressed. Wanted to stock up for friends and family over the holidays. It's a very shady business. Their email is @juno. Their address is for a defense contractor, they are in a garage in the back. And it looks like they've been broken into. Repeatedly. They told me they'd be open at 9. I waited until 9:10 and called. Not opening until 10:30 because an employee bailed or some nonsense. 4 days before Christmas. Which should be there busiest time. Maybe that's why they keep getting broken into. And why they don't have a website or real email. If you see them at farmers market, give them a try, otherwise don't waste your time. Not even halfway to being a real business. 1 star is too high. read more

Amazing tamales. A straight $7.50 got me a three pack. They have tons of vegan and vegetarian options. If you visit them at their physical address, like how I just did, you'll have to park in front, and then walk around and enter through their back door. The tamales are delicious, and I now have my freezer stocked. Pictures coming soon. read more

Gourmet Tamales - Two of the vegan tamales! - Mexican Near Me - Oceanside, California

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I had a really bad tamal from here which I didn't even know was possible. I should have just walked away and not bought them since the lady selling them wasn't nice to us in the first place. She overcharged me and I still added a 20% tip cuz her young son was working and handing us the tamales at little Italy farmer's market. I bought them to have on Christmas EVE and sadly they turned out to be completely inedible because they were so intensely sweet. I had picked out the savory green chile flavor. I tried salting them and bathing them in salsa..maybe they made this batch wrong or they were left in the sun at the market and spoiled or maybe they just do not make good tamales cuz we had to throw them out. read more