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    Los Hernandez Tamales

    4.5 (303 reviews)
    InexpensiveMexican
    Closed 11:00 am - 6:00 pm

    Los Hernandez Tamales Photos

    LOS HERNANDEZ TAMALES ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Divey
    Casual
    Outdoor seating

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    Asparagus and cheese seasonal
    Doug T.

    passing through Yakima at 9 am. Friend commented that there is a James beard rated tamale place.. but it doesn't open until 10.. stopped by to see where it was and they had opened early just because. Basically describes the whole neighborly experience. Tamales were great.. I'm not a fan of ground corn. I would recommend bringing a cooler as they sell fresh and frozen packs to go

    Sophia W.

    This place is amazing! Fast service, tasty food, parking it's got it all. We got the asparagus tamale, pork tamale and chicken tamale, all were super flavorful and salsas amazing!

    Exterior
    Albert T.

    A lot of James Beard American Classics awards seem to be given out more due to a restaurant's history and influence within the community rather than a focus on the quality of the food. While we were excited to visit another American Classics award winner while driving through Union Gap, we kept our hopes grounded due to the poor experience we've had in several other winning restaurants. Los Hernandez Tamales is primarily takeout only, with people typically dropping in to buy several dozen tamales to eat at home. We stopped in just to try the food out, so we started by only ordering one of each: Pork Tamale/Chicken Tamale ($2.56 each) - The tamale consists of masa, more coarsely ground, with a nice toothsome texture, filled with chunks of meat. The chicken is moist and tender, with a good chicken flavor, while the pork is shredded well, but a bit on the drier side. I prefer the chicken over the pork but both are excellent. The masa is really the standout here - I would honestly just eat it by itself. (5/5) Jalapeno & Pepperjack Tamale ($3.18) - I was a bit confused why this one cost more than the meat filled ones, but then I unwrapped the tamale and started digging in. This tamale is just a bit larger than the pork/chicken and contains way more of the excellent masa. There's just a tiny bit of spice from the jalapeno and cheese pockets dot the interior. The tamale is not soggy or watery; it's just moist enough to keep the mouth from drying out as the tamale is eaten. The overall flavor is great and I have to say I loved this more than the meat filled tamales. (5/5) I loved the tamales so much that I went back in and ordered an extra half dozen to take with me on the rest of the trip. Yum! We talked a bit with the people inside and apparently they have other seasonal specialty tamales. From April 20th through July/August they have asparagus filled ones, and from September to February they have jalapeno. They usually have nopales as well, but they were out when we visited. I can safely say I was very impressed with the tamales served at Los Hernandez Tamales. I definitely recommend it to anyone visiting Union Gap.

    Jeff W.

    Live in Seattle, passing through on a road trip and stumbled across the best tamales I've ever had. Super moist without being soggy. Counter service lady was super nice and helpful. Their salsas are DELISH and I took a frozen pack to go, just wish I had more. Brought the nopal home, steamed them and they were amazing. I had pork cheese and jalapeño and couldn't decide which one I liked most. Careful in the freezer for the to go packs bc the plastic wrap tears easily since it's so cold in there. Now I'm trying to figure out how to do a weekend in Yakima to try these again.

    Plate of asparagus and cheese tamales
    Steven E.

    South of the Yakima Costco exit, off Main Street, this unassuming place is THE stop for us through these parts. The place is nothing fancy, it just delivers delicious tamales. I usually go with the asparagus cheese variety. Moist and taste, they are great. If I'm not taking the frozen varieties (asparagus or chicken or pork) I am sitting down for a plate of 2 asparagus with rice and beans. Not a steal, but definitely worth the stop.

    Asparagus and pepperjack tamales - IG @bougiefoodieboi
    Kyle W.

    We stopped by here for lunch as I heard of this place through an article saying this restaurant won a James Beard award. It's a no-frills place that, as the name suggests, serve tamales. There were 4 types of tamales - chicken, pork, asparagus and pepperjack, and nopales (cactus). We got 2 of each for the 3 of us to share, as well as the red salsa (more spicy) and the green salsa (more spices). All the tamales were so good - they're not the typical dry and floury ones that I normally encounter - they're very flavorful, moist, and nicely salted. I liked the asparagus a fair amount as it is quite unique, and that seemed to be a crowd favorite too. For non-vegetarian option, the pork is amazing. Prices are very good (less than $8 per person) and the food came out very fast (less than 5 minutes), fitting perfectly in our itinerary.

    Ella P.

    Already went back less than a month later. My fiancé and I got to meet the owner and talk with him for a bit. He was very friendly and we could tell he was passionate about his tamales. Please open up a location in Portland :,)

    Meegs N.

    Every year I drive to Yakima to buy their asparagus tamales! I only bought 6 today (dang that keto diet) & as we leave their parking lot, I'm already regretting that I didn't get my usual dozen! I love everything about Los Hernandez! Their customer service has always been top notch & today was even better. We were greeted by a beautiful lady when entering & she just shined happiness! She also told me that I made it by about 1 week for the asparagus tamales - thank goodness! She also told me that after they are finished with the fresh asparagus that they will be making cactus tamales. Wait, What? I'm already planning another trip over just to try those too! I bet they go great with a bottle of Yakima wine!

    Menu
    Sarah O.

    Such a cute hole in the wall place. We were highly recommended to visit here for their tamales and it did not disappoint! We tried everything, pork, chicken, asparagus then they just gifted us cactus, which was my favorite. It was hot, steamy and cheesy, what a great combo! And the prices were so reasonable, it fed us very well.

    Pork on the left, asparagus on the right
    Babette C.

    Came here because we heard these were James Beard winning tamales. We got the pork ones and the asparagus ones which we were told were the award winning ones. They were okay. We were hoping because the shop was super mom and pop that it would be an explosion of flavor. It wasn't. But at least the service was nice and the food comes out fast. The locals buy these by the dozens, so maybe I'm just comparing them to the street tamales I used to eat when I lived in LA and San Diego, but still, with the James Beard designation I thought this would be amazing. There are only two or three tables in the small shop, so you might have to get these to go.

    Tamales--one of each

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    1 month ago

    Tamales are amazing! Go for the family vibe! Truly the best tamales I've ever eaten! Be prepared because they sell out of the best ones.

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    3 months ago

    Super friendly service and excellent food. I will be stopping by and picking up every time I pass through Yakima.

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    Antojitos Mexicanos - Pambazo with veggies and cheese. So good.

    Antojitos Mexicanos

    4.1(284 reviews)
    5.1 mi
    $$

    Came on a lovely late spring day. We had our dog with us and they let us sit on the patio, which…read morewas nice. They even brought out an umbrella to keep us a bit shaded from the sun. They brought out refreshing cups of water, chips and 6 types of salsa, while we reviewed the menu. The "chips" are actually whole corn tortillas fried! So you use them whole or break them into chips yourself. My guess on the salsas are: salsa verde (tomatillo), avocado, pico de gallo, a smoky ancho, a citrusy habanero, and something else. They all had distinct flavors and a little light spice, but we wanted spicier. They brought out the "no way Jose" sauce and warned us it's their spiciest and it sneaks up on ya! We tried it and found it was not burning but quite nice. We drizzled this sauce all over our food. It was the most flavorful of the bunch. The menu is quite extensive, with everything from sopas to sopes, tortas to tacos, cocktails to desserts. We each got a plate of food, meaning the main entree comes with Mexican red rice and refried beans. I got the sopita (aka sope) with barbacoa and a fish taco and husband got a dipped torta (I forget the name) filled with adobada. The amount of food and meat was quite generous, the toppings (veggies) too. I really enjoyed my sope - it had the perfect crispy crust and I could taste the slightly sweet creamy taste of the masa. The barbacoa was not as flavorful as I thought it would be. It was more like stewed beef meat. It was fine but I was expecting really deep flavor. The fish taco seemed freshly grilled and was moist, but there was a bit of a "fishy" smell and flavor that kind of took over. Thankfully, the generous veggie toppings and fresh handmade corn tortilla and salsas helped mask the flavor. Have to hand it to them that those tortillas are really good! The Mexican rice was perfect. I haven't had that flavor and texture in Mexican rice in a while and thought that was well done. The refried beans were good but also had a flavor I couldn't place my finger on... My husband said everything was really good on his plate. His torta was massive! Really flavorful and stacked with things. The adobada was very tasty. I wish I ordered that meat instead of the barbacoa and fish. Overall pretty good Mexican food, generous portions, really sweet service. The interior is also really clean and nicely decorated. They have a small parking lot out back.

    Reviews were mixed on Yelp for this restaurant, but so glad we went! Such a wholesome & authentic…read moreplace. Servers were welcoming and quick with service. We ordered from the lunch menu offered Monday-Friday. What a great deal! We both ordered the Carne Asada plate for just under $16! The kids menu was also affordable at $6.50. Unheard of nowadays.. and plenty of food on top of that. Perfectly seasoned and cooked meat. We'll for sure be back. Highly recommend!

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    Antojitos Mexicanos - Sope and fish taco plate

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    Sope and fish taco plate

    Los Hernandez Tamales - mexican - Updated May 2026

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