"Though Tamales Alberto was established in its current Historic Filipinotown location in 1997, their tamales date back to the 1960s, when Alberto Meija was selling them as a street vendor and then later out of the back of a local bakery. The tamales themselves are still made using the family's recipe, which produces dense-yet-juicy blocks of perfection. Our favorite is the cheese and jalapeno, but both the chicken in salsa verde and pork with red sauce are strong options as well. Vegan and vegetarian options are also available." - brant cox, sylvio martins