Tamales Ancira

Tamales Ancira, a store that has been operating in Chula Vista since 1989, opened up a location on Garnet Avenue here in Pacific Beach about a year or so ago. While they aren't going to make us forget about the tamales we had in Oaxaca, they do a very good job and we are really lucky to have such a great place just a few blocks away from our house.



They are primarily a take-out business, but they do have a few small tables if you want to eat there. You can order your tamales a la carte, or as a combo plate with rice and beans.

Here is the 3-tamal combo plate:



If you order tamales a la carte, they wrap them up nicely for you.



They also give you salsas, cheese and crema. Today they were out of their red salsa, but we got their green salsas. One is a traditional tomatillo-based salsa verde, and the other is a mixture of green and red chiles. Both are relatively mild, but very tasty.



First up, the chicken tamal. They do it in a flavorful red sauce. I love the way the redness stains the masa.



Chicharrón isn't my favorite thing in the world, but they do a good version - cooked until fully soft and not chewy like it sometimes can be.



The picadillo is generally very good, but this time around the meat was a bit dry. Like all the others however, the masa was flavorful, soft and well seasoned.



Here is the pork tamal - moist shreds of meat in a green sauce.



And finally, the beef tamal. Like the chicken, it is in a red sauce. This one has been our favorite of all we've tried so far - earthy, savory and very satisfying.



If you are near PB and are craving tamales, definitely check them out.

Tamales Ancira
1404 Garnet Ave.
(858) 270-1810
Open Mon-Sat, 9:00-9:00PM and Sun 10:00-5:00PM