Rosy’s Tamales, Pacoima.
Tis the season…
“Estilo Nayarit” is actually quite easy to miss on the sign, especially while flying by on wide Glenoaks Blvd. With the holidays approaching, there will be many feelings about tamales to go around, but for those without stacks of them made at home, Rosy’s is a unique find to enjoy the recipes that trace their origin to the owner’s hometown of Zacualpan.
Even coming in from the blazing summer sun, there is an enjoyment to eating a tamal with a cup of hot champurrado ($1.50), always available here at Rosy’s. What can be less easy to find are the chicken tamales, the stars of the show, which are frequently sold out. Fresh batches are prepared throughout the morning (Rosy’s closes at 13:00) though, so if your timing is not perfect on the first visit, just try again another day.
Start with the tamal de pollo en salsa verde ($2), which they have covered with a handwritten “HOT” notice on their board. The sauce is green because of an ample use of jalapeños, and is always made fresh.
Not as spicy but almost just as tasty are the pollo en salsa roja ($2) and puerco ($2), which also uses a red sauce. The chicken version is stuffed with some vegetables as well. On various visits, the savory tamal that has been untried is the one made with cheese and no meat, surely a delicious options for vegetarians.
Also meatless and catering to the sweeter side are the tamal de piña ($2) and tamal de elote ($2), a sweet corn version that balances between sweet and savory. Regardless of your holiday traditions, there is bound to be something of interest for you at this tiny tamal shop in Pacoima, if not at this time of year than at any.