Ruben's Homemade Tamales

I have been eating Reuben's tamales for 32 years and I have eaten mexican food everywhere from Vegas to Atlanta, and nobody can touch Reuben's. Also, never trust reviews from people lacking basic forum etiquette or poor spelling; IE using all caps.

Good tamales, fast service, good price.

THE TAMALES ARE CONSISTENTLY DELICIOUS! CHRISTMAS WOULD NOT BE CHRISTMAS WITHOUT RUBEN'S TAMALES. I HAVE NEVER HEARD A BAD WORD ABOUT THE SERVICE,OR THE TAMALES IN ALL THE YEARS I HAVE BEEN A CUSTOMER. ASK AROUND - THOSE WHO KNOW DEMAND RUBEN'S TAMALES. THEY ARE THE BEST!!!!

I almost didn't go to Reuben's this week because of the bad reviews here, but my brother always brings me tamales from Reuben when he goes and I wanted some for my Easter guests. I'm so glad I ignored the silly posts below because I was treated very well and came home with five dozen of San Antonio's very best tamales. Now, I'm old and fat so I didn't expect to be treated well after reading the comments left by others, but I went in and was greeted by a huge smile and a friendly comment about what a hot summer we're in for. I laughed and explained that it was hard to find for the first time. The man gave me a business card with a map on the back which I will never lose. Of course now I won't need it because it's really easy to get to. I tried some of the competitor's tamales because they're closer, but Ruben's is the best and I won't buy tamales anywhere else. Trust me, I wouldn't drive so far out of my way if it wasn't worth it and Reuben's tamales are worth every mile.

To Poem 100 - With all due respect, are you related in any way to the owner/owners, or did you go to "school" with him/them? The reviews were bad as far as respecting their customers!!! Some pointed out the fact that English is to be spoken if making orders by phone!!! Granted, Spanish doesn't have to be spoken to make tamales, but it makes me wonder who or what is making those tamales... When I visit home I DEFINITELY won't want "any helping" of customer abuse at Ruben's. They won't be a stop on our visit!!! I know, Ruben's doesn't care, neither do we... Thanks for the heads-up SA. Love you, miss you and see you soon! TransplantedSanAntonian :(

The service was bad and the tamales were not that great. I don't recommend this place to anyone. But I finally realized that the best tamales come from older hispanic ladies. There is this great place online were hispanic ladies sell homemade tamales. If your interested here is their address. You can visit them at... homemade-tamales daut com

There is way too much BUSINESS competition here in San Antonio to take bad service from Ruben's tamales. With the economy the way it is, we should be choosing better who we give our money to. HOPEFULLY HIS BUSINESS WILL GO DOWN SOON BECAUSE HE DEFINATELY DOES NOT APPRECIATE HIS CUSTOMERS!!!!!!!SO IF ANY ONE KNOWS OF ANY OTHER TAMALE VENDER WHO IS ACTUALLY NICE AND RESPECTFUL REGARDLESS OF WORK LOAD, ENCOURAGE HIM/HER TO ADVERTISE LARGELY ..OR IF YOUR MAMA KNOWS HOW TO MAKE TAMALES, LET US KNOW AND POSTED AS A REVIEW RIGHT HERE! :) P.S ---IF THEY TREAT PEOPLE THAT BAD, GOD KNOWS WHAT THEY PUT IN THE TAMALES!

Its all true what folks say the good and the bad,I go for the great tamales,i let them know what i want pay and get the %$#$@` out of there.When im ready for more i do it all over again.

Ruben's has not only the best tamales, but the best tacos. I miss living in San Antonio, but when I visit I always go there to buy some tamales and tacos. They have always treated me friendly so I have no problems with their service. I have been to restaurants all over Arizona and California and have not found anything even close to Ruben's food. I have been going there for 30 plus years and I won't stop going unless they decide to retire which I hope isn't for a long time. English is the language in America....people should learn it.

IF YOU ARE EVER IN THE MOOD FOR TAMALES, AND YOU SEE THIS ADD-STEER CLEAR!!!!! WE HAVE HAD THE WORST CUSTOMER SERVICE AT RUBENS. I WILL NEVA EVA GO BACK........SO....TAKE MY WORD AND PUT IT TO GOOD USE, I DONT LIKE RUBEN OR HIS TAMALES@I WOULD RATHER GO BUY HEB TAMALES FOR MY FRIENDS OF THE FRIENDLESS WEEKLY MEETINGS. THE COUNTER HELP NOT ONLY NEEDS TO LEARN HOW TO TREAT CUSTOMERS, BUT THEY ALL NEED MAKE-OVERS TOO!!!! THE HIRED HELP LIKES TO CUSS UNDER THEIR BREATH AND BECAUSE I AM WHITE, I DONT UNDERSTAND WHAT IS BEING SAID ABOUT ME. I FELT LIKE THE HIRED HELP WAS NOT VERY KIND TO ME. I FEEL SAD AND WILL CONVERSATE ABOUT MY UNFORTUNATE VISIT TO RUBENS TAMALES WITH MY FRIENDS OF THE FRIENDLESS GROUP. THANK YOU FOR READING MY REVIEW.

ON A RECENT CALL ON 3/28/2008 AT APROX. 2:20 P.M. MY FATHER CALLED TO INQUIRE ON ORDERING TAMALES DURING THE WEEK. MY FATHER SPOKE SPANISH ASKING IF THIS ESTABLISHMENT WAS OPEN FOR BUSINESS DURING THE WEEK. JOHN WHO ANSWERED THE PHONE YELLED AT MY FATHER FOR SPEAKING SPANISH AND TOLD HIM TO SPEAK ENGLISH. MY FATHER THEN ASKED AGAIN IF RUBENS SOLD TAMALES DURING THE WEEK. THE WORKER YELLED AGAIN AT MY FATHER TO SPEAK ENGLISH. MY FATHER THEN ASKED IN HIS BEST BROKEN ENGLISH IF THEY SOLD TAMALES ? THE WORKER YELLED AT MY FATHER SAYING "SPEAK ENGLISH MAN !!!! AND USED A FEW CHOICE CUSS WORDS I DO NOT CARE TO REPEAT. WELL, RUBENS TAMALES LOST OUT ON THE SALE OF 50 DOZEN TAMALES AND WE HAVE NEVER BEEN DISRESPECTED LIKE THIS AT ANY OTHER PLACE. RUBENS DOES NOT DESERVE THE SAN ANTONIO BUSINESS IT GETS WITH SUCH POOR SERVICE. GO SOMEWHERE ELSE. RUBENS IS NO PLACE FOR HUMANS. JUST CALL BEFORE GOING, AND YOU WILL FIND OUT WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT. JOHN NEEDS TO BE FIRED, OR SHOULD TAKE A SPANISH C... Read more

I Cannot believe the discrimination that my father-in-law recieved at Ruben's when he called today. My father in law spoke spanish asking "are tamales sold during the week". The person stated that his name was John and yelled, "SPEAK ENGLISH MAN, !! " Then my father in law stated that he needed 50 dozen tamales for a party and that he thought they only sold tamales on the weekend and wanted to order ahead of time. My father in law then spoke broken english as best as he could, "you work for Ruben's Tamales and you can't understand Spanish?" I think it is sad how in this day and age, that people working for this restaurant are racially discrimnatory and the owner has NO idea that he is losing large sales (ours). This person should be fired (My father in law called at 2:20 P.M. ON 3/27/08 (a FRIDAY). As a potential customer with the right to be served with dignity and respect, to be discriminated against in this way reflects the sad state in which customers are treated even at traditiona... Read more

I WAS READING THE REVIEWS, ITS SO FUNNY THEY BOTH ARE TRUE... POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE, I'VE BEEN GOING TO RUBENS TAMALES FOR ABOUT 20 YEARS AND THE TAMALES ARE WORTH THE WAIT! BUT THE SERVICE IS NOT TO HOT, BUT I GUESS THEY TREAT PEOPLE BAD CAUSE PEOPLE LIKE ME KEEP COMING BACK... SO THEY DONT GIVE A S*#% LOSE ONE GAIN TWENTY.... ALSO WHEN I WAS YOUNGER AND THINNER I WAS TREATED LIKE A QUEEN....NO THAT IM FAT( THANKS RUBEN'S) AND OLD I GET NO RESPECT... BUT LIKE I SAID I WILL KEEP GOING BACK!!!!

I live in Miami and love to go home to San Antonio and have tamales and menudo. On a recent trip to San Antonio I could not resist traveling to the other side of town to get Rubens Tamales. When I was a kid I used to eat them and I found that nothing has changed. My famiy members who are lucky enough to still live in San Antonio, refuse to eat tamales from anywhere else, and most of them live on the North side. I live all the way in Miami and have yet to find a good home cooked tamale, equal or better than Rubens. We have been dedicated customers for over fifteen years. The service is great and the food never changes. You have to be patient sometimes but just think, quality takes time. I would rather have tamales that I know are fresh than frozen store bought tamales. I would suggest Rubens to anyone who loves tamales or to someone who has never had them. Take the drive, you won't be disappointed....

A friend of mine had been recommending Ruben's Tamales. So after 2 years, I went ahead & gave it a chance by driving to the other side of town to buy a few dozen. First of all the place looked very dirty & service was TERRIBLE with an hour and a half wait. Shouldn't Ruben's have their tamales ready so customers don't have to wait that long? After the rude service, rude mgr, Ms Perez & the guys at the counter rudely telling you to wait outside since the line was too long inside, I told myself that this long wait isn't worth it, so I left. After all, Ruben's isn't the only place in town that sells tamales. I highly recommend Rudy's Tamales on S. Flores. They are the best!

Contrary to what you might read in the review, Rubens actually sells pork, chicken and bean tamales; although not everyday. Call ahead to make sure when they make chicken and bean because I think it is only on the weekends. Get there early when it closer to Christmas, as there will be a line. It is so worth it though. Anyother time of year, you are pretty much good to go before 10:00 am. These are really the best tamales in San Antonio.

After a couple of years of getting tamales for Christmas for my family, I have learned a few things. These tamales are certainly delicious. But it is a lot of work getting them. Rubens opens at 7am. People usually start lining up by 6am (sometimes earlier if it is close to Christmas). My suggestion would be to go on a Monday several weeks before Xmas week. Otherwise you are in for a long long wait. My first time I went was on a Friday, and there were 25 people in line at 6:30 am. And some of them were buying 100 dozen or more. Once Ruben's is out, they are out until the next morning. Plan on buying enough to last you for a while!

The Scene Driving east on Rigsby Avenue, you may start to feel like you're leaving town and hitting the open road. Before accelerating into the great wide open, hit the brakes when you see green--the pea-green roof of Ruben's. The brick building is covered with cigarette and beer signs and houses a dusty-shelf convenience store. Enter and go no farther than the counter at the right. That's where you get what you came for--pork-only tamales that are hot to the touch even though double-wrapped in aluminum foil and a brown paper bag. The Goods Four bucks and some change will buy a dozen--the smallest order is a half-dozen. Call at least a day in advance for large orders, and don't expect a price break--"Our tamales are handmade," said the clerk. Ruben's makes traditional tamales, which means only shredded pork is available. What the store lacks in variety, the hot masa bundles make up for in deliciousness.