A Sacramento Bee reader recommended that I check out Emma’s Tamales as part of The Bee’s On a Budget series, which helps readers find fun and affordable ways to connect to the community.
Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado
valvarado@sacbee.com
In the heart of Old Sacramento near the Central Pacific Rail Road Deport and the Sacramento River, a sign boasts an array of offerings including tamales, hot dogs and fresh tea.
Smaller signs decorate the doors and windows of Emma’s Tamales advertising the variety of tamales, sauces and food that the small restaurant sells.
The Mexican eatery at 1100 Front St., Suite 130 in Sacramento has a cozy warm interior. The walls are filled with old license plates from all over the country, large framed photos of black and white art, and informative text on the history of tamales in North America and an intimate story of how Emma’s Tamales came to be.
A Sacramento Bee reader recommended that I check out Emma’s Tamales as part of The Bee’s On a Budget series, which helps readers find fun and affordable ways to connect to the community.
From rolling cigarettes to preparing tamales
Owner Staci Gallardo named the restaurant after her grandmother Emma who had once owned a Mexican restaurant in Oakland in the 1940s. Emma previously worked welding naval ships during WWII and was a woman who loved two things: tamales and tobacco.
Gallardo said she would roll tobacco cigarettes with her grandmother, a skill she said would help her in prepping tamales.
In an effort to prove to her grandmother that she could make a healthier version of tamales without using lard, Gallardo set off to create nutritious tamales. After weeks of trial and error, Gallardo presented her tamales to her grandmother.
“She was absolutely amazed and became my biggest fan,” Gallardo wrote on her website.
From there Gallardo established a natural food company, Mother Earth’s. Then, she branched off to create Emma’s Tamales, “carrying on the legacy and love for food that Grandma Emma shared with me in her kitchen.”
Emma’s Tamales, 1100 Front St., Suite 130 in Sacramento, is a Mexican eatery located in Old Sacramento. Inside the shop, information on the history of tamales and the business decorate the walls. Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado valvarado@sacbee.com What is Emma’s Tamales in Old Sacramento like?
I visited Emma’s Tamales on a cool weekday afternoon. The inside of the tamale shop was small, warm and homey. I was immediately greeted by a worker who helped guide me through the expansive menu.
Every wall seemed to tell a story of travel and a deep love for food. License plates from Oregon, Wisconsin, California and Arizona decorated the spaces between framed stretch art of working men and women.
Hanging above the register was a large menu advertising the more than a dozen types of tamales including red chili chicken, seafood tamales with real crab, vegetarian chorizo, egg, potato and cheese, and sweet corn tamales. The menu also included homemade enchiladas and breakfast burritos.
According to its website, Emma’s Tamales prides itself on each meal being “created with your health and well-being in mind.” Gallardo said she’s made health-conscious food since the 1980s.
In addition to delicious Mexican cuisine, the eatery also serves hot dogs and chips. Drink options include horchata, agua de jamaica, coffee, hot chocolate, juice, soda and organic green tea.
Due to the size of the eatery there was no place to sit indoors. But an array of picnic tables were lined up right outside on the wooden patio.
What I got for $25 at the cozy tamale restaurant
I spent a total of $24.48 before tip and tax at Emma’s Tamales. For that price, I got enough food to easily feed two people.
For $3.99, I tried a mixture of horchata and agua de jamaica (hibiscus tea) which I would highly recommend for anyone to try. The sweet milky cinnamon was complimented by the floral of the hibiscus.
I ordered two vegan enchiladas for $8.99 made with vegan seitan, homemade sauce and nut cheese. It was filling, warm and packed with flavor.
And I got a half-pound savory tamale for $4.50, which was thick and so delicious.
Emma’s Tamales serves more than a dozen different flavors of tamales, including this half-pound savory tamale. Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado valvarado@sacbee.com
For $3.50, I got a pumpkin tamale which was slightly sweet and pleasantly soft.
Finally, I got a chili relleno-style tamale with mock chicken flavoring for $3.50. It was cheesy and wonderfully seasoned with a savory chili.
By far, my favorites were the pumpkin and chili relleno tamales. The sweetness from the pumpkin was not overwhelming, and I could easily see myself eating one for either lunch or dessert.
The chili relleno tamale was perfectly spiced and the chili was cooked to perfection. And the vegan enchiladas were cheesy and thick.
Reporter Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado visited Emma’s Tamales and ordered three different kind of tamales, horchata and enchiladas. Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado valvarado@sacbee.com
The half-pound tamale was wonderful and was an easy meal for anyone on the go.
But one of my favorite parts of the meal was that I did not feel the typical heaviness after a tamale heavy meal.
Emma’s Tamales has not only found a way to make healthy tamales for all to enjoy, but have mastered making them absolutely delicious from sweet to savory.
Is Emma’s Tamales affordable?
Yes, Emma’s Tamales is an affordable option for people who want a filling meal without having to leave Old Sacramento.
Prices for tamales range from $1.50 to $5.99. Enchiladas, burritos and hot dogs range from $4.99 to $8.99.
For combo meals, which can include half-pound tamales served with organic rice and beans or chicken enchiladas with sides can range from $8.79 to $49.99 depending on the combo meal.
Drink prices for hibiscus tea, green tea and horchata range from $3.50 to $3.99.
Emma’s Tamales is not only affordable but delicious and filling.
If you’re sightseeing at the Old Sacramento water front or if you are there to live your old west dreams, Emma’s Tamales is definitely the place to go.
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This story was originally published February 20, 2026 at 10:00 AM.
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Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado is a service journalism reporter at The Sacramento Bee. She previously worked at the Star Democrat in Annapolis, Maryland. Veronica graduated from Georgetown University with a master’s degree in journalism.