By Courtesy LA Metro / Mey Mitteenn / El Pasajero
Dec 24, 2023, 03:00 AM EST
Many of you may already have in mind what dishes to prepare for Christmas dinner. However, the inevitable king of the table in various Latin homes is without a doubt: the tamale. Therefore, here we tell you about a place that has decades of experience in preparing this traditional dish.
This is Tamales Lilianas, which has been delighting diners with its seasoning for 32 years and has two restaurants in East Los Angeles that you can reach by public transportation, either by bus or train.
“People usually order five to ten dozen tamales,” says Juan Manuel Santoyo, owner of Tamales Lilianas. He adds that customers order them in quantity not only for Christmas Eve dinner, but also for previous events, such as end-of-year school reunions, church celebrations, and for posadas.
There are flavors for every taste. You can choose between red chile con carne tamales – customer favorites – green chile con carne and chicken with vegetables. There is also a vegetarian option of rajas with cheese and corn, and if you lean towards sweet, you can order strawberry or pineapple with raisins.
Juan Manuel says that he prepares in advance to have the supplies ready and meet all the demand that exists in December since his clients have sought to place orders up to a month in advance. “Right now we don’t take orders, people come and line up to buy them instantly… Hundreds of people come to line up, it’s crazy,” says the owner of Tamales Lilianas.
He says that during Christmas week alone, between 10,000 to 15,000 tamales are sold daily. “The festive season is the best, I would like two Christmases a year,” says Juan Manuel.
The business itself is open every day – except on Good Friday. However, due to the tamales craze at the end of the year, Tamales Lilianas will have extended hours. On Sunday, December 24, they will open at 2:00 am until 8:00 pm; while on Monday, December 25, they start from 7:00 am to 6:00 pm.
The beginnings
Juan Manuel Santoyo was born in Zacatecas, Mexico, and emigrated to Los Angeles in 1990. “I came to an uncle who had a bakery and there I learned about baking and making Mexican sweet bread.”
It was his uncle who gave him the idea to start making tamales. With that in mind he called his mother-in-law to get the recipe and together with his wife, they made several attempts to perfect the flavor. Thus, with the 50 dollars of capital that he had, he started his business. “The first time on a milk box, I put my pot with only 36 tamales – which at that time were only red and sliced with cheese,” he remembers.
When they took him out of selling there, he looked for a place on Brooklyn Avenue – today known as César Chávez. “I sold for years on the street and when I saw that selling tamales was profitable, I decided to open the first Tamales Lilianas location, which is on 1st Street, in 1991.” Fifteen years later, he opened the second location, which is on César Chávez Avenue.
The business doesn’t stop and neither does Juan Manuel. At 71 years old, the father of two children is an energetic man who comes to his business seven days a week to warmly serve his clients. Of course, he says that his wife is number one in the business. “She is in charge of coordinating with the cooks and has taught them about the flavor of our meals.”
In the restaurants, which in addition to tamales offer almost 38 dishes – including tacos, burritos, chilaquiles, tostadas, enchiladas, flautas, broths and more – everyone pitches in. “We are like any employee. I also get to work as a waiter, wash pots, wrap tamales and my son helps me. “My daughter is in charge of social media.”
He adds that the main thing is the cleanliness and quality of his product. He says that having vision, putting in the desire and knowing how to take care of money is what has helped him get ahead.
This year his daughter will be in charge of Christmas dinner. “Maybe on the morning of the 25th I will eat a tamale with coffee… The freshly made tamale is amazing.”
Tamales Lilianas has two locations, here we tell you how to get there by public transportation:
To go to the one located at 3448 1st St, Los Angeles, CA 90063, take the E line train and get off at the Indiana stop.
To go to the one at 4629 E Cesar E Chávez Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90022, take the 70 bus and get off at César E Chávez / Dangler.
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