Food & Drink
Food We Love: The Most Satisfying Tamale in Seattle
This Green Lake shop specializes in flavorful tamales born from a family recipe
By Chelsea Lin April 24, 2019
This article originally appeared in the May 2019 issue of Seattle magazine.
This article appears in print in the May 2019 issue. Click here to subscribe.
Of all the Mexican dishes I adore, tamales don’t usually top the list—I’d rather have a taco (or three) any day. But Frelard Tamales (Green Lake, 6412 Latona Ave. NE; 206.370.9296), for now a take-out-only shop, has changed my mind. The business was opened last year by Osbaldo Hernandez and Dennis Ramey, and contrary to what its name implies, is located in the Green Lake neighborhood. Frelard’s tamale dough—made with masa harina, which is frequently bland and boring at other places—has a subtle, satisfying flavor.
The fillings (both meat and vegetarian) pack even more punch, particularly the salsa roja pork (juicy pork loin in a garlicky red chile sauce, $5), a recipe handed down through generations of Hernandez’s Puerto Vallarta–based family. Swing by the shop for a steaming tamale to go, or do as I do: Order a bag of frozen tamales to store at home and you’ll never go hungry again.
Follow Us
Restaurant Roundup: Panda Fest, Canlis Chooses a Chef, and Good Voyage
One of Seattle’s most resilient restaurants is open and hitting its stride
The best salads are a bit like summer: filled with bright and flavorful produce and definitely not soggy. If you’re looking to toss that questionably healthy hodgepodge you made at home, lettuce point you in the right direction. And while we’re at it, here are some other fresh Seattle food finds to stick your fork…
Sizzle And Spice
Heat up your dining game with these new eateries
There’s a new bar in Pioneer Square near the sports stadiums, a Capitol Hill haunt that’s open 18 hours a day, and a highly anticipated restaurant opening in Tacoma. Meanwhile, a cherished Greek fast-food restaurant has reopened in the Greenwood neighborhood almost a decade after a devastating fire. Here’s a quick list of some of…
Restaurant Roundup: Take a bite of the latest Seattle food news
Here’s what was served up recently in the Emerald City
If you were to put all of Seattle’s food news on a menu, you’d be hard pressed to find a restaurant with a table big enough to fit it all. So, we’re giving the scene the tapas treatment, breaking what’s going on in the city down to bite-sized tidbits for your reading (and eating) pleasure….
Grand Openings, Great Eats
New restaurants brings the flavor
While it’s true that Seattle’s restaurant-scape is still sleepily waking up from its long pandemic nap, exciting things are happening in the city’s culinary scene. These days, we’re seeing new tantalizing restaurant openings and food events pretty much every week. Here’s a heads-up on seven restaurant openings to load up your dining calendar. Ringo Curry…