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Tamales... what better "comfort" food is there in this world than tamales? Especially tamales that are fresh and lovingly made by friendly people... Tamales La Bamba... open every Friday and weekends of the year, and located near Denio's Auction Yard, in Roseville, CA. Consider this: La Bamba offers only one product: Tamales. But... you have to keep in mind that their tamales are made in-house from fresh ingredients, and at only $4.50 each, tax included, you can afford to indulge in at least a couple of them. That's a bargain, but wait until you savor one of their delicious tamales... As with all of reviews that I publish, I have no affiliation with the restaurant reviewed, and there is no monetary gain on my part, as I am simply a person who likes to eat, and I love to write-up, and publish my dining experiences.
Photo: Tamales La Bamba is located in a pre-fabricated metal building, on Atkinson Street in Roseville, CA, just a short half block up the street from Denio's Farmer's Market and Swap Meet. Tamales La Bamba is located on the street outside of Joseph's Auction Town, which has been closed since December, 2012. You can see the old sign from Joseph's, which is still standing, and it simply reads "Town." This fine restaurant was previously located inside Joseph's, when it was open. It's a little past 08:00 in the morning on Saturday, August 22, 2026, and I've arrived at Tamales La Bamba to enjoy a Saturday morning breakfast of some of the best tamales in Placer County!
Photo: As you enter the restaurant, you'll meet the friendly owner of the business, Edmundo, who is always behind the counter, and he'll greet you with a warm smile. There is nothing fancy about the restaurant, as the tables are folding, and the chairs are metal folding. When you order a soda or a bottled water, you may receive your order from an ice chest, as refrigerator space is limited, as the fridge is dedicated to tamales. The decor is pure Mexican, and if you close your eyes, you'd almost imagine yourself inside a small tamale restaurant in Mexico.
Photo: Edmundo is a busy guy, as he's getting together an order for a customer who ordered a dozen tamales to go. Like many small restaurants in 2026, I noticed that many of the orders are takeout, in keeping with the times.
Photo: Today's menu selection is very simple, and offers just five varieties of tamales. Back in 2013, the restaurant stopped selling beef tamales, as according to the owner, beef was getting too expensive to offer as a selection.
Photo: Meet Edmundo Gonzalez, the super friendly owner and head chef of the restaurant, as he serves me with a smile. La Bamba Tamales has been in business for over twenty five years, and Edmundo knows all about customer service, as he treats each customer like a member of his family. I placed my order for a chicken and a pork tamale at the counter, paid for them, and Edmundo picked them out of the refrigerator. He asked me if I wanted them to go, but I declined, as I prefer to enjoy my tamales in his dining room. The tamales arrived cold from the refrigerator, but if I had wanted them warm, the restaurant has a microwave oven for the occasion. I was in too much of a hurry to enjoy the tamale goodness to wait to have them heated! These tamales are delicious hot or cold.
Photo: Each table is set with two trays of sauce, a green salsa verde and a red ranchero-style red chili sauce. How do you decide which sauce to enjoy? Maybe place green sauce on one tamale, and red sauce on the other? The sauces are on the spicy side, so if you're "sensitive" in that direction, you might want to take it easy. But, the sauce is rich, robust, flavorful and enhances the delicious tamales. I highly recommend it!
Photo: I'm a happy guy, as I give a "thumbs up" to Edmundo, and the delicious tamales served at Tamales La Bamba, located in Roseville, CA. Muy sabroso!
Photo: Today, I enjoyed a chicken and a pork tamale, which made for a delicious mid-morning brunch. Tamales La Bamba produces amazing tamales, and is the solo "Tamale only" restaurant in Roseville, and to my knowledge, all of Placer County. Tamales La Bamba is open every Friday, and weekends, which matches the hours of nearby Denio's Farmer's Market. Their amazing tamales are made at home, and brought to the restaurant, in stored in a refrigerator, ready for instant service. If you request, the friendly staff will warm your tamales in a microwave oven, but in my case, I love tamales any way I can find them, so I couldn't wait for the microwave, as I had to "dig in," enjoy, and "pig out" on fine tamales. One advantage of chilled tamales is that no state sales tax is charged. The masa is made from scratch, so is the sauce, and the meat is locally sourced. As I mentioned before, the tamales are made in mama's kitchen, using Grandma's recipe and brought to the store, placed in the fridge, ready for you to enjoy. In chatting with host Edmundo, Friday and Saturday nights are family "tamale making nights" at home, as the staff prepares tamales in the evening, and then get up very early in the morning to ready the tamales for each day of business. It's not uncommon for the store to have a "run" on a certain variety of tamale and sell out, so just because your favorite tamale is listed on the menu doesn't mean it will be in stock, as it could be sold out. If you have your heart seat on a certain variety of tamale, I suggest you arrive early. Much of the preparation work is done at home, but Edmundo has a freezer full of pre-made tamale dough, along with chili peppers at the restaurant, as many of the tamales are made at the restaurant during off hours. Rest assured, these tamales are crafted by hand, from skilled staff, and the delicious tamales feature authentic, Mexican "comfort food" taste, with lots of love. I removed the tamales and placed them on the corn husks, which enhanced the delicious flavor, and made for a great photo. The pork tamale is the smaller one with a reddish hue, while the chicken tamale is slightly larger. Both were equally delicious!
Photo: I cut my chicken tamale in half, scooped a spoonful of green chili sauce, and enjoyed! The chicken filling was seasoned, and delicious, and when combined with the home-crafted masa, made for the perfect tamale. The green, tomatillo-based chili sauce worked especially well with the chicken tamale, and complimented the delicious flavor.
Photo: The red chili sauce seemed to go better with the pork tamale, but the green chili sauce went well too. The pork tamale began with delicious, tender pork filling, surrounded by Grandma's masa dough, giving the tamale an earthy, rustic taste that was simply out-of-this-world delicious. The delicious sauce enhanced the amazing taste of the tamale, but didn't overpower it. This sauce is bold and quite spicy, so if you're sensitive to spicy sauce, I'd suggest you add just a little to see how it works for you. No worries on my part, as I simply loved it!
Photo: When it comes to a mid-Saturday morning brunch, sometimes two tamales aren't enough, and as I enjoyed my pork and chicken tamales, the menu kept calling, so I finally succombed to temptation, along with a dose of curiosity, and asked Edmundo for a "Cheese," and a "Pineapple Sweet Tamale." I've enjoyed cheese tamales during past trips to Mexico, but I'd never had the opportunity to enjoy a sweet, pineapple tamale. Both of these tamales were a new experience for me, and I was looking forward to a new tamale adventure. I noted the pineapple tamale was smaller and a deep, mellow yellow in color.
Photo: Cheese tamale, with classic tamale masa dough, stuffed with tangy, melted Mexican cheese. Surprise... there was a strip of jalapeņo stuffed inside the tamale with the melted cheese. It sort of reminded me of the toy inside of a Cracker Jack box that I used to search for when I was a kid, but unlike the Cracker Jack toy, the strip of jalapeņo was an unexpected treasure. The salsa verde went especially well with the cheese tamale.
Photo: "Pineapple Sweet Tamale," which was a new experience for me, and it turned out to be an enjoyable journey! Like all tamales fashioned at Tamales La Bamba, the pineapple variety begins with the delicious masa, stuffed with sweet pineapple filling, complete with chunks of pineapple. Delicious! I cut off a piece, took a quick photo and popped it into my mouth. How many ways can you say the word "sweet?" The sweet pineapple filling, along with the chunks of pineapple worked perfectly with the masa dough to make a delicious, sweet treat. This tamale was sweet, and I would consider it more of a dessert than a main course or appetizer. In my case, I wouldn't want to enjoy a pineapple tamale with either the green or red salsa, as I don't think the combination would work together. When it comes to the menu, I have only one more tamale to try: "Strawberry Sweet Tamale." Alright... which tamale was my favorite? I adored them all, but I have to go with the chicken and cheese tamales as my favorites, as they both work amazingly well with the chili verde. That said, you can't go wrong with any of Edmundo's delicious tamales, at Tamales La Bamba. Great tamales, great people, and delicious, authentic Mexican cuisine. When you're in the mood for great tamales, and he taste of Mexico, look no further than Tamales La Bamba. You'll find them open every Friday, Saturday and Sunday at their store on Atkinson St., just a short half block up the street from Denio's Farmer's Market and Swap Meet, located in Roseville, CA. Fine gold country dining! Tamales La Bamba Copyright(c) 2026 eRench Productions. All rights reserved. We've been on the web since December 22, 2002.
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