Santa Barbara Tamales To Go

Important to note their hours are 11 – 2. I have tried on 4 different occasion to get tamales from this place. So far my experience has been very disappointing. The first time they were sold out and closing before the 2:00 hour. The next time I went early and was in line at about 11:45 when again, they were sold out of all types but two. The next time I went at 11:10 and was told while standing in line the were sold out of everything. Keep in mind this is just a few minutes after they opened. I was able to speak with the owner and he gave me his card and said the best thing to do was to order ahead to be sure to get what I wanted. So the next day I called ahead to order for the following day. Feeling confident I would finally have my chile and cheese tamales I was there at 11:00 only to be told they had not arrived with the tamales yet and to come back in five minutes. I did this twice more. The woman then took my number and assured me she would call when they arrived. I did receive a call only to inform me they had made a mistake and there were no tamales that day for me. This business seems highly successful by the number of people lined up for their tamales however their service is slow, disorganized and inconsistent. Every time I was in line I heard the same kind of experiences by other folks. I would also agree with another review that these are not the best tamales and a little small for the price. The convenience of the location to my work place is the only reason I have tried so many times. However the last time was final straw and I will not be back.
Update to this review as of 12−30−15. Today Richard Lambert, president and I believe owner of Tamales To Go tracked me down and made a peace offering of warm tamales for the mess up on my last order. This was very nice and a great stride in the right direction toward good customer relations. I will give them another try in the future based on this action.

AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS TAMALES! I’ve never been a huge fan of tamales — that is, until I tasted Santa Barbara Tamales To Go! I was lucky enough to have won 12 SB Tamales at a business networking meeting. The owner couldn’t have been nicer or more accommodating. There are 6 varieties of tamales. We invited our good friends over, and tried five of the 6 options. My husband picked them up, and they arrived home piping hot, and color coded, with instructions on how to reheat or store them. No need for that — the four of us ate every last tamale! It’d be hard to say which tamale I liked most: Pork, Chicken Verde, or Farmer’s Market. We all agreed they were the most fantastic tamales ever. No heavy, doughy corn masa; these tamales are light, fresh, perfectly seasoned and flavorful. Two thumbs waaay up! Highly recommended.

These are the best tamales I have ever eaten in my 35 years in Southern California! We have ordered them now for two reunions at my home and more than 30 guests have also raved about the depth and breadth of flavors. Even my pickiest guests found a flavor they loved!

These tamales are delicious! We ordered them for a tequila tamale taste-​off and they won hands down! So much more filling compared with any other tamales we’ve tried. And the black olives at each end are a nice surprise. The homemade salsas are terrific, too. We will definitely be ordering again soon.

I almost never leave Unilocal reviews but this place is amazing! We have placed big work lunch orders one day before delivery twice and the service has been fantastic. All the tamale ties are color coded and a helpful key is provided, which is extremely helpful when dealing with a big catering order. Plus, the tamales are delicious! I don’t always like tamales because sometimes they are mostly just masa. But the filling-​masa ratio on these is perfect! The farmer’s market is full of yummy veggies, and I love the olives! Everyone loves these so much we are making tamale tuesday a regular tradition!

I don’t normally write bad reviews, but I was so insulted about how the owner just treated me while trying to order tamales for the New Year. I called three days ago to ask him how long in advance he needs to order about 50 tamales for New Year’s Day, and he responded usually the day before is fine. So I called back the day before I neded them to order and he said it was sold out. I explained to him our conversation just a few days prior, and he yelled at me and said «why don’t you just call me a liar then «and then hung up on me. Honestly, I was just trying to give these people business cause they seemed nice and the tamales are okay. They are a little overpriced and very small. You could get a better deal off of the bakeries on Milpas.

I was just in SB hanging out for fiesta and craved tamales… and I found a piece of heaven! We got 12 pork ones and they were outstanding. A must if you want some good tamales on the go!!!

We ordered 120 tamales for a graduation party. The guests were about half college students and half parents (older people!). Everybody thought the tamales were the best they ever had. They loved them! We would definitely use Tamales To Go for future parties!
The tamales came tied with a colored ribbon so you could tell the fillings apart. We ordered the pork tamales, the chicken verde, and vegetarian chile and cheese.
There was plenty of filling in each tamale, and the tamales were made with less masa than the typical tamale. All this made for a very flavorful tamale instead of just a mouthful of corn meal. If you are expecting to pay $ 1 for a tamale you are calling the wrong place, but if you want the best tamale ever, with generous amounts of fillings, for a little more money, Tamales to Go is the best! Note: the tamales did not come wrapped in the traditional corn husks (they were in some other kind of wrapping), but that actually made them nicer, more consistent, and less messy.
And the best part… the leftover tamales were even better late that night with beer!