Made Fresh, Every Weekday
Four tamales year-round — pork, chicken, bean, green chile and cheese — all $2.49 each, all $14.50 by the dozen, no surprise fees on the menu. The recipe is the one Tony folded the first batch with. The masa, the husks, the steaming, the hand-folding — all of it still happens at 6205 19th Street. Holiday season runs October through December — the same four tamales, just every steamer in the kitchen running full.
These four are always available, Monday through Friday. No pre-order needed for quantities under 10 dozen — just come in.
No hidden fees. No guessing. These are our prices.
Prices subject to change. Call (806) 780-LEAL for large orders. 5+ dozen orders require 48-hour notice. 50+ dozen require 1–2 weeks and a deposit. Holiday season (October–December) — order ahead.
How They Get Made
Every tamale that leaves 6205 19th Street is folded by hand the same way Tony folded the first batch.
The corn masa is the foundation, and we don't cut corners on it. The recipe hasn't changed since the Tortilla Factory days. No preservatives, no extenders, no shortcuts that would let us make more tamales faster.
Pork shoulder is shredded, not chunked. Chicken is white-meat only. Beans are refried with no lard added. Green chile is roasted, not raw. Cheese melts inside the masa, not on top. Each filling has its own day in the kitchen.
Corn husks soak overnight. Masa goes on the husk, filling goes on the masa, and the husk wraps around it with one fold and a tie. We don't have a folding machine. We have hands. That's the part that makes a tamale taste like someone made it for you.
Tamales steam in batches in the same kind of pots they've always steamed in. About an hour, give or take. They come out hot, and the husks come off easy when they're ready to eat.
Common Questions
The questions we get most often. Call (806) 780-LEAL for anything not covered here.
Refrigerated in their husks or in a sealed container, our tamales keep for about four to five days. They're best within the first two — that's when the masa is freshest and the filling has the most moisture.
Yes. Tamales freeze well for up to three months. Wrap them in plastic or store them in a freezer bag with the air pressed out. Thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating, or steam them straight from frozen for a little longer than usual.
Steam them. A few inches of water in a pot, a steamer basket or rack on top, husks still on, ten to fifteen minutes covered. Microwave works in a pinch (wrap in a damp paper towel, two minutes), but the masa stays better in steam. We don't recommend the oven — it dries the husks out.
Yes. We don't add fat to the bean tamale filling or the chicken. The masa itself uses fat (that's how masa works), but the fillings on those two varieties are clean. If lard-free matters to you, the bean tamale and the chicken tamale are the two to order.
Pork is the warmest of the year-round flavors — red chile sauce, shredded pork shoulder. Chicken is brighter and lighter — green salsa, white meat. Bean is the simplest — three ingredients, no fat. Green chile and cheese is the regional variety that locals fight over. Sweet and Green Chile and Beef show up for holidays.
Not yet. Shipping launches in Phase 2 with one ship day per week and dry ice packing for overnight delivery. The waitlist below is the first place we'll announce the launch date.
Coming Soon — Phase 2
One ship day per week, dry ice, overnight or one-day delivery. The plan keeps tamales fresh from our steamer to your door. Shipping launches in Phase 2. Get on the waitlist below and we'll let you know the day it goes live.
