Where to find tamales in Tucson, including 24 restaurants and carnicerias

Editor's note: This story was originally published in 2022 and updated in 2023.

For many, tamales are synonymous with the holiday season.

But tamales require a lot of work and technique learned over years of practice. Not everyone has the bandwidth to make them — so let’s explore where we can get tamales in Tucson.

The most reliable places to get tamales are from restaurants in Tucson. You’ll be able to find tamales at El Torero and Perfecto’s. You can also find tamales at carnicerias: Carniceria El Aguajito or Supercarniceria Del Valle order tamales through local artisans. The catch here is that their stock is dropped off first thing in the morning: once they run out, you need to show up earlier the next day.

The most coveted place to find tamales, however, are the peddlers that set up in parking lots across town. We aren’t going to officially round up these locations because they might not be registered with the health department, but we’ll lead you down the garden path if you’re interested. The Tucson subreddit is full of leads: like this one shared with me by Amber, a #ThisIsTucson member, or many of the threads under this search term. Another key piece of information is that many of the red chile tamales made by hand have olives with pits in them: be careful when biting in.

Another note I’d like to include: while tamales are thought to be a cheap food, and can be found for $1 per, I was advised by Dona Matilde Santa Cruz to be careful about cheap tamales. They are often made with lower-cost maseca (corn flour) rather than freshly-ground masa. Because the quality of the corn is such a central factor in the taste of a tamal, maseca tamales are not always recommended and are often found on the cheaper end of the spectrum.

Barista del Barrio

Location: 1002 N. Grande Ave.

For more information, check out their website.

Beef Master Meat Market

Location: 527 W. 29th St.

For more information, check out their Facebook page.

Carniceria El Aguajito

Location: 2800 E. Fort Lowell Road

For more information, check out their Google Maps site.

Carniceria El Herradero

Locations: Five locations in Tucson.

For more information, check out their Google Maps sites.

Del Cielo Tamal

Location: 3073 N. Campbell Ave.

Note: Del Cielo is known for its vegan options.

For more information, check out their website.

Dolce Pastello

Location: 120 S. Avenida del Convento

For more information, check out their website.

El Torero

Location: 231 E. 26th St.

Note: El Torero sells beef and chicken tamales, in addition to the green corn tamales that the beloved now-closed Lerua's restaurant was known for.

For more information, check out their website.

La Estrella Bakery

Locations: 5266 S. 12th Ave., 120 S. Avenida del Convento, 901 N. Grande Ave.

Note: Don't forget the pan dulce!

For more information, check out their website.

La Mesa Tortillas

Locations: 3684 W. Orange Grove Road, 7823 E. Broadway, 3923 E. Pima St.

Note: La Mesa sells green corn, plus red chile pork, beef and chicken — and a vegan red chile with jackfruit. La Mesa ships both tamales and tortillas!

For more information, check out their website.

Little Mexico

Location: 698 W. Irvington Road

For more information, check out their website.

Los Jarritos

Location: 4832 S. 12th Ave.

For more information, check out their website.

Mi Nidito

Location: 1813 S. Fourth Ave.

For more information, check out their website.

Nopalinda

To order these vegan tamales, reach out on Instagram.

Perfecto’s Mexican Restaurant

Location: 5404 S. 12th Ave.

Note: Founder Perfecto León is nicknamed “The Tamale Man.” Long before opening the restaurant in 2009, he sold between 150 and 200 dozen tamales per week outside of a grocery store on the south side.

For more information, check out their website.