Tamaleria Nuevo Leon

Get them HOT Tamales open 6 days 9am till 6 pm yes they open got customers I was excited today to see Suzy and pick up a dozen for dinner. Please support local businesses. Classic old school Tamale shop shipping national. The family in business since 1957 has thousands of regular customers. Only the very best in the whole state of Michigan. Just take out hot fresh dozens or take home a few hundred frozen. The owner a really funny person, everyone loves her.

I had tamales for the first time here. While they were freshly warm and tasty, the size of each one was too small. I also would’ve liked more of their spicy sauce.

Had to come down today with my father who was born and raised in Southwest Detroit. We needed authentic true tamales 🫔. This place ROCKS... They are so cool and nice here. Some people who don't understand authentic Mexican culture and how much time and patience and effort goes into making real authentic tamales, that want to say they are too pricy or too small, (A) not from SWD (B) are used to fake suburb tamales, and (C) DONT UNDERSTAND the effort that goes into AUTHENTIC REAL TAMALES. These is 100000000% worth the price. WE ATE 24 Tamales in 30 minutes 😋. Will be coming back.

Best tamales in Detroit. My family has been getting tamales from here for 60 years or more. Longer than I've been alive. It's great, you can see the abuela making them in the background. Lately, the tamales have been a little loose, that's why not 5 stars. I think it's because they're training the younger generation. This won't stop me and my family from getting tamales here so long as it's open for business. We got tamales today, 11/7/24.

I can not believe how much they’ve raised their prices! $20 for a dozen skinny tamales is just crazy. Then they only give you one tiny little sauce for the whole dozen and each additional one is $1.50!!! I will never step foot in this place again! Only Evie’s for me from now on.

Been coming here for decades, at 20 dollars a dozen though that is a hard stop! The price has increased around 4/5 times since Covid. Now it has turned into gouging. I would understand if the tamales have gotten bigger but not smaller over time. They also benefit from CC fees by being cash only.

Best tamales in Detroit! We enjoy the chicken, pork and jalapeno cheese tamales. A Southwest staple.

I’ve seen this place time, and time again and decided to stop by today. The beef tamales were very “okay” nothing special whatsoever. Chicken tamales had more flavor but also very average at best. Service was great and quick.

No frills, all flavor! What an absolutely delicious treat. In lieu of a sit down brunch, my husband and I hit up this family run tamale spot, grabbed a down tamales (6/ea of cheese/jalapeno and chicken) and ate them In Roosevelt Park, admiring the renovated Michigan Central Station facade. It was a perfect meal: simple, authentic, flavorful, and affordable. I couldn't ask for more!

Ok, not amazing tamales. Thought they were small for the price. Cash only is a Challenge too

Since I am staying in Mexicantown and haven't had tamales in years. I had to stop by this place. Unfortunately they only had pork and spicy beef left. So I'm got the pork with the salsa sauce. They were fresh steaming hot. The homemade salsa sauce was delicious. The price was okay $3.00 per tamale. I loved the aesthetics of the restaurant very traditional Mexican style.

Amazing tamales! My mom and I went as soon as they opened, and they were still rolling/preparing them. They are always fresh and full of flavor. My favorite is the beef, while my mom loves the jalapeño and pork. I always buy too bags because I eat one packet in the car. Bring cash!

Love this place, favorites are the pork w/jalapeño, cheese w/jalapeño, and bean. We order extra and freeze in bags of 2-3 for an anytime snack/meal, they freeze well and are perfect for when that craving hits! Be advised they have increased prices - each dozen is now $15, still cash only. They do not label the bags so you have to look at the number and color of twist ties on the bag to know at a glance what flavor you have: - white = sweet - green = pork 2 green = bean - yellow = chicken - blue = beef - red = pork and jalapeño 2 red = cheese and jalapeño

Yay! Was at the tamaleria on a Tuesday and they had bean tamales, which they don't usually have until the weekends! I'm vegetarian, so was really happy as they only typically have meat options during the week. It pays to ask! Traveling through in an RV - so these went right into the freezer to enjoy in the coming days. Wish I had time to explore more restaurants in Mexicantown.

Salsa and pinky finger reference. No manchen lol por esto pagué $1.67?! Quizás es xq estoy acostumbrado a tamales de $1 q están 3x más gorditos. De sabor, un poco seca pero ricos.

they got the best tamales I. town. my father was best friends with the owner. They been open for over 40 years. I love their tamales I will travel all the way back to come to get my tamales

Good tamales, good price! Came steaming hot & stuffed to the max! Mexicantown staple.

Heads up, this place is primarily a take out restaurant. The interior is basically a giant storage room with a ton of refrigerators, there's a kitchen and another room where multiple ladies make tamales while watching Hispanic soaps but the "seating" is literally one table with stuff already on it. That being said the guy who took our order was patient with us and when we bought a few frozen ones to take home, was very passionate about explaining the proper way to steam them the get the best texture. We did get a few tamales to eat in our car and were pleasantly surprised. While the tamales are some of the smallest I've seen (think a large cigar), they all had very good flavor and the masa was well-proportioned. The corn flour wasn't too greasy, dry, or rubbery and the meats were all savory and tender. The chicken and pork with jalapeño were probably our favorites. I normally eat 3-4 tamales as a full meal but could easily double that number here given the smaller size. Overall I think the tamales here are good and decently priced considering each tamale ends up being just a little over a dollar. The lack of seating, relatively remote location, and being cash only makes this place inconvenient to go to but it's worth a try if you've never had authentic tamales.

I love the tamales they are thinner than those you get at other places which is my preference. But, they close at 6pm, so be mindful of that if you're heading over there. The salsa they occasionally have available is delicious as well..

I passed this unassuming restaurant a few times over the years without giving it much thought. One day, I took a wrong turn and drove past it again. Looking for a lunch spot, I was doing some quick searches and found that the restaurant specializes in tamales. Now, about 3 years ago, I had tamale for the first time at evie's tamales and got food poisoning. Since then, I've avoided it. But, a restaurant that basically only sells tamales piqued my interest. It's a small shop, carry out only, tho they will let you eat standing at the counter. 3 ladies churn out tamales at incredible speed like a well-oiled machine while the chef makes batches upon batches of fresh tamales from the steamer. There are variety of fillings to choose from, ground beef, pork(original), spicy pork, chicken, and Friday/weekend specials: jalapeño cheese, beans, and sweet. They are pretty small, but price for each tamale is pretty high at $1.50 with cheaper pricing available for half a dozen and a dozen. Downside is that they don't let you mix flavors with specials. This is the reason for 4/5 rating. Wanting to try all different fillings, I got a plate and a fork and started trying them one by one, fresh out the steamer. I don't have much to compare it to, but these were some delicious treats. The masa had a nice saltiness and distinct corn flavor, but in a pleasant way. The fillings were proportioned pretty well for each tamale. My favorites are as follows in this order: ground beef - jalapeño cheese - spicy pork - pork - chicken. Savoriness and texture of ground beef complemented the masa very well, and jalapeño cheese had surprisingly prominent flavor. Spicy pork was also excellent, but unlike ground beef, it didn't have much texture since it was shredded pork. Chicken, I found to be a bit dry and I preferred spicy pork over pork. I would have liked to try the bean, as the chef reported that to be her favorite, but perhaps next time. I left the store w 2 dozens of tamales, ground beef and jalapeño cheese. Pretty big turn around for avoiding it for 3 years.

Best Tamales in my opinion. They might be small but they are tasty and moist, not dry like so many other places. I LOVE these tamales and go out of my way to get them.

I wish there was a long review to write but how many words does it take to say AMAZING!!! Hands down the best tamales in Detroit! Delicious! Flavorful! Yummy!

My family and I go out of our way to pick up several dozen tamales from this place whenever we get the chance! The owners are the nicest people in the world. Everything is authentic and fresh. Enjoy with salsa! If you want to try something new, the bean tamales are to die for - Cash only ! - Bean tamales on Fridays / call ahead orders only

This place is my favorite place to go whenever i am craving tamales. I always tend to stick to their spicy pork Tamales. However, there are two down falls for me. 1) they're sized like taquitos and leads me to eat an entire dozen bag because i can't control myself;( 2) they only accept cash. I hardly ever carry cash with me. So i have to make a quick run to the store/ATM to get cash back because my fat ass is craving these magically delicious tamales.

Classic old school Tamale shop shipping national. The family in business since 1957 has thousands of regular customers. Only the very best in the whole state of Michigan. Just take out hot fresh dozens or take home a few hundred frozen. The owner a really funny person, everyone loves her.

They have the best tamales. It's our annual Christmas Eve tradition to have their tamales. We especially like the spicy pork. Not too spicy with great flavor. We buy them all year but especially during holidays.

The tamales are tiny - less than an 1" thick, yes I measured. I was so disappointed by how tiny these things were for just over $12 per dozen. The tamales have little to meat in them, just overall a bust. If you haven't ever made homemade tamales then sure you might not have something to compare it to, but this was just awful. The reviews on yelp were so good that I went out of my way to drive 30mins out of my way for. The bags also weren't labeled, for me, this is an issue because I don't eat pork. I had to have my bf taste test them to figure out what they were. These were purchased for a work event tomorrow and I have at least 3 coworkers that don't eat pork so having proper labeling would have been helpful. At the very least a verbal of what the colors meant.

The chicken tamales are delicious. They are the perfect portion of masa and meat! Can't wait to try other kind of tamales. Delicious and perfect for the holidays!

Honestly? I know this place is legendary but I think the tamales have gotten skimpy and there are better to be had in Mexicantown. That has been my experience last few visits I'm done "trying again" I think. Also they don't even include sauce anymore so after raising prices and making product smaller you have to pay for salsa too.

Best Tamales in metro Detroit. My biggest complaint about other places is that they put too much "masa" in the Tamale & almost no filling. Nuevo Leon puts just the right amount of both. My favorite is their chicken tamales. Especially when they are still steaming hot. We drive over 20 miles to pick some up. Only downfall is that they are cash only.

Never have I ever seen a tamale so thin. I don't care what's inside in, I need more esp for that price. The guy was not friendly at all, wow. Then we drive down the street and see them for 8.99 a dozen. So disappointing, love the building and the idea of this place. I'm not Mexican so maybe thin ones are good or normal but I like a little more mass at least.

Good but too expensive and very small and skimpy..... and they don't give you salsa with them... they try and charge you 3.50 more for a container. I'll pass.... too many other good places in Mexican town to buy them

Best tamales hands down. Love the pork ones. My family has been frequenting this place for YEARS. Their quality is just as good as years ago!

This is the Midwest finest? Oh they ARE good! Just thin AF!! I don't know if I should eat it or smoke it! That's why I talk about southwest slacking when in comes to a quality product. If you're going to raise prices, step your game up with these pencil sized tamales! I'm from San Antonio and I can make tamales better.

This place seem to be a well oiled machine, pumping out tons of tamales. Had to try them because I've been looking for a tamale place to call home, being that I order mine from This elderly lady in Tennessee and they are the best I've ever eaten. I'm only giving this place 3 stars because the tamales just didn't have much flavor to me, and I think they're being over cooked. Nope don't have to go back here.

Very small and cozy tamale shop. No place to sit however so it's more like a takeout spot. As soon as we walked in the gentleman at the front said "can I help you guys with something?" As if we came in at a wrong time. I wanted some chicken tamales and he immediately responded before I could finish my sentence "sold out for another hour". Very rude and unwelcoming. might give this place another shot. Or I might just stick with making my own tamales.

I love tamales. Unfortunately, the dozen regular pork tamales that I bought here smelled like a hamper of a gym class sweaty socks. I was so disappointed, I had to throw 11 in the trash. I had to wash out the microwave, spray Febreze in the room for 4 hours, brush my teeth, and finally, shower because after all that, the odor of stinky socks was still in my nostrils. I saw the 4.5 stars review, paid $12.25, greeted the lady inside and ordered in perfect Spanish, and got the worst smelling food I have ever smelled. I can't ever go back. Oh well, Evie's tamales have gotten smaller, but the restaurants across the street from there were infested with roaches last time I went. You can find them in the bathroom. Scary.

I just moved to the Detroit area from Colorado less then a month ago. I went on yelp to look at what parts of town I could go to that would be like Mexican food in CO. Since I wanted to get something quick that I could bring home I thought tamales would be the way to go. Upon entering the shop I asked the woman at the window "what's good" she responded with "all of it because I make it". Ah great sign that this place is legit. This woman's name is Suzy and her tamales and personality are the same...AWESOME!!! I got a dozen pork tamales and I will be back anytime I am feeling like some bomb tamales that remind me of Denver. Try it out, worth going to.

I needed my tamales fix a bit early to Christmas. .I know but my hubby and I went into this little hole in the joint. ...cash only! veggie friendly and chicken eaters they got your fix, omg this was more authentic then my own(mexican)family has ever made...a must return place who cares that's it's only take out go now like right now!

The best tamales in Detroit!! The nicest family runs this place. They're always welcoming, and funny! I always end up talking to them for a couple minutes after my tamales are ready. This is quintessential Southwest hospitality! They take pride in all the food they serve! Cash only.

Before I stir the pot, I havent been able to try the food because of the service. Here is my experience with customer service.. I had a family member and his wife visiting for Christmas from the military, his wife is from southern California where shredded beef tamales are quite popular. I have several favorite places for pork tamales but couldn't find beef tamales anywhere and wanted to find them local for her. This location came up on a google search so I called to ask about shredded beef tamales and the woman on the phone seemed bothered by my question, exceptionally rude and impatient and just kept saying "CHILE GRIND" over and over like I was supposed to understand. I did not appreciate this short lived interaction and chose not to patronize this business but if you are looking to find SHREDDED BEEF TAMALES, We FOUND them at Mexican Town Restaurant with no attitude whatsoever.

What a trip this place is! I wish I would have read more reviews. The guy at the window was arrogant - he seemed annoyed because we weren't locals and didn't know they were take-out only. We only asked if they had tables, and he was so pretentious, "uhh it's always been that way." I said "sorry we aren't from here," sheez. We wanted to come support the business. Anyway, that would all be fine if the tamales were good. They were a joke. We weren't so mad though because we got a laugh out of it! The tamales are so thin and limp, they look funny. Where did this recipe come from? This is some Del Taco ass tamale. Someone needs to call their abuelita and fix this, now. They ain't invited to the carne asada.

They were piping hot, and very tasteful, I have had a taste for homemade tamales for some time now, and did some searching. I was hoping I didn't hit a flop, I didn't know that that's all they sold, the tamales were so small that you could finish one in three bites. I am not so sure it was worth the drive seeing how small they are, please add more meat please

My friend and I visited this location on a whim yesterday and purchased two half dozen tamales. I got the pork with jalapeño and the cheese with jalapeño. I was originally going to purchase just a few of each and Suzi pointed out that I would save a lot of of money but just getting 2 half dozen, so thank you to her! My favorite were the pork ones, which is unusual because I'm not that big of pork eater and those ones I picked out for my boyfriend. But they were fantastic. The cheese ones were also really good! It was about $15 for 12 tamales, totally worth it. Check it out and don't let the area defer you from checking it out. Say hi to Suzi, she's super nice! I am bummed I didn't get a picture, but they were too good to slow down and take one. Enjoy this hidden treasure!

I recommend the pork tamales with Jalapeños! This place is a little jewel! It's all about the Tamales here. Their salsa is pretty good too. I can't wait to go back to my new go to spot for Tamales!

I had never even tried a tamale when i went on a trip to Texas a few years back. The relatives I was visiting were big fans of a tiny little take-out place close to the Mexican border. It was there I discovered this delicious little treat. Fast forward a couple years and I was almost wishing I had never been introduced to them because try as hard as I could, I wasn't able to find anything that came close to the authentic delicious perfect balance of meat and mesa tamales of Texas. Don't get me wrong, there are some good places in Detroit, but nothing that quite matched the superior level of that little hole in the wall in Texas.....that is until we stumbled upon this place. Yes....finally. Ahhh...my perfect tamale search is over. This is seriously a time when it was all about Yelp. We were going to Saint Anne's church for a tour and had about 30 minutes to kill. Thankfully this place popped up on the 'nearby' search. It's just a tiny take out place. Stepping inside I didn't dare get my hopes up right away, but it looked promising. Tiny, family run, take out only, totally lacking in decor or atmosphere, these places are the best because their food is so solid they know you will be back and they don't have to be shiny or flashy to get your attention. No, the food is what grabs you and keeps you. The owner overheard me mention something about tamales and Texas and literally wouldn't let me leave the store until I tried one of her tamales and told her how it rated. Guess what, I liked it even better! We went with the spicy pork and I think it was the hint of spice that put theirs over the edge. I absolutely loved it, and stood there among corn husks, using the meat freezer as a makeshift table, sharing a plastic fork (the only one in the store apparently) with my husband and our 2 friends, and ate 2 tamales in about 3 bites. My friend polished off his half dozen standing there making small talk. So fresh and delicious, I could have done the same thing. Suzy is a gem and is very proud of her product, and she should be. I love that the only thing on the menu is tamales. I love that she has a picture of her mom and dad hanging on the wall and will proudly tell you these delicious creations are her mothers recipe. I vowed to be back soon and my mouth is already watering thinking about it. I don't know if I will try another variety or will stick with the spicy pork. Sometimes you don't want to mess with perfection. Before I had even strapped my seat belt I was digging in the bag for one more while texting my aunt in Texas to let her know the search was over, I finally found authentic tamales that were as good as the ones she introduced me to a few years back. True story.

I just wish they were bigger. Tried the the pork and it has good flavor, unfortunately the ground beef was not. I tried the dozen, if you mix it up though, it will cost you extra.

Simply the BEST!!!!! Homemade!!!! A MUST HAVE!!!!! A family favorite!!!!! Couldn't ask for a better Mexican tamale!!!!

Looking for the best tamales in town? Come here! Just like my grand parents made back in the day. Traveled the world over, and I always come back to the best. The Garcia family says gracias for the many years of your original recipes....stay strong and prosper my friends.

I need a moment of silence. cricket's. cricket's. I'm too sad....cricket's.....and jealous to be humorous right now. A fellow YP'er made me think of this place. I hope all my YP sistas' and brothas' KNOW... how lucky they are to be able to experience this place. Tamale Heaven. These ARE THA BEST. One of y'all....COULD BE KIND ENUFF TO SHIP A SISTA' SOME....SHEESH. Sittin' over there....just unwrappin' an chewin'.....unwrappin' an chewin'. You see me sittin' ova here.... Unwrappin' an chewin'....this is why the fabric of America is so torn. People don't care about tha needy. Fabric of America. Who came up with that??? You...you ForeFathers you. So crackin' dramatic. So let's get to business : I can't eat eggs. Did ju all know that?! Want to but...I...I can't. At least not in the form of breakfast. If you put that on my plate-- uncontrollable flatulence sets in. Due to horror--I become a fearful 'Pooter'. I stare at it and realize....this also doubles as a hot, crispy drumstick. The breakfast egg...messes with my Chi....my flow. I just can't...I cant't vibe wit that. My mind. It's...it's weird like that. Poot. YEAH...there's your answer people...the C.H.I.C.K.E.N came first. I say all that to say: Soooomebody has photo on here with some KING tamales topped with 'fried eggs-soft yolk'....on top. Look here-- I don't do eggs but.... I WOULD soooooooo SQUEEZE MY EYES SHUT AN....EAT...THAT. Do you hear me!!....SLAM THAT. Why does that look like my soul? Good! And yes my loves....I have a good soul. I do. Anyway, if you live near TNL...GIT THAT. SERIOUSLY. Beef, Pork and Spicy Pork..the best. But even chicken is good. They even have or had a sweet one. I don't know bout 'bad attitudes'...they were always nice to me. And I've witnessed them the same with others. People have those 'AND 1's' you know. They gotta lotta tamales to make so they be bout that bizness--I know that much . 'EVIES' ova there in Mex - Town, they straight but to me....Vernor Hwy. That's where tha' KING Tamale....lives. Go git that. And...people--come on now! Think about a Sista' when you sittin nere ...yeah.....Unwrappin' an chewin'.

Definitely my go to tamale place! The taste will never leave you unsatisfied. However, they are a bit on the smaller side. Always hot and fresh though!

I have been coming to this family owned business since I was a little girl (1970's). I have tried many Tamales in my day, all around the states, and nothing tops these tamales! I now live in GA and make sure I come back to MI several times a year and I always make it a point to stop here to take several dozen back with me. The masa is not thick and the meat is seasoned just right. You will not be disappointed. Please note: they except cash only

Super helpful guy, when we walked in utterly clueless, he guided us to the right tamales, and even gave us a quick tutorial on reheating. Tamales were very good, will Def go back.

Tamaleria Nuevo Leon makes a decent tamale for a decent price! IMPORTANT: Tamales can only be ordered by the dozen or 1/2 dozen. The tamales are rather small, so 1/2 dozen would be dinner-sized for one person. One half dozen tamales ran $4.25-$4.50, depending on the variety of tamale. What a great price! Tamale varieties included, chicken, beef, beans, a sort of dessert tamale with raisins and sugar, and many others that I can't recall. They come heated in a plastic bag to go. Salsa is extra, available in 3 sizes. I found the small salsa, $0.50, more than adequate for my 6 chicken tamales. I've only had the chicken tamales so far, but the chicken was tender and seasoned well. The dough is cooked well and is tasty. I wish the salsa was a bit thinner so it would absorb better into the tamale, but it still tastes great. The staff are pretty nice which isn't always a given in Mexicantown (I recently found out I was being charged double the price for tacos at a stand on W. Vernor...). They answered my questions and even conversed in Spanish with me a little. There's a few tables inside, but I don't think I'd eat there. The inside of the place looks rundown and its dark. But you can see the staff making the tamales in the back, so that's a plus. Another Note: They seem to have weird hours. I'm not sure what they are. I've visited the places on different days of the week at the same time in the afternoon and sadly found them closed some days. I think its a good thing I don't live too close to Mexicantown or else I would wind up eating out there nearly every day. The nice thing about the Mexicantown Restaurants and bakeries is that in addition to serving really delicious food, they also cater to your wallet. Meal prices are so cheap and portions are large enough to wind up taking some home. Finally, I like the tamales from Nuevo Leon, but after eating Pilar's Tamales in Ann Arbor (http://www.yelp.com/biz/pilars-tamales-ann-arbor), which are wrapped in Banana Leaf instead of corn husks, I can't look at corn husk tamales the same. I just think the banana leaf ones are superior. Still if you're in the area, pick up some tamales to take home for later. You won't regret it.

This brings back so many memories of visiting this place with my grandmother. She would order several dozen and before we could make it home, we were licking our lips wishing we had more. Can wait to start a tradition with my boys

You know you're probably driven by this place a ton of times and didn't even realize it. You know that blue dome house that you pass by when coming into or leaving Mexican Town? Well right next to it - practically attached to it - is this amazing Tamaleria. I think it's mostly take out and you can pick from many different flavors of the most delicious tamales. I got the jalapeno and cheese and some sweet ones that I think had brown sugar or cinnamon and raisins in it. The salsa that they sell is very good too. It's all very fresh and handmade stuff. The prices are very fair too. Next time you pass by - even if you aren't hungry - stop in and grab a bag of tamales and some salsa. When you're hungry later you'll thank yourself. :)

I love that this is a family run operation. The staff seemed very friendly, and eager to chat and explain the food choices to us. The only thing that sucks is that you can't mix and match tamales and get a few of each - health code violations, as I understand it, so not their fault. You have to buy in either half a dozen or a dozen. I had the pork with jalapeño tamales. They had a great, slightly smoky flavor, and were just the right amount of spicy. I'd love to go back and try some of the other flavors - they have sweet tamales that they make on the weekend that I am betting are delicious!