First Taste: Tamale Station

Wicker Park loves its tacos, so when the Tamale Spaceship decided it was time to land in its first brick-and-mortar location, the quirky mobile set up shop in the heart of hipster Mecca. Serving tacos a tortilla's toss from Big Star might seem a risky move, but worth the risk when the concept is as unique, vibrant, fun, and zesty as the one at Tamale Station, the apt name for Spaceship's storefront. Here, you'll find a space immersed in offbeat Lucha Libre-inspired wares, Mexican fighting mask menus, and most importantly, a solid and refined menu of stellar steamed tamales, tacos, elotes, and other Mexican essentials. 


Tamale Station
(Tamale Station mural)


The Concept

When Tamale Spaceship took off in 2010, it rocketed to the top of Chicago's food truck scene, notably for its unusual motif and concept. The truck became renowned for its staffers clad in Mexican fighting masks and sombreros, garb inspired by Lucha Libre. The curious mantra made Tamale Spaceship stand out from the mobile crowd, as the truck made the rounds hawking tamales in slightly modern flavors. As is the case with many a food truck nowadays, Tamale Spaceship eventually developed enough of a fan following to establish its own brick-and-mortar space. While the ship still makes the rounds, consider their new Wicker Park station to be the Cape Canaveral of Mexican food. 


The Food

No matter how intriguing the attire may be, a food truck won't succeed if the food isn't good. Proving they aren't all show with no substance, the Spaceship earned raves for its tamales, which serve as the template for their expanded regular menu at the station. Here, the storefront serves up a miscellany of contemporary tamales, tacos, starters, soups, sides, salads, and more. Some of the items seem like throwaways, like a chop salad and quesadillas, but thanks to enhancements such as black beans, jicama, and Chihuahua cheese, the kitchen manages to exert effort even where one may not expect it. Sure you might be tempted to fill up on guacamole and tortilla soup, but the real masa stars here are the tacos and tamales, each one served in customizable orders of two. The weirdly named tamales include the Picturesque, a medley of succulent roasted pork, tomato-habanero sauce, and pickled onions. The whole things tastes like spicy barbecue sandwiched into a pocket of doughy, rich masa. For vegetables, the Simple is simply wonderful, what with a balanced blend of panela cheese, smoky roasted poblanos, and tomato-jalapeno sauce. Other tamales include the roasted chicken-filled Victorious, the braised beef Urbano, and the flank steak Complicate. Now the tacos. Handmade tortillas lay the framework for these toothsome morsels, available laden with barbacoa, roasted mushrooms, grilled chicken, or cochinita pibil. For sides, I like the elote, a huge serving of freshly shucked corn niblets tossed with a mercifully light blend of chipotle mayo and fresco cheese. 


Tamale Station
(Tamales at Tamale Station: Picturesque and Simple)


The Space

The biggest difference between Tamale Station and Tamale Spaceship, obviously, is the space. Their Wicker Park storefront is an opportunity for the restaurant to really showcase their style, featured in a mural across the wall, in colorful menus, and in an open kitchen. The space is fairly small, with a countertop running along the walls serving as the primary seating outlet. Place your order, grab a number, and wait for your food to be cooked to-order. Filled with lustrous eye candy, Tamale Station has lots to marvel at, most especially the Lucha Libre-inspired artwork, the handiwork of artist Aline Romero. Altogether, Tamale Station is a marvelous example of a food truck going brick-and-mortar and soaring in the process. 


- Matt Kirouac

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