Hot Tamales has been the favorite place for my sister and I to go, catch up and have a great meal. We always know what to expect and have never been disappointed. It is consistently great and the service is also good. Great vibes from this business! read more

People have been recommending this place to us, but this was our first time visiting. So glad we finally were able to try them! The complimentary chips and salsa were crunchy and spicy with good flavor. The service was quick and syaff were helpful,accommodating, and nice. Ate so fast we forgot to take pics, but today we tried the green chile stew with beans and the guaco chicken tacos with beans and calabasitas as sides. Plates also come with sopapillas. Everything was delicious and came out fast. We will be back! read more

I have been craving chili rellenos for days and Hot Tamela's usually has really good ones but tonight the grease might have been too hot, the outsides are dark and the inside was mushy. The batter was a little thicker than it has been in the past. Almost corn dog thick. Ordering over the phone was a breeze and pick up fast and friendly. read more

Family feel atmosphere, dim lit, traditional New Mexican decor. Food was delicious, we got combo plates and Chile cheese fries. Chile was great tasting, we do like it hotter but was a good we experience overall. Service was friendly. Would repeat and tell others about it especially those living in Rio Rancho. read more

Seated quickly. Not overly packed (we have been here when parking is hard to find and there's a little wait to be seated). Chips and salsa out with our drinks. Chips are thicker, crispy. Salsa is just spicy enough. Food served quickly. My husband got the combination plate. I got Miguels Calabacitas Bowl. I love a good caldo and this was it. Filled with flavor and a little picoso. Shredded chicken. SO good. read more

See all

We were promptly seated and placed our order. I had ice tea, light ice as usual. I added my white sugar. We got salsa and chips and asked for a side of sour cream. We got a 2 ounce cup of it that was not filled all the way for $1.79. Rip off. The chicken and mushroom tacos were good as well as the calabacitas in a small money dish. I had the chili rellenos with double rice. I got two well fried greasy chili rellenos with a very thick battered covering and skimpy peppers inside and almost an indiscernible amount of cheese. I really had to poke around to find any at all. It lacked flavor other than the greasy coating and a small scattering of melted cheese on top. I ate the rice and left the rellenos mostly on the plate, dissected looking for something to salvage. Not much luck there. The service was good, my meal was a huge disappointment. read more

Hot Tamales - Taco plate, 1 chicken 1 mushroom - Mexican Near Me - Rio Rancho, New Mexico

Fabulous as usual. Great taste in Rio Rancho. The tres amigos is an amazing dish. The Spanish rice is delicious. It's very very good food. read more

Hot Tamales - Menu - Mexican Near Me - Rio Rancho, New Mexico

See all

The food appearance looked good. I ordered the "arroz". Moments after consuming I began feeling nauseated. We were headed to a concert. I spent most of my time in the restroom sick to my stomach. Long story short it had to be bad food. Next day I suffered stomach pain, diarrhea, burping, cramping, headache. I would be careful choosing arroz. I wouldn't know if the food i was served was fresh or sat under a heating lamp for hours. I'm disappointed. Would I recommend this place? Not for now I wouldn't. read more

By far my fave New Mexican fare restaurant in Albuquerque. Always delicious, authentic, fresh. Green or red...gonna be HOT!!! read more

See all

Finally got to try this place. I recommend the tamale cakes appetizer, it was probably my favorite part of the experience. The service was friendly and the rest of the dishes were pretty decent. But I'll be honest I would go back here just for the tamale cakes those were really great! read more

Hit Tamales always has amazing food and great service! It's a family friendly establishment. Being born and raised in NM, I am picky with New Mexican food and Mexican food, but Hot Tamales has never disappointed me! I highly recommend their Huevos Rio Ranchos with carne adovada on fry bread-sooooo good!!! read more

I am kind of a New Mexican food hater, which I know is a terrible thing to admit. But- let me say that Hot Tamales has some of the best food in the state. It is sooo superb and I can't even place why. You start off getting chips and salsa, and end getting sopapillas on the house. The service is great, the food always comes out quickly even when it's packed. The menu is diverse and has breakfast all day. Green chile is hot, red chile is flavorful. I always get the same thing- rellenos buenos with sour cream and it's soooo bangin. The ambiance is pretty special, they have a beautiful paint job- probably the best I've seen in any restaurant. I hot tamales read more

See all

Always great for catering for work! Everyone loves Hot Tamales!!! Great customer service with attention from managers for special requests!

The food here was incredible Our server Dionne was really wonderful. It was the best meal I have had in a long time. read more

Hot Tamales - #8 Stuffed Sopaipillas #7 Navajo Taco - Mexican Near Me - Rio Rancho, New Mexico

See all

Service- great 5 stars Food- I usually love this place, the food has always been great. I've been there dozens of times and have always loved the food, except for last night. I ordered the 3 tacos with ground beef. It was horrible, I couldn't event finish 1 taco. the beef was so bland. I tried to salt and pepper it and it did not help at all. I told the waitress and she said sorry, we have some new cooks. I told the host/check out person and he said I'm sorry you didn't like it. Perhaps next time I will ask if I can have a sample of the ground beef first. I did like the beans and rice. I give the tacos 1 star. read more

i've had better mexican food in Albuquerque. if you like super hot mexican food, you'd probably like this place. but the regular items need more flavor, like the tacos and the queso. the queso was runny and not very thick. friendly service read more

Hot Tamales - Chile con Queso & Chips - Mexican Near Me - Rio Rancho, New Mexico

We went here to try and get dinner. Wednesday nights they are super busy. So, we left. I dint recommend going here on Wednesday nights. read more

Just moved to Rio Rancho from Santa Fe. Finally had the chance to visit Hot Tamales. First of all, we came early on a Tuesday and were seated right away. Dionne, our waitress brought complimentary chips and salsa right away and was very helpful explaining the menu to us. The green chile chicken enchilada was excellent. I substituted one the sides for the calabacitas which were very good. The portions are generous but so good that I ate it all. Can't wait to try the enchiladas and chile rellenos. The professional signage on the exterior of the building made me think that it is a chain restaurant but it isn't. It is a family owned business which Dionne told us has been in business for 21 years. The service and the food were excellent. Very few places make you feel like you are eating in somebody's home. We will be regulars and thank God that we live only 10 minutes away. My wife had the chicken fajita salad with the poblano ranch dressing which she loved. read more

Hot Tamales - September 2025 menu front - Mexican Near Me - Rio Rancho, New Mexico

See all

First of all if you've eaten Carne Adovado while visiting g or living in New Mexico, you know it's a staple there. Well, this place has e best I ever eaten and I've eaten a whole lot. Combined with red & green chile sauce their Carne Adovado enchiladas are over the top delicious. Their wait staff are friendly, quick, and super nice. Their web listings decor is similar to a diner but with a southwest twist. Don't miss going to eat here! read more

I have been wanting to eat here for a very long time and today I finally did. Start with the service. We got there after the lunch rush and it was still busy but we were seated quickly. Our waitress was great. I told her it was my first time here and she was patient and helpful. I brought my mom and my nephew with me and they also thought our waitress was great. Chips salsa and guacamole came out really fast. Salsa has a smoky flavor and is nice and spicy. The guacamole was average. Our food also came out pretty fast. I had a combination plate and a side of tacos. Green chile was good and spicy while the red had flavor it lacked any heat to it. The rice was really tomato flavored, I didn't really like it but the beans were really good. Portions were generous. I soaked my beans and sopapillas in honey and they were great! Sopapillas weren't huge but they were soft and pillowy. The tacos were smaller than others I've seen in New Mexican restaurants but they were good especially with a little bit of salsa. Overall a 3.5 from me because the food is good and the portions are generous. Our waitress deserves 5 stars for the way she treated us. Restaurant is lucky to have her. Two thumbs up from me I'd definitely recommend trying this place. Hopefully I can come back soon and try something different on their menu. read more

See all

The beef burrito was good as was the salsa that had a mild but smoky flavor to it. Enchiladas seemed just okay. I sure wish they would serve beers here . It would be nice to go with dinner. read more

See all

Amazing food! I usually take food home, but this was so good I couldn't stop eating. The cakes are crispy and the potatoes perfect! read more

Hot Tamales - ##11 Tres Colores - Mexican Near Me - Rio Rancho, New Mexico

See all

I got the pork green chili stew with beans. I liked that the stew had potatoes and other ingredients differentiating it from other stews I've tried. But at the same time, although there was a heat kick, the flavor was surprisingly bland for a green chili stew dish. The table and seat had some food leftovers from the previous occupants. The wait staff seemed stressed out and in short supply. read more

Hot Tamales - Green chili stew with beans - Mexican Near Me - Rio Rancho, New Mexico

Really great dinner here! We had to wait close to 30 minutes to get in as the restaurant is fairly small, but it was worth the wait and we were able to wait in our car. The staff was super friendly. The food was very tasty - great salsa to start and the sopapillas are some of the best I've had. Super fluffy and good! My husband and I both had fajitas and my son got stuffed sopapillas. Everything was fantastic! Definitely check it out if you want good New Mexican food in the Rio Rancho area! read more

I don't know why I didn't know about this place sooner! Food was really well done. Service was excellent and loved the feel of it all. Bright cheerful and friendly. I'll be back. They don't have a liquor license. So I missed my margarita. read more

This is a local hidden gem for Mexican food. You even get an empanada with your meal. Stopped by for breakfast (weekends only). The resturant is very clean and cheerful. The service was great. Would highly recommend coming here for good Mexican food. read more

Hot Tamales - Skillet Supremo - Mexican Near Me - Rio Rancho, New Mexico

See all

Had an excellent lunch with several family members and it was great! A great selection of classic and newer dishes. Big portions of excellent food. Attentive wait staff even though it was a busy lunch hour crowd. We dined in the main room and it was a bit noisy and rather cold...but, otherwise a very enjoyable meal. Recommended! read more

The food never disappoints me here. Both chiles are great. Service is usually great and fast. Only down side is I go out once or twice a week and like a beer with my meal. No alcohol served. But the food usually makes up for it. Great job guys. read more

Service was fine. Food was good. Sopapillas were very tasty. My rellanos (green on the side) were burned. Other 3 dinners had good reviews. Area around restaurant was a mess with construction. read more

I will forever love to come here for a Navajo Taco. It's so delicious, Christmas style is how I get it with a Coke! The service is always quick and friendly. If you're looking for a convenient restaurant with good food! Its here! read more

Excellent service! Deeeelicious food!! I couldn't choose what to eat because there were so many plates to choose from. I'll definitely be back!! read more

This was a really nice experience! It was busy but we had no wait, and the service was quick and helpful. I got the fajitas and my friend got the hot tamale! We both loved our meals, and the price was very reasonable! We have plenty of leftovers. I also adored the salsa that came with the chips. I'm a bit picky about salsa but this one was perfect. I look forward to eating here again. read more

we always enjoy your great food; service is always great, too! Ambiance is welcoming and clean!! we were there (again) this morning. thanks, Sharon B. read more

Took an out of town relative. It was very disappointing. We were celebrating my Birthday. The Taquitos he said tasted frozen out of a box! We waited over an hour to be seated. My birthday treat was lousy. Won't be going back!! read more

We had the stuffed sopas with beef and an a la carte beef and bean burrito with added egg. $23. Hot tamales once again did a terrific job on both the service and the food!! The free chips and salsa were fresh and delicious!! And, both the red and green salsas were hot enough to bring a little sweat. Awesome food at great prices!! read more

This red Chile posole was so delicious . Lots of flavor and perfect heat highly recommend read more

Hot Tamales - Red Chile posole - Mexican Near Me - Rio Rancho, New Mexico

It had been a while since I was last here, and I only had that one other experience to compare it to. So I'm really glad I returned today when I brought my friends son out to lunch as he prepares to start high school next week. We were seated promptly, and had the most amazing waitress. I believe her name was Michelle, but she was attentive, friendly, and brought us some of the most delicious food. The red chile here has a terrific bite, not too hot. I did find the green chile to be a bit more spicy but equally as delicious and enjoyable. I had the Tres Amigos and my friends son had the bean burrito. One of the absolute highlights of my dish were the calabacitas. These were spectacular and about as close to the delicious ones I make that I've ever had. I can't wait to return for all of the above reasons. And if you haven't visited this place in a while, please be sure to give it a try. I don't know how you would be disappointed. read more

Reasons why I recommend this place: 1. Food is delicious, yes another New Mexican dishes with the same helpings but fret not. The hot tamales appetizers are rare and also a surprise in great ways. The Calabacita soup is so savory, flavorful with great spice and flavor. (I do have to let people know that if you can't handle your spice to let your server know, the soup and hot tamales does have a kick to it) 2. Great value for the size and price you order. Though I must admit the side of rice is a bit sad but it's not persuading me to not come obviously. 3. Service is always amazing, most places the other servers don't really pay attention to you but for this restaurant, the servers are so nice and helpful even if it's not their table. 4. Great space for small and big groups. read more

See all

The service is outstanding and extremely quick! The portions are generous; I can't finish it all. I am absolutely coming back again. read more

Hot Tamales - Pork - Mexican Near Me - Rio Rancho, New Mexico

Food was great! I got a burger and our large party got a mixture of Mexican foods and everything was good. The service was good as well