The line’s long at this quirky Gulfport restaurant. The Mexican food is worth the wait.
A customer at Tamale Shak surprised the three women working behind the counter on Thursday.
“I’m ordering something different,” he announced before ordering a burrito with beef, extra cheese and other fixings.
The man, wearing a button down and slacks, was not the only regular in the long line at the brightly-colored Gulfport restaurant. The cashier knew almost every customer who walked through the doors in the hour I was there.
While in line, I admired the decor inside the building with a small kitchen, an ordering counter and a bar with about five seats. License plates, dollar bills, Mardi Gras hats and beads line the walls. The chalkboard menu is simple: you can order tacos, a burrito, quesadillas, nachos, bowls and — of course — tamales.
It was my first time at Tamale Shak, although my friend Brooke Necaise has been suggesting I try it for years. I brought my friend Jarvis with me for lunch.
The line never wavered while we ate, and we ordered what a customer in front of us suggested — we each tried a quesadilla and shared loaded beef nachos with queso. Jarvis also tried a beef taco with the restaurant’s beloved, spicy “Shak sauce.”
The chicken and beef quesadillas were overflowing with fresh meat and gooey cheese. The flavor was mild but packed a good bunch, and the tortilla was crispy. The fresh pico on top of the nachos paired delightfully with the salty chips and creamy queso cheese. The rice and beans in the nachos were a surprising touch.
Jarvis and I tried hard but couldn’t finish our meals.
The top sellers at Tamale Shak are the tamales and the nachos. The three women in work in the kitchen work as a unit, and some of their favorites include the shrimp quesadilla or the shrimp bowl with seasoned rice, shrimp, cheese and fresh pico.
Everything at Tamale Shak is cooked fresh that day — the first employee gets to the restaurant at 5:30 a.m. to start cooking.
The restaurant has outdoor seating and one table inside, and you can enjoy a cocktail or beer from the bar if you’d like. And if the line is out the door, don’t fret. We got our food less than 10 minutes after ordering.
If you go to Tamale Shak
- Address: 1717 30th Avenue, Gulfport
- Hours: Open 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday - Friday; closed Saturday, Sunday, Monday
- Phone: (228) 265-3713
- Social media: facebook.com/TamaleShak
This story was originally published September 16, 2022 at 7:30 AM.
