In my check in status I made the comment they had run out of cheese. Well, the cheese arrived seconds before our food was ready. So we did get that cheese. The lady taking orders was slightly nicer when I went to order another taco for my kid. We had a ground beef taco, meat was very dry and looked like chopped up pre made hamburger patty. The little container of sauce was spicy and really good. The meat needed it! Enchilada, ordered the ground beef because remember, when we ordered they had no cheese. I really wanted to try the enchilada sauce. It was spicy and had a slightly tart taste. It was good but I could understand why some might not like it. Crispy chili rellano, it was cooked a little to crispy. The green chili made for a good spicy dish. I don't think a single person I came in contact with was polite or at least a little warm. When my number is called I get my food and offer a thank you and the kid behind the counter looks at me like I was a burden. With all that said, I'll be back. The food had a combo of cheap enough and good enough to make this an option for a quick lunch. read more

Tamale Kitchen - My view from one of the few tables. - Mexican Near Me - Highlands Ranch, Colorado

We had eaten here before because my grandson liked it. It was fast and ok, but hadn't been in for months because the food wasn't good the last time. Yesterday we stopped in for a quick after school burrito before his wrestling match. We stood at the counter for 6 minutes while the cook waited, also, to make our food. The counter person was on the phone standing right in front of us on the Phone taking an order for 2 days away. There was a woman behind us also waiting. We left regretting we ever stopped in. We had used up our time for a quick 5 minute burrito to go & he had to go to his sports event hungry. I couldn't believe how rude the counter person was! He looked at us several times and just ignored us for 6 whole minutes. He could have asked the caller to hold, taken our order, gave the cook something to do, and my grandson would have eaten. I'm still mad. read more

The green chili is amazing. Their breakfast burritos are incredible. I just love this place.

Always fresh and tasty. If you want authentic tamales this is your spot. I have never had a bad tamale here ever. They also have family deals which is great for Broncos games. Definite must try. read more

Good, basic, stick to the ribs home style Mexican food. Tamale Kitchen is a great drop in restaurant on the edge of Highlands Ranch. Don't expect white linens or fancy service. Just step up to the counter, order your tamales, burritos, etc.You'll get a number for carryout, or find a table for eating in. I really enjoy the tamales smothered in green/hot. Just wish they had mexi-coke in house. read more

Best affordable Mexican food ever!! I've been going here for about 10 years and they never fail. Real green Chilie. Best people that work there! Forever my go-to. read more

*Breakfast burrito rating* Pretty impressed with the Tamale Kitchen so far. It's convenient and super quick. Breakfast burritos are pretty good. Tons of options for the adults, and options that also work for the kids. While the jury is still out, I'm going to head over a few more times before I update my review with my final verdict. read more

Actually....they don't close at 8 despite what their website says. Or what their electronic open/closed sign says either. In addition, watch your receipts. They charged us more than what was advertised. Not good enough food to have to deal with their lack of desire to meet expectations. read more

Tamale Kitchen - Watch for up charges that don't match the menu pricing! - Mexican Near Me - Highlands Ranch, Colorado

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My first exposure to tamales was the original Tamale Kitchen off Mississippi about 20 years ago- it was small and always hot. Those are the tamales I've compared all tamales to since. When I learned Tamale Kitchen had opened a location in Highlands Ranch, I was ecstatic! A neighbor had brought some by recently and they were good, but not really what I remembered. Then I made my way over there myself last week, got 2 dozen, and after eating them I've confirmed that since they've franchised their quality has gone down. The green and red pork filling are exactly what I remember, there's just a lot less of it now :( More masa than filling makes me sad. Their seasoning is delicious and the green just spicy enough to keep you coming back for more. I will likely keep coming here as they are convenient and still quite good, just not as good as I know they used to be. The space here is fairly large so plenty of room if you're looking to eat in, but they make it so convenient to grab and go a couple dozen tamales that I doubt I'll ever stop and sit. read more

Tried to call in an order a few times this week, but no one answers the phone. Stopped by today to place an order and mentioned the phone issue. They said they don't answer when busy or take messages. I sincerely offered a few suggestions for customer convenience but they rudely told me that they were doing fine and did not need any changes. Well, I won't be back. read more

Um, I've heard all of these great things about Tamale Kitchen. I try to eat healthy food most of the time and Mexican food doesn't really offer much in that category so I hadn't tried it yet since Mexican food is more of a splurge for me. But I was in a splurge-y mood so I stopped on in our local TK. I tried three things: the smothered bean burrito, the green chili and the vegetarian tamales. It was easy to try them over the course of a couple days because the veggie tamales are frozen so I had those at home. (What? They don't sell a lot of veggie tamales?? Hee hee.) The smothered bean burrito was fine. Refried beans in a flour tortilla, lots of chile and lots of cheese. Fine. Not wow. Just fine. The green chili which I also tried on its own was fine but too spicy for my taste. I actually like to taste the food as well as the heat, but this was all heat. And the tamales - also fine. Not wow. Just fine. All in all I wouldn't say Tamale Kitchen was worth the splurge for me. But, hey, now I know. And you gotta try, right? read more

I'd add an additional star for authenticity, but dirty tables and flies isn't the type of "authentic" most people are looking for in a restaurant. Tamale kitchens' tamales were fine, so one star feels harsh, but cleanliness is pretty high on my list of requirements for a restaurant. Second is customer service. I've worked in restaurants and I didn't like that job either, but taking one's displeasure out on customers isn't okay. The lady taking our order simply wasn't happy when I visited and it felt like the transaction couldn't end soon enough for either of us. Sadly, it took me three trips to the counter to get everything right. (Salsa costs 25 cents and comes in plastic thimbles? Really?) I didn't go to Tamale Kitchen #8 looking for Ruths Chris Steakhouse, I just wanted honest Mexican food, pleasant service, and an appetizing environment in which to eat it. I didn't get the last two and had to work too hard for the first one. I won't be back. read more

This update is being written for some guy who wrote me a lovely email announcing that cigarette smoking has been outlawed and I should update my review. Just for him, I'd like to point out that in my review I said I was overwhelmed with the smell and I thought I should complain. So why exactly should I change my review? I'm stating the fact that I smelled smoke (not sure from what, but it smelled like cigarettes--READ: "second guessed myself")---and I was going to complain because I KNEW that smoking wasn't allowed. THAT is exactly why it bothered me. So there's my update buddy. Maybe you should take some reading comprehension lessons. read more

Been to a couple of tamale kitchens so far and they are really excellent for the price. This one in highlands ranch is a bit cleaner than the one up north and still has delicious breakfast burritos for under 5 bucks. My favorite is the chorizo burrito smothered with green chile. This place is by my parents home so I come here every once in a while for some authentic Mexican. Unfortunately the tamales are only so-so and a bit overpriced. Otherwise it'd be 5 stars. read more

Order the lunch for one special, which was $7 and included one tamale, rice and refried beans. The tamale was tiny and sitting in a pool of very thin, messy sauce that wasn't particularly good. Rice and beans were ok, but it's kinda hard to mess those up. I also had to wait two or three minutes at the counter before anyone would bother taking my order. I would literally go just about anywhere else. read more

Tamale Kitchen - "Lunch for one" - Mexican Near Me - Highlands Ranch, Colorado

This place is average by all accounts. Moving here from LA couple years ago, I'm totally fine with divey Mexican food establishments if the food is knock your socks off good. I have yet to find the same kinds of places here in Denver (highlands ranch area). There are chains, and this one certainly is also, but the tamales were lame. I would rather buy a dozen at Costco. Prices were reasonable but don't believe it played a role in whether I would come back. I will stick to Los Dos portillos until something else comes along. I support local businesses but make sure you offer above par meal offerings. read more

Best breakfast burritos in the area. I think most of the people giving this place bad ratings are entitled whiney brats, which is kinda how Highlands Ranch works. They should probably go find a place that sells $15 quinoa burritos, they'll be more comfortable there (no offense quinoa). But if you are looking for solid, inexpensive Mexican food, I recommend. read more

I'm not a huge tamale fan, but my son and I were looking for a quick bite to eat. We were going to Tokyo Joe's and noticed this place right next door. We decided to stop in and check it out. The bean and cheese burrito was amazing! It was huge, and very reasonably priced. My son also loved his chicken burrito. I decided to try the spicy tamale as well, and am now coming around to tamales :) My son tried flan for the first time on our last visit, and really loved it. We have lived in the area for 3 years, and not sure why I never tried this place, but so glad I finally did!! read more

I come here almost every weekend to get some breakfast burritos! Never had a problem always making their food on time with lots of customers! Don't let the bad reviews fool you. I'll keep coming here read more

Wow, great Flavor. I selected the Combo #1 as it had variety - it sure did. The chile Relleno was very fresh Green Chile flavor, not over battered and just the right amount of cheese. The Beans and Rice were ok, expected for authentic - I like. The Tamale was small as others pointed out but good as anticapated. The Cheese Enchilada was nice and hot red sauce - not too cheesy greasy - all 3 added to a wonderful flavor combination. Ok, you ask - why not 5 stars??? Cause I need chips and salsa with my mexican food - strange, perhaps, but its what I like. Add a salsa bar and fresh chips and this place could become my favorite. Its not date night material, just good food. Decent price. I will be back. The service was friendly enough, its a fast food type atmosphere and I am glad to see a place without attitude teenagers preping my food. read more

Super close to 4 stars..... Craving breakfast burritos and decided to try this place for take out. I got the bacon, egg and potato, hubs wanted chorizo, egg and potato as well as a steak to have the next day. While I was there I decided to try some tamales and a pint of green chili for dinner later. My breakfast burrito was amazing. Big! Huge chunks of crispy bacon, no skimping on it! Hubs said both of his were amazing too. Tamales were good, not the best I've ever had, but tasty with a kick. The pork filling to masa ratio was too high on the masa side in my opinion. Green Chili is the thick red variety, no pork as far as I could tell. Again good, not my favorite. We will be going back again and again for the breakfast burritos! Regarding cleanliness, I've seen other reviews comment on a lack of cleanliness. I was there right when they opened, so all the tables were clean. Since I had to wait for my order I looked around and noticed lots of dust. On the soda machine, on the light fixtures, pretty much all the higher up surfaces. read more

Just a simple, fast, and classic Mexican restaurant that whips out nice breakfast and smothered burritos along with tamales of course. I had a carnitas smothered burrito and the pork green chile had a nice kick to it. Prices are alright and the size portions were more than generous. read more

I ordered 2 beef & been tostadas to-go and they were wrapped in foil. When I got home everything was stuck together!

I tried this place on a recommendation that promised to rival the tamales at a competitor. First of all if you think these are tamales as opposed to a brick of masa, then you should re-evaluate your definition of what a tamale is. Honestly there is less than a half a teaspoon of meat in a tamale. And nobody likes eating bricks of masa! They get two stars only because the refried beans were tasty, albeit salty. Not recommended for those watching their sodium levels. For a great tamale try Little Anita's. read more

Love this place as a quick fix for smothered breakfast burritos. Tamales are good, Mexican hamburger is fabulous, but on many occasions, they did not have jalapeños. What?!!!!! You cannot call yourself a Mexican restaurant and not have Jalapeños, you can't hardly call yourself a Colorado restaurant without Jalapeños! Unacceptable. However, I frequent often Lastly, service at times can be slow and calling ahead at times resulted in no one answering the phone. Please fix or add internet/text ordering for convenience. read more

Good, cheap burritos. Close to work, so it has become a place I frequent way too often. Breakfast burritos are pretty good, especially the Chorizo and potato one. My fav is the Crispy Chile Relleno Burrito, sub rice instead of beans....smothered, baby. Delicious! And, their salsa is pretty spicy!! Definitely try some on your burrito. It's not the best Mexican food by any means, but it's great for the $ and convenience. read more

Great tamales and chile! This place is really clean and inviting. I am excited to go back and try some other menu items. Service was extremely friendly too! read more

This has always been my favorite place for a breakfast burrito. The last three times something changed with the bacon. It is like chunks of bacon that are way too salty and tough. Please go back to what you were using before. read more

Was really excited to try some tamales. Unfortunately, the tamales were all masa and no meat and no flavor. Literally a brick of masa with a sliver of pork in middle if you can find it. The burrito are all potato filler. I ordered eggs, chorizo too. So disappointing. read more

Breakfast burritos are really good. They are simple, but delicious and incredibly filling. Their tamales are pretty good. But be warned: the mild is decently spicy and the hot tamales are CRAZY hot. I thought I liked hot food, but apparently not so much. Other people still loved them, but they were a bit spicy for me. My one gripe: We called ahead to order a couple dozen tamales and were told to come in a couple hours to pick them up. When we got there, they said they had run out and prepared FROZEN tamales for us. We complained and they said that we didn't specify on the phone that we wanted them to be fresh.... umm please. Of course, we want them fresh! That shouldn't be something we have to specify! Oh well, still will come back for the breakfast burritos for sure!! read more

Normally pretty good, but came in this Sunday at 11 and they were out of Bacon, chorizo, and ham. So I had to get a meatless breakfast burrito. You are a breakfast burrito place...and this isn't your first rodeo, how do you run out of every breakfast meat. To add to it I was second in lone and it took almost 30 min to get 2 egg, cheese, and potato breakfast burritos. Everyone in the entire restaurant was extremely upset about how long the food was taking. Will not be returning. read more

Regular place to get tamales and my usual breakfast burrito or beef burrito. Usually we will take it to go. Service is always good and friendly. The food is consistently good and satisfying. Get the bean as a side it is really tasty. read more

So, cheat day comes once a week for me and I choose mine on Sunday. My craving for amazing breakfast burritos brought me here to Tamale Kitchen. The burritos are amazing. I get the bacon, egg, potato and cheese with green chili inside. I definitely can't wait to come back for more. My only complaint is that my diet makes me only come on Sunday's. So, I will see you again next Sunday. read more

I always go in and order the Mexican hamburger especial. For four bucks you cant beat the price or the food. Sometimes I order the steak soft taco as well and it comes with this sauce they give you in a small container. Not sure what the sauce is but it is awesome! They are pretty stingy with it as well. I also enjoy watching them cook the food right in front of me. Great place for a small budget. read more

This place was highly recommended as very good. I tried it once and yes the tamales are very good however the beans were not edible because of the amount of salt in them. It wasn't just me my daughters hispanic husband said the same! Second time, beans less salty but still heavy on the salt but the guac was too salty! Either someone needs to learn to measure right or they need to stop guessing on the recipe, way too salty and I like salted food! Wont go back. Signs, customer service was fine. 3 stars total, 4 for the tamales, zero stars for the sides! read more

I kinda liked it. If you are looking for upscale place, this is not it. It is counter service and the food comes out quick. It is a good lunch place. I had a bean burrito with potatoes and it was good. The gauge I use with these places is if the bean burrito was better than the 89 cent one at Taco Bell. It definitely was. I have been to a lot of other places and paid a lot more for a lesser burrito, read more

The place is small and it didn't look very clean. Most tables needed to be clean, the floor also needed to be cleaned, and trash cans were full. The cashier was not very friendly, and we had to wait for her to count coins and bills without her even saying anything or apologize for the extra wait. The tamales were good, go them smothered and they were spicy. Great for people that like spicy foods. When we left the place the line to order was too long, they should maybe have 2 registers going at lunch time. It is a shame to have great food, but not a very clean place to eat. read more

The food was great, as is typical for tamale kitchen. Good portions and just the right amount of kick to it. The service wasn't so friendly, not typical for tamale kitchen. The tv was turned up really loud, I felt like I was at a sports bar. Limited seating. Next time I'll opt for to-go. read more

Great price and even the food is even better in flavor. Some of the best tamales I have eaten. The green ones have a bit of spice but just right. Yum! A dozen of tamales and a pint of green chile...wow, what a way to start of the Labor Day weekend. read more

Tamale Kitchen - YUM! - Mexican Near Me - Highlands Ranch, Colorado

We've liked this place for a long time but we were disappointed last time. The customer service was bad and the food was not up to what we had come to expect from them. They changed the enchilada sauce. read more

Tamale Kitchen - Combo number 1 - Mexican Near Me - Highlands Ranch, Colorado