Tamale Kitchen

Elite '08

10

34

Sara H.

Lakewood, CO

We are regulars at this place.  I love it.  It is yummy home made Mexican food at Taco Bell prices.  A smothered beef and bean burrito is under $3!!!  .  If we get tamales we always get the green ones.  They are nice and spicy.  I never eat in, the decor is alright except for the big fan by the bench when you are waiting for your food, that bugs me.  Also at dinner time there can be quite a wait, but you can avoid this by calling your order in.  

Oh and don't forget they have yummy breakfast burritos there as well.

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Elite '08

84

207

Doug Y.

Denver, CO

This used to be a regular stop on all our south west shopping or visiting friends runs. The tamales are good and I would have given them at least another star or two except for something scary that happened with a particular tamale we got there. I don't want to alarm everyone (like I haven't already, sorry) or run off their business but it wasn't so much what we found but what the boss did when we took it into him to show him. I cook often and pretty much know my ingredients.  I would never put something in my mouth and taste it to show it was edible, shudder, gasp...  No thanks, I don't want another dozen. Don't even want money back, I just wanted to let you know in case you wanted to do something about... never mind, just let me out of here.     Look before eating? Dunno.

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Elite '08

87

304

Toni L.

Westwood, CA

I came here with a co-worker today and was mightily impressed. Do not disregard their dessert menu. It exists and could not be more delicious.

Food: I tried all three types of tamales (http://www.yelp.com/bi...) they have here ($1.00 each). The green "hot" tamale is exactly as described. That thing is jalapeno central. The red mild was pretty good, but the meat was sort of dry. As for the veggie, it was probably my favorite of the three. The corn meal hides chunks of corn kernels as well as other vegetables. I sampled some of the picadillo which was pretty good. Also, as I was standing in line, I watched the cooks fry up some breakfast burritos. The smell was pleasantly intoxicating. Oddly enough, I think this place shines in the dessert category. They carry flan as well as sopapillas, thin pieces of fried (yet still soft and moist) dough covered in sugar and served with honey (http://www.yelp.com/bi...). They look like empanadas and can be served with meat inside. I scarfed my four huge pieces down way too fast. It's not on their paper menu, but get it anyway!

Atmosphere: The interior is what can be described as authentic Mexican, if that means anything... I loved the Maya-looking pictures on the wall. Nice touch.

Service: The lines get long during lunch but die off rapidly. The food comes out fairly quickly.

Synopsis: Get the sopapillas.

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4

8

Michelle S.

Denver, CO

Excellent food!  Fun atmosphere!  Fast service!  These are all things you can expect from The Tamale Kitchen.  The food is plentiful and the staff are a delight.  If you're ever in this part of town, do yourself a favor and pull over.  Their take out service is fast and delicious!

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Elite '08

31

37

Nikki S.

Denver, CO

First off, how can I be the first one to review the Tamale Kitchen? Wow!

I've had the supremely excellent tamales from the other TK locations in town, but the other day I was in the neighborhood and wanted a burrito SO damn bad, so I stopped at the original TK. Don't let the ghetto location or the crappy taco stand/run-down Dairy Queen feel deter you from eating in this place! I was totally satisfied, and you will be too.

I had a smothered pork burrito, and my boyfriend enjoyed the cheese enchilada dinner. YEAH! Even dine-in orders are served in styrofoam containers, but who cares. My burrito was a huge conglomeration of green chili, tortilla, and pure awesome shredded pork without a hint of gristle. The cheese enchiladas must have been pretty damn good too because my boyfriend basically inhaled them in 2 minutes.

Next time I really want to get one of the "family dinner" packs, which consists of a bunch of tamales, green chili, tortillas, beans and rice. Sweet! The tamales are to die for, of course.

I would normally take away a star for the fact that this place is totally barrio, but the food makes it impossible for me to detract any stars. Just don't bring a first date to TK - it's about food here, not ambiance. You know it's good when a bunch of Hispanic people are waiting around for their take-out orders.

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