Dallas–Fort Worth, TX
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Tamale counters, tortilla factories and a Deep Ellum smokehouse that D Magazine, the Dallas Observer and CultureMap send readers to in December, from an Oak Cliff counter that dates to the Second World War to a gluten-free shop out past Rockwall.
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Press picks, until locals rank their own Top 5s. Sourced from the local food press. As seen in D Magazine, Dallas Observer, and CultureMap Dallas. Updated September 2026.
Dallas Tortilla & Tamale Factory · Oak Cliff
D Magazine calls this family business a Dallas institution with a history stretching back to the Second World War, and says it manipulates masa like few others. The counter on North Marsalis runs pork, beef, chicken, pork and jalapeno, and beef and jalapeno, with the vegetarian version on hiatus when the magazine last checked in. Order the pork by the dozen, then add the pork and jalapeno. CultureMap records the shop staying open until 8 pm on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
Tia Dora's Bakery · Oak Cliff
A panaderia off South Hampton Road in Oak Cliff that D Magazine says makes its tamales from scratch and sells through them fast once December arrives. The Dallas Observer adds that the bakery makes them daily rather than only for the season, at eighteen dollars a dozen for pork or chicken. Order the rajas, which pack poblano with melted queso, alongside the tamales de puerco, then fill out the order with tamales de res or the frijoles version. Phone and email orders go in ahead for pickup.
Luna's Tortillas · Northwest Dallas
The Harry Hines factory sells straight to the public, and the Dallas Observer calls Luna's legendary in Dallas. Pork is available daily at twenty one dollars a dozen; chicken, beef, cheese and bean want a day's notice by phone. Order the pork, then call ahead for whichever second filling you want. CultureMap's older count adds spinach and a cinnamon raisin version to the case, and records Christmas Eve as pre-orders only, with the counter closing at 3 pm that day.
Along Came Tamale · Fate
A family shop out past Rockwall that makes scratch tamales, all of them gluten-free, and sells them in fresh and frozen packs of six. D Magazine has followed the sweet side since 2017, when it singled out the blueberry version made with vanilla extract and cinnamon and called it a Christmas morning breakfast. Order that one alongside the savory pork, and look at the black bean and corn, the cheese and jalapeno and the chicken and lentil while you are there.
Pecan Lodge · Deep Ellum
The one smokehouse on this list, and it is here because the tamales are their own annual event rather than a side dish. D Magazine has covered the Deep Ellum pit's holiday run since 2018, when the order sheet ran to pulled pork bathed in salsa verde and brisket spiked with salsa roja. The Dallas Observer reports the 2025 pre-order menu keeps both, sold by the dozen, with pints of salsa as an add-on. Order the brisket, and take the salsa verde.