El Metate Tamale Factory

I may be biased; it’s been 13 years since I moved out of New Mexico for work after graduating from NMT. So… this little restaurant was outstanding. Green chile had tang, red chile had smoke; tamale was tender; enchilada was filled just right and relleno was not greasy. Might have to go out of my way when we do our final move past here again in a month.

We are all about the hole in the wall places, and this one was fantastic. These were the best tamales I’ve had in a restaurant since I lived in Tucson. The chicken with green sauce was my fave, but pork was tasty too. Get Christmas for your sauce so you can enjoy both!

Very friendly service. Cold AC. Food is made as ordered so it’s fresh and flavorful! Great find odd the beaten path.

I found this place on Unilocal when deciding on a place to stop on my road trip from California to Colorado. This little gem is kinda hidden in a neighborhood probably because it is family owned. The family were very nice and the food was on point! I had the Combination Plate which included one tamale, chile relleno, and enchilada as well as rice and beans. All of it was tasty! I also tried their chicken hard tacos which was much better than I had anticipated. I thought the chicken was going to be too dry or salty because it was shredded but it was very tender and had great flavor. Definitely glad I found another great family restaurant and I would definitely recommend if anyone is passing by the area.

I’ve lived in Gallup for almost a year now and have been searching for authentic tacos. My friend finally took me here which happens to be her favorite Mexican restaurant and it did not disappoint me at all! I got the disco tacos and it was flame. almost felt like I was in the streets of Mexico eating from a local taco stand.

We arrived at 1:45, so it wasn’t crowded. We ordered a Combination Platter and the Tostada de Tinga. Super good food — authentically South of the Border and Southwest fusion.
It isn’t much for ambiance, but the food is excellent. I appreciate my fellow Unilocalers steering my in the right direction so far away from home.

Had the combination plate. Very good. Price is very fair. Service was efficient. Will come back.

Must be under new management because I didn’t have the positive experience as other reviewers.
I ordered the follow:
3 chicken enchiladas with rice and beans
Steak fajita with rice and beans
Steak quesadilla
The enchiladas were dry, it need more sauce. The steak fajita was a little below average and only seemed to be seasoned with salt and pepper. The look was not appealing. My first thought was that the meat was not thoroughly cooked. The beans had an ugly grey color. My biggest complaint was the steak quesadilla. The meat was rotten! It had a terrible ordor. I ordered it for my kids who are 3&4. My son refused to eat it after taking a bit so I taste tested and realized it was rotten.
The restaurant is very small and is in a terrible location. There’s no front parking for the restaurant. During our entire visit there was only 1 person working. She did the cooking, cleaning, and waiting on customers. The only good thing about this place is the rice.
My overall experience was not a pleasant one and I will never return.

I ordered the tamale plate with one chicken, one vegetarian and one beef tamale. We were the only three sitting in the restaurant near closing time. Hip hop/​Rap was blaring through the speakers. The waitress was sweet. I know the difficulty in preparing masa for tamales. I thought theirs was slightly watery and not as hearty as I would have liked. The portions were decent. I thought both the chicken and beef were prepared well. Both were spicy. The vegetarian had canned corn and I forget what else. I’ve already forgotten… The chips were home fried and the green salsa was hot. I suppose it’s considered a decent meal in Gallup.

If you have to stop and eat in gallup this is the place to find. The best Mexican I have had in a long long time. The place is a hidden gem right off of i40. Super clean, red chili was great, homemade chips, and I had a tostada and if was so good. Quick and woulderful. Wish they were in abq.

The best place in town. Live in Abq gotta eat here every time I come to Gallup! I usually get the steak gorditas every time. I love the location how it’s hidden and I definitely recommend this place.

Loved this place! Got the combo. Everything was great – from the tamale to the enchilada to the relleno. Even the rice was very flavorful.

Stuffed chicken sopa was amazing! Would have been nice to have another staff member there. Poor lady was cooking waiting tables and running the register therefore hendering other customers from getting better service

Totally worth getting off the highway. Food is delish, prices very reasonable, great service. Had the combo and combo tamale plates. MMMMM

This place is as underrated as they come! I found this neat little place while trying to find a spot for a quiet lunch. The owners are amazing at what they do. The atmosphere is great, the parking is great, the food is amazing. You can’t go wrong here. It’s as authentic as it comes! Stop in and give it a try!

Stopped in on a Tuesday for lunch on the way from the Petrified Forest National Park to Santa Fe. We were lucky… we had stayed in Gallup the night before and were able to go to Jerry’s as well, so we had the chance to hit up both these awesome joints.
The building is admittedly sketchy, and in a residential neighborhood where one wouldn’t typically expect a restaurant. Don’t let any of that scare you away from it, though… trust the reviews. When almost 200 Unilocalers have reviewed a place and it’s 4.5 stars, you really can’t go wrong.
None of us ordered tamales… despite being a tamale factory in name, this place didn’t seem like tamales were its only speciality… I could be wrong, but the other stuff on the menu that we ordered spoke for itself.
I ordered the asado plate… it was awesome. The sauce was perfect. Not too spicy, not too mild. Put the meat in a warm, obviously made in-​house tortilla, and you’re set. The rice was also pretty stellar. My mom got the plate with eggs and jalapeños (name?) and my dad got barbacoa tacos, both of which were good as well.
The food was awesome, and it was a nice change. On our New Mexico trip we’re taking right now (we’re from Indiana) we’ve had a decent amount of New Mexican cuisine, but no straight up Mexican food. While this had New Mexican elements, it was much more mainstream Mexican than most other places, like Jerry’s, also in Gallup.

I’m going to go ahead and add to the mystique of this place. Not only was this the best Mexican food I’ve ever had, but this was quite literally the best meal I’ve ever eaten.
I was initially worried when we drove up. The restaurant is in the middle of a neighborhood. This actually turned out to be a good thing. It has about 9 tables and literally feels like you are visiting a Mexican home for dinner. The people are nice and the food is bordering on legendary.
Go here and you will not be disappointed.

Found this place on Unilocal and it was THE BEST MEXICAN FOOD I’VE EVER ATE.
So ya’ll know I’ve lived in Tucson for 30 years so I have a good idea what it’s all about
I had the Carnitas Plate and my wife had Beef Chimichangas and I had one of her Chimichangas.
Off the main drag and worth the extra few blocks.
Great food and service all for a fair price.

Friendly place and courteous owners. Located in a residential area but inside has plenty of seating.
Ordered the combination plate and it was really good. Fresh, flavorful and portion size was just right.
The food did not take long make. Overall dining experience was pleasant.
Definitely worth checking out!

I am telling you… Trust the Unilocal.This is the epitome of a hole-​in-​the-​wall restaurant that is a good few blocks off the Interstate and buried in a residential working-​class neighborhood. When you pull up, you will have doubts and fears. But you need to take a very deep breath and TRUST THE Unilocal.
I opted for a combination plate and told the woman who took our order that spicy was okay. And what I got was a very tasty plate with rice and beans and a chile relleon and a tamale and a chicken enchilada. Check out the picture. I CLEANED that plate. It was very very good. Really good.
My mom, who is not at all adventurous and does not like spice at all, had an egg and potato burrito and we told the woman «no spice. no caliente.» And she did perfect. My mom said that this was the best meal she had of our entire trip. And believe me, that is saying something.
Trust the Unilocal.And if this is not a really great meal, I’d love to know how.

Excelente comida mexicana. Muy recomendable sin paras de tu ruta 66.
El sitio está algo perdido, tienes que saber llegar pero cuando vi la pegatina de Unilocal en la puerta sabía que venía a un buen sitio.
Atención excelente y rapidez. Un gran almuerzo. Su duelo Carlos un hombre muy amable y gracioso. Habla espanglish y puedes hablar con el.