Tamales Mexican Restaurant

493 Central Ave, Highland Park
(847) 433-4070

Recent Reviews Order Online Reserve

Customers' Favorites

Additional Chips and Salsa
Combination of Enchiladas
Filet Mignon Fajitas
Rice and Beans
Bread Pudding
Key Lime Pie
Skirt Steak
Caramel Flan
Quesadilla
Fish Tacos

Menu

Platos Pequenos
Queso Fundido
Served with chihuahua cheese, chorizo, sausage, and poblano chiles. Served with 4 flour tortillas.
Chicken Flautas
Chicken and potatoes rolled in a corn tortilla and lightly fried. Served with lettuce, pico de gallo, and guacamole on the side.
Blackened Shrimp
Served with Spanish rice, marinated vegetables, and ancho Barbeque sauce.
Nachos Grandes
Corn chips topped with black beans, jalapenos, guacamole, sour cream, cheddar, and chihuahua cheeses. Choice of chicken, chorizo or ground beef.
Grilled Torta
2 whole wheat tortillas stuffed with portabella mushrooms, sauteed spinach, tomatoes, goat cheese, red peppers and garnished with sweet potato fries and poblano cream dipping sauce.
Chicken Chimichanga
A spicy combination of chicken, cheese, corn, and black beans fried in a flour tortilla. Garnished with shoestring potatoes and a spicy red sauce.
Fish Ceviche
Served with crackers.
Mexican Pizza
A crispy flour tortilla crust with chicken, cheese, black beans, fire-roasted red peppers and sour cream.
Fresh Guacamole
Served with chips.
Roasted Corn Chowder
Served with bacon, onions, peppers, and tomatoes.
Tortilla Soup
Served with anejo cheese and chips.
Black Bean Soup
Served with sour cream.
Queso Dip
Melted cheese dip.

Ensaladas
Blackened Scallop Salad
Served with tomato, avocado, cucumber, and blue cheese.
Taco Salad in a Shell
Served with chicken or ground beef, cheese, beans, avocado, and tomato. Substitute steak, shrimp, salmon or scallops to add extra cost.
Crispy Tortilla Salad with Chicken Salad
Vegetable crisps, mango, and avocado. Substitute steak, shrimp, salmon or scallops to add extra cost.
Tortilla Salad
Served with chicken, avocado, tomato, and cucumber on grilled tortilla wedges. Substitute steak, shrimp, salmon or scallops to add extra cost.
Jicama Grilled Chicken Salad Mexicana
Substitute steak, shrimp, salmon or scallops to add extra cost.
Jicama Salad
Served with cucumber and avocado.

Quesadillas
Cheese Quesadilla
All Selections Are Made With Real Chihuahua Cheese and served with Pico de Gallo, Sour Cream and Lettuce.
Goat Cheese and Mushroom Quesadilla
All Selections Are Made With Real Chihuahua Cheese and served with Pico de Gallo, Sour Cream and Lettuce.
Steak Quesadilla
All Selections Are Made With Real Chihuahua Cheese and served with Pico de Gallo, Sour Cream and Lettuce.
Ground Beef Quesadilla
All Selections Are Made With Real Chihuahua Cheese and served with Pico de Gallo, Sour Cream and Lettuce.
Grilled Chicken Quesadilla
All Selections Are Made With Real Chihuahua Cheese and served with Pico de Gallo, Sour Cream and Lettuce.
Vegetable Quesadilla
All Selections Are Made With Real Chihuahua Cheese and served with Pico de Gallo, Sour Cream and Lettuce.
Garlic Shrimp Quesadilla
All Selections Are Made With Real Chihuahua Cheese and served with Pico de Gallo, Sour Cream and Lettuce.

Our Hot Tamale Selections
Shrimp Tamale
Served with shrimp cream sauce.
Pumpkin Tamale
Served with roasted tomatillo and guajillo Chile sauces.
Chicken Tamale
Served with roasted tomatillo and guajillo Chile sauces.
Mushroom Tamale
Served with roasted red pepper sauce.
Any 2 Tamales
Served with rice and beans.

Kid's Menu
Kid's Chico's Nachos
Served with black bean dip and chihuahua cheese.
Kid's Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Hot sandwich filled with cheese that has been pan cooked or grilled.
Kid's Cheese Quesadilla
Cooked tortilla that is filled with cheese and folded in half.
Kid's Mexican Pizza
Kid's Mexican Pizza
Kid's Steak Taco
On flour tortillas topped with cheese. Served with beans and rice.
Kid's Ground Beef Taco
On flour tortillas topped with cheese. Served with beans and rice.
Kid's Chicken Taco
On flour tortillas topped with cheese. Served with beans and rice.
Kid's Chicken Nuggets
Kid's Chicken Nuggets

Fajitas
Filet Mignon Fajita
All Fajitas are served with Four Soft Corn, Flour or Wheat Tortillas. Tortillas can be substituted with Lettuce Wraps
Chicken Fajita
All Fajitas are served with Four Soft Corn, Flour or Wheat Tortillas. Tortillas can be substituted with Lettuce Wraps
Skirt Steak Fajita
All Fajitas are served with Four Soft Corn, Flour or Wheat Tortillas. Tortillas can be substituted with Lettuce Wraps
Shrimp Fajita
All Fajitas are served with Four Soft Corn, Flour or Wheat Tortillas. Tortillas can be substituted with Lettuce Wraps
Vegetable Fajita
All Fajitas are served with Four Soft Corn, Flour or Wheat Tortillas. Tortillas can be substituted with Lettuce Wraps
Combination of 2
All Fajitas are served with Four Soft Corn, Flour or Wheat Tortillas. Tortillas can be substituted with Lettuce Wraps

Platos Grandes
Paella
Spanish rice served with mussels, shrimp, clams, chicken, beef sausage, and poblano peppers.
2 Filet Mignon Medallions
Two 4 oz. center cut filet medallions with a mushroom tequila sauce, served with jalapeno mashed potatoes and grilled vegetables.
Salmon Burrito
A flour tortilla stuffed with goat cheese and black beans. Served with cucumber salsa and Spanish rice.
Chiles Rellenos
Poblano pepper stuffed with Anejo and chihuahua cheeses. Served with rice and beans with a mild red sauce.
Pollo Espinaco
Grilled marinated chicken breast with portabello mushrooms. Garnished with black beans, spinach with chihuahua cheese, served with a poblano pepper cream sauce.
Enchiladas
3 corn tortillas rolled with cheese and your choice of 1 filling and 1 sauce. Fillings: chicken, ground beef, shrimp, vegetable, or cheese. Sauces: tomatillo, mole, guajillo or ancho BBQ.
Combination of Enchiladas
Combination of Enchiladas
Carne de Casa
Grilled skirt steak and vegetables served with jalapeno mashed potatoes and mango relish topped with a demi-glace.
Grilled Tilapia
Blackened and served with grilled vegetables and roasted red pepper sauce.
Grilled Vegetable Burrito
Stuffed with grilled zucchini, squash, carrots, and goat cheese on a sun-dried tomato tortilla. Garnished with grilled tomatoes and sweet potato fries.
Burrito
A flour tortilla stuffed with pico de gallo, refried beans, and cheese. Topped with cheese and guajillo Chile sauce. Served with rice and shredded lettuce.

Desserts
Key Lime Pie
Savory Key Lime Pie
Bread Pudding
Served with caramel sauce. Add ice cream for an additional charge.
Caramel Flan
Traditional Caramel Flan
Mexican Chocolate Sundae
Mexican Chocolate Sundae
Churros
Served with caramel dipping sauce.
Banana Bread
Served with ice cream and chocolate sauce.

Side Dishes
Grilled Vegetable
Grilled Vegetable
Jalapeno Mashed Potatoes
Creamy potatoes that have been mashed and mixed with milk, butter, and seasoning.
Spanish Rice
Spanish Rice
Pinto Beans
Pinto Beans
Refried Beans
Refried Beans
Black Beans
Served with sauteed bananas.
Jicama Slices
Refried Beans
Side of Guacamole
Side of Guacamole
Sweet Potato Fries
Sweet Potato Fries
Side of Spicy Salsa
Side of Spicy Salsa
Mexican Street Corn
Mexican Street Corn
Shredded Lettuce
Shredded Lettuce
Sour Cream
Tangy fermented cream.
Tomatoes
Tomatoes
Cheese
Cheese

Taco Selections
Grilled Fish Tacos
Served with grilled poblano chiles.
Duck Tacos
Duck Tacos
Chicken Tinga Tacos
Shredded chicken in a chipotle Chile sauce. Substitute chicken breast for an additional charge.
Seasoned Ground Beef Tacos
Seasoned Ground Beef Tacos
Skirt Steak Taco al Carbon
Skirt Steak Taco al Carbon
Carnitas Chipotle Tacos
Roast leg of pork.
Shrimp Tacos
Sauteed in a red guajillo Chile sauce.
Combination of Any 2 Tacos
Combination of Any 2 Tacos

Street Menu
Burrito Street Menu
1 burrito per order filled with refried beans and wrapped in a flour tortilla.
Taco Street Menu
2 tacos per order. Served exactly the same way. Served on corn or flour tortilla.
Tostada Street Menu
2 tostadas per order. Served exactly the same way. On a bed of vegetarian refried pinto beans.

Photos

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Recent Reviews

My date and I came in while they were in the process of closing. They insisted we come in so that they may accommodate us. Accommodate us, they did! We did not feel rushed at all. We were able to enjoy each others company. The staff made us feel welcomed. We will definitely come back. Thank you!!
September 2025
What a delightful find for us on our walk through downtown Highland Park! The chicken enchiladas with tomatillo sauce and the steak tacos were incredible! I cried when the plate was empty 😭
September 2025
Food was pretty standard Mexican fare. I had the enchiladas which were decent but not spectacular. My wife had a couple of the tamales, which she enjoyed. Chips and salsa were not great. The biggest disappointment, however, was that prices were very high. You can get very similar fare at half a dozen places nearby for much less.
September 2025

More Reviews

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Tamales Mexican Restaurant

493 Central Ave, Highland Park, IL 60035
(847) 433-4070