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5 Star reviews on Yelp or a happy shriek if you ask me about this place in person.
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wicka wicka buck wild!
wicker park/bucktown is my neighborhood. i spend most of my free time here because…
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The Tamale Guy
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- No
- Parking:
- Street
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
243 reviews for The Tamale Guy
Review Highlights
"Claudio Rocks and so do his tamales."
(in 27 reviews)
"It never fails he always shows up."
(in 7 reviews)
"THANKS for your late night dedication Tamale GOD."
(in 16 reviews)
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243 reviews in English
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Review from Phoebe W.
12/6/2011 1 Check-in Here
Claudio, you are my hero.
When I long for a tasty and portable snack you appear like a cheerful oasis in the desert of Wicker Park. Somehow you are not put off by me running into traffic on Milwaukee Ave whilst screaming "HOLY HELL TAMALE MAN", thank you for never judging me and my antics. No evening is complete without coming back from a blackout by finding a bag of tamales and verde sauce in your purse.
Claudio, I'm not sure if you're the Walter White or Jesse Pinkman of this whole tamale operation but your product is just as addicting as the stuff on Breaking Bad without all the nasty aftereffects. -
Review from Sara R.
Chicago, IL
11/30/2011
Love these tamales!
So exciting whenever he rolls up to a bar with those cooler beacons of hope!
I happened to be a the fireside bowling alley bar even a few saturday nights ago and he SHOWED UP THERE TOO!
Guess he ventures out and enjoys a good bowl too!
THey were delish too,.....however does he still have the salsa? havent see that of late or maybe since i always seem to be handed tamales and dont actually purchase them, maybe i wouldnt know. -
Review from Saira K.
2/7/2012
An itinerant, I consider myself lucky to have sampled fare - completely by chance - from the legendary Tamale Guy. You could be at a bar, and he's there. I had the chicken tamales, which were just awesome with the salsas!
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Review from Noah H.
Chicago, IL
2/7/2012
Best late night chow you can find on the side of the road. Worth seeking out if you're into street food.
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Review from Jelena Z.
5/15/2011 1 Check-in Here
Here's your cheat sheet: It's $5 for six tamales. Some day I will get this equation right, but I'm usually ordering under duress. Okay, inebriation. And what does this self-induced condition typically produce? A surplus of tamales! You see, I naively order 3 tamales (because that's all I want) but end up with 3 BAGS of tamales (18 total) and spending a whopping $15. Mostly because I feel much too badly about returning the unwanteds to a member of the Tamale Guy cartel. And this brings up an important question: Does the outfit charge a red cooler re-stocking fee?
Enough digression. After the Tamale Guy moves on, I become the girl in the bar who everyone wants to talk up. Nope, not because they want to get into my pants... rather, they're spitting game at my stash of tamales! No surprise I give it up, every time. Because who can eat eighteen tamales? EIGHTEEN!
And - who can give a gallant army of foot soldiers, committed to bravely delivering such a labor-intensive product deep into the night at bars that don't serve food anything less than five stars? Get the cheese, by the way... they're the best. -
Review from Carrie R.
Chicago, IL
11/19/2011
I love the Tamale Guy so much, I dressed as him for Halloween this year. Cooler of tamales and all....I got to feel what it might be like to be the Tamale Guy and bestowe joy on your patrons when they're drunk, with that special look in their eye seeking a belly full of delicious Mexican treats - you give the a tamale, and you're an instant hero. Tamale Guy....I love you.
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Review from Jessica N.
Chicago, IL
7/11/2011 3 photos
I know people are going to hate me for this.....but I was SO excited to finally meet the Tamale Guy....and I was SOOO disappointed! :( I think the problem was it was not midnight yet and I was clearly too sober.
He struck Mulligan's in Roscoe's Village and despite being stuffed from the Burger Fest I HAD to try the tamales. I also accidentally got TWO which ended up being two bags of 5 tamales. It made me feel better about spending $5 per bag though :)
I asked him which were the best, he said pork. But sadly, the pork was extremely bland. Overall super unseasoned and the salsa could've had more kick too.
One nice thing was the actual tamale was well cooked (I've had some dry/crumbly/flaky tamales) but it just needed more flavor overall.
Fast forward two hours at closing and I probably would've been leaving a 4-star review. Sorry to burst the buble.... -
Review from David K.
Libertyville, IL
8/12/2011
Does the thought of expensive, underwhelming fruits and vegetables worry you?
Does the thought of a questionable-looking dude in a hat and sunglasses hanging around make you wonder what kind of neighborhood you're living in?
Have no fear, for the Edgewater Produce Tamale Guy is here to dispel BOTH of these urban concerns.
For almost a year, I swear this guy was committing felonies in broad daylight. Turns out he's selling amazing tamales for a buck each! Get your cheap, incredible produce schwerve on; exeunt le market de produce and grab a sack full of tamales (it's true, try the pork), then saunter home with a spring in your step. Your friends and significant other(s) will fall to their knees and worship you just to get a bite of these tasty comestibles.
He even gave me three tamales when I only had two bucks, saying, "For you, take three"
Will I be back? Indubitably. -
Review from Emily H.
Chicago, IL
5/18/2011
I first experienced a Tamale Guy attack at Guthries on Addison. We'd been drinking for several hours and were elbow-deep in a highly competitive game of Monopoly. Guthries has no food available, so when The Tamale Guy swooped in at around 11pm with his cooler, we were thrilled with the sudden tamale availability!
Each of us bought a bag of 5 or 6 for $5 and suddenly, tamales were the new currency of the evening. Owe $1250 on Illinois Ave? No problem, slip them a $500 bill and a beef tamale. Want a beer but your cash is low? Two tamales and a promise to wash your friend's car gets you more.
The best part was that aside from being there and edible, they were really tasty. Granted you can easily get to the point where you'll eat cardboard with Cheez Whiz on it when drinking, but these were just the right amount of meat/cheese to corn meal ratio, and they were moist and hot. Plus, beer and tamales is like a power recipe for a partying second wind.
I hear The Tamale Guy phenomenon happens elsewhere on the city, specifically around Wicker park. I need to check this out. -
Review from Mike W.
Royal Oak Charter Township, MI
3/6/2011 2 Check-ins Here
The chances of running into the Tamale guy are slightly higher than catching a chupacabra. However, I would imagine the joy that would come from actually catching the chupacabra is on par with the joy people feel when they realize the Tamale Guy has arrived in their bar.
As a purveyor of masa based deliciousness, I highly recommend anyone who does see the Tamale Guy in their bar to try out his tamales at least once. They're almost as good as his legend. -
Review from Doug S.
Chicago, IL
3/7/2011
Remember when you used to be able to brighten up a boring story by saying "and then I found $5?" Claudio is like that, "Oh I just went to a bar last night, BUT THE TAMALE MAN CAME." (Sidenote: I feel 'Tamale Man' has a better ring than 'Tamale Guy')
I just had leftover tamales from Thursday for breakfast (it's Monday). They were still awesome. It's not just the novelty of Claudio's entrepreneurial spirit (and the fact that you're probably drunk). These tamales are delicious even removed from the context!
Get the pork. -
Review from Dave S.
Chicago, IL
12/17/2010
There are few praises that can be sung to Claudio's name that have not already been voiced here, so I will use my review space to issue a warning:
There is an imposter among us
That's correct - beware of the imposter tamale guy. He often shows up minutes before our beloved real tamale guy trying to ride the gravy train. His tamales are not nearly as good - both the cornmeal and the meat have a tendency to be too dry. He also lacks Claudio's winning personality and sunny disposition.
As a service to the Yelp community my profile picture consists of a recent photograph of myself and the real tamale guy, Claudio. If ever in doubt as to whether or not you have encountered the real tamale guy please feel free to use it as a visual reference.
God speed. -
Review from Amy X.
1/11/2011
- a dollar you find in a pair of jeans out of the wash
- a piece of chocolate at the bottom of your purse
- a bird pooping on someone walking in front of you that you miss by a hair
- the tamale man showing up at the bar you're at
all things that you don't expect which result in fat toothy grins.Listed in: wicka wicka buck wild!
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Review from Tiff W.
5/9/2011
There is no better feeling than when you've had a couple of drinks at a bar and suddenly, you see the Tamale Guy with his box full of hot goodies walk around. It's like you've sighted the Loch Ness monster.
When: Saturday night
Where: Huettenbar in Lincoln Square
How: I may have been several mint juleps, glasses of wine, and beers in when we spotted him. Never mind the fact that I had just eaten a big delicious meal from Bistro Campagne. Come on, it's the Tamale Guy! I absolutely had to try some. I'm not sure how we ordered or how much they were, but all I know is that we received two zip lock bags full of piping hot tamales with containers of different salsas on the side.
I can die happy knowing that I've finally tried his tamales. And they were even better microwaved the next day. -
Review from Paul S.
Chicago, IL
2/9/2011
Unstoppable!
[into: Enrique Iglesias Hero] -
Review from Kelley C.
Chicago, IL
12/11/2010
Seriously, dude...you were my first tamale.
You came when I needed you. You were my hero that night. -
Review from Christine S.
Chicago, IL
10/19/2010
Dear Tamale Guy,
THANK YOU. THANK. YOU. T.H.A.N.K.Y.O.U.
Thanks for stopping into Lottie's last night.
You walking into the bar was the only thing that made my night good. We just got killed in softball and our season was cut short due to the fact that we sucked. Your tamales talked me off the ledge. I'm in love you with and your cooler full of little delicious rockets.
P.S., you're just as spicy as your green sauce. ;)
Your biggest fan,
ChristineListed in: Places to take an…
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Review from Erik O.
7/28/2011 2 Check-ins Here
Such a mythical beast. Like the Loch Ness Monster, the Yeti, or the culturally relevant Chupacabra. I would have listed the Tamale Guy under "Most Mythical" but he is all too real. One minute you are sitting in a bar, sad, alone, downtrodden, and of course drunk, and then the next minute, a shining beacon of Latin flavor kicks down your wall of depression like a Mexican Kool-Aid Man. This guy is a Chicago superhero, where the magical cape is replaced with a blue cooler. $5 bucks for 6 tamales....that is but a mere PITTANCE for a ticket to YumTown. Claudio....you are a man amongst boys, a role model, and a true friend. Dios te bendiga.
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Review from Jayme N.
Chicago, IL
3/28/2011
Oh, Tamale guy. This wandering vagabond, with his blue cooler laden with delicious, authentic, cheap beer-soaking masa of dubious FDA approval, is like a strange, beloved visitation at any bar.
He appeared on my very first night out with co-workers in chicago, and ever since he's sort of been this ghostly legend. I imagine if he appeared in a different time, we would have Saint Claudio, whose miracles include feeding the whole bar from a single cooler.
His tamales are some of the better I've had, but he knows his market well, as really, I was pretty drunk, and it doesn't take much to make a drunk happy at 1am.
I only hope that I may one day soon encounter the tamale man again before I must depart chicago. -
Review from Jack M.
12/8/2010
This has gotta a biased set of reviews - I mean, what percent of people buy food from the Tamale Guy when they are sober?
That being said, Tamale Man's Tasty Treats will help you out. Honestly, the tamales themselves maybe three stars, but he gets a four for two reasons
1) Already mentioned, everyone eating these things is drunk
2) Food is good for drunk people, it absorbs alcohol and eases hangovers, therefore, this guy is more like a public health official.
If you have the good fortune to see El Senor, I recommend los tamales.
Also, the first time I had these, on the feet of El Senor came a woman who was selling cupcakes, including one which had actual bacon on top. Does anyone else know who this mystery stranger is? -
Review from Allison M.
Chicago, IL
6/30/2011
The tamales are awesome, and he's pretty much the official mascot of Chicago.
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Review from Alex R.
Evanston, IL
6/24/2010
Dear Tamale Guy,
You are awesome. I still recall the first time I met you at The Map Room. I was sitting there drinking delicious beers at my favorite bar in town, and I was saddened at the fact that I may need to walk to Arturo's Tacos in the cold and leave my beloved bar. Right as I was about to leave...in you come like a superhero whispering "Tamales...Tamales!" ...
Tamales? Hell yes, I'll take a small bag of 'em. Complete with their little salsa and napkins. They totally hit the spot and were delicious. I was going to order more, as by this time, everyone had started eyeing and stealing my tamales :( However, as stealthily as you came in, you left :( Awww...
You've been a pleasant surprise during many nights of debauchery with friends :) I hope to see you popping in once again Mr. Tamale Guy.
Love,
Alex -
Review from Melanie S.
Chicago, IL
3/25/2010
"Someone Saved My Life Tonight (Sugar Bear)..."
Oh yes he did.
I was on drink number 18342 at Cole's and feeling roped and tied. At that point, I would have killed someone for some food when TG showed up with his delicious booze-absorbing corn-y delights.
There is a God. This is proof-positive.Listed in: My Little Town, Were it not for Yelp
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Review from Jonny P.
12/9/2010
Oh Claudio!
Pork, Chicken or Cheese! Always good to carry onto the desk the next day if I was still feeling a bit woozy. Seemed like you followed me around the city some (two bag) nights. Green sauce was always my favourite with cheese & chicken with red for pork. A legend in the city savior to the masses hope this finds it's way to you!
Jonny -
Review from Jenna S.
Chicago, IL
Updated - 3/8/2009
Hilarity.
Last night at Goldie's I witnessed the Tamale Man in all his glory. He was walking around, pitching his usual "Tamales, tamales, tamales!" and this crazy drunk girl was just like "What?!"
He proceeded to get really close to her face and just yell "tamales" at her until she just turned around.
I love you, Tamale Man.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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9/20/2008
This man is like a fairy.
Every time I get drunk, he's just there. Bob Inn, Beachwood, Green Eye...… Read more »
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Review from Amy H.
5/23/2007
There is a special place in heaven that is reserved for the tamale guy.
Milwaukee has the pepperoni/cannoli guy and Chicago has the the tamale guy. Oh how I love little old men who sell food out of a beer cooler. *sigh* -
Review from Bev h.
Chicago, IL
6/5/2009
$5 for a sack full of hot, delicious tamales that get delivered directly to your barstool.
the green sauce is spicy. i know this because someone spilled some on my leg and it tingled for hours. it's better now. -
Review from Justin V.
Seattle, WA
2/16/2008
Tamale Guy, my sweet, sweet Tamale Guy.
When i tried to explain you to my Philadelphian friends, hoping they had their own patron saint of drunks and cornmeal, they gave me blank eyed stares and said things like "What are you, retarded?"
that's because they don't know, Tamale Guy. They've never been caught at 1:30, hanging onto the edge of the bar like it's Leonardo DiCaprio in Titanic, knowing that something terrible will befall you if you slip, knowing that your friends will have to tell you about it later because you won't remember, when you hear an angel's trumpet blare right through the noise of smelly poseurs and uptight art students, a trumpet that rings pure and clean: "TAMALES" it sounds like.
You can almost make it out through the whiskey.
"TAMALES."
Yes, that's the sound of Heaven come looking for you.
"Excuse me sir, tamales?" asks the tiny Mexican angel.
You nod, and for half the price you'd shell out anywhere along the route home, such a large and filling bounty of husk-wrapped goodness (with multiple sauces!) is thrust into your blindly groping hand you want to fall on the ground and praise Jesus (or Hay-soos or whatever).
But you don't have to fall, do you? Oh no, you're borne upward on a wave of tamale love. You're carried merrily from the dim recesses of your overdrinking to the bleary half light of not-going-to-die-anymore by the power of delicious mexican food AND YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO MOVE.
I love you, Tamale Guy, and if your damned Latin machismo wasn't such an impediment i would MAKE LOVE TO YOU.
Unlike many people i consider very close friends, you have actually saved my life on numerous occasions, and i want to thank you and your tribe for all you've done for the people of this city.
Sexy, sexy Tamale Guy.Listed in: SO MANY STARS. OMFG., Meat In My Face.
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Review from Lindley E.
Chicago, IL
10/28/2007
Providing vittles to the wasted and hungry in drinking establishments all across the city, the Tamale Guy is the go-to vendor of stomach-lining snacks that provide the needed intestinal fortitude for a heavy night out.
Know what I mean?
On more than one occasion, the Tamale Guy has supplied me with six, count-'em, six cigar-sized tamales for $5 that have supplied me with a needed dose of energy at the beginning or middle (never, ever, ever the end) of a night out. I'm not a heavy drinker, so I can't state definitively how many hours of protection one of his tamales provide, but I can say that his tamales have prevented me from giving into my baser instinct to eat chips.
Tamale guy, so far I've been unimpressed by your tamales, but at the right time and place, I can't imagine what I would do without you. -
Review from Liz S.
Overland Park, KS
11/15/2007
How much better can life get than when you're sitting with friends at a bar having a bunch of drinks and in comes great drunk food? I mean really. You don't even ask for the food and magically it appears. The Tamale Guy is the best and he's a savior when it comes to hangovers.
But on another note, I asked him to come back to the bar 3 hours later and he did. What other kind of food establishment does that? They don't just reopen their doors because you asked....Nope, but the Tamale Guy does.
I'd give him 5 stars, but sometimes he doesn't have the tamale that I like (he only carries two kinds with him). -
Review from Ellen M.
5/23/2007
Must recommend the cheese tamales - love them. Cold, they even make a good breakfast the next morning.
I suspect that behind every Tamale Guy is a Tamale Lady not getting her due. So, I raise my glass (and btw, that's a Blue Moon wheat ale) to the Tamale Ladies. Thanks for your hard work that cold, winter night in Humboldt Park or Ukrainian Village or wherever. Sure, the Tamale GUY delivers the goods, but you make it good. You rule.
The west burbs need a Tamale Lady like Mars needs chicks.
Unionize? Just askin. -
Review from Vanessa M.
Chicago, IL
1/24/2008
The Tamale Guy is the best example of supply and demand: he goes into a bar and sells out his supply of ridiculously cheap tamales to all our drunkasses that want it. He is amazing. Almost like god, but better because I get fed right away. I am not sure how he does it -- being in every bar on the North side... Maybe he's Santa instead. I love him.
And having vegetarian tamales? Brilliant. I once kissed him because I was so excited. He blushed and then actually giggled. Who knew The Tamale Guy could giggle?Listed in: Things to Do & Eat in…, Because sometimes I'm broker…
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Review from Eric N.
Chicago, IL
3/10/2010
Re: the sanitation comment. That's one thing that's just wrong in this country. People have become so mallified and germaphobic that they can't see eating outside of a restaurant or strip mall, as if that gives them some kind of feeling of security that their food will be somehow better or safer.
Go to any country in Asia and for less than $2 you can get a meal on the street better than most Americanized asian dishes served in restaurants here. If you want real color, flavor, and culture you can leave these folks w/an entrepreneurial spirit alone who are bringing a true taste of their culture to our midst, or instead legislate them out of existence. -
Review from Michael G.
Rockville, MD
3/10/2009
There has been some question as to whether the tamales that the Tamale Guy serves are any good if you're not blasted out of your mind. In the name of science (and eyes being bigger than my stomach while quasi-drunk) after seeing the Tamale Guy at Blind Robin recently, I took some of his delectable treasures home in their ziploc bag of love.
Popping them in the microwave the next morning, entirely sober, they served as an excellent brunch. Science proves a win for Tamale Guy! Hooray science!
I am a little disappointed in Claudio (and his apparent clone tamale guys) as of late, however. I used to think he was a west side institution as I had never seen him north of Diversey. But now I find out he's cheating on my side of town with north siders (which served me fine on Saturday at Goldie's as I had neglected to eat dinner, but still).
But I guess it's bad to be selfish as $5 for six very large tamales (and probably the best cheese tamales this herbivore has ever had) is about the best deal going right now - period. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, or late night. Claudio should not only be shared with the rest of Chicago, but the rest of the world.
That is so long as he lets me know when he's parked near my apartment to serve The Whistler and the Two-Way so I can get a cheap, amazing late dinner even sober.
Tamales!? Tamales!? Tamales!?
Yes please! Yes please! Yes please! -
Review from Drex D.
Chicago, IL
9/9/2007
Are these the best tamales you'll ever have? No, probably not. Are they going to taste like the best tamales you've ever had when you're canned at 1 am and the Tamale Guy comes seemingly OUT OF NOWHERE? Damn right they are.
Bless you, Tamale Guy, for the delicious and noble work that you do. Truly, you are a god among men. -
Review from Jonathan C.
Chicago, IL
3/27/2008
To be read to the tune of Ghostbusters...roughly:
"When you're in a bar, and there ain't no food...
Who you gonna call?
TAMALE GUY!"
"When you drank too much, and you don't feel good
Who you gonna call
TAMALE GUY!"
Ok, thats all I got. And you can't call him, he just shows up. But seriously, this man appears at whatever bar your at, just when you starting to wish for food. Is he a godsend? Or is he preying on your weakness? (Matters if you trying to diet or not I guess). But either way, the tamales he brings are delicious! Some of the best tamales in the city. Internal spices have enough kick and don't skimp on the meat (or cheese, if thats your thing). Green sauce is better than red sauce. At $5 for eight, this is even a good value. Keep on truckin' tamele guy. Keep on truckin'.Listed in: Eat Happy Like Me!
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Review from Christine F.
Chicago, IL
10/22/2010
He is a man of legend.
I had only heard about him til my first (and only) encounter with him.
We were at Delilas. It was about midnight. And he came in with his cooler full of tamales. My husband got an order of pork tamales and ate some on the spot and saved the rest for lunch tomorrow. He said they were delicious.
This guy is awesome. -
Review from nikki c.
3/25/2009
"seis para cinco" o "dos packas para diez my friend"
"pollo, puerco, o queso" ...do yourself a favor and get them all. the worst is not getting enough and wanting more. even if you don't eat meat you do now... you're drunker than drunk, about ready to go down on someone who is at least a triple bagger and now you worry about where you get your proteins?
please;p
complete with salsa verde, napkins and plastic forks(no sporks) its the perfect chaser to a night of woooohoo shots and beers...no line no wait, claudio comes to you as if summoned by your culo( Mayday Mayday we need to plug this hole NOW!)
if you don't know, be smart enough to pretend and be nice to the guy.
he will feel the force and guide you properly into position and soon you too will know the secret of the morning after tamale wrapper filled bed. -
Review from Stacy Y.
Updated - 8/3/2008
Ooooh, the pork tamales.
They are addictive.
Keep up the good work, Tamale Guy!
Con amor,
Tu reinaListed in: My hood., I love Mexican food.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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5/22/2008
Last time I saw Tamale Guy I was finally able to express my true feelings for him. I put my arm… Read more »
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Review from Nicole V.
4/11/2008
Ode to Tamale Guy....
O Tamale Guy is that your windbreaker swooshing I hear?
The shuffling comes and then the bar cheers!
I think, "Gee, I could use a tamale with this beer"
"Tamale? Tamale?" is the next thing I hear
Oh yes, for sure....let us buy ten
Even if it is a group of chicks we'll still eat them like men
Your sauce is so spicy
Them tamales taste nicy
I look at my beer and see your smiling face in my foam
That must be the sign...it's time to go home
Thank you tamale guy for all the good times
You know you are special when you cause me to rhyme.
