Feria del tamal y el atole ("Tamale Fest")—6 Nov 16, 9am-6pm

I went to one of these annual "Tamale Fests" several years ago and thought it was a great event, though awfully steamy and crowded (I think it's in a larger space now). Dozens of vendors sell a wide variety of tamales and atoles for reasonable prices. Fans of tamales should mark their calendars.



Feria del tamal y el atole
2600 W 35th St (Chicago Sports Complex)
Sunday, November 6, 2016
9am-6pm
$2 admission

I have also attended a couple of these but afterwards can't seem to find much information about who the winners were. It tends to be very crowded and product sells out quickly.

excelsior wrote:I have also attended a couple of these but afterwards can't seem to find much information about who the winners were. It tends to be very crowded and product sells out quickly.

Not sure about last year, but the winners from the previous three years can be found here:

2014
Tamales: Isidro's Tamales
Atole: Neveria Guadalajara
2013
Tamales: Isidro's Tamales
Atole: Neveria Nando's
2012
Tamales: Aracely's Bakery (Isidro's was second)
Atole: La Casa del Samuel

In my single visit (so what do I know?), I was there in the middle of the day and while some vendors were waiting to be resupplied with the most popular varieties, there was no overall shortage of tamales. On the contrary, it was fairly overwhelming (and that's not even considering the atoles). Going early is probably a good idea, but tamales and atole are mostly morning food, so it may be just as crowded then. Anyway, it's a good opportunity to try a bunch of generally excellent tamales and atoles, including some fairly unusual ones.

Please pm me if you're here and would like to do a taste test!