Photo by Elliott Muñoz
Believe it or not, the words “tamale” and “healthy” can be used in the same sentence. Since 1984, La Popular Tamale House has been walking the fine line between making tamales that are as good for your body as they are for you taste buds with high-quality meats and fresh veggies from the downtown Dallas Farmers Market.
Yet somehow the mom-and-pop joint in Old East Dallas also manages to maintain that authentic Mexican feel and flavor Texans all know and love, which manager Jesse Moreno Jr. credits to their old-school ways of hand-making each of their tamales. Guests can pick up a dozen steaming tamales for $12.95, pork being the most popular. All of La Popular’s tamales are gluten free, and their vegetarian tamales have drummed up quite a following in the Lakewood area. Their breakfast tacos are also a popular treat, especially among the high schools students who frequent the store, and each month La Popular features a seasonal tamale. February’s is a dessert tamale, which, yes, is as heavenly as it sounds.
La Popular Tamale House
5004 Columbia, Suite 103
214.824.7617
Ambiance: Pick-up
Price range: $2–$12.92
Hours: (Closed Monday) Tuesday-Friday 7 a.m.-7 p.m., Sat.-Sun. 7 a.m-3 p.m.
Did you know? Jesse Moreno Sr. came up with the idea for La Popular during a frustrating Christmas Eve of driving around town, trying to find food for his pregnant wife. As a result, La Popular is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Thanksgiving and Christmas as a service to the community.
Three mom-and-pop Mexican favorites
1. El Taquito Café
This cozy spot in Old East Dallas feels more like your grandmother’s kitchen than a restaurant, and serves traditional enchiladas and fajitas that might rival hers, too. (Don’t tell her we said that.)
5427 E. Grand, 214.823.5872
2. Tacos Y Mas
If you’re hungry for tacos to-go, this may be your best bet. Its crave-worthy taco meat is what put this little joint on the map, but it also serves a variety of other Tex-Mex options.
5419 Ross
214.824.8079
3. La Victoria
This hole-in-the-wall boasts of being gluten-free friendly, but it’s the meaty pork tamales and breakfast burritos Victoria customers rave about.
1605 N. Haskell
214.827.0101
