From what I can tell, Mama’s Hot Tamales Cafe in Macarthur Park has been around since at least 2003. So why is it that I’ve never heard of it before now? How is it possible that a place so delightful, delicious and vegan-friendly has gone under the radar of not just me but everyone else I know? Have you all just been keeping this discovery to yourselves, squirreling it away like a well-guarded secret? Well it’s not a secret anymore because I’m blowing the lid off this thing, so put on your loose fitting pants Los Angelenos and get ready to eat! A bit of what this place is all about, from their website:

“Mama’s Hot Tamales Café is an apprentice-operated business and job training restaurant that provides hands-on and classroom instruction designed to train low-and-moderate-income residents living within the central region of Los Angeles in the disciplines necessary to begin a career path toward success in the culinary world.

Under the watchful eye of Sandi “Mama” Romero, participants acquire the knowledge, abilities, and skills to pursue opportunities in the food service while working in Mama’s Hot Tamales Café. Featuring authentic presentations of regional dishes from throughout the Americas, this unique dining experience engages patrons as valuable participants in the education training process of our future food service professionals.”

Yeah all that, plus they make authentic made-from-scratch tamales and other foods in the traditional styles of various Latin American countries, including Guatemalan, Mexican, Columbian, Peruvian, Honduran and Salvadoran.

Let’s begin at the beginning. It’s the tamales which give this place it’s street cred, and let me tell you, that cred has been rightfully earned. This was the most delicious tamale I personally have ever tasted. I claim no expertise on the matter, it was just by far my favorite of any tamale that I’ve had the pleasure of eating, vegan or otherwise. I really like the Corn Maiden farmers market tamales, but these at Mama’s are in a league of their own. I’ve always enjoyed tamales, but in comparision to all the other amazing foods on earth, tamales are not the sort of thing I’d normally be raving about… but I’m raving now… these are not your everyday, pull it out of freezer at Trader Joes sort of tamale.

The tamales are individually wrapped in corn husks, banana leaves or avocado leaves depending on their recipes country of origin. Looks like banana leaves above, doesn’t it? Mama’s is not an all vegetarian restaurant, however they are very vegan friendly and aware, and even their menu (.pdf) is clearly marked with what all can be made vegan, which is nearly everything. The tamales themselves are not on the menu, I think because their selection varies daily.

The vegetarian (vegan) tamale of the day was the Chipilin Tamale. The spinach-like chipilin leaves are cooked right into the tamale corn masa which was filled with black beans and green chili. This was unlike any tamale I’ve had before, the texture was silky, soft and moist. We were both silent for a few moments after we first tried our tamales, I think it’s safe to say, both in awe of what we were tasting. Even without sauce the tamales were perfect on their own. The flavors were simple and unpretentious, and yet… what flavor! Even more so than the taste I was taken in by the texture. It really was melt-in-your-mouth smooth, an almost creamy consistency that tastes so authentic that if you close your eyes you can easily imagine yourself eating it on the streets of some exotic country south of here (though for some, Macarthur Park will be culture shock enough). They also make sweet tamales with goodies inside like pineapple, strawberry, guava and pumpkin. We didn’t try the sweet ones and forgot to ask if they are vegan, but I’m assuming they probably are.

For those of you who do eat dairy or animal flesh, the options for you here are creative and abundant. For you vegans, Mama’s staff assured us (without us even having to ask) that all the vegan food is cooked separately. For a place which is run by apprentices and trainees, these people really know their stuff and were fully aware of what concerns vegans have and ask about at a restaurant, much more so than many other professionally run places who really should know better and try harder. My compliments to Mama and her excellent staff for creating a space where vegan diners are clearly welcomed!

There’s so much more to talk about other than the tamales.

I was very excited to try the Nopales Salad and it did not disappoint. A whole grilled nopale (prickly pear cactus) topped with fresh pico de gallo and crumbled Queso Fresco (that’s cheese, tell them if you’re vegan and they’ll leave it off).

Loved it. I’m thinking it was tossed in a light dressing of lemon, salt, pepper and not much else, and it was excellent. The nopale was super fresh as were all the other vegetables, it’s a refreshing salad with a nice zing to it. The serving was huge, and when boxing up the leftovers the waiter even made sure to tell us to take it straight home and get it refrigerated right away because it was so fresh, and the nopales apparently can go bad pretty quick. Have I mentioned yet how cool and attentive the staff is?

Next we had to try the Caribbean Platanos Fritos: Fried plantains served with black beans. Kinda hard to go wrong with these, and Mama’s got them oh so right.

Much to our delight our (adorable!) waiter also brought us an extra specialty to try. It was obvious by both his demeanor and the way he presented it to us just how proud he was of the food. That’s not something you see everyday at even some of the best restaurants. How often do you get a waiter or waitress who’s genuinely excited about the food they’re serving you? Not often. If I had a part in making food this delicious I’d be damn proud too. I love it when a restaurant actually wants you to try what they have to offer instead of nickel and diming you for every side, refill or substitution. When they’re bringing you stuff to try that you didn’t even order just because they know you’re super excited to eat it, you know it’s a place you’re going to want to return to again and again.

Pictured above is what we got to try: more of the delicious plantains, this time topped with Mole Rojo, which from what I gather is Oaxacan in nature and may or may not involve garlic, ancho chili, sesame seeds and chocolate. Mama’s red mole was nothing short of intoxicating: sweet, slightly spicy and earthy all at the same time. It’s that earthiness that really got me, the best way I’m able to describe it is like coffee grounds or dirt (soil). I know that sounds odd but I mean it in the best possible way, if you can imagine it, a really organic tasting, dark yet not quiet bitter sharpness that was tempered by the perfect amount of sweetness. Again, excellent. I loved it on the plantains, and I’d love it on top of just about anything.

For my main dish I got the Burrito: flour tortilla, with pinto beans, rice and your choice of filling. They’ve got the usual meaty suspects as well as tofu and grilled vegetables. It would also normally come with cheese so be sure to declare your awesome veganocity and they’ll know what to do.

As you can see the burrito is monstrously large (could easily be shared by two people) and comes topped with red or green sauce. We herbivores get to enjoy Mama’s home marinated tofu made with her special Chipotle sauce. Yum! The burrito was as delicious as everything else, and the tofu was great. The Chipotle flavor definitely had a kick to it but wasn’t too spicy (though you could certainly get your spicy on with the addition of some of their house salsa should you be so inclined). I appreciate that they take the time to actually do something to the tofu and make it tasty instead of just tossing in boring plain tofu to appease vegetarians (I’m looking at you, Kogi BBQ). There was no appeasement going on here, that tofu had as much thought put into it’s preparations as I’m sure goes into preparing their meats.

Though this part of town doesn’t have the best reputation in the world (it’s on 7th right across the street from the park, overlooking the lake), here’s a few things to consider. The whole reason behind this cafe even existing is for the revitalization of the community. You gotta start somewhere right? Check out some of the great work Mama is doing through the Rediscover Macarthur Park project, the heart of which is the cafe. While I wouldn’t necessarily want to be stuck out there late at night by myself, the area isn’t as bad as it used to be, and the cafe is only open during the day anyways (7 days a week, 11am to 3:30pm).

To sweeten the deal even further Mama’s is located just a stones throw away from the 7th St./Macarthur Park redline Metro stop. Even if you don’t live right near a Metro stop, I’d still suggest driving/biking to the nearest one and parking there, then riding the train out to Macarthur Park. The whole adventure will run so much more smoothly for you that way… no traffic, no getting lost and no looking for parking… just hop off the train and you’re there. Know that your very short walk to the restaurant may potentially involve offers to buy heroin, fake id’s, alligator boots, maybe a kidney or two, and if you’re female, a few whistles, inappropriate stares and/or hand gestures. Ah, but what’s the harm in a little bit of ludeness, luridness and illicit activity when there’s a tamale mecca waiting for you on the other side? When you’re done devouring all the fine delicacies Mama’s has to offer, you can just roll out of your seat and waddle back over to the Metro for an effortless ride back towards home.

Take a walk on the wild side and check this place out if you haven’t already. The food is incredible, the staff rocks it out hard for you, the proceeds go to a good cause, and just by eating there you’re directly helping the community… your tummy and tastebuds will thank you, and if you’re really lucky, Mama might be there in person to thank you herself.

www.mamashottamales.com