With so many variations, Yucatán tamales deserve an entire list of their own. Mayan specialties like oven roasted and fire-grilled crispy tamales can be found as a nighttime street food in Merida and even in more touristy Southern cities like Tulum. While there are a couple of more established Yucatán restaurants around L.A., none feature a tamal colado like newcomers El Faisán Y El Venado in Highland Park. A tamal colado is different than any other tamal because the masa is strained through a sieve to remove the grittier corn pieces, leaving behind a velvety tamal with a corn pudding-like texture and habanero-seasoned chicken or pork nestled within. El Faisan Y El Venado is as homestyle as mom-and-pop restaurants get, so expect to wait patiently for your food just like you would at home.

True uchepos are some of the most elusive type of tamales in Southern California, but luckily they can be found at Felix-Mex in Highland Park. What makes these tamales so rare is that they’re made of only fresh sweet corn and not nixtamalized dried corn masa, which usually means a higher food cost when making and buying them. If you’re lucky enough to find them, you will find one of the best variations on the tamal ever created. The use of only fresh corn makes them dessert-like, both in texture and flavor, until you top them with the traditional uchepo fixings: a fat dollop of Mexican sour cream, a tablespoon or two of tart salsa verde and a sprinkling of salty, aged cotija cheese. The result is an unforgettable sweet and salty corn treat. The only downside is that they’re available on weekends only and they run out fast, so get there early.

In Mexico’s Southern tropical states like Oaxaca, the seasoned dried corn masa is steamed in a banana leaf rather than a corn husk. The thicker, more aromatic steaming vessel creates a moister, richer and denser masa cake as opposed to the cakier fluffy texture of those steamed in corn husks. While they’re apples and oranges in comparison, there’s no denying that banana leaf tamales hit the spot like nothing else at times. Especially when they’re topped with a ladleful of smooth Oaxacan Mole Negro, like the impeccable chicken tamales Oaxaqueños at Guelaguetza in Koreatown. For an excellent lunch, pair them with a pint of Guelaguetza’s popular dairy-free horchata topped with red cactus fruit puree.

Located in the historic tourist destination of Olvera Street, La Luz Del Dia restaurant stands alone for their dedication to masa. Whereas most restaurants use preservative-laden maseca corn flour for their tamales and at best, yellow corn masa from the closest tortilleria, La Luz Del Dia make their nixtamal from scratch every morning using purely white corn. This seriously meticulous feat requires soaking, cleaning, grinding and forming corn. It’s not an easy process, but it makes a night and day difference between these and the aforementioned tamales. If you really want to take advantage and maximize your freshly made masa intake, order a cup of their lightly-sweetened champurrado, a Mexican style cinnamon-spiced hot chocolate thickened with a little fresh masa.

Mercado gives the humble tamal a welcome refined and refreshing treatment, much like the rest of their intriguing menu which generally leaves you satisfied and not overly stuffed. The tamal filling changes every day. One day it might be stuffed with chicken and stretchy queso Oaxaca drizzled with salsa verde and the next day it might be brimming with coca-cola caramelized pork carnitas and salsa roja. Rest assured that it'll be the prettiest tamal that you'll ever eat. Don't leave without trying their house flan, which is undoubtedly the best flan in Los Angeles.

Leave it to Mexican celebrity chefs Jaime Martin del Campo and Ramiro Arvizu of La Casita Mexicana and Top Chef Estrellas to create the city’s first made-to-order tamal. What does this a la minute cooking mean for a tamal that typically takes hours to prepare because they’re usually cooked with dozens of others? The result is an unrivaled melt-in-your-mouth texture. Omnivores will get a kick from their tamales de chicharron - the crispy pig skin is ground and blended within the masa, creating a crisp and tender tamal dough that keeps things exciting. Vegetarians get equal treatment with Mexicano’s tamales de rajas con panela, made with minced grassy epazote herb masa. The tamales are on the bigger side and large enough to share. As a bonus, Mexicano has a full bar with drinks like mezcal-enhanced nopal cocktails with chicharron salt and Margaritas sweetened with mazapan (Mexican peanut candy) to sip with your fresh tamales.

Located in a semi-suburban offbeat strip between Highland Park and Downtown L.A., this Northeast L.A. tamal shop earned national fame by appearing on the Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.” Aside from the normal pork, chicken and jalapeño strips with cheese tamales, their most popular tamal is a slightly healthier spinach and cheese tamal that local vegetarians and omnivores stock up on weekly. The secret is in their umami-rich masa, seasoned generously with chicken stock for that final touch of addictive savoriness. For those L.A. public transit lovers, Mom’s Tamales is walking distance from the Metro Gold Line Heritage Square station.

The businesses north of the 101 freeway in Echo Park and Silver Lake may be quickly changing to artisan coffee shops and boutique thrift shops, but the businesses to the south, like Tamales Alberto, are still holding on tight. Look for a storefront sporting a quirky-looking tamal mascot holding up a chef toque and you’ll find one of the oldest tamal restaurants in the area. Though they’ve kept up with the times and added tofu tamales with chipotle sauce to the menu, the nouveau tamales are made with just as much love as their traditional red or green tamales with pork and chicken. The founder is originally from Oaxaca, which explains the extra spice in the chicken with mole banana leaf-wrapped tamales and the dark blue corn handmade tortilla-based antojitos like squash blossom quesadillas and huaraches.

Tamales Lilianas is a bonafide East Los Angeles institution. Even when it’s not the Christmas season, it’s not uncommon to see local families and office workers queue up for a proper Mexican breakfast in a line that snakes outside the small parking lot on the weekends. Though their menu is extensive and features solid renditions of other Mexican classics like crispy chilaquiles and chiles rellenos, keep your eyes on the namesake, the tamales. Whether you’re into red chile or green salsa, they don't skimp on the tender shredded pork that’s inside, a rare trait in the tamal hustling world. This reason alone is enough to make the trek and buy a couple dozen. To complete the East L.A. Mexican-American eating experience, make sure to wash the tamales down with a cup of their cinnamon-spiced cafe de olla.

You might have driven up and down Washington Boulevard every day your entire adult life and still never noticed this hole in the wall restaurant, located in a strip mall on the edge of Culver City and Venice. Despite its hidden location, this tamal-only restaurant has been open for almost two decades and shatters any “good Mexican food could only be found east of Downtown” stereotypes. While some of their tamales do cater to the local clientele with ingredients like goat cheese, curry and vegan jalapeño pesto, their old school classic tamales still deliver. Slather them with the self-serve thick and tart tomatillo green salsa or roasted tomato red salsa, which are good enough to elevate any of their tamales from solid to outstanding. Note: if dining in, there are only a few tables available inside.