Lucy’s has a simple formula: Make the absolute best tamales around, and sell them (cheaply!) by the boatload. Yeah, that works for us, too. There are no tables (takeout only) and no ambience, and no tacos or burritos or other typical Mexican fare on the menu. But it's better to do one thing and do it right, and boy, does Lucy’s do tamales right. Founded in the late 1990s by Lucy and Claudia Lopez, Lucy’s serves a variety of tamales—for the uninitiated (and thoroughly deprived), a tamale is a corn-based dough steamed or boiled in a leaf wrapper, then packed with meats and cheeses and whatever else you feel like stuffing in there, all piping hot out of the steamer. Go ahead and try them all; they’re only $2 a pop. Our favorite is the chicken tamale, with tons of juicy dark meat and delectable red sauce crammed into the mesa wrap. It’s as good as you’re imagining.

Lucy’s Tamale Factory
3739 Madeline Drive
San Jose, CA 95127
(408) 275-8262
www.lucystamalefactory.com