When thinking of late night snacks on our wedding night, we knew we wanted tacos. We tasted tacos from several different food trucks and The Tamale Spaceship was by far the best food trucks for tacos. When we scheduled our tasting with them, we got to try so much that we took half home with us for leftovers. Each taco was so delicious, which didn't make our decision easy when choosing three tacos. We decided to go with the Cochinita Pibil (Pork), Barbacoa (Beef), and Rajas Con Queso (Vegetarian) tacos and they certainly didn't disappointment. Our guests raved about how delicious the tacos were and how it was one of the top highlights of the evening (especially since our wedding was at The Fairlie and the food trucks are able to pull directly into the venue). It is also important to know that they also offer nachos, tamale, and side options as well - the only reason why we didn't choose any of those is because taco food trucks are one of the"our things." All of the staff were extremely friendly and worked excellent with our other vendors to make our wedding day perfect. read more

Yelpers. Hear me when I say this, please. We catered a second birthday party with Manny and the team from Tamale Spaceship. We've never had a better party. We've never had better food. We've never had better service. From the moment the team got here until the time they left, we felt fully at ease. Blanca headed up the team. She also bartended and was phenomenal. Truly. She was thoughtful, took a leading role in managing our expectations, and made us feel so comfortable. They also helped arrange for tables, chairs, and other rentals which saved us having to source those things ourselves! Our guests could not stop complimenting the food and the service. The menus, presentation, and clean up was so quick and painless. They parked the food truck outside and the whole neighborhood could see the celebration was ongoing! Truly, we didn't know what to expect but as we shared with the team during the party, we will be using this group again and again. We are just so impressed and couldn't be more grateful. Well done, Manny and team! read more

Tamale Spaceship - The great team from Tamale Spaceship! - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

The Tamale Spaceship has landed smack dab in the center of the city! A clear sign that summer is finally making it's way here. Honestly, who can walk past a food truck in the downtown and not be curious enough to try it? $10 for two sizable tamales and it filled me up for dinner. Not sure that I would go out of my way to get it, but the convenience factor is worth something. One was a pork with traditional red sauce, the other an el pastor with chocolate mole sauce. They were a little on the dry side for my liking - but still tasty. read more

Tamale Spaceship - Pork Tamale & Chocolate Tamale - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

Tamale Spaceship was our wedding caterer after being recommended by our venue, Firehouse Chicago. We initially chose Tamale Spaceship because my husband and I love mexican food and we knew it would accommodate most diets. What we did not expect was quality food that exceeded our expectations and came at a cost that really helped make wedding planning easy. Manny and his team prepared some incredible food including tacos, tamales, guacamole, and more that blew our guests away. Multiple guests told us how amazing our menu was and said it was the best food they have ever had at a wedding. Dinner was served out of their food truck which our guests loved and helped create an unforgettable dining experience for our loved ones. In addition to serving apps and dinner, we also had Tamale Spaceship provide a dessert table full of churros, flan, and chocolate tamales in lieu of cake. They also bartended for us the whole night and provided margaritas and palomas that were flowing the whole night. How many weddings can say they served margaritas to their guests? We cannot recommend Tamale Spaceship enough to be your wedding caterer and bartender and are looking forward to the next date the food truck will be nearby so we can grab lunch. read more

Tamale Spaceship just catered my husband and I's wedding. The guests absolutely raved about the food. Manny's homemade corn tortillas are to die for. We had several guests with dietary restrictions, including one of the grooms, and the staff catered to them with no issues. This was especially important to us because one of our closest friends has severe Celiac disease. It was such a relief to know that she would be able to eat without any risk. Tamale Spaceship also handled our open bar and desserts. Hiring one company to handle dinner, the bar, and desserts, not only cut down on the stress of managing multiple vendors, but it saved us a bundle. The bar was excellent. All of the drinks were high quality, and none of them felt weak or watered down. Thank you so much to Manny, Jazmin, and the rest of the staff. All were incredibly kind and professional. Cannot recommend Tamale Spaceship highly enough. read more

Manny and the Tamale Spaceship team are incredible. We first reached out to Manny before moving to the state, and he worked around our hectic schedules to coordinate a tasting. Once we tried the food, there was no question about who we wanted to cater the wedding. Every single dish had phenomenal multi-dimensional flavor, was made with quality ingredients and with attention to detail. Throughout the process, Manny and his team were responsive to our requests, but what really blew us away was the day of the wedding. The quality of the catered food was some of the best that I have seen: appetizers were beautifully plated, tortillas were never soggy, and tamales had a perfect amount of filling. The Tamale Spaceship team was attentive to every aspect of our reception, from helping with the table flip to their perfectly timed check-ins with us at our sweetheart table. Furthermore, countless wedding guests complimented the food and stated it was the best food they have had at a wedding. We cannot speak highly enough of this team and would recommend them (catering or the Spaceship itself) for any event! read more

You don't always know what to expect with a food truck, but I can assure you that The Tamale Spaceship is out of this world. The man ruining it is a delightful character and very helpful. The food is outstanding. Nothing was ordinary. We were a small group and we had ordered one of every item on the menu to share. It was all so good! Can't hardly wait to see Tamale Spaceship at Imperial Oak in Willow Springs again soon. read more

See all

One of the positive things that has come out of this pandemic is the number of food trucks that are bring their food to our neighborhood. Manny's Tamale Spaceship of one of them. I have done Manny's many times, but that was not an easy ordeal. It required me dropping The Queen off at 10:45 am downtown to get in line and order our tamales before they sold out. It also required me driving around the block and timing lights, dodging cops to avoid tickets, in order to pick The Queen up with our loot. So imagine my lovely surprised to see that the Tamale Spaceship truck was going to be in an location that had ample parking and closer to home. This turned out to be perfect timing as it was the day before Thanksgiving and my brother was coming over to spend the evening with us since would not be able to come over for turkey the next day. Because I was going to be cooking the next day, I didn't want to cook, and the Tamale Spaceship was the answer. I emailed Manny to see if I could get the menu and got a prompt response. I also inquired about placing an order in advance. The reason for this was so I could make sure I was getting what I wanted and not being pissed off if I had to wait in line only to find out that they were out of what I wanted. It is not a pretty sight if I am mad about not getting something that my taste buds had been dreaming about. There was a line once I got to the truck (no surprise there) and I had a 6 pm pick-up. I was very glad to see that although I had pre-ordered, my food was not prepared until I got to the window to let the know I was there for a pick-up order, so the food was still hot when I got it home. The following was ordered: for tacos - Al Pastor (marinated pork with tomatillo salsa, red onion, cilantro, pineapple), Tinga Poblana, Baja Style. The Picturesque (Yucatan-style roasted pork with tomato-habanero sauce, purple pickled onions) and Simple (panela cheese and poblanos topped with tomato-jalapeño sauce) for tamales, sides of elote (Mexico City style grilled corn with chipotle-mayo, cotija cheese, chile piquin) and churros. The tacos were the street kind, smaller tortillas, but what they lacked in size, they made up for in flavor. I am not usually one for Al Pastor as I find it greasy and sometime dry. And I am a carnitas woman, but man gotta say Manny made a believer out of me. The Al Pastor was bursting with flavor and that meat was juicy and tender. That was very good and I was glad I got extras and not put in a position to snatch one of the plate of one of my loved ones. The Tinga Poblana was very good too, with the chicken being shredded. Next to the Al Pastor, this was a strong contender for me. The Baja was good, but had a little too much breading for my taste. Can't speak to the Picturesque myself...anything that has habanero in it does not pass my lips, but The Doctor and Queen said it was very good. I desperately wanted to try this because of the pork, but I know that sauce will put a big hurt on me. The Simple was just that, simple, to the point and very good. The Etole was absolutely delish, with not too much mayo and that chile piquin did add a little kick to it. The churros was a nice finish with a glass of bubbles. All in all, this was a great meal to do celebrate a pre-Thanksgiving with the fam. And no cooking or clean up. read more

See all

Had the Al pastor tacos and the brisket tamale with mole sauce. The service was so quick and friendly! read more

Tamale Spaceship - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Had a great experience at the Tamale Spaceship when they were up in Andersonville. Very friendly team who truly love what they do and enjoy talking to people. Wonderful tamales, especially for the price. Highly recommend you check them out if they are in your area. read more

We couldn't possibly be any happier with our decision to have Manny and his team at Tamale Spaceship cater our wedding! His food is simply amazing, and we just loved Manny as soon as we met him. Our venue highly recommended Tamale Spaceship so it was the first tasting we booked... first, last, and only- That's how much we loved it. During the entire course of planning our wedding, Manny was extremely helpful, patient, flexible, and communicative. Our guests were raving about it all night and we've received multiple texts afterwards telling us they were the best tamales they've ever had, asking if there is a restaurant location, etc. I could go on and on but booking Tamale Spaceship was one of the absolute best decisions we made! My only regret is that I was too busy/distracted to eat as much as I wanted to! Thank you Manny and Tamale Spaceship for being such a big part of our night! read more

Tamale Spaceship - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Great place, amazing food, friendly staff, worth a second helping. The line at big star was too long so I walked a little further down Damen to find this place. Unfortunately this location has closed but they are still active as a food truck so I will keep an eye out for them during summer street fair season. read more

Manny and his team were phenomenal! Tacos and tamales are so, so delicious! He catered our wedding, and the food truck was so fun!

I booked tamale spaceship for a public marketing event. I am SO pleased with how everything went. 1. I booked them with only 24 hours notice (not good on my part) and they were totally fine and flexible with it. 2. They showed up on time right where I asked them to be (in a very specific spot of a very large parking lot in the suburbs) 3. The food was great!!!!!!! 4. This was a pretty public area, and after our event ended, they said we still had a few servings left and would stay to serve the public. 5. A great price for the great service and food you get! read more

Was walking around during lunch and this huge silver truck was parked and had a line---of course I had to go see what it was :) There was actually a car load of college kids that hopped out and immediately started taking pictures--guess they were stocking him on FB or twitter. The novelty of it is fun--there is a guy in a huge sombrero with a mexican wrestlers masked on---ok a little fun and a little creepy at the same time--but none-the-less very intriguing. Not huge menu seeing that it a tamale truck. I'm happy that I was listening on what other people in front of me were asking and ordering--so each order comes with 2 tamales---they were BIG---I opted for the steak and it comes in those nice black/reusable take out containers--love em! Well to my surprise when I actually got to sit down and try it--there was one steak and one chicken tamale in my container, came with a little cup of mole. Yay for me--I got to try 2 different kinds in one sitting! The tamales were hot and moist. Next time going to have to try some guac. Overall good experience with the creepy yet intriguing spaceship. read more

Tamale Spaceship - Love the mask and hat, intriguing and creepy at the same time - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

There aren't simple tamales here and that's a good thing. You can go to any of the mercaditos or hole in the wall Mexican places across Chicagoland for a solid tamale, but you'll find your vessel to something different here. Guac + chips were fresh and hit the spot. Special tamale was beef stew and it was one of the best tamales I've had. So juicy yet the masa held it together. The chicken was on the dry side, and hey it's a bit difficult to avoid that but when tamales are your thing, I expected an above average chicken tamale. The mole sauce helped, though! Can't wait to visit again and see what the special is. I'm in. read more

Tamale Spaceship - Special tamale of the week (beef stew) and chicken. These aren't your tamaleguy tamales. - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

At $4 per tamale, you'd think someone would be rolling over in their grave watching me purchase a pair for $8 + tip... On the other hand, they gotta pay for all those luchadore masks one way or another and I guess I can be okay with that... but only because lucha libre masks are a good cause... and also the tamales were really good. I'd say the poblano tamale might have been the best tamale I've ever had. Moist, spicy, cheesy - absolutely perfect in my book. The roasted vegetable, on the other hand, I could've done without. It was kind of like a dry, meatless, pot roast. It'd be fine if you weren't into any spice, but that's just not for me. Also, for the two tamales at $8, I was still pretty hungry. I for sure would have needed at least a third, maybe even a fourth to feel like the stuffed American I love to be. They had a variety of meat options and they were nice about answering my quick but still annoying questions regarding which options were without meat. I'm not in a hurry to go back only because of the bougie price, but I'll admit that I've thought about that poblano tamale every day since last Saturday. If I ever pass by again after I've won the lottery, I'll buy myself the four poblano tamales I wish I could afford to eat everyday. read more

See all

i absolutely love tamale spaceship! amazing people, amazing food, amazing service!!!!!!!!!!!

I came across a piece in the Chicagoist about Food Truck Tuesdays (http://tinyurl.com/4yxlsl3) and decided to give it a shot for dinner. When I arrived Gaztro Wagon, The Southern, Flirty Cupcakes and Tamale Spaceship were there. Tamale Spaceship had been on my food truck hit list and had the best overall variety still available when I arrived. Having only one veggie option, I opted for two "normal" tamales with cheese and rajas. Maybe I had overhyped the idea of the tamale truc...er...spaceship in my head. While the tamales appeared to be made with care, I found mine extremely bland. Rajas/peppers - bland. Sauce - bland. Cheese - not enough to save the tamale. Bottom line: fail. Each tamale was $3, which seemed a tad pricey. The whole menu was a bit confusing, it seemed as though they normally have a $7 special, it was unclear why it wasn't available and what was different about it. Additionally, the menu board was hard to read, the chalk was quite smeared, almost as if someone had rubbed up against it or something. I had to have the guy, in the mexican wrestler mask and sombrero, help me decode it. The website isn't any better, frankly it's a hot mess; I couldn't find a menu or much useful information on it. Your best bet is just tracking it on Twitter. 2.5 stars. Chalk this up to a neat concept, but disappointing execution. It's entirely possible that the meat tamale options are better, but since I don't indulge, it's doubtful you'll find me catching another ride on this spaceship. TIP: Food Truck Tuesdays run through June, it's a great way to hit a few trucks at once. read more

In the words of my white friend, "se habla". There was no "habla" from her that made sense, even her English "habla", because she was drunk. However, Miss Drunkzies, as I will so affectionately call her, had the brilliant idea to leave a block party for tamales. I kind of have a lot of weaknesses. Romantic comedies, Carlos Quentin's butt, Sumatra lilies, west coast IPAs and Mexican food, especially tamales, to name a few. However, I learned a very important lesson last year. Non-traditional tamales walk a very fine line. I won't name names, but I'm looking in your direction, tamale place in Pilsen with the Chicago flag logo. Anyhow, Miss Drunkzies and I had previously chatted about Tamale Spaceship having a storefront. We parked on Milwaukee and walked about 8 miles to the address of a furniture store. That's right, Miss Drunkzies gave us the wrong address and no one thought to question her, even our sober driver. It may be in Wicker Park, but it's on that other popular street, Damen. We get back in the car, make a few rights, a couple lefts and bam! We arrived. It was small, it was dark and it was almost equally as hot on the inside as it was outside, but I didn't care. The ladies had wigs, the men had masks and the walls had luchadores painted on. I felt like I was amongst my people!.....in Pilsen, that is. Actually, I felt like I was in my mother's kitchen. She's white and doesn't know how to make tamales, but she has this adorable luchadores painting I stand to inherit and she keeps the a/c off so it's roughly 80-85 degrees on any given day. When it was time to order I ended up saying "whatever you want, I want elotes" and found out someone ordered the same tamale we tried a few weeks back from their food truck. ::Insert side eyed emoji here:: I really shouldn't complain. It was flavorful, there was a nice kick to it and it was filling. I loved the elote, there was something different about theirs (but I had been boozing for hours prior, I couldn't tell you what that was), except the portion was small, especially for the price. I can buy the ingredients for said elotes and feed the 4 of us that were there for the same price. However, isn't that the point of these places? I can't really complain though since I was given the go ahead to pretty much finish it by myself. The service was great. I was offered water about 8 times, even though I was holding a cup of it. I'm a sweaty halfie, what can I say? I really did appreciate that though. We sat on their patio, they brought out the food and even offered to refill our water (they have a little cooler and plastic cups inside for you to do this.) They're BYOB, and not that any of us needed to imbibe any more (but I totally did once we returned to the block party), if I had known that, we might have stayed a smidge longer. Only a smidge though as the patio isn't big by any means. I think there was something like 4 or 5 tables following a longer, narrower path. It's comfortable, but not "park your butt and drink awhile" comfortable. If you're familiar with Tamale Spaceship you'll be familiar with the food here. The difference is this place has seats. Limited seats, but seats nonetheless. $8 for two tamales makes me feel like a chump, but they are good. Authentic enough with a bit of a twist done right. Miss Drunkzies ordered like a drunk and therefore passed a taco in my direction. Same as the picturesque tamale, except it seemed a little on the dry side. Not bad, but I'd stick to the tamales. read more

See all

An old co-worker and I dubbed Friday afternoons as our Tamale Time. We'd share an order of the No Ones (barbacoa-style roasted chicken with Michoacán green peanut mole) tamales and a side order of the chips and guacamole. The tamale tastes delicious and is extremely filling. For $8 a pair, you get quite a bit of food. Those with smaller appetites can get away with eating one and taking the other home. The ratio of meat to cornmeal dough is appropriate. The mole isn't very spicy and compliments the tamale well. We've also tried the duck, which is confit style peking duck with plum mole and dried cranberries. In a way, it sort of reminded me of something you could eat on Thanksgiving. It was good and wasn't too sweet with the addition of plum and cranberries. The duck was prepared well. However, it wasn't my favorite since I'm not a huge fan of duck. The guacamole is one of the best I've ever had and has a little heat to it. It's perfect atop a crispy chip. Be aware that the guys on the truck have masks covering their faces. It may be scary/off-putting to some, but the guys are very pleasant. You can tell that they put a lot of love in what they do and it shows with the delicious quality of their food. The combo costs $11 and for what you eat, it's a great deal. You can easily walk over to other place and easily spent over $10 and not nearly be as full or satisfied. Check their website or Twitter to see their truck stops. Also, they are opening a tamale station in Wicker Park sometime this year so be on that look out for that. read more

Tamale Spaceship - One chicken tamale with sauces - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

I wanna like you tamale spaceship. Soooo badly. I do because I absolutely love tamales. But I make my own tamales and I've had tamales all over Mexico. so i'm pretty much a tamale snob and I'm sorry. To be fair the tamales were decent. The first time the no ones (barbacoa-style roasted chicken) Totally disappointed on how dry it was, I couldn't finish it. But since I wanna love you, I went again today. You were out of most things so I had the simple (Rajas with panela cheese) This one wasn't dry, the cheese was a bit of a weird texture but the taste was okay. I'm giving it 3 stars because their guacamole is delicious. They wear luchador masks and they are super nice. .The Best tamales in Chicago are definitely from the tamale guy, but good luck finding him ;) read more

Very pleased with our lunch today First off - the goat tacos (3 for 9.50$) get them! They were great!!! Had a nice spice to them We also got the chicken tamales (order comes with 2 large ones for $9) it had a salsa verde peanut sauce on it which was really good! They weren't as good as the tacos but certainly delicious. No spice which was my only thing id change, but i like spice Service was super friendly Id go back! read more

Tamale Spaceship - Chicken tamales with a salsa verde peanut sauce yum! Order comes with 2 - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

As someone who doesn't often enjoy tamales, this place had the best tamale I've ever had!! The "special" with duck confit & dried cranberries served with a mole dipping sauce was the perfect order. Cherry on top: cucumber infused water! read more

Tamale Spaceship - Duck confit tamal - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

At first I thought they were really expensive tamales, but when I got my box and saw how huge they were I knew what I had paid for. I enjoy the pork with the red sauce on it. They come in a convenient box of two, good for sharing. Or not if your feelin' fat! The last time I went I got the guacamole. Fantastic! Also on the pricey side but I guess I am downtown where they even charge you an arm and a leg just to park your car. Ugh! The Guys are incredibly friendly too! I enjoy getting food from them, they call me Amiga every time and it makes my day. read more

Tamale Spaceship - Yum!!! - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This place is incredible. $8 for 2 tamales and you can mix and match. You will most likely be full after 2 individual tamales. The outdoor seating is great, BYOB is a huge plus, and the hospitality of the owner and team is above and beyond what we expected. Big Star has always rubbed me the wrong way with the prices (+/- $35 pitcher of Margs?!), the wait, cash only, and really mediocre food. I cannot stand when people proclaim Big Star as the "best Mexican food" and the Cool place to be. Just keep walking south and grab a case of beers or limaritas and make a stop at Tamale Spaceship. You will not be disappointed. read more

Tamale Spaceship - No Ones on the left and Picturesque - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I cheat a little when it comes to food trucks...I wait for events to catch multiple in one location =) With that said, I caught Los Luchadores of Tamalli Space Charros [aka Tamale Spaceship] at an event in Evanston, a rare visit to the suburbs for the trucks. The truck is easy to miss...if you can't see the spaceship tail on the roof of the truck...or their website painted in bold blue on the otherwise blank silver canvas that is the spaceship. At this event, I ordered the Picturesque, a pork tamale served with a tomato-habanero sauce, and my buddy got the No One, a barbacoa chicken tamale served with a green-peanut sauce. Each were $7, which I thought was a little steep...until I realized there were two tamales...and until I realized how filling they were. The pork tamale was really good, though I think the tomato-habanero sauce is necessary. The barbacoa chicken was tasty by itself, not needing the sauce. Los Luchadores are super friendly, even calling me an "amigo." Whoda thunk?! An Asian fella like myself throwin' down with Lucha Libres as a fellow amigo! I felt at home...or on the way home in a silver spaceship. read more

Tamale Spaceship - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I loved their guacamole and chips. Less a a fan of tamales in general because of it's bland nature, so not a huge fan of the food at this truck either. I did love the concept, branding and masks/ face paint! read more

Cliff notes: BYOB, dog-friendly patio, awesome service and delicious fresh Mexican food. The details: So happy we finally tried Tamale Spaceship yesterday! Why so many people wait hours to get into Big Star when this place is a couple blocks south is beyond me. We never went inside so I can't speak to the inside but it does look fairly small. We sat outside on the small patio that's decorated with cute string lights. We were anticipating counter ordering but we were pleasantly surprised by table service. We arrived on a Saturday evening, and we were quickly welcomed by a very nice man who seemed to be the owner or manager. He offered to take our BYOB 6 pack to the fridge to keep it cold and brought our dog a bowl of water.He was super attentive, helpful and friendly in explaining the menu and options, and made sure both the humans and the dog were well taken care of. He seemed to be very excited and proud of the food (for good reason) which is why we guessed he was the owner. My husband and I ordered the chile rellenos and guac for appetizers... 2 tacos (Barbacoa and chicken tacos) along with 2 tamales (Picturesque - pork, and Urbana- braised beef). All of the food was delicious with fresh ingredients, flavorful sauces, and tender and well cooked meats. We loved everything but the Barbacoa was to die for. In comparison to Big Star right down the street, the patio is obviously smaller and not as much of a scene but the food and service at Tamale Spaceship was far superior. I'm so glad we finally tried this place and excited to keep coming back. read more

Tamale Spaceship - Amazing tacos and tamales. Barbacoa was to die for! - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Got the chicken tamales, guac, and barbacoa tacos. The tacos were my favorite! To die for

Taste [5/5] I tried their Picturesque Tamal de Puerco, mainly because of the habanero based sauce and my love of spicy foods. The first bite was purely fire inspired, but after that the flavor emerged perfectly. The sauce complimented the pork and pickled onions with any flaws, and integrated the dish as a whole nicely. Their space Guacamole has to be one of the best guacamoles in the city, it might be the serrano chiles that gives it more of an edge, but it was by far excellent. Price [4/5] I know the price my seem a bit high, not really your in the loop, which from my experience is around a $10 meal for lunch, so the bottom line is it's well worth the cash. atmosphere [5/5] Nowhere else in the city, possibly world would you find extremely experienced and artisan chefs costumed in luchador masks and sombreros. Well crafted, original and all around experience that will leave you craving more. 3-9-15 Tried their tortilla soup today.. And it was amazing as expected. So many flavors and so filling. It makes me ponder the question, will anything mediocre every come from this chef? NOT LIKLEY! Impressed as always. read more

Solid three and a half stars. Super nice staff and ambiance. Cucumber flavored water. Got the mole and the spicy pork tamales. The mole is very rich, almost too intense to my liking. I enjoyed the pork a bit more . It's spicy, sour, very fresh. The meat was a bit dry. The corn was very tasty. read more

See all

Yassss Tamale Spaceship, yassssss. Went in the opposite direction of the majority of people on here and went for the fish tacos. So glad I did - they were incredible! Stacked with fresh ingredients and the girl working the counter was super nice too! I live right down the street and will definitely be coming in often. read more

Tamale Spaceship - Fish Tacos! - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Manny and his team are absolutely amazing. He catered my wedding on 9.28.19 at the Lytle House and it was incredible. His staff was professional, on their game and our guests continue to compliment how great the good was. Manny is super responsive and easy to work with. read more

I've never had a tamale before and I've seen this truck a few times so I figured I'd give it a try. It was parked at the AON building on Wednesday and there wasn't a line. Tamales are $7.75 for a square container of 2 (2 of that kind). My friend got another one so we could switch a tamale to try. I got the flank steak and she got the duck. They both came with a side of mole/sauce to dip the tamale in. I also got guac and chips for $4.75. The guac was good! well made. The tamales I wasn't as impressed with. There was a lot of the doughy 'shell' and very little of the substance inside. The flank steak was in big chunks, but other than that, there wasn't much else in there. The duck was a bit better but the same thing - not too much filling. They accept credit card and cash which is a good thing. I'm glad I tried it but don't think I'll be getting it again. read more

Tamale Spaceship - flank steak and duck - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

Looove this place! Hubby had the chicken wrap. I did a mix and match - had the Urbano tamale with the Tomato Jalapeno sauce (recommended by waitstaff since its less spicy). Also had the Pollo A Las Brasas taco with no onions. Salsa that comes with it is REALLY good. Highlights 1. Hands down, ingredients were the most fresh I've had compared to the Mexican joints I've tried in Chicago (Picante, Takito Kitchen, Big Star, Adobo Grill). 2. Food is perfectly seasoned. Not too spicy, greasy, or overly strong in garlic and onion 3. Despite its intimidating external appearance, Waitstaff is super friendly (Spent time describing the foods in detail and working with my food intolerances). 4. Large portions and great prices! Breakdown: Pollo A Las Brasas with no onions: I was skeptical of the Chicken taco due to it being garlic seasoned and reviews of the chicken being dry. This was not the case for me! Chicken taco came with slices of grilled chicken (not shredded chicken). Had great flavor and juicy! Tasted like was eating quality chicken. Not your run of the mill shredded chicken. Urbano with Tomato Jalapeno Sauce: Don't eat Tamale's often so hard to rate. It was around 80% / 20 % corn to meat. Beef was tender and delicious! Corn was flavorful too. May have been more corn than I needed, but that may just be due to the large size of the tamale. Chicken Wrap: Came with side of guac and chips. Chips and guac were both VERY good. Both beat our current go to Mexican joint. Ingredients were freshest he's had in awhile among the other Mexican joints in Chicago. Hubby thought chicken was a little dry but he still liked it. Chicken was same as mine and I thought it was fine. Large portions. He agreed he prefers it over our current Mexican go to. Other thing is that I usually leave Mexican restaurants with a strong taste of onions and/or garlic. I have a sensitivity to these ingredients. I don't get the guac at Picante anymore b/c of this. Picante is like the McDonalds for Mexican food but I've been able to find foods I can tolerate there. As much as Big star is a fun place to chill and drink, their food doesn't work well with me for these reasons. It's been difficult to find a Mexican joint that works with my food sensitivities. Glad to have found my new GO-TO for Mexican in Wicker!! :D read more

Tamale Spaceship - Urbano tamale with tomato jalapeno sauce and Pollo a las brasas - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

Amazing tamales!!!! I couldn't wait to go home and write this review, so I'm writing this as I'm still eating! I'm glad I passed by this place! I ordered the urbano tamal and the simple tamal the presentation was something that I haven't seen before and the taste was really good! The tamales were soft and not dry, very flavorful! We also tried the Churros and of course they were great! The service = 5 starts Definitely coming back to try their tacos! read more

Tamale Spaceship - Mexican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Let me just say, Manny and his team are incredible! We had the privilege of using Tamale Spaceship to cater our non-traditional wedding at Berger Park and Manny was on point from day one til the wedding day. The communication between Manny and my husband and I was always crystal clear and prompt. The prices were extremely reasonable for the amount and quality of food we received. The tasting they provided us was out of this world delicious and so generous. We even got to meet the chef and felt like celebs. As for the guests, I think we received ecstatic compliments from everyone at the wedding. Everyone was so happy that it was something different than usual boring wedding food and something truly delicious! The beer battered fish tacos were a major hit, as were the molten lava cake tamales for dessert. You cannot beat this place. The staff & Manny Hernandez deserve an award. THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DID FOR US! We shall not soon forget. read more

We had Tamale Spaceship cater our wedding a few weeks ago and are still thinking about how amazing it was. Manny and his crew were on top of everything even with Covid related procedures. When the rain came the staff, without a moment of hesitation, was able to bring plated taco truck items in to our guest. No one left hungry including me and my wife. The margaritas were a hit and I would eat anything that comes out of their kitchen. We are still hearing from guests about how it was their favorite wedding food ever. If we ever see the truck we will be pulling over right away to buy everything on the menu! read more

These are the best tamales I have ever had, bar none. The aesthetic of this place is confusing, though friendly and inviting. I don't really dig it but it's well put together. They serve everything on 70s era aluminum trays. But there's a luchador theme. And a spaceship theme. It's like a bizarre superhero backstory with no context. What's so special about these tamales? First of all, the bread. It's unlike any other tamale I've ever had, which are traditionally harder. At the Spaceship, it's moist and falls apart like angel food cake (weird comparison I know) The meat inside is tender, and the sauces are to die for. The Picaresque is easily my favorite, but they're all amazing. I haven't had any of the other dishes. Skip the guacamole as it's way overpriced. This is one of my top 3 food experiences in Chicago, never had any tamales quite like this, and I ended up going back and trying every single one. If you haven't tried these yet, don't hesitate, try the picaresque! read more