Tamales can be found all over Chicagoland, but none as unique and delicious as Dia De Los Tamales in Pilsen. Made from a masa or corn base, the tamales are naturally gluten-free. However, it’s the distinctive toppings and fillings that take Dia De Los Tamales to the next level!…
After three years of pops ups at local farmers markets and Chicago special events, Dia De Los Tamales opened a bright and lively storefront on the very popular 18th Street in Pilsen.
The menu consists of regular tamales, a list of rotating specialties and delightful sides. To start, I tried fresh guacamole served with locally made El Milagro chips and the mushroom empanadas (vegan). These empanadas are made from masa and are 100% gluten free and delicious.
Next I tried a tamale combo plate to get a taste of a few different options as it’s hard to choose just one. The sweet corn cake tamale is covered in a serrano sour cream, chunks of avocado and pico de gallo. The sweetness of the corn is perfectly balanced by the fiery serrano cream sauce. The coconut curry chicken tamale smothered in a savory peanut sauce is an explosion of Thai flavors with each bite. Also notable are the very creative, Juicy Lucy, a take on the ever popular cheese stuffed burger and the Chicago Beef tamale topped with giardiniera which tasted like a real Chicago-style Italian Beef sandwich.
Don’t miss out on the super tasty sides including outstanding garbanzo beans, black beans, rice and elote style corn. Each dish is satisfying and a great complement to the tamales.
Save room for dessert! There are two very special dessert tamales that are a must order! The peanut butter tamale resembles a peanut butter brownie covered in chocolate sauce and the apple cobbler tamale (hold the streusel for gluten free) is covered with warm apples and caramel sauce.
I look forward to my next visit to Dia De Los Tamales and sitting 0n their awesome BYOB patio.