The jewel of Mexican cuisine, the tamal comes with many fillings, in many sizes and wrapped in different plants. They are found in street corners most mornings and evenings served with a sweet corn drink, atole, or arroz con leche, or rice with milk.
I haven't called this guide the best tamales in San Miguel de Allende because, unfortunately, the best tamales are elsewhere. But that doesn't mean you should miss this classic Mexican breakfast. In San Miguel the flavours are:
In front of La Fabrica Aurora is a young woman who sells tamales every morning. She has rojo, verde, mole, rajas and dulce. They are wrapped in corn husks and there are plenty of vegetarian options. The tamales are large and delicious. Possibly the best in San Miguel. The mole is a favourite of mine - although it doesn't compare to moles in Mexico City, Oaxaca, San Cristobal de las Casas etc it is still great.
Closer to the jardin there are tamales every morning and evening on the corner of Hidalgo y Calzada de la Luz. These very in quality and traditionally the flavours are rojo, verde and dulce, although sometimes they serve rajas without knowing it. This tamal stand is also outside the Negromante market most evenings. There is another similar tamal vendor that sells these tamales all the way down Calzada de la Aurora.
At night there are tamales served by a woman famous for her huaraches on Insurgentes (near the top). She sells rojo, verde and dulce. They are quite good but the huaraches and gorditas are the highlight there.
Near the Warren Hardy spanish school is a beautiful church and sqaure and some fantastic tamales. They have the lot, rajas, rojo, verde, dulce and a great attitude in a picturesque location. Definitely a great place to sample tamales. With a small serve of atole it is the perfect way to pass a morning in San Miguel.
Into colonia San Antonio, you will need to do your own exploring here but there are great tamales (especially the verde which here are rajas) inside a house with a blue door. They also serve pozole. There are also tamales outside a beautiful local church and tamales on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday nights (as well as Sundays) in a small shop in the colonia. I wont tell you where, you'll have to find them yourself. Here they serve rojo and verde on the Sunday but add rajas can picadillo and rojo con queso on weeknights. They are the only tamales in San Miguel that have more filling than corn, and their corn is a little on the wet side but close to the best for sure.
Going towards the edge of town there are good tamales in and outside the bus station in the mornings and great tamales outside the cheese factory, fabrica esmerelda in the early mornings. The highlight being the rajas with cheese (a pale, soft white cheese) and some tomato salsa as well. They are quite amazing. It is a way to go near the train station but worth while as the flavours are delicious.
Back into town and on Sundays outside the church on Insurgentes there are good tamales that are served to church goers. There is a huge crowd and while they are not the best tamales in the world the atmosphere is lively.
Untried but rumoured to be excellent are the tamales outside the Pemex petrol station near the new Gigante shopping centre. I've heard that they are huge but that's all I have to go on.
In the Mercado San Juan de Dios there are a couple of tamale/atole places. They are good but you need to get there early to get the rajas (showing my bias here). The rojo and verde are average.
That about sums about tamales in San Miguel. I'm sure there are plenty of places left to be described, but these are a few of my favourites. Let me know if you have any.
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