Tamales Liliana’s

Parking is not the best. Plan ahead one driver one shopper. Drop off shopper, circle the block, then front pickup. Driver adjusts timing depending on traffic. Works for me. It's all about the cheese tamales. $70 for 2 dozen. Totally worth the trip. Thank you

If you want authentic Mexican food and the best tamales in town, come here. It's so good 😊

I usually get take out and I came with my mother to eat breakfast, we were told to sit where ever and someone would be with us shortly. Then after waiting 10-15 minutes no one came and helped us, and two parties that came in were attended right away, keep in mind they were in the same section! So we left! They told us they were busy but somehow were attending people who had just walked in?

They have a variety variety food plates looking for hot food it's there looking for good tasty food it's their tamales are very great taste menudo posole chiles rellenos lots of food Anthony Mexican good tasty homemade Waters real flavored not just sugar I do recommend it to take your family or take home lots of room to eat comtabel handycap room to eat in a wheelchair accessible you will take your family back to eat a different plate of food 😋

Outrageously good tamales @ $2! I had one with chicken and vegetables, served piping hot - I needed napkins to unwrap. Perfect Masa, nice chunks of shredded chicken with corn, Lima beans and carrots. Red and green salsa complete the dish. No parking close by, Metro Gold line stops a block and a half away on Indiana just south of 1st.

I came by on Christmas day to order a dozen red pork tamales and two orders or pozole. Everything was delicious. The service was phenomenal. Definitely coming back!

Great jamiaca! That's all I went for. 😅 a large was 5 dollars, which is more than expected, but when you're in a time of need.........

Always go here for tamales. However, today I ordered huevos divorciados and they were burned …

Best menudo in town for sure I've had many menudos and most of them taste like water not authentic this one is a 10 out of 10.. This place is known for their tamales but there menudo is delicious

Ugh! I hate giving this local community spot a bad review, but what we were told and what we experienced were the contrary. First of all, good luck finding parking. Pain in the butt. Once we found parking we went in to order some food to go and immediately were halted like if it was peak Covid time. Stand behind the table we will get to you soon we were told. But if you are eating there you get to walk past the table. Ok... then a woman with a bit of an attitude started my order, walked away to then come back and take the next persons order first. No problem. After that, a man walked by me and said I'll be right with you. He walked out of the restaurant and came back with a trash bag and then said.. ok how can I help you. No washing of the hands, but hopefully he didn't prepare the tamales. Anyway, we ordered green chili and cheese for the family to go and we'll we did get green something, but definitely no cheese. Thai spot is a mess. Very unorganized and not worth the headache or treatment especially with no parking and their not completing anyone's orders without someone else coming to ask if you've been helped. Thanks, but not again. PS.. the tamales were BEYOND DRY!!! SMH. When tamales are in your name they should I be fantastic. Just not impressed at all

Usually don't leave reviews but i went out of my way to be so underwhelmed with these dry tamales smh. The señora was nice and it smelled amazing but the food was subpar i've had better tamales from the random corner lady's but hey try it for urself i guess

Overrated tamales me and my wife got food poisoning here we got pozole and Tamales first of all it smelled like nasty rotten meat in restaurant and the customer service is terrible servers are always rude and they never answer the phone. Save your money and go somewhere else place is terrible and overpriced 32.50 for one pozole and 4 tamales

Tamales are delicious! They have queso con rajas, puerco,dulce,y de pollo. The people who work here are very friendly.

The tamales were terrible... the pork didn't even have red chile on them...for $35 a dozen that was a waste I should have of gone to northgate market... last time i ever go there for tamales.. overpriced overrated

These are not the best tamales in Los Angeles, but they are certainly good. There is an inconsistency in freshness as some can be dry and some obviously very delicious. Some of their fillings can also be overcooked and proteins very tough. In addition, there is a lack of seasoning in their fillings and they rely on the salsas for taste enhancement. Kudos for good service though.

I come here at least once a year, normally around Christmas time. I had been craving Tamales for some while. I drove out to ELA to get some delicious Tamales. But, Unfortunately things have changed . The Tamales weren't as Good as Usual. The Chicken/Vegetable Tamales - meat was dry... The Cheese & Chile were not the Same neither, I recall the cheese was White queso - Now yellow, looked almost like shredded cheddar. Maybe I should just only come around the Holiday time when the Local News Channel is visiting & bragging. #Dissapointed

First timer here and based my grade on this experience. Found it via LA Eater and Google searches for 'best tamales in LA.' This Tamale spot had all the makings of a hole in the wall, hidden gem, diamond in the rough, etc. - off the beaten path - no parking (literally no parking!) - no frills - simple menu - been around for over 20 years Well, not sure if something recently changed in their preparation but they were simply too dry for me. This is coming from someone who believes a really good tamale has to be soft and moist. They were, however, healthy in size and tasted alright. Reminded me of tamales your amateur family members try to make around the holidays. On to the next one...

In the heart of ELA!! They serve other food but I only come for the classic Tamales and champurrado. I like to go early on the weekends because it gets crowded after 8 AM and parking is limited.

I'm always very skeptical about eating other tamales besides my moms but this place actually it's pretty closed to them! Lilliana's Tamales is a gem in the heart of East LA!!! Highly recommend them! Parking might be a struggle but trust me it's worth it!

This was my favorite tamale's place for a long time, I used to go here as a teenager with my parents. I recently went though and brought two friends with me and I was craving mole enchiladas, so I got some without looking at the menu because they didn't have any. I got three tamales, plus the enchiladas plate and an orchata. the total came out to $27!! haha I was very disappointed with the enchiladas, they were definitely not worth the $16 or $18. just two small enchiladas, dry, a side of lettuces with a slice of tomato and also a side of rice and beans. tamales were good, a bit dry but good. I like to cook them the next morning for breakfast with a bit of olive oil on a pan. your prices are a bit too high for the quality of food. I might have to look for a new tamales spot.

Found this gem through google, I have only tried the tamales from here... the Elote (corn) tamales are great! The cheese and jalapeño tamales are bomb! So are the pork and chicken ones. Very clean and welcoming atmosphere, parking can be a headache but well worth the struggle.

Best tamales around. I've been going there for years! They're flavorful and the masa is moist.

So, I thought I wouldn't find a better tamale then my neighborhood tamale guy, but I think he found his match. These tamales were crazy good. The moisture was just right and they weren't dry at all. Deep into East LA, sits a little spot hidden between mechanic shops and houses. Tried this place out and the first thing we ordered were tamales, one chicken and one pork. It was super moist and very enjoyable. Some tamales of the past were sometimes dry which always made me feel like good tamales are really hard to come by some times, but this place really is worth it. We also ordered food which was fresh and had a real home made feel to it. I ordered the chorizo and eggs and she ordered the pozole which was all on point. But the overall best was the tamales. Next time, I plan to order a large portion of tamales to eat for later. Definitely worth it and willing to drive the distance for these tamales if I am craving tamales that much.

Husband bought four dozen for Christmas. I was completely disappointed and embarrassed. They were dry and tasted like they were made a month ago, then freezed. I'll take my business somewhere else... Don't waste your money here! NORTHGATE market will do you better or somewhere else. I should of listened to the reviews. Don't get me started when you dine there either. I was served luke warm menudo. Done.

Total ripe off for the tamales. No filling mostly masa. They are more expensive than La Indiana Tamales but lack the quality of La Indiana. Getting on TV has gone to their heads. Won't be going back there again. Only went there because La Indiana was closed for the flooring. I should have waited.

To the owner if you do not want to lose your 40% customers, so train your employees with new Postmates/UBEREATS apps order. All the restaurants are using it, except yours. Real entrepreneurs never missed a customer; meanwhile your employees looks stupidly ignorants by complaining with clients for missing their orders.

I came with some friends a while back because of a recommendation by a friend. (I later found out that he was actually talking about the one on Cesar Chavez!) When we walked in, everyone looked slightly surprised to see a couple of Asian girls wander in there. I decided to try the gordita, which was decent. I also tried some of their tamales and even took some to go for work, seeing how everyone raves about the tamales. Maybe it's just me, but I was not a fan of their tamales. They were all pretty dry and hard, although the filling was flavorful and tasty. I had a Mexican coworker try it, and he agreed that it wasn't that good. Still, the people were friendly and other food looked okay, so rounding up to 3 stars.

Love this place! It's busy so there's usually line to be seated. It's worth the wait! You can buy tamales at the cashier to go. I like the cheese w pepper the most! Last time I went I had got pozole that was so yummy! The waiters are accommodating and friendly. Def recommend this place! Also has a decent sized parking lot which is a plus

Came here to celebrate a co-worker's birthday. I couldn't decide on what tamales I wanted to try so I got one of each. They are a little dry. I recommend you eat them there so that you can add additional salsa. My favorite was the rajas con queso. Many of my coworkers got the pozole and it looked amazing. I'm definitely going to try that if I come back.

Had amazing enchiladas de mole! I love mole so I'm a little harsh on the rating of it. The beans & rice were a little dry, but the guac definitely made up for it. As you can see they gave me a huge platter of it & did not hold back! Definitely recommend

Just great food at great prices. You cannot go wrong with the tacos dorados, whether they are filled with beef or potatoes. The chilaquiles are also mandatory when here.

Had their pozole. It's tasty and the portions are generous wasn't a big fan of their tamales. Their champurado is also delicious.

Extremely dry tamales, ordered the rajas con queso, won't be coming back! Also, they charge 4% on the bill total, if you use your credit or debit card.

The tamales were not fluffy or moist. The posole was ho hum. I will look elsewhere for Mexican comfort food.

Awesome Xmas Eve tradition to eat your choice of chicken, beef and pork tamales at Lilianas.... Prices $1.50 each $18.00 a dozen Feliz Navidad everybody!!!

They never disappoint! From their delicious sopes, to their famous Tamales. It's always a pleasure swinging by here for breakfast/brunch. Wish it was closer to me.

I order a flor quesadillas and when I got my order, it had a hair inside . Honestly, I took it out and really didn't want to complain haha... because I felt embarrass BUT it had more hair inside. Yuck I had to say something . Will not be going back and also the tamales ARE very dry and lack flavor. Don't waste your time.

First time here and also last time here. Jumped off 710 frwy to grab a few tamales, based on yelp reviews. Horrible. All 6 tamales were extremely dried out. No flavoring whatsoever. Would not recommend.

Omg!!! First time at Liliana's tamales!! This place is amazing, the food is delicious. It's worth the 40 min drive. I'm defenetly coming back to this place! Sopes & tamales are BOMB.COM

Awesome place. It doesn't get any more authentic than this....great food for a great price! I highly recommend it!

Okey been coming here for years, what the heck is going on with the tamales?! They were so dry, dry I tell you! Lol dry meat no sauce. Each tamale is now $1.75, no flavor. The meat seemed old with a weird looking color, I've also had some of the other dishes and they are actually pretty good. This place is known for the tamales and the expectations are high. Hope they get it together.

There are two Liliana"s locations, from my understanding this ones the original. Although the Cesar Chavez location is bigger, modern, parking available (this ones a real pain to get to because of Goldline) still worth paying a visit. Everyone I know states the other restaurant is better and has the better tasting tamales. Hence the long lines around the block during the holidays. You won't see too much of a line at this one, but it does get fairly crowded from its loyal patrons. I like both, but prefer to avoid the long lines & just come here, they taste good to me. I also heard the foods good. Bad service? Never encountered here, but did feel it at the other. I like both restaurants and all I can say is don't abandon this location because of its inconvenience, it's still thriving & deserves to remain around long amongst its competitors.

Yum! Highly recommended for your Tamale craving/fix. I had their red & green pork tamales. Delicious!

Best tamales ! I love the tamales de elote! Reasonable size for a $1.75 ! Just know , parking is sort of a mission.

Love coming her to have tamales and pozole. Sooo good and very tasty. Been coming here for a couple of years on and off and definitely a place people should have to try.

Nice place. I like the decor and look. The tamales are a-ok but I wish they were a bit better. With "tamale" in the name, I expected more. I usually get the two tamales plate. It's fine and the price is nice.

Always good food.My favorite tamales from here are the cheese with rajas. My kids like red. The pozole, best menduo, and chilaquiles are all so good. The chile relleno is also as close as it gets to home. I went to the location on 1st for Christmas and was able to get in and out easy with my order.

4 stars. I decided to try Liliana's upon the recommendation of a colleague who knows her tamales. This is L.A. and we're gifted with a wide variety of authentic delicacies from the world over. Today, I craved tamales, and so it's off to East L.A., güey! Rajas con queso, elote, puerco chile verde... didn't care. Not much to look at from the sidewalk, Liliana's has the feel of a hole-in-the-wall, but it is clean (LA County "A" rating on the window), well-lit, and has about 7 or 8 small tables. A plaque on the wall commemorates Liliana's naming as one of the "Best of LA" in 2005 by Los Angeles Magazine. Tamales are $1.50 each or $17.00 per dozen. The masa is well-seasoned, but just a tiny-teeny tad on the dry side (probably because I went late in the afternoon.) While I have a soft spot for all savory types, my new sweetheart is Liliana's piña con pasas, which is sweet and has a strangely satisfying spongy texture to it. Rumor has it that lines for tamales go around the block during the Christmas. There are the usual suspects on the menu: tacos, burritos, enchiladas... menudo (on the weekends), champurrado... but they'll have to wait for the next round. They also sell ollas (pots) if you're into making your own tamales. Service at the counter was quick and cordial. On my take-out order, they didn't include salsita but were cool about it when I asked for it, giving the choice between roja o verde.They take cash and debit cards, but will add a $1 surcharge on plastic. Parking is non-existent, so you have to find curbside parking in the 'hood, quite literally. I'd come more often, if the parking situation were better. The current work done on First St. doesn't help traffic. Verdict: well-done tamales, among the better ones I've come across in L.A. --and that's saying a lot. So, happy as can be, pot full of tamales, sippin' Patrón with Don 'Chente Fernandez on the stereo. "Yay, I'm a fan." ***UPDATE 2/20/09*** Tried the burrito today and knew from the first bite that I've had better. A bit skinny for my taste. Stick to the tamales instead.

Definitely don't waste your money here! We drove all the way out of of our way to try a new place and help out small businesses, it was a total waste! Spent $18 on chillaquilles with bistec. We got home and there was no meat at all!! I should had definitely checked my order but you trust places to do their job. Especially when they're all standing around discussing 'how sad it is to see the business in such a slow state' well this place is definitely slow because of their quality of food and customer service!! Save your money and time. Go somewhere else!

Great food. Staff have always been welcoming and friendly. Family and I come here almost every weekend to grab some tamales.

Tamales are the best here! Definitely recommend this place for your holiday festivities!

Deliciously authentic tamales. They really stuff them w/ meat, cheese, etc unlike other places that are mostly dough and hardly any ingredient inside them.

MMMMMMMM, this place is good. It's super casual and extremely authentic. We went to the one on 1st Street. My friend kept telling me about this little place that she ate at whenever she visited family in East L.A., I finally made her take me there over the weekend! She wasn't lying, this place, made me wish I could stuff more than 3 tamales into me. I ordered the cheese and chile, elote (corn) and red tamales. They have at least 6 kinds of tamales to choose from, my fave is the cheese and chile. Yes, even over the meat stuffed ones and I am ALL carnivore! Note: They make other stuff here, but for my first visit here I figured I would try what they are famous for. The staff was nice and polite not to mention super patient as I stood there drooling and pondering over all my choices. The manager even remembered my friend, and came out to our table to say hello and chat even though ,she hadn't been to East L.A. in some time. Let me end with this little gem, it's such a great place there were numerous parties of ONE dining...you know it's gotta be good if that many people are willing to come and sit by themselves. Need I rave more?

My second stop in Boyle Heights after eating at the original Guisados was Tamales Lilianas. I remember my first experience having their tamales at a work-related meeting. I hadn't had breakfast and it was the best thing to satisfy my hunger that day. I asked my co-worker where they were from and he mentioned Lilianas in Boyle Heights. I remembered to keep it under my radar for when I had an opportunity to venture out to Boyle Heights again. So, my opportunity came with a job attached to it! Lilianas is literally walking distance from where I work and I was happy to finally go to the original establishment. I will say, service is slow but they do apologize for the slow service on their signs since your meal is made to order. They also attached the doorbells to each table just like the Korean restaurants so they can come to you faster if you feel like you've been waiting for a while. I immediately liked the authenticity when the waitress spoke straight Spanish to me and my friend, and I was the Asian one. She ordered the huevos divorciados which is a breakfast-like dish where the over-easy eggs are served on opposite ends of the plate (I found this to be quite amusing!) and I ordered the tamale plate with their pollo con verduras tamale (chicken with vegetables) and their chili verde con carne tamale (pork with green salsa). I still found the tamales to be yummy, especially the masa! I liked it so much that I ordered a dozen to have at my birthday party this weekend. It's nice to know that neighborhood establishments and hole-in-the wall spots like Tamales Lilianas are still a hit with the locals and visitors like myself. I'm definitely curious about La Gloria across the street and would love to try their fresh tortillas and masa someday. P.S. Be aware of the limited street-parking around the restaurant. If you can, try and take the Gold Line which takes you directly there.

They have the best tamales! I'm definitely coming back for more! The staff members are very friendly and quick. I actually came here on Christmas Eve in the afternoon and they had plenty of tamales left. It was $20 for a dozen but well worth it! I got the pork with green chili sauce and chicken. They were not dry and had plenty of flavor.

By far, these are the worst tamales I have ever had. I ordered 1 dozen pork and 1 dozen chicken. The chicken was dry with absolutely no sauce on them. My co-worker tried the pork and there was very little red sauce on them. I didn't try the tamale until I returned home. I do not understand what all the hype was about. Truly truly disappointing.

Tamales Lilianas makes THE best pozole. Hands Down! The closest thing to your mom's pozole. On a cold night, it hits the spot. They serve it with all the sides you would need and the portions are quite generous. They used to have the best "almost as good as my mom's" tamales, but for some reason ruined the classic recipe. They raised the price per tamale, which is understandable, but to justify the price increase they made bigger, fatter tamales. This has ruined the recipe. Every other tamale company makes the same mistake, and by making them fatter and denser, they make them drier. The consistency is off, and the mole cannot saturate the masa the same way that it does when the tamale is spread thinner. Please go back to the original recipe. Your grandma is rolling over in her grave.