Debra Ann Sczepanik

Since 1952, Ruben’s Tamales has been family owned and operated, and I finally had the privilege of experiencing it for myself. This visit was deeply personal for me; it’s close to home, and my uncle, James Jr., was the one who took me there. ​While I was there, I had the absolute pleasure of meeting the owners' granddaughters. One of them, Ms. Melissa, was kind enough to walk me through the rich history of the business. ​This location holds a special place in my family's heart. My grandfather, James Phillips, loved these tamales. In fact, right before he passed away, my uncle his son made sure to get him some Ruben’s tamales as one last request. ​With the Rodeo coming to town, there is no better time to experience a piece of San Antonio’s history and a beautiful piece of my own family’s history. Stop into Ruben’s Tamales; I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Linda Flores

I came into Ruben‘s tamales today for the first time to get some tamales for a family member as I was going out of town today. The lady gave me a sample of the regular pork and the jalapeño. They are so delicious they are to die for and she was so sweet like I would definitely be back.

Antoinette “TONI” Lakey

I grew up on Rubens' I am now 56 and I am STILL in Love with Rubens. Literally no lines at 9am

Dora Wilkins

First time here to get our tamale fix. They only had pork, but we came 3 hrs after they open. Good tasting pork tamales. They even gave us a tamale to taste. 😋

Matt G

I love this place. My wife's family has a tradition of having Ruben's Tamales for the holidays, and they are great. I'm not sure yet, but I think the amount of spices/seasoning has gone down since the first year I ate some, but like I said, they are great tamales. The store itself is clean and organized, and while not anything polished or fancy, it is real; it reminds me of my grandparents' home town. I'm happy when i walk in there.

Michelle Dunican

My first time trying tamales and Ruben’s got me spoiled. I’m from NC and I’m trying to find some that taste just as good as Ruben’s….no luck yet….I’ll be back to San Antonio and yes Ruben’s is my first stop!

Vincent Hoss

Super sweet ladies at this fun tamale shop. Found out about it from a local, that goes here all the time. We had the chicken and the pork. The chicken tamales were our favorite.

+4

Miriam Wright

The tamales are amazing! I've had the chicken and the bean and cheese ones, and they are some of the best i've ever eaten! The salsas, queso, and guacamole are super good as well! Made a special trip out there just to get some and I dont live anywhere near Rubens! Lol! Thats how good it is! Will continue to patronage here for sure!

Anuja Raja

One of the BEST TAMALES I have had in a long time. It is a small grocery store which sells homemade tamales. Don't be fooled by how the store looks on the outside! The inviting scent of fresh tamales as soon as you are out of the car is very comforting. They have been around for 70 years and only make 4 types of tamales. It is a take out place, no seating to eat there. Menu is seasonal - Winter - Pork Tamales Summer - Chicken, Beans and Jalapeno Pork w/ Salsa. Since we went there the day after Christmas, they only served the pork tamales 🫔. Little disappointed Since we could not get a chance to taste the others The tamale(masa) was so soft and melt in the mouth, the stuffing is very flavourful. It is a must try if you are a tamale fan! And a great spot if you want to experience good food on your trip to San Antonio! We would definitely go back!

charliecannibal

Hello, I went today on December 11th 2025 to buy some tamales here at Ruben's Tamales they're very good and they're very Delicious 😋, and not very greasy. I usually get three or four dozen for Christmas and also some bunuelos, but the prices are very high now, as is everything I guess. I only got one dozen pork tamales they didn't have anything else, just the porkones. They were sold out of all the other varieties. It came out to a $1.33 for each tamale for a total of $16. I remember going there with my uncle and we'd go there for a work lunch with his coworkers. They used to be a lot less expensive and they would give you little cups of hot sauce. Well, No more free cups of hot sauce, I asked for some, everything there you have to buy. I can understand that this is their busy season so I guess I have to make as much money as possible. You can see the ladies through the window in the back making these tamales like crazy. I hope they get paid very well because it looks like they're working very hard. The atmosphere of this place is just a store, the cashier lady was pretty gruff, no friendliness at all, you'll see what I mean when you go there. It doesn't cost anything to be cordial with your customers. She's the older lady, black and silver hair with a unibrow. I didn't buy the bunuelos there as I know H-E-B or Michocan has some for less money. They also sell box cookies but they're made by a company not there at the store. That's pretty much it. They are good tasting tamales with a good ratio of meat to masa. There's going to be the usual rush the closer it gets to Christmas. I could see their selling out already of the other varieties. Okay thank you