Tamales Elena Y Antojitos
Mexican restaurant · Bell Gardens
8101 Garfield Ave, Bell Gardens, CA 90201
Highlights
Afro-Mexican cuisine, pozole, tamales, pescadillas, drive-thru
Afro-Mexican cuisine, pozole, tamales, pescadillas, drive-thru
"Great news for tamales fans. Afro-Mexican traditional cook Maria Lorenzo and her talented daughters opened a drive-thru location earlier this year that features a pozoleria, regional dishes from La Costa Chica like mole costeño, beef tongue with plantains in a rich sauce, and tamales in banana leaves. Whether pork in salsa roja, chicken in salsa verde, or cheese and spinach, the banana leaf tamales are the real tradition from Lorenzo’s region in the Mexican state of Guerrero, with a fatty masa soaks up the spicy stews and delivers a lot of flavor. Corn husk tamales are available as well." - Bill Esparza
"The talented traditional cook Maria Elena Lorenzo and her daughters, a team of professional cooks, have opened their first brick and mortar that’s a pozolería, tamal stand, and a shrine to Afro-Mexican cuisine from La Costa Chica, Guerrero all at once. The guisados: tongue with plantains, aporreadillo (eggs with beef jerky), and mole verde are perfect for making your own tacos, but try the tacos dorados here. The pescadillas (crispy fish tacos) are as good as what you’ll find in Acapulco, and Lorenzo’s spicy beef barbacoa comes suave (corn tortilla) or dorado (deep fried corn tortilla), but its juicy fragrant stands of meat are best enjoyed in a crunchy shell. Call ahead to see which tacos are being served each day." - Bill Esparza
"To put it simply, there isn’t another restaurant in town doing what Tamales Elena Y Antojitos is doing. For one, it’s literally the only Afro-Mexican restaurant in LA—and possibly the country. Secondly, its Guerrero-style menu is filled with some of the most exciting and delicious food we’ve eaten anywhere in LA. Guerrero is a state in Mexico on the Pacific Coast, north of Oaxaca, and home to a large Afro-Mexican population—and an extensive culinary history of its own. This is where chef Maria Elena Lorenzo and her family are from, and where the recipes that can now be found on Tamales Elena’s menu were originally born. Think pozoles, pork tamales and beef tongue guisado, but the highlight of the menu, are the crispy fish tacos called pescadillas. These thin, crispy tacos come filled with perfectly stewed fish, and we recommend getting at least three orders—one for you now, one for you in five minutes, and one for five minutes after that. You don’t need to worry about reservations (because they don’t take them), and outside of a few peak hours on the weekends, you’ll always be able to find an open table or two on the tiny, wrap-around patio. On most days, the restaurant closes at 4pm, so if you're in the mood to experience the soul-penetrating scent of pozole, you'll have to plan a trip here during the day. Maybe you’re planning a lunch date or hoping to show out-of-towners a version of LA they don’t see on reality TV. Either way, nothing beats a sunny morning or afternoon at Tamales Elena. Food Rundown photo credit: Jakob Layman Pescadillas These hard-shelled fish tacos sit pretty inconspicuously at the bottom of the taco section, but they are not to be ignored. In fact, they should be ordered in bulk. Thin, crispy, and filled with perfectly stewed fish, this is easily a top-ten taco in LA already, and one of many reasons you need to get in your car right now and drive to Tamales Elena. photo credit: Jakob Layman Pozole Tamales Elena serves a few different kinds of pozole throughout the week (red, green, and white, plus a vegan elopozole), but just know that whichever is on the menu the day you go, it’s going to be incredible. Made from pork head stock and cooked with hominy, this fragrant soup comes garnished with everything from avocado to shredded cabbage to dried oregano and chile flakes. Also, come on Thursdays for el jueves pozolero, where each type of pozole is served. photo credit: Jakob Layman Tamales Instead of fighting with yourself over whether to get the pork in red salsa or the chicken in green salsa, just order both and walk away thrilled. The tamales themselves are light, moist, and not so big that you can’t eat two in one sitting. Lengua Con Platano Macho Guisado If you’re going to get one thing off the guisado section of the menu, make sure it’s the beef tongue with plantains. The tongue itself is fantastic with a mild, slightly rich flavor that balances perfectly with the sweetness of the plantains." - Brant Cox
"There’s a reason why Tamales Elena y Antojitos is so special that it will put me in the car to battle traffic at any time for chef Maria Elena Lorenzo’s Afro-Mexican restaurant is one of the more unique finds in Los Angeles, all of California, or the entire United States. Her barbacoa tacos, burritos and tortas, and moles are exceptional, while the pozoles topped with queso fresco, chicharrones, spices, chiles, avocado, shredded cabbage, chopped onions, and radishes are heavenly (vegans can find one of the city’s best and mushroom tamales here). While enjoying every flavorful bite of her chilaquiles, I remembered the family’s story and their presence throughout Los Angeles for decades before opening in 2020. Lorenzo started as a street vendor throughout Watts and South LA where she sold tamales in the 90s, and was lovingly called “Mama.” This is truly an LA story, and the food is such a wonderful addition. But these chilaquiles with red salsa, two fried eggs, black beans, sour cream, queso fresco, onion and cilantro are truly special. Don’t take chilaquiles to-go, they are best consumed immediately. —Mona Holmes" - Eater Staff
"Bell Gardens gained a major new restaurant in Tamales Elena y Antojitos, a tamal and pozole restaurant from Maria Elena Lorenzo. Everything here is excellent, from the banana leaf-wrapped tamales to the soulful pozoles, though don’t sleep on the guisados. There’s a handy drive-thru too. —Matthew Kang" - Eater Staff
