Delta Blues Hot Tamales

Many people don't know that there's is a culinary history of tamales in the Mississippi delta region. In New Orleans they are know as "hot tamales", and it is easy to find them. I remember a tamale stand named Manuel's that was very popular in the city. I believe it was a casualty of hurricane Katrina.

The tamales from the delta region are different from the traditional Mexican tamale. Delta tamales use less cornmeal, and are served in a wet sauce. Also, the delta tamales get their spiciness from cayenne pepper. I appreciate all tamales, and I applaud Delta Blues for bringing this experience to Birmingham.

Delta Blues offers some creative combination plates that include tamales with various topping and a side. There are eight of these, and they have funky names like Holy Chipotle, M'isppi Melt, and Ragin Cajun. I ordered one called The Crawdaddy and a side of Corn Maque Choux. Three pork tamales are topped with crawfish ettoufee. The crawfish were fresh, and the sauce was tasty. It had the right amount of spice for me, and I would definitely recommend it. The Corn Maque Choux was a nice vegetable that complemented well.

Decided to finally make it here for lunch - Jan 6.
It was a beautiful day so we decided to sit in the courtyard. (See pics).
Our awesomely nice waitress promptly took our order and we started with the sausage plate. Great flavor!!!
After that I tried the buffalo tamale plate. It was spicy with creamy feta dressing and fresh lettuce.
During the meal the pet cat came to visit. He was so sweet and funny. He could smell the good food and wanted a piece!
The service and food was a notch above anywhere I have been in awhile and if you don't like cats- sit inside.

There are a lot of positive elements to this restaurant. They have some wonderful options for vegetarian and meat eaters. They have a huge selection of sauces and combinations for their tamales. The spicy variety are rich in flavor. They taste so fresh and are fairly priced. You can order them ala carte or as part of a meal.

We also enjoyed the fried jalepeno pieces as an appetizer. The ranch dressing and the spiciness was a perfect combination.

All of the sides we had were tasty and fresh. This place goes on my list of places to stop at every single time I come to this city. YES YES YES. A little off of the beaten path but worth the journey.

Big fan of Delta Blues after tonight's experience. I had never tried tamales but I heard Delta Blues was really good so I figured why not!

The service: We were served by a very sweet older lady that made recommendations on what to try. She was a little talkative but hey it was a Friday so no worries.

The food: I had the Mississippi Melt which had pimento queso on top. Wow for a first time experience eating tamales I dont think it could of been better. The tamales were incredibly tasty, and the slaw was what you can expect from restaurant slaw. Next time I'll have to try the mashed sweet potatoes.

Overall, I loved my tamales and the atmosphere of the cobblestone road was also really cool. I'll be back!

I expect a lot eating out. I expect to get something I can eat as a vegetarian, and I look for menus marked for stuff for all my other special dietary needs brethren. I expect something interesting and new, nutritionally complete, and fresh. And then of course ambiance and service and value all that. And of course I like to get something local and unique from a small business. I doubted the ability of anything in Birmingham Alabama to meet my expectations, but this place was a triumph of careful online searching in a town that frankly had more stoplights than things worth stopping for. (Sorry, but seriously, why am I waiting at lights every block when no one's around?)

By being corn-based and offering bean and vegetable fillings, this place is quite friendly to most dietary needs, which is their stated intent. Not only can you eat vegan and gluten-free, you can eat as well as anyone who isn't. Their tamales do indeed offer a noticeable kick, and the chipotle topping I got was unneeded really, as the beans were already richly delicious, but the charred corn and sauce only improved matters. I got a small to save room for their hummus with corn chips, which was more flavorful than I could have hoped for and came with plenty of freshly salted chips; I couldn't finish it but was happy for leftovers. The side of potato salad was less interesting, and I could have hoped for better non-alcoholic drink options, and I wish their red beans and rice was offered meatless, but what I did get was the sort of food I crave.

It had a nice little ambiance going as well; the brick road it's on looks like it doesn't go anywhere, but there is indeed a parking lot next to the place and ample outdoor garden seating if one likes. I may never find myself in Birmingham again, but if I did, I'd definitely eat here.

I ordered over the phone but ended up eating in the restaurant.

I ordered the buffalo black bean tamales, tangy slaw and blackberry cobbler.

The buffalo black bean tamales were delicious! The tangy slaw was ok. But paired well with the tamales, they added a crunch to an otherwise very soft texture. The blackberry cobbler was ok. I liked the filling but the breading part was like unsweetened cornbread and not very appealing.

Overall I would return for more tamales. The staff was super friendly and inviting. Glad I found this place.

Located on popular Cobb Lane, DBHT is a quaint little place that oozes that laid back feel. It has convenient parking in a lot just adjacent to the restaurant. There's a nice outdoor area that's shaded by trees, but they also have tables with umbrellas. Inside is very rustic. Simple decor, a small television and tables. It reminded me of a renovated interior of a small house.

Let me just state here that I'm not a big fan of tamales. When I eat Mexican cuisine, I usually never get tamales, but if you go to a place that has Tamales in the name, you should try some right? The owner is a Louisiana native so if you imagine a cajun restaurant that replaced rice with tamales, this is essentially what you have at DBHT. Their staple being a spicy pork or vegan option black bean tamale. They have a clever range of tamale plates where a small (3 tamales) or large (4 tamales) portion of tamales are topped with other meals.

We tried their butterbean hummus made with butterbean instead of chick peas. Maybe I'm used to chick pea hummus (thanks Tazikis) because the butterbean version didn't jump out at me. Tammy tried the Holy Chipotle where her pork tamales were topped with a chipotle lime sauce, charred corn relish and tomatoes. It was ok. The chipotle lime sauce didn't do it for me. Her cucumber tomato salad was also ok. Sarah ordered the Red Beans with andouille sausage which was pretty good. Generous portions of sausage, the bowl exemplified a picturesque view of what a red beans and rice looks like. I sampled the Crawdaddy Tamale plate. My pork tamales were covered with their crawfish etouffee. The pork tamales were not bad, but they weren't spicy in my opinion. The etouffee wasn't the best I've ever had, but it was peppered with fresh crawfish tails. The sweet potato mash side I tried was sweet and contrasted nicely with my tamales. I got to try their Fried jalapenos and those were pretty good and would make a great snack.

Service was ok. It was a late Friday evening and our waitress was busy with a few other tables so she wasn't able to be as attentive. DBHT has a very "homey" atmosphere and would be a great spot for large parties. I would like to return just to sample their non-tamale dishes: braised pork tacos, delta catfish tacos, fried chicken, two meat chili or catfish belzoni. I think those are reasons enough to return don't you?

I don't know why, but the waitress would not look at me and really was unpleasant. I was with my husband and a work associate.
She wouldn't talk to me and even put my plate at the empty chair at our table instead of in front of me.

It got to be a joke between us at the table. The food was ok, but she ruined our dinner by acting so ugly.

I will never ever come back here. I recommend that you don't either.

I loved everything about this restaurant! When we first walked in, I was a little nervous because it looked a bit dive-y. But as soon as I tasted the tamales all of my fears dissipated and I was obsessed. I think it's so unique and cool that all of their menu items are gluten free and it's amazing how many tasty vegan options they offer as well.

I ordered the Ragin Cajun tamales with beans and it was oh so flavorful. The beans were cooked to perfection and seasoned well, and the andouille sausage on top complemented the tamales perfectly. I would've liked a different texture (maybe something crispy or crunchy) to go with or on top of the dish since everything in the dish was soft and I got a bit tired of it texturally halfway through, but that's just my personal preference.

That being said, service was amazing and super quick. Our waitress took time to answer all of our questions well, delivered all of our food to us within 10 minutes of ordering, and was attentive to our needs throughout the meal.

A step back in time. The restaurant is located on a historic brick road with comfortable outdoor seating. As the practical point, the location is close to Interstate 65. The food is well balanced and tasty. There is an interesting variety of beers available. There is a large parking lot next to the restaurant. The service was slow, perhaps we were there during on unexpectedly busy time.