Tamale Factory And Tequila Bar

Really enjoyed this place. Definitely more expensive than many other Mexican restaurants, but they pay attention to the details with the food and it shows. If you are expecting Torreros, it is higher end and you pay for it. Service is exceptionally friendly and welcoming as well. It also has a nice cozy feel to it, but I will say it is kind of a pain to get to because of its location on the side of the building without parking. If you didn't know where it was, it would make it tough just to find. And, they need to think about doing something about the floor when it rains as it is a lawsuit waiting to happen. All this said, the food is really good and I felt worth the money. The pinto beans were some of the best beans I have ever eaten. I am not a tamale expert, but they were great too. We pretty much loved everything we got minus the corn appetizer which was ok.

My fiancé found this place recently ( she works about 2 blocks away at the VA hospital) and I'm glad she did. The place is awesome! We've been back several times because it's so good we want to try everything but the menu is huge. Let's get this out of the way first - they have the most authentic tamales I've had west of Colorado. Try the Swiss chard one if you're vegetarian. They have authentic Mexican street corn which is fantastic!!! One night the owner made a mole sauce and made us enchiladas with it even though it's not on the menu...uh, yum! Last time we were in I had the skirt steak...it was perfectly cook medium rare and so tender it eat like butter. And the churros are to die for. The cocktails are all hand crafted including the house made margarita mix. My favorite so far was the frozen mango margarita. Best selection of tequila I've seen in quite some time. The staff is also friendly and attentive. The owner, a woman named Margariette, always seems to be there talking to guests or cooking the food personally. You can tell she really cares and has passion for what she does. It looks like the majority of the reviews for this place are overwhelmingly positive across the internet. There have been a few, very few, people who complain about "prices" then justify their complaint with a corresponding complaint about the food. Here's the thing...this isn't cheap Americanized chain Mexican food or a fajita house so you wont be getting filled up on never ending baskets of free chips and canned tomato salsa. It's not a grocery store or taco truck so you won't be standing in a parking lot or eating in your car. It's not the elote man or the tamale lady selling out of the trunk of her car. As much as I love the trucks, carts, and other street food, Tamale Factory precisely not that, nor should the prices be compared to that in any way. It is a locally owned, locally sourced, chef driven upscale restaurant. I've become friends with the chef/owner and was myself a professional chef for 20 years so I can personally attest to the quality of the ingredients as well as the care in the preparation and presentation of the cuisine. Additionally, having made highland Mexican cuisine one of the focal points of my personal style, I can also speak to the authenticity and flavor of the dishes I've had the pleasure of eating. That being said, the few negative reviews here are really pathetic in my opinion and shouldn't be taken seriously by anyone who wants a great meal and experience. When I read comments like "the food was far from edible" I can't help but question if this person was ever actually at this restaurant. If they have, I certainly wouldn't trust any of their other reviews, if they even had any. When I hear it's expensive and that the food at the taco truck or the grocery store is more authentic, and I should know because I'm from Texas, I hear "all I know about Mexican food is I like taco trucks and everything should be like that because that's my authentic experience." And then to complain about the flavor and price of the dish you had, actually to lie about it! Come on now...I've had that very combination for lunch - the beef tamale and the corn. The tamale is loaded with beef , the masa is meant to stand alone as its house made (not instant), and its topped with house made ranchero, crema, and imported Oaxacan cheese...yum!!! The corn is fresh off the cob and seasoned with garlic, cilantro, and episote...do you even know what that is? If not then you really have no idea what authentic Mexican cuisine is about. You paid $24??? That's a $4 tamale and the corn is $3. That's $7 total. So where do you get $24 from? Sorry but I have to call BS on this review as well! As for the other reviews...if you have the temerity to leave a 1 star review, I want to hear every nitty gritty detail of of your horrendous experience.I wan't to hear that you told a manager, owner, or server about your awful experience and they did nothing . If you don't do that then all you are doing is essentially committing attempted business assassination

Relatively new restaurant that specializes in tamales and tequila 2 of my favorite food groups. We got to the restaurant on the late side and as it was nice outside we sat in the patio. The margarita I had was tasty and we enjoyed the tamales and tostada. Also had the chicharrones which were very nice and besides which how can you go wrong with fried pork skin?! Churros were pretty good, but not as good as those from Cocoa Cinnamon. Parking is not difficult and service was very friendly. Would like to go back to sample more tequila.

Tamale factory is not only nominated for best in Durham but also has a very fun atmosphere. This is all completely ruined by the wait time and poor service. When I arrived we just stood in the door waiting to be seated, there were only 2 other party's there already, waitress said they would be with us in a moment. We got seated and ordered our drinks, after about 10 minutes we ordered our food. It wasn't till about 20 minutes at the table that we finally got our drinks and was followed by the appetizer. The app was great, simple nachos but they were really good. unfortunately that's all I got to eat because after an hour of waiting I decided it would be faster to go somewhere else. I saw 5 other parties leave without getting even their drinks. One of the tables that was there before me was just getting their main dish when I decided to leave. I understand things happen, and will probably go back some time in the future but this was a poor first impression.