“ Hands down the best in San Antonio aside from my madre. If you want authentic taste flavor and sa culture come here ”

“ We've been going for the past 25 years. They have very good tamales. They are very busy during the holidays. ”

“ The tamales are so good , I tasted the ones with jalapeños today and they were so good ”

“ I have to say, these tamales beat Delia's Tamales. These tamales remind me and come very very close to the homemade tamales that my mother, grandmother and mother in law have made. Most times, the tamales are nicely filled with a reasonable portion of meat. More meat will definitley hit the spot! :) The masa has great texture and flavor. ”

“ Excellent tamales - we had both the pork and chicken. They also have containers of salsa, beans, and rice. And the ladies behind the counter were super nice. We would definitely come here again! ”

“ My tamale opinion doesn't matter to anyone except me; I suppose because tamales are a personal preference. Kinda like sayin' who is your favorite child. How the heck does one choose? The wonderful dedicated staff that roll and stuff these corn pockets of goodness all night long are the true heroes. Thank you! These are really good tamales. They stay open till 5-plus. The lady answering the phone I reckon has to pack her patients every day to answer the same question: How much: $13.50 pork Do you deliver: NO Do you take preorders: NO (Get off your a-- & get in line like the rest of us) Rueben's Tamales are good-my ONLY regret is that they don't have any of that good grease goodness like my mother's had. But ya know what, there are some people that like that where the tamale doesn't practically roll its self out of the shuck-ya know what I mean ”

“ On a recent day trip through Southeast San Antonio, my dad suggested we drop by Ruben's Tamales on our way home. "They've been at the same location for over 60 years, so they must be doing something right," he assured me. Despite having been reared in San Antonio, a city whose fetishistic obsession with tamales (especially during Christmastime) is unparalleled, I am somewhat diffident in the humble masa and pork treat. I'm familiar with the two heavy hitters, Delicious and Tellez, but the unassuming holes in the wall, the places patronized by locals, have eluded me. How would Ruben's Tamales compare to others I've tried? Very well indeed, I'm happy to report! The traditional Tex-Mex tamal (the singular form of the anglicized "tamale") has its roots in Mesoamerican cuisine and is derived from the Nahatul "tamalli," which translates to "wrapped." The ingredients, preparation, and presentation vary widely across South America (and even across the United States), wish some iterations featuring sweet components steamed in banana leaves. The tamal featured ubiquitously throughout San Antonio, however, is decidedly Tex-Mex: stewed pork shoulder encased within a stodgy dough called masa harina, which the "abuelitas" (Mexican grannies) then wrap in corn husks and steam. Given Ruben's longevity in a predominantly Hispanic part of town, I expected nothing short of a masterful tamal. With such few ingredients, the margin for error is large; the masa must be flavorful, firm, and moist, and the pork shoulder must be tender and stewed with enough pepper sauce to just *barely* seep through the masa. Ruben's tamales succeeded in every way. Although I appreciated the traditional pork tamales, I was particularly smitten with a jalapeno variation that did not suffer fools; these bad boys were spicy! I appreciate a place that isn't afraid to singe a few mucous membranes...at both ends. My four-star rating is in no way a tacit implication that Ruben's tamales are less than excellent. Having become addicted to the tamales sold at Tellez, though, I can't help but consider Tellez the gold standard for tamales in San Antonio. Ruben's is great, but Tellez remains my favorite, a sentiment shared by none other than culinary polymath Andrew Zimmern, whose obsession for Tellez's Parmesan-spiked masa rivals that of my own. Ideally, order a dozen each from Tellez and Ruben's and then compare and contrast. Pro tip: if you order the jalapeno variety, bring a fresh tub of Vaseline and an extra pair of underpants. ”