Chilo Y Chela Restaurant

Un lugar que tiene buena comida y gente bien amable. I love coming here to get my tamales and arroz con leche. The staff are always kind and work hard in the back. I went today during Christmas Eve and they told me the time they were available to have the tamales I wanted and would come back until I got them. Which were so good as always. I recommend this place to go order and eat. If you come during the holidays please be patient and nice towards the staff as they are overwhelmed and working hard in the heat.

The tamales here are fantastic; flavorful, hearty, and perfectly portioned. At just $2 each, they offer great value for the quality. While there are tables available, this spot feels best suited for takeout. Also, be aware that the counter staff may not speak English, so a bit of patience or basic Spanish can go a long way. Overall, this place was awesome. I’ll definitely be coming back.

The service is always very friendly. Everyone always treats u with respect & kindness. I'm not Mexican but, who doesn't love tamales. ❤️ There tamales i've been eating for years. I enjoy the green ones and the sweet one the strawberry one more. Tamales are for only ($2.00). Go check them out if ever in the area some of the best tamales. 🫔🫔🫔

Have been eating here for years and the tamales are good except the mole tamales did NOT sit well with me. I commented this to a close friend and she told me the same thing happened to her and she hasn’t had the mole tamales since. Im writing this to bring attention to it. Earlier in the day the food is great, but later on as it gets busy food quality goes down or something because the green tamales sometimes aren’t cooked thoroughly.

Very disappointed with the tamales. The chicken was dry and the masa was dry and bland with almost no flavor. Tamales should be moist and well-seasoned, but these tasted old and poorly made. Would not order again

The tamales are flavorful, but sometimes they are dry. This business should focus on quality control. Customer service is 3/5, the senoras seem annoyed just taking a regular order.

Great tamales 🫔 I had the rajas con queso and pollo rojo. Great spot to buy a bunch of tamales for you and the crew but also a good deal for a yummy lunch at $6 for arroz y frijoles and 2 tamales. No seating at the moment.

Came to buy some tamales, I don't always trust the street vendors. I trust this place better, since they do have to pass inspections etc. Their tamales are good, and their service was fast. There are a few tables to sit and eat but I just picked up to go. The visit was fast and the tamales I got were non meat. Unfortunately there is no parking, only street paid parking. If you stop by the holidays, you need to be there early to get what you want, or you'll have to wait until a new batch comes out. You can buy half of dozen or a dozen. I like the queso con rajas.

The tamales use to be good, but now they are skimpy on the meat, they don't taste good and are expensive for small clump of dough. The only good things there are the hot drinks.

Best tamales in town the atoles are pretty good too Check your recive Some times they charge extra I order 2 tamales they charge me for 3 I notice when I was far away Now they offer tamale dinner Tamales oaxaqueńos and now torta de tamal Mexican favorites

I get the torta who works there in the mornings doesn't want to be there. But her attitude is super annoying. Ive been trying to ignore it but she makes it hard, as she tries extremely hard to let it be knows how she feels.

Really good tamales , my favorites are rajas con queso & pineapple & strawberry tamales They also have really good atoles , champurrado & arroz con leche I tried so many places and stands all over Chicago and to be honest no one makes good tamales now a days , to dry , etc Chilo & Chelas tamales are consistent Totally recommend it

Best tamales I've ever had. Seriously, me and my boyfriend are obsessed. Usually we get 20 green chicken tamales and split it between the two of us. It's that good

The tamales are not like before, it seems like they're cutting corners. I understand the price increase but only if you're keeping the same quality and consistency in taste.

I took the ends off cause it was all masa then I opened it- talk about being cheap with the meat n' sauce. I might as well ordered a tamale de pura masa

Love their tamales and arroz con leche, also the champurrado. Always come by when craving tamales, definitely recommend.

Woman mind can be very tricky thing:)) that day I craved tamales for breakfast Since we we're meeting friend and I didn't have time to do detailed research I just picked what I thought it looks good on our way. Shop from outside doesn't look like much, but I love these whole in the wall situation. Inside was a line, yes a loooong long line. Their concept is very simple, dishes with tamales and with drinks. I had luck to be there on weekend so I can try Mexican drink based on corn masa (i think) and from few different flavors I choose chocolate by recommendation of very nice lady who served us. They were out for most of tamales flavors so we picked Jalapeños with cheese in red sauce and Chicken in green. Prices are fair. And tamales fresh as they can be. I loooooved jalapeño one, chicken as well but I tried first time jalapeños one and I loved it. They are not tooo spicy they are just right for us. I loved drink, it was full of flavor and not too sweet. I like that. If I am in the neighborhood again and craving for tamales I would definitely choose this place again. Service is amazing and honest. Go girls!

The green are the best kind!!! You can use card too which is so convenient! They have quick service

Me encantan los tamales verdes de pollo!!! Y los de Raja ohh y el champurrado que delicious! Super Rico! Se pone ocupado pero vale la pena !

visiting family out here & decided to treat my aunt to some tamales. I did not expect to be told about this. To then go and let them know about this to be given no refund or make the order right. Someone could have choked on this & its unsanitary as hell! Definitely would NOT recommend to anyone. If the tamales were like this i can only imagine the rest. Spending $40 you would expect better.

Service it's good , I love their sweet tamales , corn , strawberry and pineapple They raise the prices $1.50 per tamale plus tax . Kind of wrong timing with the pandemic . Who wants to spend $20 on a docent of tamales Lots of people don't even have a job , kind of the wrong time to raise their prices

This place is a hidden gem. Their tamales and champurrado are delicious and as good as the ones my former mother-in-law used to make. Keep in mind that they sell out fast, especially on the weekends. A big plus are their strict COVID procedures. They have markers on the floor keeping 6' between people with a max of 6 people inside. There's a person at the door who is managing the line outside. Every time someone leaves the counter the door manager thoroughly wipes down the counter with a disinfectant spray. Make sure to support this business during this difficult time!

Bomb tamales yummmm Highly recommended, affordable and friendly staff. Warning: ur hooked after the 1st time

Had a taste for tamales and have always pasted this place everyday not knowing it was there. Did a search on yelp and this place came up. Most reviews seemed positive so gave it a try.  I went at about 3:30pm. I was greeted by a friendly smiling worker. (I have read other reviews stating bad customer service.)Not the case for me. The 2 stars are for friendly service.  As reported by other reviews they run out  tamales fast. The only options they had at the time were cheese with jalapenos and a sweet tamale with pineapple.   I opted for 3 cheese and jalapeno tamales. The tamales themselves were a good size. The masa was moist and flavorful. The problem I had was they was so little cheese in each tamale and only had one 1/2 inch piece of roasted jalapeno pepper in each tamale. So basically the tamales were 90% masa! Not sure what all the hype is about this place? A big disappointment based on yelper reviews.

FAVORITE TAMALES & CHAMPURRADO ! Been eating their tamales before they had their shop. At the time I was 5 years old. My parents took us every Sunday. And now that I moved out we try to go and pick some up. VERDE/RAJAS Are our fav.

They have lost their flare and tamales are not consistent. Tamales use to have more meat, soft, flavorful and juicy. Now masa is to thick, dry, less meat and overly spiced. Time to find a new tamale spot.

Horrible customer service. If you need a big order, order a couple days in advance not what they recommend which is one day before the you will be picking up. The tamales were tasty.

It is barely 1:30 PM in the afternoon. They close until 8 PM. They only had red sauce tamales! PARA QUE VENDEN TAMALES SI NO TIENEN DE TODO. No tenian tamales verde. COMO? Mejor voy con mi abuela.

Absolutely love their tamales here!! To me they are one of the best tamales places in Chicago (along with Taqueria El Milagro on 26th street). The difference is that Chilo Y Chela only serve tamales and different atoles all day. They have an extensive variety of tamales .... green and red with chicken, green and red with pork, rajas con queso (poblano pepper with cheese), and a variety of sweet tamales which not many places have. I've tried all of them at this point and have never been disappointed with any of them. The have a small sit down area for people to enjoy their tamales there however I always take them to go. Their tamales remind me of the tamales my mom makes for Christmas so they seem very authentic to me. The price is reasonable and even if there is a line to order it moves quite fast. Don't pass up their champurrado or try one of their other flavor atoles. This spot is perfect for cold winter days in Chicago!!

The best tamales I've had in the area. The foundation of any good tamale is it's masa, and here it 's delicate, but firm, and I could taste the corn essence...very good. Straightforward kind of place. Cash only. Behind a buffet style glass window are giant steel pots labeled with a choice of filling. You enter, you order, sit in or go. My dawdling over the menu was not approved. I only wish there were more veggie options. I washed down my tamale with a champurrado, a chocolatey atole (traditional hot corn based beverage). My first try. It was robust and creamy, I felt like I'd been let in on a delicious secret!

The variety here is awesome and you can't go wrong with any choice really except for the cheese ones, they tend to be dry any time I choose them but other than that I would recommend this place. It gets really busy on the weekend but the wait isn't too bad, you grab a number and wait until your number is called then they serve you quick and efficiently.

Excellent tamales and good prices. I regularly see tamales at other places for $2.00 or more. Good size and flavor. The service is also excellent. I regularly purchase and share with students and they also love them.

Come early (especially on the weekends) in order to have a chance to try all the flavors. This little mom and pop restaurant is nothing short of heaven- some of the best tamales in Chicagoland. Full of flavor and meat, you can't go wrong. Also get some Atole to go hand in hand with your tamales, they all flavors including chocolate, guava, champurrado, and a few others. CASH ONLY.

Came to buy some tamales, I don't always trust the street vendors. I trust this place better, since they do have to pass inspections etc. Their tamales are good, and their service was fast. There are a few tables to sit and eat but I just picked up to go. The visit was fast and the tamales I got were non meat. Unfortunately there is no parking.

Hands down best tamales in Illinois's ! Customer service is great ! My only problem/question for this place is , how come it isn't 5 stars ? Lol btw they always sell out so call and order ! Or early bird gets the warm !

Where do I start off. Their tamales de Chile con pollo are literally really dry, they don't even have salsa at all anymore. What the heck is a tamal de pollo without chile??? I have literally called and complain and the lady just said "it was probably because you asked for the wrong tamale" which does not make sense I have been there a lot of times and they are always like that but today was forsure my last day. Don't waste your money on this place

Just the best tamale house out here. They have great costumer service & very friendly/respective.

***CAVEATED REVIEW - THIS IS ONLY FOR TAKE OUT TAMALES*** A friend brought these to a friendsgiving and they were the best tamales I've had in years - extremely moist, sweet corn, delicious filling. They're good enough I actually have recommended them to others, which I usually don't do. Anyway, again, bear in mind I've never gone in the shop, and only had them once, but they're good enough I'm still thinking about them 18 months later....

CORNY WRAP Have you ever looked at a recipe for making a homemade tamale. It will take you hours and when I say hours I do not mean like 2. I am leaning more towards 5-6 hours and that is not including the eating part. I always have a dream where I can whip these up at home but the reality is that this is not going to happen. Recently a friend decided to bring these to a morning meeting instead of donuts. I thought it was a great idea except for starting my day out with lard. I really made an effort to block the though of lard in my veins and dived in. As we sat there and ate my friend told a story about his adventure buying these. He arrived at 5am to order them and learned he needed cash. He then went to an ATM and upon his return there was a line out the front door. The moral of this story is to always have cash when ordering Mexican food because you just never know. We laughed and dove into the tamales and all enjoyed them. I love tamales but I always find the corn to be dry. This has been something I've experienced since having my first one over 30 years ago. I found one restaurant in Chicago that made a juicy veggie tamale but they are no longer in business (RIP La Finca). I really wish I had that recipe. I did not go to this place to pickup the tamales. They were basically delivered to our meeting. I was amazed that they were still warm in the sealed plastic bags they were packed in. Remember it was 9am and he grabbed them at 5:30am. I was just really happy to have an authentic treat for breakfast. I will say it was my first morning tamale. If I was to judge these with every tamale I have ever had then I would put these on the line of traditional authentic tamales. We had two different flavors to choose from. There was a chicken with red sauce & pork with green sauce. Typically these two are flipped (pork & red and chicken & green) but I enjoyed the different combination. Personally I think most people don't order those and our dear friend picking them up was not in the know when it came to ordering. The staff basically ordered for him. He will be ready the next time, if there is a next time. I am giving these tamales a 4 star rating because they are consistent to what a good Chicago Mexican restaurants offers. Now if you have a kick butt tamale then please send it my way. Also I know many places are making yummy topping sauces. Please don't send me there because I could cover an old shoe in green salsa and it would taste amazing. So grab your cash and get in line because these tamales are hot out of the steamer. Next time surprise the office at the 9am meeting with these instead of a box of donuts. They will probably be talking about you for weeks. Who knows they may even call you "The Tamale Guy"!

They never disappoint, chicken only and rajas, they also have champurrado that is to die for. One of only 3 spots I Reccomended and trust for non-homemade tamales.

tamales are ok need some flavor some salt taste just like masa the champurrado & arroz con leche atole are really good the little cozy place is clean but soon you walk in smell like fabuloso clean floors ewwwww not a tamale steam

Once you try these tamales you'll keep coming back for more. They are so goooooooood...this place only sells tamales! This is a Chicago's must!

Fresh tamales and champurado, yum! Go early in the morning or on Sunday morning/afternoon to get the moistest, freshest tamale selection. Tamales come in red or green varieties of pork, chicken and jalapeno & cheese. There are even strawberry and pineapple tamales, which I have not tried yet. My favorite by far is puerco rojo followed by pollo verde. A dozen costs $16, half dozen $8, single $1.35. Champurado is smooth and rich with a hint of cinnamon. On weekends they offer walnut and eggnog flavor in addition to the typical chocolate. There is also arroz con leche as well as fresh squeezed orange and/or carrot juice. Knowing Spanish is helpful. Although sometimes they get someone from the back to wait on me, since my Chicago hueda pronunciation is no bueno. I will bike to west Humboldt for fresh tamale breakfast any day! Your coworkers will love you if you bring some to the office. PS - Cash only, so bring your dinero!

The only place I love to buy tamales at. I love their pollo verde, rajas con queso & strawberry tamales! Oh & you can't forget about getting atole or champirrado. They have great variety of flavors. CASH ONLY!!!

I love tamales. And this is the first place that makes them so yummy and so authentic! The corn tamale is addicting! The pork with red sauce is just so good. On North Ave. If you live close by then you've probably been there. If not, just drive on over and bring your cash, it's cash only. Oh, and you don't have to go on a drunkin night. You can also have tamales for breakfast...they open at 6 am.

This is the beat tamale place in Chicago, the state and the whole of North America (including Mexico). So moist and tasty. Wowzers! I go here at least once a week to cure my tamale cravings. If you are within an 5 hour commute do yourself a favor and stop by. Yummy in my tummy!

My favorite tamales in town!! place is cash only. My whole family loves the tamales too!! Will be visiting often now that tamal weather is upon us.

In my opinion they have the best tamales around. And love the pollo y salsa verda tamales . Will be visiting often.

These are the best Tamales I have ever tasted! I live far away and still make a drive to buy their Tamales. Sometimes it is hard to find parking and they don't accept credit cards so you need to bring cash. However, it is definitely worth it.

I love the atole de nuez!!! They have a couple of different options for atoles and tamales but nuez is my favorite. If you are looking for tamales I would say you cant go wrong with the green chicken tamales or the corn tamales.

Pretty good tamales! Having made tamales from scratch before I know how much work is involved and how easy it is to get them wrong. This place churns out hundreds a day so they must be doing something right. chicken and salsa verde were my favorite but the cheese and pepper ones were ok just not as flavorful. Horchata was on point and great compliment to the spicy tamale. Not a fancy place (counter service) but they do have tables for dining in. Cash only!

These tamales are amazing. Chicken or pork.... whatever you get. The salsa verde is SPICY as all hell so you are warned. The champurrado yummmm and its quick service. Authetic food and they are open very early. Plan ahead because there is usually a line but it goes quick.

We ordered some tamales from here last weekend and omg were they good! The Masa was not dry, they were very generous with the filling. They were delicious! I will definitely be ordering from here again!

Possibly the best Tamales in the City but the place lacks customer service and needs to be upgraded. First and foremost the place is tiny, its almost impossible to eat comfortably, and please be honest, if someone calls in for an order dont say you have that ready and then have your customers wait an extra 20 minutes when they get there. People have stuff to do, thats why they call ahead of time.

Love coming here and love the puerco en salsa verde tamales, I literally have no complaints besides that they run out fast.......

Tamales are delicious. We ordered a few dozen for a birthday party. Picked them up and they were ready on time.

I like this place! Every time im in the area, i have to go! Im giving three stars because, they can be a little rude. And while the place appears clean, its got a weird smell.. kind of like old mop water. And after a certain time, they dont have the ones i prefer(chicken and green or red sauce). So i have to settle. But when i get them, im satisfied and full... i havent found a betyer place yet so i'll keep going...

This place is incredible. Cheese, chicken, or pork tamales wrapped in paper for $1.35, melt in your mouth. The salsa verde is so delicious, it's like they've just picked the tomatillos. For another $1.35 you can have a sweet tamale for dessert, strawberry pineapple or corn. The staff are so nice, and you pick a seat at these huge wooden tiled tables to eat. It's like being at a big family tamale dinner.