CANDELARIA TAMALES SPECIAL: Tamales Doña Emi

The Place: Tamales Doña Emi: Candelaria Legend in the Roma

The Experience: In a small localito on an anonymous corner of the Roma Sur in Mexico City Gringo G Mexico Food Blog can enjoy some of the nicest, warm, soft, spongy tamales in all of Mexico every morning; he obviously can but does not consume them every morning because if he did Gringo G might not be able to walk to get his tamales when he wants them!

Over 50 years ago Hermila “Doña Emi” Galván Sanchez began selling tamales from a cart in the Colonia Roma and eventually opened the localito that stands today with the third generation of kind ladies dedicated to making excellent, soft and spongy tamales reflecting the ones they grew up with in their hometown of Ozumba, Estado de México.

If you are looking to have great tamales on the Candelaria Doña Emi is a sure thing!, Candelaria is the tradition was supposedly created as a mestizo (mix of the tamal, an indigenous food and Catholic tradition) celebration of when Jesus was presented for the first time in the temple  and is celebrated every February 2.

Location: Calle Tonalá 278B (in the back part of the building with the entrance of the localito actually facing Calle Jalapa), Calle Jalapa corner with Tlaxcala, Colonia Roma Sur, DF.

GOOGLE MAP LOCATION LINK

Specialties: 

All of the tamales are excellent with the standouts being the “champiñón con puerco” (tamal filled with mushrooms, bone-in pork cuts and green tomatillo salsa) and the “champiñon” … also very good is the mole tamal.

Tips: If you want to have access to the entire variety of tamales that Doña Emi offers you have to show up around 7am (much earlier on the actual day of Candelaria) and wait in line … the van with the famous tamales will then arrive and you can have at it. However, if you want to avoid the line you can usually show up around 9am and most of the popular tamales should still be available usually with little to no wait.

Price Point: $

$: Comida corrida $$: Casual $$$: Formal $$$$: La Crème de La Crème

Internet Site:  This is just a traditional “localito” … no website or Twitter or Facebook here.

Contact: Telephone +52 55 5264 5316

Coming Up: Chocolate Series: Valentine Month Part I of III