Super bummed by my experience today. We pre-order tamales every year for the holidays. My wife & I love supporting a queer, immigrant-owned business as we’re queer & my wife is a Latina immigrant, too!
I carefully read the instructions in the email for pick up before stopping by as I know they’re slammed this time of year. The email didn’t say anything about where to go for pick up, & since I’ve picked up the past few holiday orders at the previous location’s service window, that’s where I went.
At the window, there was a sign saying the window was closed for takeout orders with a handwritten note below that said “pre-order pick up only!!!” Since I had pre-ordered, I waved to one of the workers at the window.
They yelled at me through the glass to “go through the door.” I was confused since the sign said pre-order pick up, so I pointed to it & said I had a pre-order. They continued to yell at me through the closed window. When they finally did open the window, they snapped at me to “go through the front door” without so much as a “hello.” I tried to explain my confusion, but instead of listening or empathizing, they snapped at me again. I was frustrated & upset at being barked at, so I responded with, “that says pre-order pick up, so you should probably take that down if you don’t want people walking up to the window.” As I walked away, they slammed the window shut while saying “oh my GOD!!” to their co-workers in an exasperated & annoyed tone.
When I came around into the empty restaurant to pick up my order, the same person came to help me. Their attitude towards me was just not very kind & when they brought out my order, it was in a wet paper bag with no handles. Everything had just been dumped in, rather than stacked or organized.
I get that a $100 pre-order is nothing for a successful business. However, being treated as if I was stupid & not worthy of their help/kindness didn’t feel great.
Three ways this interaction could have been avoided or made better: 1. Put in the emailed instructions that the window will be closed & that we should come inside. 2. Add clearer signage. Something that says, “Takeout window closed today! Please come inside to order takeout. Pre-ordered your tamales? We’ll gladly help you inside!” 3. If someone comes up to the window, don’t yell at them through it. Open the window and say, “hi! Our takeout window is closed today. If you pre-ordered, please come inside so we can help you.”
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 5
Service: 1
yashwanth kp
Delicious food and friendly staff. Had the 2 vegan tamales and they both tasted great!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Connie C
Good place for a quick bite! The tamales was very good - we got the chicken one it’s hot when we got it and super flavorful. The tacos were just ok - the meat was a bit tough to chew.
Food: 4
Service: 5
George T
We came in for the beer and out of curiosity ordered the tamales. I frankly dislike tamales in general, so it was a shock to me to actually really enjoy their ground pork and cheese tamales. The beer was great too (we had the blonde and an IPA), so this is now our new favorite spot to grab a bite before a concert at the Nectar.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Beau Johnson
Listen, we could have done better with this review but I was hungry and a goof.
These tamales are DAMN good. They had a walk up window but we walked around inside and TO BE FAIR could have eaten inside. We had a list of chores and I thought it would be smarter and faster to eat in the car.
These tamales, regardless of the location being consumed, are incredible in size and flavor. I got the Verde chicken, and my wife got the roja pork. They tasted incredible and the guacamole was super flavorful.
great tamale, loved the beer, nice server who wished me a soon happy birthday.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Tay
Tamales are good I would say the filling is nice and full which is important to me because I don’t like masa with minimum filing. The cost is high for the tamales but I would say for me it is worth it. This time I got shrimp tacos and I would say those are even better than the tamales, large shrimps. The last time I was here was when it was a drive/walk up window in greenlake. This time it was in another location more in the Fremont area. The new location parking situation is super hectic! There is minimal parking and kind of dangerous. The website was glitching a lot when placing online order and somehow asked for frozen in my order but it should have been non frozen the lady helped me with fixing it which I appreciated. It is hectic location to get to but I would probably still go when craving tacos/tamales when visiting my daughter in the area.
Alex Leach
Best Tamales in the PNW, quite possibly the world. Beer is phenomenal. The owners are hot as hell.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Julie Combs
This place is incredible! The food is delicious and the beer is incredible! Try the Guerita Blonde Ale!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Juan Carlos Izquierdo Uscanga
The service is excellent but the food leaves a lot to be desired, the tamales dry and lacking authentic flavor.
An exceptional experience! Food and service vibes are fantastic, plus El Sueñito? Win/win.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Michael Cook
This is one of the finest dining experiences i have had in recent memory. Go for the Tamales, stay for the tacos, and thank me later. The food here is exquisite.
The tamales are good, but they were out of a lot of options. It also took nearly 30 minutes, so order ahead if you want takeout. Pretty good, so worth the wait.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Chorizo with Cheese and Pork Tamales, Salsa Verde Chicken, Salsa Verde
Chris Holstrom
I went to the previous location for years and loved it. This was my first time picking up takeout at the new location, and it didn't go well. They ignored me at the window for over 5 minutes, then said someone would be with me soon, and then ignored me for another 5 minutes. When I rang the bell again, two separate employees gave me grief, didn't help me for a while, and when they finally did, they didn't thank me for my order or offer the usual condiments. Instead, they were confrontational. As I was leaving, they were complaining about me to each other. I guess they had time for that, but not to help customers. I still like the tamales, but it will be a while before I go back -- if ever -- after that experience. Maybe the owners should have been more careful when hiring for the larger location. It's a shame. The old place was great, but the poor service and rude employees really soured me on this place.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 1
David Trinh
Delicious and the guacamole is perfect. Nice and chunky!!!
Super bummed by my experience today. We pre-order tamales every year for the holidays. My wife & I love supporting a queer, immigrant-owned business as we’re queer & my wife is a Latina immigrant, too!
I carefully read the instructions in the email for pick up before stopping by as I know they’re slammed this time of year. The email didn’t say anything about where to go for pick up, & since I’ve picked up the past few holiday orders at the previous location’s service window, that’s where I went.
At the window, there was a sign saying the window was closed for takeout orders with a handwritten note below that said “pre-order pick up only!!!” Since I had pre-ordered, I waved to one of the workers at the window.
They yelled at me through the glass to “go through the door.” I was confused since the sign said pre-order pick up, so I pointed to it & said I had a pre-order. They continued to yell at me through the closed window. When they finally did open the window, they snapped at me to “go through the front door” without so much as a “hello.” I tried to explain my confusion, but instead of listening or empathizing, they snapped at me again. I was frustrated & upset at being barked at, so I responded with, “that says pre-order pick up, so you should probably take that down if you don’t want people walking up to the window.” As I walked away, they slammed the window shut while saying “oh my GOD!!” to their co-workers in an exasperated & annoyed tone.
When I came around into the empty restaurant to pick up my order, the same person came to help me. Their attitude towards me was just not very kind & when they brought out my order, it was in a wet paper bag with no handles. Everything had just been dumped in, rather than stacked or organized.
I get that a $100 pre-order is nothing for a successful business. However, being treated as if I was stupid & not worthy of their help/kindness didn’t feel great.
Three ways this interaction could have been avoided or made better:
1. Put in the emailed instructions that the window will be closed & that we should come inside.
2. Add clearer signage. Something that says, “Takeout window closed today! Please come inside to order takeout. Pre-ordered your tamales? We’ll gladly help you inside!”
3. If someone comes up to the window, don’t yell at them through it. Open the window and say, “hi! Our takeout window is closed today. If you pre-ordered, please come inside so we can help you.”
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 5
Service: 1
Delicious food and friendly staff. Had the 2 vegan tamales and they both tasted great!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Good place for a quick bite! The tamales was very good - we got the chicken one it’s hot when we got it and super flavorful. The tacos were just ok - the meat was a bit tough to chew.
Food: 4
Service: 5
We came in for the beer and out of curiosity ordered the tamales. I frankly dislike tamales in general, so it was a shock to me to actually really enjoy their ground pork and cheese tamales. The beer was great too (we had the blonde and an IPA), so this is now our new favorite spot to grab a bite before a concert at the Nectar.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Listen, we could have done better with this review but I was hungry and a goof.
These tamales are DAMN good. They had a walk up window but we walked around inside and TO BE FAIR could have eaten inside. We had a list of chores and I thought it would be smarter and faster to eat in the car.
These tamales, regardless of the location being consumed, are incredible in size and flavor. I got the Verde chicken, and my wife got the roja pork. They tasted incredible and the guacamole was super flavorful.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Salsa Roja, Salsa Verde Chicken
great tamale, loved the beer, nice server who wished me a soon happy birthday.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Tamales are good I would say the filling is nice and full which is important to me because I don’t like masa with minimum filing. The cost is high for the tamales but I would say for me it is worth it. This time I got shrimp tacos and I would say those are even better than the tamales, large shrimps. The last time I was here was when it was a drive/walk up window in greenlake. This time it was in another location more in the Fremont area. The new location parking situation is super hectic! There is minimal parking and kind of dangerous. The website was glitching a lot when placing online order and somehow asked for frozen in my order but it should have been non frozen the lady helped me with fixing it which I appreciated. It is hectic location to get to but I would probably still go when craving tacos/tamales when visiting my daughter in the area.
Best Tamales in the PNW, quite possibly the world. Beer is phenomenal. The owners are hot as hell.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This place is incredible! The food is delicious and the beer is incredible! Try the Guerita Blonde Ale!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The service is excellent but the food leaves a lot to be desired, the tamales dry and lacking authentic flavor.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
An exceptional experience! Food and service vibes are fantastic, plus El Sueñito? Win/win.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This is one of the finest dining experiences i have had in recent memory. Go for the Tamales, stay for the tacos, and thank me later. The food here is exquisite.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Salsa Roja, Salsa Verde Chicken, Salsa Verde, Carrots, Salsa
The tamales are good, but they were out of a lot of options. It also took nearly 30 minutes, so order ahead if you want takeout. Pretty good, so worth the wait.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Chorizo with Cheese and Pork Tamales, Salsa Verde Chicken, Salsa Verde
I went to the previous location for years and loved it. This was my first time picking up takeout at the new location, and it didn't go well. They ignored me at the window for over 5 minutes, then said someone would be with me soon, and then ignored me for another 5 minutes. When I rang the bell again, two separate employees gave me grief, didn't help me for a while, and when they finally did, they didn't thank me for my order or offer the usual condiments. Instead, they were confrontational. As I was leaving, they were complaining about me to each other. I guess they had time for that, but not to help customers. I still like the tamales, but it will be a while before I go back -- if ever -- after that experience. Maybe the owners should have been more careful when hiring for the larger location. It's a shame. The old place was great, but the poor service and rude employees really soured me on this place.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 1
Delicious and the guacamole is perfect. Nice and chunky!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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