Wrapped in Tradition: Where to Find Orange County’s Best Tamales This Season
- Cynthia Rebolledo
- 13 hours ago
- 7 min read
Tamales in Orange County live everywhere – in neighborhood kitchens, longtime restaurants, food trucks and street festivals that draw thousands. Here’s your roadmap to the institutions, regional specialties and December tamal blowouts that define the season.
Tamales in Orange County aren’t just a seasonal, holiday tradition – they’re a cultural experience woven through family kitchens, restaurants and street vendors who have served regulars and newcomers for decades. Whether you’re looking for a quick grab-and-go tamal before work, a regional specialty or an all-day holiday festival with dozens of vendors lined up along historic streets, we’ve got you covered. This guide rounds up the essential places – the institutions, the Salvadoran standouts, the taco shops with seasonal specials and the community festivals that bring it all together. Think of this as your roadmap from neighborhood legends to the biggest masa celebrations of the year.
Ruby’s Tamales
Where: 400 Mortimer St., Santa Ana and 1418 N Main St., Santa Ana (in front of the bank)
When: 6 a.m.-12 p.m. daily
Cost: $40 dozen
Contact: 714-986-0143, 949-394-7105 or instagram.com/rubys.tamales
The stand gets hectic on weekend mornings, when residents are looking to buy a dozen tamales and a hot café de olla for the walk home. No matter the day, you’ll want to get up early to snag her signature tamales de costillas wrapped in banana leaf – spongy masa filled with savory pork rib in a green chile sauce. Another favorite is the torta de tamal, which features your choice of tamal inside a bolillo; this Mexico City masterpiece also sells out quickly. Ruby’s tamales de maiz are excellent: light, fluffy masa, packed with meat. Her offerings include pork (cooked in a spicy sauce of red New Mexico chiles), chicken in chile verde, rajas con queso (roasted poblano with jack cheese) and tamales dulces de fresa (sweet strawberry tamales). It’s a perfect everyday tamal stop because it’s quick, consistent and comforting. Don’t forget the champurrado (a warm, Mexican chocolate drink).
Sarinana’s Tamale Factory
Where: 2218 W. 5th St., Santa Ana
When: 7 a.m.-9 p.m. daily
Cost: $21.30 (bundle of six/single flavor), $42.61 (dozen/up to two flavors)
Contact: 714-558-8650
Orange County’s oldest-standing Mexican restaurant since 1939 has perfected the art of tamales. The experience here is wonderfully old-school: a small counter, a steady stream of regulars and a menu that focuses on the classics. The masa is dense and satisfying, with fillings (chicken, pork and beef) that lean toward the rich, comforting flavors you’d expect from a multi-generational business. Sarinana’s is also great for larger holiday orders thanks to decades of experience handling big, family-sized batches.
Las Brisas de Apatzingán
Where: 1524 S Flower St., Santa Ana
When: 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, Tuesdays closed, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sundays
Cost: $3.75-$5.50
Here you’ll find the best regional style of tamal – the uchepo. These slightly sweet tamales from Michoacán’s Tierra Caliente region are beloved for their flavor, tender texture and kernels of fresh corn. Enjoy it in its simplicity or preparado, dressed up with salsa verde, queso and crema. They are sold year-round but even better during the holidays for their relative rarity.
Taco Mesita
Where: 765 El Camino Real, Tustin
When: 7 a.m.-10 p.m. Sundays-Thursdays, 7 a.m.-11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays
Cost: $18-$35 dozen
Contact: (657) 293-4166, tacomesita.com
Taco Mesita’s holiday tamal specials bring a modern, Alta California touch while still keeping the comforting essence of the classic. Think flavors like papaya whipped sweet corn, wood rotisserie pollo en mole negro and pork shoulder chile colorado stuffed with oaxaca-pepper cheese in a lighter but still cozy masa. A 48-hours notice is required If you’re looking to buy a dozen, so make your call now.
Flor Blanca Salvadoran Restaurant
Where: 12571 S. Harbor Blvd., Garden Grove
When: 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays; 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Sundays
Cost: $51.80 dozen
Contact: (714) 539-8795
Flor Blanca’s Salvadoran tamales offer a softer, silkier style wrapped in banana leaves rather than corn husks. These tamales have a completely different personality than their Mexican cousins – gentle, custardy masa with fillings that soak up flavor beautifully. The filling is chicken and potato in a recaudo sauce, a blend of aromatic spices, herbs and chiles.
El Molino de Oro
Where: 31886 Del Obispo St., San Juan Capistrano (also at 728 N Tustin St., Orange and 23532 El Toro Road #7, Lake Forest)
When: 5 a.m.-9 p.m. daily
Cost: $51.80 dozen
Contact: (949) 489-9230
This San Juan Capistrano institution is known for its pan dulce, fresh tortillas and full menu of Mexican comfort dishes that includes tamales. The masa leans dense and flavorful, with fillings that don’t try to overcomplicate things — pork, chicken, beef, rajas with cheese and sweet pineapple and fresa. El Molino’s tamales pair perfectly with café de olla or a fresh-made concha in the morning.
El Fortín
Where: 700 E. Commonwealth Ave., Fullerton (also at 10444 Dale Ave., Stanton, (714) 252-9120)
When: 7 a.m.-10 p.m. daily
Cost: $5.99 each
Contact: (714) 773-4290, restaurantelfortin.com
El Fortín is best known for its Oaxacan specialties, including tlayudas and mole, but its tamales also impress. Expect complex sauces, strong chiles and deeply fragrant masa. Their mole negro tamal is richer and more intensely flavored than standard tamales with a bittersweet paste of Mexican chocolate and smoky spices wrapped in a banana leaf.
Tamales Mireya
Where: 12791 Buaro St., Garden Grove
When: 5-9 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, 8 a.m.-12 p.m. Sundays
Cost: $35 dozen maiz and $45 dozen platano
Contact: (714) 396-7782, instagram.com/tamales_mireya
Tamales Mireya is a beloved Garden Grove tamal lonchera that has grown a following for its handmade, masa-forward tamales served hot from the steamer. The tamales are generous, flavorful and deeply comforting – the kind you unwrap and can instantly tell they were made with care. The red and green chile options are especially popular, with balanced spice that keeps regulars coming back weekly. Tamales come wrapped in banana leaves and corn husk. Because it’s a truck, it's casual and communal: People order in line, chat with the staff and eat tamales out of the foil on the spot.
El Campeón
Where: 31921 Camino Capistrano #15, San Juan Capistrano
When: 6 a.m.-8 p.m. daily
Cost: $44.62 dozen
Contact: (949) 489-4078
El Campeón is a South County landmark – part taqueria, part bakery, part carnicería and part juice bar – where everything operates with nonstop energy. While many come for tacos or fresh-squeezed juices, the tamales are well made, with soft, traditional masa and fillings that are flavorful without being heavy. Pork in red sauce and chicken in green chile are the stars, often available hot and ready thanks to constant turnover. The atmosphere feels like a bustling mercado, full of regulars and families who’ve been shopping here for years.
Downtown Santa Ana Tamalfest
Where: West 4th Street between Broadway and Ross Street
When: 3-10 p.m. Dec. 13
Cost: $5 and up
Downtown Santa Ana Feel Good Events is hosting Tamalfest from 3 to 10 p.m. Dec. 13. The sixth annual festival will feature 15 local tamal vendors, drawing thousands to downtown Santa Ana for a full day and evening of masa overload – offering everything from traditional pork-in-red-sauce tamales to sweet strawberry versions and regional specialties. Beyond food, the festival feels like a community block party, with live music, parade and families walking around with bags of tamales for later. It’s a perfect place to try multiple vendors in one go.
Latino Health Access Tamalada
Where: 450 W. 4th St., Santa Ana
When: 5-8 p.m. Dec. 10
Cost: $10-$20
Contact: (714) 542-7792, givebutter.com/Tamalada2025
Latino Health Access’ Tamalada is a one-day community tamal event rooted in health, culture and resilience. What began decades ago as part of its diabetes self-management program has evolved into a beloved annual gathering centered around the motto: “A Safer and Healthier Community Even If We Have to Sell Tamales.” The tamales served here aren’t the heavy holiday versions you find elsewhere; these are intentionally crafted with wellness in mind, offering lighter, healthier masa and thoughtfully prepared fillings. Guests can choose from cheese with rajas, chicken, sweet strawberry or pineapple. There's also a vegan frijol option that’s surprisingly hearty. Beyond food, the event directly supports critical services for vulnerable community members – including diabetes education, cancer early detection, emotional wellness support, housing navigation and food security initiatives. The atmosphere is warm and communal, with families, local leaders and longtime supporters gathering at LHA’s 4th Street headquarters. The event takes place from 5-8 p.m. Dec. 10. For tamal lovers who want their purchase to give back, LHA’s tamalada is one of the most meaningful stops in Orange County.
Placentia Tamale Festival
Where: Old Town Placentia at the corner of Santa Fe and Bradford Ave
When: 4-10 p.m. Dec. 11
Cost: Varies by vendor
Contact: (714) 993-8232, placentiatamalefestival.org
Held in Old Town Placentia, one of the oldest tamal festivals in Southern California blends tamal vendors with a full holiday street-fair atmosphere. Expect Christmas lights, live entertainment, a beer garden, cultural performances and families lining up for their favorite dozen. It’s particularly fun for families with kids – this year's event will include a North Pole playground with sledding, sliding and building a snowman. It's a festive night out with tamales as the centerpiece.
The lady that sells them from a cooler
No matter where you go for your tamales, no one beats the tamaleras that sell these masa miracles daily underground – from car trunks and from carts that they push up and down streets in neighborhoods. Consider supporting your local tamalera.
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