What a pleasant surprise! We found this place because the other Mexican restaurant in the strip mall didn't have tamales. They begrudgingly informed us that their competitor, Los Tamales Oaxaquenos, had what we wanted. However, these tamales are different than what we had expected: flat and square in shape, and wrapped in a plantain/banana leaf instead of a corn husk. I guess these are the regional tamales of the Oaxaca state - and they are really good! I don't think they will dethrone Tamaleria Munos for me, but they are available throughout the day and are delicious. Our second time here we ordered some more tamales, and some other things as well. We ordered the tlacoyo, topped with cactus salad. This was a surprise hit, and we'll definitely be ordering it again. It had a great depth of flavor, and was light and refreshing. I tried the horchata. It was all right, but nothing to make a pilgrimage for. My husband got a chorizo quesadilla, and this was a serious meal; very large, and contained onions and cilantro along with the usual cheese. Finally, my parents ordered tostadas and they were suitably impressed. Several times they remarked on how good they were. I think that the other restaurant may have made a mistake cluing us into this place. ;) Sometimes when you try something new, it really pays off! read more

This place is close to where I work and based of the pictures and reviews it looked like a really good restaurant. I got the pambazo and it was actually the worst pambazo AND Mexican food that I had ever tried. The bread was super soggy and there was barely any filling, the ratio was like 70% bread 10% toppings and 20% chorizo con papa. On top of that it was cold, and the guy who served me sneezed directly into his hand before handing me the food which honestly should've been the first red flag but I tried to look past it. Thought I feel rude writing this, this place is just so bad I felt the need to even leave this review so maybe it can save someone from spending money here and get something better instead. I didn't take a picture of the food because I didn't plan to even write this but think twice before eating here read more

Authentic and Delicious Tamales. Some of the best in the area highly recommend. I took a large order to work for a pot luck and it was a huge hit with everyone. read more

I know this place is mainly known for their tamales, but they should honestly be known for their chilaquiles, especially the green ones with carne asada and no onion! It's absolutely a 10/10 in my book always. Perfect blend of crisp and spice. Wait time was no more than 20 minutes. With a large drink plus tip, everything was under $25! Great portions and great food! read more

To expensive poor Quality of food Very out date Disgusting bathroom's Very dirty Bad service No English read more

The tamales oaxaqueños are delicious and not too big if just trying them for the first time. They even have Tepache! Very hard to find authentic tepache. Service is quick and efficient. read more

Los Tamales Oaxaquenos - Tamal oaxaqueño rojo - Mexican Near Me - Des Plaines, Illinois

Was so excited to finally try the tamales and was I disappointed. The tamales were just about paper thin and the masa and teaspoon of chicken filling tasted spoiled . Good thing I only bought two to try. Both ended up in the garbage. read more

After coming here a few more times, I noticed the tamales are not consistent. Sometimes they are too spicy and sometimes really bland. Then I think the one worker got too comfortable with me because when I asked him to make a diablo, he basically said I don't feel like it, is that ok? UHM wtf ok. Never came back and will never come back. The place is not the best looking inside either but since they were good tamales at first I put up with it. Anywho try it I'd say still and hopefully you get a good batch. read more

The pambazos are huge and tasty. Workers are bilingual :) The churros are stuffed with chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry so fresh! And the quesadillas de mano are super good. read more

Went here for lunch with a group. Fast service and great food. If you like trying out hole in the wall restaurants, this place is for you. Love the authenticity of the place. read more

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This place is so amazingly tasty. Pure authentic food. I was so hungry wish I would've taken a pic of the huarache I devoured. The steak quesadillas are BIG. Everything is made from scratch. Highly recommend this lil hidden gem. You won't be disappointed read more

Los Tamales Oaxaquenos - Menu - Mexican Near Me - Des Plaines, Illinois

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Love this spot for its tamales, very traditional wrapped in banana leaves. Hubs had the steak torta, free chips when you start and had the horchata. This is my new default tamale spot. read more

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The tamales are gold sometimes a little too wet / soft . But for being "bought" tamales . Definitely coming back when ever I can !!

Tasty, inexpensive, polite, and fast. The tortillas are homemade, as are the refried beans. The chicken salad (salad covered with grilled chicken) delicious. And, inexpensive read more

Wow, what a disappointment. I drove all the way from Chicago because supposedly they had really good Tamales Oaxaquenos which are cumbersome to make. They were not very appetizing and had so very little meat in them. Supposedly this is their specialty but it looked like an inexperienced person had done them plus they just looked so skinny and plain (in appearance and taste). The place is a bit rundown... usually I do not care so much about the ambiance as long as the food is good but the place does need some TLC. The service was just ok.. but nothing that we ordered was particularly good. Maybe if you are very very hungry and anything will do, its worth coming here but other than that, do not come with high expectations. The two stars is for the champurado which was the only thing that was passable. read more

Okay so I was so excited to try this place out and was dissapointed. Don't get me wrong, there are some good things here but I think it fell short. It's authentic food and the atmosphere says it too. The tamales are okay but have a good kick to them. Carne asada is a hard one to get wrong but it was such a lack in flavor, spices. So of course the taco de carne asada lacked good flavor. If you want good tasting carne asada, you've got to go next door. The quesadilla is very good, especially al pastor. Torta de Milanesa is good even though it was chicken instead of steak (see note from picture) Plenty of other things you won't find in just any Mexican place so try some things out. The agua de horchata and mango taste homemade so a plus for that! read more

Los Tamales Oaxaquenos - Quesadilla de al pastor - Mexican Near Me - Des Plaines, Illinois

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I had the Memela de tinga de pollo and it was great. If you're looking for yet another taco joint keep going. If you are looking for something a bit different then you found the place. They specialize in foods from the State of Oaxaca. You will not find tacos or burritos here. You will find Tamales Oaxaca style ( wrapped in bannana leaves insted of corn leaves), tlacoyos, Pambazos, and memelas among other things. This place is very genuine. Will not say authentic as that is an overused and loosly qualified term. If you want genuine food such as what you would find in any kitchen in Oaxaca, then this is the place to go. The Pambazo is also very good. It is a torta with chorizo and potatoes and it is douced in a redish sauce. Yum! read more

Los Tamales Oaxaquenos - A Memela de Tinga de Pollo. Very good! - Mexican Near Me - Des Plaines, Illinois

Very good food at very reasonable prices. Had lunch here and We ordered the conzome de borrego(lamb stew), quesadilla with squash flower and the traditional red and green oxaquenos tamales all good. I enjoyed the Agua Fresca de Nopal(fresh cactus water)Definitely will return. read more

Los Tamales Oaxaquenos - Quesadilla de Flor de calabaza Conzome de Borrego Tamales oxaqueños rojo y verde - Mexican Near Me - Des Plaines, Illinois

Worst tamales ever!!!! For a place whose "specialty" is the name of the place, they should least try hard to make this dish acceptable. I don't think I've ever had such an awful taste in my mouth after trying a tamal. And I am Mexican, so I know how a tamal should taste. The dough was raw and had an awful taste, the meat and salsa were bland. Why does this place has almost five stars is unbelievable. I had a gordita as an alternative. Another big no, it was hard and the nopales in it were also bland. Never again! Don't waste your time and money in this place. read more

This place just opened up about a month ago and so far it has repeat business from everyone I know at my company. Tired of the spotty food quality at the taco joint next door, then head on over to this place. You won't be disappointed. The menu is small but it has a nice variety of things to choose from and even though tacos are not on the menu feel free to order of up set if you like. Great meat quality, tenderized perfectly so you don't get any fatty pieces. So far my personal favorites include the Quesadilla, which is different then your traditional Tex-Mex style, looks more like a Huarache, and the tamales that are wrapped in banana leaves. This place will definitely have you coming back for more. FYI: Not a Burrito Joint.... go for the Quesadilla if you want something similar. read more

I thought the food was great. Very big portions. Tamale are wrapped in banana leaves and the real deal! read more

Los Tamales Oaxaquenos - a plate of mexican food - Mexican Near Me - Des Plaines, Illinois

You could easily miss this intimate little spot in Des Plaines, tucked in a strip mall, but it is 110% worth making the stop. We ordered fajitas and tamales oaxaqueños, and they did not disappoint. We sought out this location because we were nostalgic for banana leaf ones, and these were moist, flavorful and delicious. Both are just a little spicy, but the green was spicier imo. Could have used more sauce, but they provide extra on the side, so not a huge deal. Beef fajitas were also freshly grilled and tasty. Their corn tortillas were homemade, fresh and wonderfully soft, not bright yellow, store bought and chewy like those of lesser restaurants. Service was good/attentive, and the staff showed they cared about whether we enjoyed our experience. We will for sure be returning! Kudos to the owners. read more

Los Tamales Oaxaquenos - Tamales Oaxaquenos - Mexican Near Me - Des Plaines, Illinois

Why does this place has only 20+ reviews?! I used to be gringo about Mexican cuisine. I used to feel ripped off if I don't have tomato and cheese on my tacos. Now having cheese and tomato on my tacos is just not my thing. This place makes the simple dish simple yet awesome. It's very difficult to keep things simple because it will also show flaws. Covering up with tons of stuff also masks what's good. They are very authentic. My husband was also impressed. This is our go to place. read more

Friendly staff and amazing food!! I've tried the following and it's a must have Mole Red/Verde tamales Quesidallas Tortas Flautas read more

Los Tamales Oaxaquenos - Salsa Verde tamale - Mexican Near Me - Des Plaines, Illinois

This place was good. We went on a Sunday and they gave us some yummy chips and salsa. Had the chicken tamale with verde sauce, very tasty and a steak enchilada, also very good. The enchilada is more like a burrito. This place had good food for a good price. I will go back and try other items read more

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A favorite local spot in Desplaines with a truly authentic appeal. Service is friendly and ambiance is no frills ... we ordered tamales for Christmas. The staff is wonderful... priced right... read more

The food was delicious! I tried cactus water for the first time and it was very light and not too sweet perfect for the spicy food. We are tamales, tlacoyo, chilaquiles, gorditas and the fajita plate. read more

I always get the flautas lunch special and get mole sauce on the side! The combo is to die for.. the best mole I've ever had! Definitely recommend this place! read more

Amazing tamales available in roja and verde, and the verde ones were actually a bit spicy! Yay! The prices were also awesome. My husband and I got three tamales, a sope, and two sodas for $15. They also brought house made chips and salsa to the table for free. It's a hole in the wall restaurant (located in a strip mall) so it's probably better to take the food to go, but it's definitely worth a visit. read more

I had a steak taco, it was very good and also a chicken tamale in green sauce. The tamale was wrapped in a banana leaf and was also very good. First time here, I will be coming back to order different specialties. The restaurant is not fancy and the staff provided good service. read more

$2.65 for one small taco with lousy service. but more importantly,it dont even taste good.avoid this place. read more

Was looking for good tamales and enchiladas. Low and behold...Los Tamales Oaxaquenos! My kids and I tore up those tamales ‍. I don't want to get into the enchiladas. I was in my seat! --Nuff said-- read more

We loved it and can't wait to return. We both had the chicken quesadillas. The tortilla was homemade and the chicken was juicy, tasty and had a nice kick to it. The woman at the register spoke English well. The kitchen area is open and I love being able to see in. Everything looked very clean. It didn't look like anything came from a can or bucket. I suppose I've watched one too many Kitchen Nightmares. We can't wait to return. read more

Stopping in this place was purely on impulse. I came here for two reasons, a) I live across the street b) the other Mexican restaurant didn't have what we wanted. This place is in a mini strip mall where there is actually two Mexican restaurants and due to the fact that the other restaurant didn't have tortas (like what Mexican restaurant doesn't have tortas?), we walked a few doors down to this place and am SO GLAD we did! We ordered 2 Milanese Tortas and 6 steak tacos and both choices were fantastic! The tortas were huge, the bread was very fresh as were all the ingredients. He breaded the steak on the spot and assembled these sandwiches beautifully. The perfect amount of beans, lettuce, onion and sour cream were used and they were delicious! Same with the steak for the tacos, fresh steak cooked to order and topped with fresh onions & cilantro. These were just as tasty and were served nice & hot. Now let's talk about the salsa, which we had both the salsa Verde as well as the typical red salsa. I personally make my own and it's hard to satisfy my tastebuds with the simply made salsa, so I wasn't absolutely crazy about either. I thought they both could of been a bit more flavorful along with the added heat factor.. which we like it hot. A very important factor to add to my review is that my boyfriend is Mexican and is from Michoacan..he's old school, meaning that we make pretty much everything from scratch at home, even our tortillas. So if he was pleased with the food and thought it was good, then believe me when I tell you that I would recommend this location to grab a bite to eat. The menu offers a decent variety of entrees from tacos to flautas to chilaquiles. Also a small selection of desserts are available, if you have some room left over. The only drawback I do have is the hours, most nights they close at 7:30 and 8:30 on Thursdays & weekends. Stop in and try it out for yourself.. I'm sure you'll be satisfied:) read more

One of the best Mexican food everything is so delicious love the tamales wrapped in banana leaves :) so moist and really good .

great tamales and even better elotes - super nice staff. I will be back!

I had the shredded chicken quesadilla and it was probably the best one I've had in a really long time. Also, it was only $4 and worth every penny. The girl at the counter was friendly and helpful. Some of the menu is only in Spanish so she translated for me and gave me the quesadilla recommendation. read more

Wow, I feel these tamales came straight from Oaxaca, wrapped in banana leaves. The salsa they come with is unbelievable too. If you are a foodie, this simple clean joint will not disappoint. read more

I pass by this place at least once a week and was always curious about it but had never passed it at a time when I was hungry. I decided to stop when they made a list on Thrillist for best tamales in Chicago. At so many restaurants, tamales are too dry, but theirs was moist and delicious. I also ordered what was essentially a Mexican flatbread pizza with pork (al pastor) and it was very delicious. A lot of food for not a lot of money. I will be back for the tamales. read more

I hate to say it but I have never been to a place that can mess up Mexican food. We decided to go for dinner. We were the only people dining in. We ordered chicken quesadia and a steak burrito. They brought chips and salsa to the table. They were fresh made as they still were soaked in oil. This issue here is that the fryer temp needs to be higher. These same oily chips are used as the base in the chicken quesadia. That was the first I have ever seen this done. The chicken quesadia was a bit tasteless. The white chicken strips that they use need some sesoning. Now the staple steak burrito includes small cubes of dry steak. They add in rice, beans and some lettuce. The flower tortilla is folded flat on the plate to give a larger appearance. For $11.50 I expect something much better. The total for the evening was $22 ish with tax. We both left disappointed and hungry. If looking for traditional Mexican food there are far better choices in the area. read more