Apart from being known as the “Capital of Silicon Valley,” San Jose is becoming known as the best place in the Bay Area to find real, tasty tamales. Over the past few decades, the city’s Latino population has grown.
As a result, many tamalerías and Mexican restaurants have opened to meet the locals’ needs for these soft masa treats filled with tasty ingredients. Come with us as we talk about where to get the best tamales in San Jose, just in time for Christmas!
The Tamale Factory
People in San Jose, California, love the Tamale Factory, which is also one of the best places to get tamales in the city.
Since 1983, The Tamale Factory on S. White Street in the historic Guadalupe neighborhood has been making fresh, hand-made tamales and other Mexican treats from scratch.
The tamalería that this family runs is famous for its tamales, which are filled with tasty things like chicken, cheese, chopped pork, or chicken chili verde.
The Tamale Factory is a simple place where masa and toppings are rolled into corn husks in a way that has been done for generations. On their menu, you can find tamales, tacos, burritos, and tortas, but let’s be honest: you’ll want to stick to the tamales.
There is a small parking lot here, which can make it hard to find a spot. A dozen tamales cost about $30. The website for the Tamale Factory says that you can buy tamales online, which makes it easy to get them for the holidays.
Address: 233 S White Rd C San Jose, CA 95127
Tamales el Tamalero
After years of selling his tamales in the Walmart parking lot on Story Road, the owner, Sergio, decided to create a permanent tamale stand. Their tent is located in front of the Sabor Restaurant on San Jose’s East Side.
Every day, the Tamales el Tamalero team prepares hundreds of tamales with flavors such as spicy pork, mild pork, salsa verde chicken, jalapeño cheese, and sweet corn. They also frequently provide dessert tamales as a specialty.
The $3 price per tamale is excellent for the region. Unlike other tamales, the spicy pork tamale is bigger and packed with stuffing. The masa was expertly seasoned, soft, and sensitive. Payment options accepted by Tamales el Tamalero on their Instagram page are limited to cash, Zelle, and credit cards.
Address: 2920 Alum Rock San Jose, CA 95122
Diana’s Tamales
In East San Jose, there is a food truck called Diana’s Tamales. Diana’s has a tamale plant as well, but we like the tamales here better.
Diana’s Tamales only serves chicken, pork, and cheese tamales on its menu. The website for Diana’s Tamales says that they serve tortas and atole de arroz and that they only take cash.
Diana’s tamales cost around $4 each. There aren’t many places to park near the food truck.
Address: 1696 McKee Rd San Jose, CA 95116
Super Tamales
This food truck is in South San Jose, and the prices are very fair. The tamales were made from scratch and were very tasty. The masa tasted good and was smooth, not rough like some others I’ve tried. The tamales with beef, pork, and chicken were all tasty.
You can get beef in red sauce, chicken in green sauce, chili cheese, and sweet strawberry tamales at Super Tamales.
There will be no seeds on the tamales if you want them to go. They will be put in a plastic bag. It can be eaten fresh, and you can add sour cream if you want to.
The Super Tamales is on the corner of Capitol Expressway and Snell Road. According to the website, the owner is there from 6:30 AM to 10:30 AM, Monday through Sunday. One of them is here, and the other is at 602 S. Winchester Blvd.
Super Tamales’ Facebook page says that they take cash or Venmo.
Address: 3951 Snell Ave San Jose, CA 95136