KSAT News Now reveals viewers vote for best tamales restaurant in San Antonio

KSAT viewers choose Tamale Boy in competition of best tamale restaurants in San Antonio

SAN ANTONIO – KSAT viewers have spoken and selected Tamale Boy as the top homegrown tamales restaurant in San Antonio. Nearly 2,000 votes were submitted in KSAT News Now’s Tasty Tamales Showdown.

The voting started with 12 local restaurants and wrapped up on Wednesday. Tamale Boy owner Juan Rodriguez joined KSAT News Now to discuss the history of his restaurant, some customer favorites and more about how he started in the tamal business. It’s a great story! You can watch his live interview in the video player above.

Thanks to everyone who voted. KSAT News Now streams weekdays at 11 a.m. on KSAT.com.

PREVIOUS STORY:

Sharing or making tamales during holidays is a time-honored tradition for many Texas families.

Whether it’s beef, pork, chicken, verdes or rojos, tamales are part of our heritage.

And, in San Antonio, there’s no shortage of restaurants that make delicious tamales, sometimes year-round.

The origins of tamales in Central America date back to the Mesoamerican empire around 8000 to 5000 B.C.

They were considered the food of the gods for many Indigenous civilizations, including the Aztecs and Mayans.

MORE: KSAT News Now’s previous Tasty Taco showdown and watch KSAT Explains deep dive into taco culture in San Antonio

They are made with masa or dough and can be filled with various items. Now we want to know what is your favorite home-grown tamale spot in San Antonio.

12 RESTAURANTS WE STARTED WITH

  • Adelita’s Tamale and Tortilla Factory
  • B&B Tamales and Food To Go
  • Del Rio Tortilla Factory
  • Delicious Tamales
  • La Luz Tortilla Factory
  • Martinez Barbacoa Y Tamales
  • Mimi’s Barbacoa Tacos Tamales
  • Olgitas Molino
  • Ruben’s Homemade Tamales
  • Tamale Boy Tacos and Tamales
  • Tellez Tamales & Barbacoa
  • Tortilleria Los Hermanos

About the Authors

RJ Marquez is the traffic anchor/reporter for KSAT’s Good Morning San Antonio. He also fills in as a news anchor and has covered stories from breaking news and Fiesta to Spurs championships and high school sports. RJ started at KSAT in 2010. He is proud to serve our viewers and be a part of the culture and community that makes San Antonio great.

Alicia Barrera is a KSAT 12 News reporter and anchor. She is also a co-host of the streaming show KSAT News Now. Alicia is a first-generation Mexican-American, fluent in both Spanish and English with a bachelor's degree from Our Lady of the Lake University. She enjoys reading books, traveling solo across Mexico and spending time with family.

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