Wonderful wonderful hole in the wall. Tamales are well worth the James Beard award and a detour to visit. You can buy them in bulk frozen or to done there. It is a hot and stuffy in the summer but somehow that makes it more endearing. The tamales I had, pork, and pepperjack-asparagus (seasonal) were amazing. Our party of 5 ordered a dozen and then a dozen more!

Looks like a hole in the wall but great tamales. Plenty of parking and some seating if you wanted to dine in. Pork and chicken were excellent. Jalapeño was so so. Just jalapeños mixed into the cornmeal. The tomatillo salsa was also great. As mentioned in other reviews, portions were small so plan on getting a few extra tamales. We got there just before noon as the tamales were coming out of the steamer so they were fresh and moist.

The hype about this place by far exceeds to popular consensus. I am beyond disappointed after the reviews. I even had them brought to me from my family and we are utterly saddened. The over grainy texture, teeny tiny portion, lack of flavor and need for salt is just not it. I hate making tamales but now this proves why I need to just do it myself. Yikes.

A must-go place in Yakima, very delicious! For dine-in you can mix with the same price category. I did 3 pork and 3 chicken. The cactus tamale is very good, we prefer this over asparagus. The frozen tamales are in 6-pack

I tried Los Hernandez Tamals in Union Gap, Washington in May 2019. I originally tried to visit in September 2018, only to discover that the days of business had changed. For eight months, all I could think about were those tamales. Knowing this business won a James Beard award in January 2018, I couldn’t wait to try them. When I was able to finally visit, I ordered an Asparagus tamale and a Pork tamale to try on site, with the intention of ordering a larger quantity of one or both, to take with me. I couldn’t have been more disappointed. I’m not sure what the problem was with the masa,, but it was overly stiff and wet. Neither tamale had much flavor. Even with the house salsa added to it, there just wasn’t enough flavor to make we want to finish eating the tamales. I don’t know if my experience was a one off or not, but I haven’t been sufficiently motivated to return and give this business a second try.

Very Mom & Pop type place! The ladies working there were nice and attentive. The food was served promptly and tasted great! I will go back again 😊

Both the chicken and pork tamales were delicious. The serving size for one is small. To feel filled, you'll need to have 3-4 pieces. Do order the salsa to accompany with the tamales. They only have one vegeterian or vegan option and they had run out of it sooner on that day (by 4pm). So call in ahead of time if you're planning to have veg tamales. Plenty of parking nearby. Limited indoor seating but most orders are to-go afaict. The restaurant history and reviews might make you have unrealistically high expectations that the tamales may be out of the world or something. It's not like that but still they are very tasty.

Absolutely yes. Superb tamales and sides. We catered lunch for 20 and ordered from here at the recommendation of a local. This was the by far one of the best “business lunches” I’ve had. We enjoyed chicken and pork tamales, a pan of mexi rice, and plenty of salsa. Could not recommend this more. It was worth ordering more and bringing them back to home on west side. Even 2 days old and microwaved, the tamales rocked.

Can't miss tamales in a no frills family setting. Everything was fresh and delicious, I couldn't get enough of the salsa verde!

Not overrated at all. The tamales are spectacular. They deserved the James Beard award. Today I was lucky enough to be here for the seasonal asparagus tamales. So good!!

How can you make a tamale better? I don't know, but these folks have figured it out! Everything is seasoned to perfection from the tomatilla salsa to the beans. And I'd say my favorite are asparagus and cheese.

Wow!! Lives up to the hype! Had a pork and a cactus pepper jack tamale. Delicious! Homemade salsa is also delicious. Only complaint is there is no heat to any of it! Next time I will ask for some hot sauce 😉

The Tamales were so, so good! Piping hot and the jalapeño and cheese one was just spicy enough, but not so much it destroyed the taste of everything else. So good and I see why they are considered the best in the state.

The most amazing Tamales… traveled from Boston to the Yakima Valley recently and was looking forward to the incredible Mexican food that can be found here. This place exceeded my expectations. Incredible taste in a humble little place for very low prices. Just can’t beat a deal like this!

Lives up to the hype! Delicious tamales in an unpretentious space and excellent and fast customer service. Worth the drive from Seattle. I got the asparagus and pepper jack cheese lunch special for $15.

Ordered one of each. I love pork tamales but the chicken one was outstanding. Got the combo plate as well and rice and beans good as well. From out of town but when i pass through it will be top choice of where to eat

First time here. Read wonderful things about this place. I can confirm that it did not disappoint. The asparagus tamales were spectacular!!! So fresh and the preparation instructions provided were spot on. So delicious with perfect flavor and texture. Highly recommend.

Shared 12 amazing tamales (chicken, pork) for lunch. Highly recommend Los Hernandez Tamales.

A friend recommended we stop here and I’m so glad. Lunch specials of pork and chicken tamales. Then we got two more single tamales because it’s just that delicious. Got an order of beans and green salsa to go. I’m already looking forward to tomorrow’s rice and bean lunch! Will certainly be back in the Spring to try the asparagus tamales.

Everything you've read is true! We stopped for lunch before hitting area wineries and had to come back a few days later to grab a frozen dozen on our way out of town. The good people at James Beard weren't kidding! Must stop when in the area!