Evie's Tamales

My family has been enjoying Evie’s Tamales for as long as I can remember. Growing up, my grandmother was close friends with the original owner—they used to cook together, sharing stories, laughter, and recipes. Evie’s has always been more than just a restaurant to us; it’s a place filled with rich tradition and authentic flavor. They shifted to carry-out only during the pandemic, and it’s been about five years since I last visited, so I can’t say how things are now. While I cherish the memories and the amazing tamales from back then, I’m unable to recommend them at this point since I haven’t experienced their current offerings.

Let me start by saying this place is fantastic. We went in group of 7 on Cinco De Mayo. Wait time no more than 5 minutes! Every last staff member was so pleasant & helpful, the prices are very reasonable, very clean place. The food 10 stars hands down. To top if off you get a homemade HUGE cookie for dessert. I would say anyone that visits Mexican Town needs to visit this establishment.

Visited here after coming from Eastern market today, very cozy atmosphere the staff made you feel like you've been coming for years even if it was your first time. The service was top notch never had a empty cup or had to ask for anything. Now to the food we had a dozen tamales half chicken half spicy pork the size of the tamales was generous not skimpy at all next the flavor and texture were great. We also order rice and beans and got a pancake and sausages for our daughter the pancake was amazing she thoroughly enjoyed it. Lastly the value was great our total was less than 30 for drinks and the food we ordered. Overall we will be going there again and recommending it all our friend and family.

So glad I found this place! I had a great experience today, went early for breakfast and was not disappointed. First of all it’s very affordable! I work a lot and don’t have much time to cook, and eating out can get expensive. No worries with this place, excellent value and excellent quality food! I got the Huevos a la Mexicana. It was absolutely delicious and reminded me of breakfast my grandma would make for me growing up. Service was fast, and the waitress was very sweet and kind, I forgot to get her name. The salsas were very flavorful especially the spicy one! I also took some spicy pork tamales home for later :) I can’t wait to go back! I will recommend this place to all of my family and friends.

It's a bit of a drive from where I live, so I don't go as often as I would if it was closer. Went today for the first time in a couple of years. The prices have gone up since then, but that's happening everywhere and it's completely expected. The tamales are still just as amazing as ever.

Gene is absolutely amazing! He seriously saved the day! I called him 2 minutes til 4 on a Saturday, and he closed at 4. I needed a lot of tamales for a graduation party ASAP, because we got stood up by our original caterer. I had about 50 people waiting, more coming, and needed a savior! I told him my situation and and Gene went above and beyond! He qickly got me 16 dozen, hot, fresh tamales plus 2 large cups of salsa, and the price was unbeatable! He arranged a pick up within 25 minutes and literally saved the entire party! The tamales were delicious! The salsa was so good and fresh! Gene could've charged me more for the inconvenience but he didn't. He is an awesome guy and the food was great! I will reccomend Evie's to everyone! Thank you so much Gene!

Perfect little escape for inexpensive and delicious food.

Evie's was so great! I stopped in for the first time the other day to grab some tamales for a pot luck picnic. I ordered a dz each of the pork, chicken, and cheese/jalapeno tamales, along with containers of both mild and hot salsa. The staff was so friendly and accommodating, and the food was awesome! Everyone at the picnic wanted to know where they were from. Best of all, the total was in the low $30s! I will definitely be back-- thanks, Evie's!!

Excellent tacos at a reasonable price. The menudo was perfect. Cozy atmosphere, excellent service, new menus in photos. , nothing mire needs to be said.

While visiting back in my hometown of Detroit and had to make a stop in Mexican town to have some authentic Mexican food. I had the chorizo and eggs and my friend had a chunky beef stew over fried eggs with rice and beans. The staff is super friendly and responsive.

The service was good, the ladies were very accommodating. The place is small but has about 10 tables to sit comfortably. The rice and beans were good. Being from California, I expected the kind of tamales I make- rectangular shaped and meat smothered in sauce to make it juicy! I heard so much about the tamales being the best! Let's just say they weren't my mothers ' tamales!!! They looked and tasted like store bought taquitos- the masa and meat were dry and I couldn't tell which was which because they are rolled so tight!! However this being Detroit, Mexican town is what it is!!!! A block of Not Mexican, Mexican food and items!

Such a gem! I've been getting tamales to go from Evie's for years. Recently, I had some extra time so I stopped in for breakfast. I had a whole breakfast plus two tamales and a soft drink for $8! It was outstanding, quick and tasty. If you're in the area, and understand that this little mom and pop establishment is known for quality food more than a updated atmosphere, stop in!

Friendly staff.. However disappointed this tamale place doesn't deliver the tamales. More than half of them require an hour ahead notice to prepare. Tamales are usually made ahead of time in mass quantities. Would not return.

Amazing value, very sweet staff. I took my one year old on Friday and we enjoyed the breakfast items, a lunch plate and an extremely generous guacamole. We are already looking forward to returning this week!

For sure we will back the quantity and quality along with price was great for the family. The food was fresh and tamales moist! The nice owner even gave the kids a hug and free cookie. She even offered them a job when they get older. This is truly a family place and representative of what business should be and used to be. Thank you we will be back our kids loved it and couldn't stop talking about their future jobs lol!

I visited Evie's recently for some tamales. It appears that the dining room has been reopened.

Visiting from Southern California, and have been to Detroit before, but never heard of MexicanTown. What a hidden treasure. Mom and Pop stores, some making tortillas and some tamales. We went to Evie's for tamales, but left with an incredible breakfast for less than $15.00 for two. Unfortunately, we couldn't try the tamales because the masa is made with lard, and we're vegetarian. But after seeing the breakfast menu we stayed to eat there. I had the chilequilies and my wife had the napolitos and eggs. Both dishes were very tasty, and the portions huge. The server was perfect, and the prices? These incredible breakfasts were each less than $5.00 each. Total bill including coffee..$14.04. You MUST go to Evie's, and please, if you're not vegetarian, have a tamale for me.

I worked in Mexicantown several days last September and happened to come across Evie's Tamales since it was one of the few places open before 9AM for breakfast. I'm rarely on the southwest side of town and it was a treat to explore all of the wonderful Mexican bakeries and restaurants here. Its breakfast is one of the best deals you can find in this neighborhood. Almost all of the breakfast meals are under $5. The portions are large with breakfast entrees served with rice, beans, and tortillas. The breakfasts I ordered were Chorizo - Mexican sausage with scrambled eggs and Chicharrons con Huevos - pork rinds with scrambled eggs. I love pork belly so I especially liked the chicharrons plate. I never had chicharrons with scrambled eggs, but it works so well just like bacon and eggs. Evie's Tamales opens at 4AM so if you're ever in Mexicantown early in the morning, this is a good breakfast place.

They are currently only take out which was typically what I got anyway. I picked up a dozen pork tamales and a huevos breakfast. Everything was great. They sell vegetarian and other specialty tamales too. You just have to place the order an hour in advance. Parking is always easy and food is always good!

Bland food. Came here with a co worker for lunch because of the high ratings. We both had tamale lunch. Pork and chicken but tasted like fish and gave me the runs. If you're brave enough to visit this establishment, take a gander at the dumpster slime that resembles a kitchen.

I've been going for years. Same food as the higher priced ones in Detroit's Mexican-town. You will find many locals and cops eating here. I eat a meal there and then take a dozen tamales to-go.

Best tamales in SE Michigan. Make sure you special order some of the sweet ones. They don't sell them as walk-ins.

Cheapest Food in the state, full meals cheaper than a half pound Burger. Open 4am till 4pm M-S closed on Sunday, place packed everyday for this Famous Mexican restaurant. You can get 2 full Breakfast for under 10 bucks. Only place has the Jalisco Mexico Dried Beef and Eggs, comes with Rice n Beans and 3 Tortillas 4 bucks n change. Order of 3 Spicy Pork Tamales with Rice n Beans only 6 bucks. A massive Chunky Beef Mexican Sandwich only 7 bucks. All these prices are half price you'll find any other restaurant. Outstanding Authentic Mexican Food, small dining room holds a couple dozen hungry folks. I was told place gets really busy between 4am and 7am to feed late night and early morning workers. My personal favorite on Bagley many of the suburban hipster's haven't invaded Lol . Decades of some of the best Tamales and do much more. A must visit you will be shocked at the Marvelous Food and prices. Follow the Facebook the page to see full menu. #eviestamales #cheapfood #tamales #mexicansandwich #machacado #machacadoconhuevo #detroitclassic #eatswdetroit

Got a take out order very early am on 12/22, was excited to get home and enjoy. Ordered 1 1/2 dz tamales and 16 oz of rice and beans. Immediately after taking the lid off beans they smelled sour, reheated and still bad smell. I took a taste and spit out and threw in trash. I won't be back, this food could have made my fam sick and they knowingly sold spoiled food. They obviously need a health inspector from the state to visit, they are putting lives in jeopardy. Won't be back

This was our first time to come and we loved it! Our family takes Mexican food seriously and this place was no joke! We came for lunch and the prices were amazing. My wife fell in love with mole Chicken, it was huge and enough for a couple meals. We could not get enough of the chips and spicy salsa but the tortillas were even better! I ate the two lunch burritos with rice and beans. The burritos has chunky meat and real cheese topping. The rice and beans are authenticity made and soooo yummy. Only down side was sodas in a can, but so over looked by the Mexican deliciousness we enjoyed. Can't wait to come back.

Incredible service, great food! Staff is warm and friendly, you can tell they genuinely care about your experience. And as someone who lived on the West Coast for several years, the food is fantastic.

Ask how you doin? said she was tired, took 15 minutes to get a pop with no ice? Proceeded to clean another table without giving me a menu. Walked across the street problem solved.

So I haven't been here in a while . i was disappointed in the tacos They were American tacos and a hard shell. The rice and beans were yummy and the salsa too. the chicken needed more seasoning it was very bland. Great price though

Best tamales in Detroit! You will be so happy you tried this amazing-ness! Please get at LEAST three dozen or you will be sorry. Freeze them if you cannot eat them in time, steam them when you're ready for the most delicious tamales around!!

Evie's is the definition of a hidden gem. Not only is it the most affordable restaurant in Southwest Detroit, it's the best. The chicken milanese is my personal favorite. The tamales and enchiladas are also delicious. Can't really go wrong with anything on the menu to be honest. The staff is always friendly, and the atmosphere is casual and down to Earth. If you're from the area and haven't ever given it a try, do it.

Best food ever!!! I would definitely make it a weekly meal! The service was nice too. Not your typical restaurant but these little places is where you get the best meal.

Evie's Tamales feels very welcoming and comfortable from the moment you come in. The service is very good, and the restaurant itself feels very homely. I ordered pork tamales, and they were absolutely delicious--savory and filling. There was a good amount of pork in the tamales, rather than being mostly dough like other tamale places i've been to. I was very satisfied with my meal and overall experience, and even ordered a dozen to go.

A pretty small spot in a restaurant packed with great food options - I was dubious when my friend brought me here with promises of an amazing lunch special for $4.50. I'm glad I didn't let my doubts get a hold of me! I had the two burritos lunch special. It was a lot of food for the price! I guess a couple complaints that are hardly justified at the price point: the burritos were basically flour tortilla tacos folded over at the top. They weren't bigger tortillas than my friend's tacos. Why bother calling them burritos? I assumed that the burritos would be bigger at the expense of more "filler" toppings like lettuce, but they were almost identical inside as well. The flavors were a bit on the bland side. I get you need to appeal to the lowest common denominator, but the food didn't WOW. But for a filling lunch at under $5, who needs the food to WOW? I want to go back and try a carry-out sack of tamales - I have loved tamales ever since high school, helping my best friend's mom on a whole day dedicated to making tamales.

I've been coming to Evie's for years and it's always a great place for authentic Mexican food. For the MSU-UM game, we worked with Evie's owner, Diana (she was fantastic!) to coordinate a large order of their breakfast burritos for our tailgate. The Evie's team did a great job coordinating the order and the breakfast burritos were hot and ready to be picked up the morning of the game. The burritos were very tasty and everyone really enjoyed them - they were the hit of the tailgate and helped fuel everyone up for a Spartan victory! Thanks, Evie's!

Refused to let us pickup our holiday order in advance of the winter storm. We called twice. The woman answering phones then acted surprised (and rude) when we explained we wouldn't be risking our lives to come pick it up Christmas Eve. Won't have my business again.

Been going here for breakfast with co workers prior to Covid; the food is amazing and the salsa is good on EVERYTHING!!! Authentic and fresh

I've been coming here for over 20years and NEVER disappointed.... worth the drive!!! Go get some delicious tamales

You know why this place deserves 5 stars? Simply because the lunch menu is $3.75! How do you even make money? It's rice, beans and tamales (whatever that is). Your plate is not huge or so, enough for lunch but if you need something more just order some sides.

I've been coming to Evie's for many years. We used to just buy tamales at Christmas time. I normally don't eat breakfast during the week but weekends are special! I love coming to Evie's early on Saturday or Sunday mornings when I'm in the mood for something my grandma would make me - namely Huevos Rancheros! It's a simple but delicious breakfast. Growing up in a Mexican family I learned to love chile (salsa) of just about everything. Huevos Rancheros are fried eggs with chile on top. Evie's serves theirs with a side of frijoles y arroz (beans and rice) and your choice of fresh warm Tortillas (de maíz- corn or de harina - flour). Other great breakfasts are Chilaquiles, scrambled eggs with gently fried corn tortillas, Huevos a la Mexicana - scrambled eggs with jalapeños. Evie's does get crowded so be patient because your food is being made to order! After your meal your server will offer you a Mexican cookie!

My first tamales experience! This feels like a total family operation. The specials and value are amazing. Lunch specials for under $5 that leave you full! Complimentary chips and salsa that were freshly fried! I ordered that enchilada lunch special. I ordered one chicken and one beef. It also came with beans and rice with a bit of salad. I preferred the beef over the chicken but everything was very tasty. My friend had the tamales special and they were so good we ordered a dozen to go! The spicy salsa is very tasty and has just the right kick to put it on everything and enjoy it! The restaurant is definitely dated but it adds to the atmosphere and they keep everything pretty clean and organized. I will be visiting again next time I am in Mexican town!

I really wanted to like this place. Unfortunately, the tamales are what we drove 30 min for and they were a complete disappointment mainly because they are so small. Tamales are the size of my fingers in terms of thickness. Sadly, the chicken tamales almost looked like they ground it up and used more sauce than chicken. I wish I would have gotten get a picture because this review will do no justice. After paying my tab I left and went to Prince Valley supermarket and bought some real tamales. Save yourselves a trip folks, go elsewhere to eat tamales.

Evie's just ain't what it use to be. They WERE my no. one place to go. But now their Tamales aren't what they USE to be. Now they are to salty to the point of almost not being edible (second time ordering within a months time, and was salty then). Mentioned it to the lady taking my order and she said staff had changed a little. I said somebody has a heavy hand and needs to be aware of that. Reply was dismissive at best. Won't be visiting the location anymore. They were my favorite over others in the area. Now I guess I'll have to try another part of the Metro area, and not Mexican town. I've tried almost every else in the area.

Calling all bargain hunters. This place has suuuuuper cheap breakfast. $1.99 are you out of your mine. For me this is a weekend spot, but if I lived closer I would definitely be here daily. Not to mention everything on the menu is wonderful and not pricey at all. In my opinion, they have the best tamales in The D and they are way better than the la Gloria's tamales. Love this place!!!!

Love. Love. LOVE! First, aesthetically this place is old and if you're some uppity snob, go elsewhere. It's small. It's cramped. It's not the Ritz. This place is freaking amazing! I've been going here since 2006. It is by far the one place I can go and feel happy because I've created a lot of good memories crammed in on a busy Sunday. It's small and makes you feel right at home. Occasionally ya get a server who isn't good. Like literally 2/10 times I've been there recently maybe. But the time before last they were so friendly I left with a huge smile. Seriously love this place. Try some chicken milenesa w/ cheese. My mom and I loved it when we started going here. While she isn't around anymore, one bite and I'm convinced she's standing over my shoulder asking for me to share. This place is great. Free cookie too!

Food is excellent, always. I highly recommend the chilaquiles (with chorizo and cheese). Service is generally friendly and helpful. Decor is a bit divey, but you have to know what to expect if you're dining in. Give this place a shot!

We ordered tamales, a taco, a burrito kids meal, a quesadilla meal and an enchilada meal. A few minutes after ordering, the waiter came over, apologized and said they were out of tamales. We received the rest of our food. 10 minutes later a Hispanic family walked in, ordered a dozen tamales and were served. What the what?? Why was our tamale order refused? It was such a very strange experience. Tamales are NOT a quick thing to make, so it is unlikely they were able to whip some up in the 10 minutes since they told us they were out of tamales. Also the kids burrito had peppers in it. My kid specifically asked what was all in it and peppers were not mentioned. He didnt eat it because he hates peppers. I still had to pay for it. I was less than impressed with the whole experience.

Might be the worst food, let alone Mexican, that I've ever had in my life: $14 for two "lunch specials" which was a couple of tacos filled with dried out chicken, some sort of cheese product and wilted lettuce on a shell they probably came out of a package The beans were a mound of salted paste and the rice appeared to have been warmed over from a few weeks ago. Maybe this passes for food in Detroit....

Best food and service!!! Very generous with servings but more importantly the food is always delicious. The staff is polite and friendly. I will be ordering regularly.

I haven't eaten here but bought tamales at Eastern Market. We got the spicy tamales and they were spicy and delicious! Definitely worth getting. If all the food at the restaurant is as good as the tamales it would be worth the stop.

That Evie, is one bad ass tamale making mama! I've got the tamales before to go and let me tell you it's no joke. Evie, makes a mean tamale! The jalopeno cheese being my favorite, followed by the spicy chicken, well truly they're all damn good. Today I stopped in for a sit down meal, first time for that and I got to say Evie, can throw down in the kitchen, not just on tamales, but pretty much all mexican cuisine. I of course got enchiladas suizas with chicken. Simply divine garnished with avocado and sour cream. The rice and beans tasty. The chips and salsa fabulous. My companion, got the carnitas which I tried yummy. Portions are huge. My companion, thought carnitas were slightly dry but still hella good. The best part this lovely meal was only $12.99. Wow that is a deal you just can't beat! The service also top notch. Fast friendly and efficient. Evies, is the place to go not only for tamales but some damn good food when in Detroit, mexican town and if your short on dough or just frugal Evie, is your girl!

"It's pronounced Ev-ee's!" Excellent, authentic Mexican food. Everyone raves about los tamales for a reason. You can bring a dozen home and freeze them for easy dinners!! Love that this place has been around for so long and it still doing so well. You can't beat the price either.

You know, I really want to give this place a higher rating, but the prices keep shooting up and the quality keeps dropping. Don't get me wrong, they don't suck, but I can get equally tasty, id not better tamales in the neighborhood at a lower price. The rest of the food is just ok, as well.

Absolutely the best top notch menudo, mouth watering salsa and of course tasty tamales. The service can be a tad slow at times, it seems like they are sometimes a little under staffed at the beginning of lunch hour. But the service is great and very attentive (bringing refills of chips and salsa before I've asked is my favorite at a Mexican restaurant!) oh and the prices are incredibly reasonable as well! One of my fav spots in SW Detroit.

You gotta love Evie's...even on a drab, gray and rainy day in the bowels of Detroit's Mexican Town. Often overshadowed by the larger and more well known establishments of this ethnic neighborhood like Xochimilco, Mexican Village, El Zocalo or even Taqueria Lupita's, Evie's holds it own with great Mexican fare at ridiculously low prices. Their lunch special runs $ 4.25 for your choice of two tacos, burritos, enchilladas or tostatas along with a plate of Spanish rice and beans! Are you hosing me? ...$ 4.25! One could easily spend twice that for lunch at McD's. Like I said...you gotta love Evie's when doing the Vernor/Bagley area of southwest Detroit. Quatro estrellas all day long.

Have never been to this restaurant (yet). I also have never been to Detroit. But I can tell you that the Tamales were Delicious!! Our family was one of the affected by the government shutdown. We also just moved cross country ( VA to ND) so pretty new to the area. The shutdown was very stressful. Our two young kids could sense something was going on. Evie's graciously sent frozen tamales to our family. I felt so much relief knowing that my boys had food in the fridge. Evie's sending us tamales was beyond measure and honestly I have no words to describe it. We want to say Thank-You. I humbly ask you to try out Evie's . They have a good heart surely the food must be great!

I was on a quest for enlightenment. I went to Evie's looking for tamales, but found something much more. I was told by many that Evie's had some of the better tamales in Detroit's Mexican Town. I was afraid that it was to close to the touristy area of M-town to have even a chance of having good food. I was wrong. Although I never did get a chance to try any tamales, I dove into Evie's lunch special of the day, Carnitas and forgot what a tamale was. Carnitas is a succulent piece of pork that has been marinated and then slow roasted to perfection. Evies serves you up to of these boneless gems each about the size of a softball. The crusty skin explodes with flavor. The best way to enjoy the carnitas is to pull the pork and place a large amount into the warm folds of a corn tortilla. This is something that needs to be experienced. top it off with some salsa if you wish, but it isn't needed. The lunch special also came with rice and beans that were pretty much the same as every other rice and refried beans you've ever had. Do yourself a favor; skip the rice and beans and you'll save a few dollars on your lunch, but you'll still be plenty full. Some day I'll get back to Evie's to try their tamales, but for now Evie's is my go-to restaurant to get carnitas.

I haven't eaten here inside the restaurant...yet. But every Christmas, it's been a tradition for my family to get tamales. With the recommendations I've received from my fellow coworkers, this is the place to go! Everyone else must think so too, because this place sells out fast!