These Tamales Will Get You Up Early on Saturday Morning

There are a lot of great breakfast options around Philadelphia, but for something really different get up early one Saturday morning and go to Mole Poblano for tamales.

Just fold open and devour with a spoon.

The South Philly taqueria is supposed to be a great spot for all sorts of authentic Mexican food (we haven't been for lunch/dinner yet) but the real gem here are the tamales, available early morning on weekends only. Husband and wife, Papá Pedro Ríos and Ynes Sandoval get up at 5:30am to start making tamales by hand and have them steamed and ready for sale from about 8:00am - 10:00am. Perfect for a morning treat, or a way to make your next venture to the Comcast Service Center on Delaware Ave not suck (worked for us!).

Tamales look fairly simple, but are packed with a variety of rich, fresh flavors - and major TLC from the hands that make them. The inside "dough" is masa corn flour mashed with lard and homemade chicken and pork stock, then folded inside corn husks to steam along with any other stuffings picked that day.

We literally just said "one of each, please" and ended up with four: chicken, tomatillos and salsa verde; shredded pork with roasted salsa; vegetarian with stringy Oaxaca cheese, bell peppers, tomatoes and onions; and our favorite, pork with the chefs' housemade mole sauce. The mole added volumes of deep, rich flavor, baked right into the meat. As you unfold the corn husks, the aroma alone will capture your heart before you even take a bite.