The Tamale Guy has been a Chicago staple for over 20 years. I had the opportunity to sample these…read moremade-from-scratch offerings over the holidays when the Chicago History Museum offered pick-up dates for catering orders at the North and Clark Cafe. What better time to unwrap the gift of a tamale than heading into the New Year. The signature tamale varieties available for ordering included cheese, pork, and chicken, along with the famous salsa verde. I opted for chicken and was pleased with my choice. The order came with reheating and freezing instructions. The masa is light and the chicken is fresh and high-quality. The perfect comfort food to add spice and warmth to a Chiago winter! I look forward to sampling some of the other varieties and appreciated this collaboration for spotlighting a locally owned business that I might not otherwise have had the opportunity to try.

This is my second time trying tamales from The Tamale Guy. The first time was when he opened a…read morebusiness on Chicago Avenue near Damen right before Covid hit. Unfortunately, after hearing so much good feedback I decided to try them for myself. Sadly, they were a poor in substance and taste. And sadly his business didn't survive Covid. But he's reopened at another place on Diversey and Richmond between Sacramento and California out of a bar called Quality Time. I want to thank the bartender Dan or Stan(?) for helping me with my order. I ordered one dozen red tamales and a half-dozen chicken tamales. Complimentary salsa was given. Although the flavor for both tamales was good. Presentation had a lot to be desired in order for them to a true wrapped tamale. The filling on both at times were leaking from the side, as if the masa (cornmeal dough) wasn't completely covering the filling. And what's with the one single chintzy corn husk wrapping? I like that they didn't have a lot of masa covering the meat. But they were somewhat sloppy. And update your prices on your tamales since I was charged $12.00 per half-dozen instead of the $11.00 listed on your website. Or notify the customer of the price increase. One more thing, that salsa was very watery. Would I return, I don't know. The jury is still out on this one. But I might go back to the bar and try a special drink that was being offered and depend on how it went down. might order just a half dozen. I am going to check out a new establishment on Harlem Avenue near Addison, that sells tamales. And compare them to yours. The winner gets my return visits. The flavor was almost there, but packaging had a lot to be desired.

Summer is here!!!!…read more Shaved ice at its best. There are few places that I would drive long distances for and this is one of them. If you are familiarized with shaved ice you know what I'm talking and if you don't, well it is about time and this is the place to do it. They have some great flavors and all are made from fresh ingredients. Here is a list of some the flavors they have: tamarind, guayaba, pineapple, peach, strawberry, vanilla, pistachio, eggnog, coconut, mango, coffee, cajeta (milk caramel), pecan among others. I have tried most of them and all are great, but there are few that are my favs. Guayaba is a the top of the list, followed by vanilla with rompope (kinda Mexican eggnog) with condensed milk, truly delicious. According to them the best seller there is the strawberry. You can always add condensed milk to any flavor, just request it. Do not be fooled, there are many raspas on this street. a few days ago on a regular Wednesday afternoon I counted 9 stands, yes 9, from Kedzie to Pulaski alone. I tried many of them (not on Wed., but over time) and none compare to Don Luis'. Raspas Don Luis, the best in Chicago

Tried this at West Fest, stepped outside my comfort zone and just tried it. Man, it was sooooo…read moregood! I could have eaten 5 more. Next time I'll get the large. The service was nice and the food was ready fast!

Tried it at a local festival after looking on Yelp. Total let down. Overpriced, bland, and falls…read moreapart while you eat it Skip and save your money!

A true taste of Mexico away from Mexico. These tacos were so delicious and authentic and they don't…read moreskimp on the meat. We tried asada, pollo, and al pastor and they were all a hit. The meat is made to order and the salsas are so good. You get a variety of spice levels. Take them to go or eat them in your car! This is an outdoor taco stand so there's no seating available.

Great burrito. It was large and ready super fast. He cooked it on the griddle so the cheese was…read moremelted. Easy, quick, flavorful, and totally hit the spot. Fair price too. You won't be disappointed by this place. I would hit it often if I was nearby.

THIS IS ABOUT CLYDE AS A PERSON. My friends and I parked in a spot on the street Dow town and when…read moreI came back I was blocked in by the Clyde's hot dog vans (2). Both with trunks swung open. There was no way to get out and no drivers in sight. Turns out Clyde and a younger guy were selling hotdogs inside a building with no plan of moving their trucks outside. It took 30 mins to get out of the parking spot, track the hotdog stand down, and for Clyde to move 1 car.... Still blocked. It is the man in the picture on his website AKA Clyde. Will not eat here.

Well, would have wrote this sooner, but did not realize this place on yelp!…read moreAnyway, I always get them at the farmer's market in Oak Lawn. Love a good hot dog and this is one of them! Keep it up!

We started visiting the new Maxwell Street Market some time ago and ran across this little vendor…read more Mama Lula makes pupusas right in the stand and heats them up on a griddle. They can be made with cheese, pork meat, and refried beans and any combination of those. You never know what they'll have that Sunday but it will be made fresh and hot. The pupusas are somewhat like a peirogi - a filled dough pocket where the filling can be almost anything. The pockets are made with a cornmeal dough. I think pupusas are native to El Salvador. Anyway you order your pupusas - one, two, three...depends how hungry you are. You get them on a plate and then put on a little pickled cabbage mix called curtido for spunk...add a bit of hot sauce or salsa roja and have a seat at the tables under the tent. This isn't fancy food or pretentious surroundings but the pupusas are well worth the visit. They also have coffee and pop to buy. Our party of four had one coffee and split six pupusas - all for $13. You won't beat it for many reasons. The only problem is we cannot find Mama Lula's in a storefront. We think this might be the only place you can get her pupusas. So whether you spell it pupusas or papusas...get yourself down here and give them a try.

Well, the veggies were fresh but the GREASE was NOT. I could 1000% taste fish in the sandwich. Meh…read more Especially as a vegan. Not like I really want to taste that. The bread was crispy, the veggies were good but the overall flavor was ruined by the fact that I had a fishy aftertaste. The service was fast. They weren't as busy as some of the other trucks but they were almost one of the last ones from the direction I was walking from. Ambiance was the beautiful outdoor campus of University of Chicago. Couldn't have been a more beautiful day. Next time different food truck for me!

Yay! Thanks to our parent committee for sponsoring our teacher appreciation lunch with Chicago…read moreLunchbox Food Truck! The salt and pepper tofu bowl was amazing! The tofu was fried to perfection and smothered with delicious sauce. I'm so glad I got a chance to try this, and even better that the food truck was stationed right outside our school :) can't wait to try their food again!

I was so happy to find fresh tamale cart on the far Northside of the city…read more You've got to get here EARLY to get your pick. The cart arrives at 5:30am. I arrived at 8:30am and he was already out of everything except Chicken. I was able to get 2 dozen. The price is so reasonable...$1.25 each You can find the cart on the NE corner of Clark and Lunt in Rogers Park.

I finally was able to catch them selling tamales! This is very nearby where I live and I decided to…read moremake it an epic Thursday by strolling into work late, and have a great breakfast full of tamales! They are still located at the corner of Lunt and Clark and their sign says Tamales Garibaldi. Just a little fact for everyone that is eager to get these puppies fresh off the press--they start selling them every morning at like 6am-10am (maybe even until 11am). You have to be sure to get there before 10am because they sell out very quickly! I came one time close to 10am and they were completely sold out. Also, the price on them is 1.25 a pop, which is super cheap for tamales! They serve 3 different flavors: chicken, beef, and cheese and peppers. I purchased one chicken and one cheese and peppers. If you are sensitive to spice, do not purchase these because THEY HOT! You can indeed call these puppies hot tamales. The spice level is at an 8.5 on a 10 scale. I love spice but these are indeed extremely spicy so you will want some water to cool it down. They are a bit salty as well, and the chicken tamales didn't have much meat in them but they are still good. I would totally go back and get them! You can't beat the price, they are super flavorful, and hot in temperature. Get you 2 tamales and you are set for breakfast. They also sell something call Champurrado, which I didn't try but it does look delicious--it look like hot chocolate but it's made from corn flour. Next time, I will try it out. At any rate, go check them out and support them!