Frelard Tamales

Quick Verdict

Frelard Tamales is a solid neighborhood pick in Seattle's Fremont-Ballard corridor — worth knowing about if you're in the area and want something casual, affordable, and genuinely local. It's not a destination you'll rearrange your evening for, but it earns its place as a reliable late-night-friendly stop when the rest of the neighborhood is winding down. If you're planning a special occasion dinner or a first date in Seattle, look elsewhere; if you want good food without the ceremony, this is a reasonable call.

About Frelard Tamales

The address — 106 N 36th St, Suite 100 , puts Frelard Tamales squarely in the Frelard pocket, the informal zone where Fremont bleeds into Ballard along 36th Street. That geography matters: it's a neighborhood crowd, not a tourist draw, which keeps the energy grounded and the pricing honest. Tamales, as a format, travel well into the evening. They hold heat, they're built for sharing, and the masa-and-filling combination tends to produce exactly the kind of warm, starchy aroma that makes a late-night stop feel like a reward rather than a compromise. Whether the kitchen leans traditional Mexican or pushes into Pacific Northwest riff territory isn't confirmed in our data, but the concept itself signals approachability over pretension.

As a late-night option in Seattle's north end, Frelard Tamales fills a gap. Most of Fremont's sit-down restaurants close before midnight; bars like Canon and Roquette do the drinks well but won't feed you a proper meal late. Frelard Tamales sits in a different lane: food-first, low-key, and accessible to groups who've been out for a while and need something substantive. For the full picture of where to eat and drink across Seattle, see our full Seattle restaurants guide, our full Seattle bars guide, and our full Seattle experiences guide.

If you're comparing across neighborhoods, the casual taco and tamale format here contrasts with the more cocktail-driven late-night options elsewhere in the city, including The Doctor's Office or the dive-bar adjacent 2963 4th Ave S. For travelers comparing casual late-night food concepts in other cities, Jewel of the South in New Orleans and Julep in Houston offer useful reference points for what a neighborhood anchor done well can look like. See also our full Seattle hotels guide, our full Seattle wineries guide, and Bar Leather Apron in Honolulu for broader Pacific context.

Practical Details

Address: 106 N 36th St Suite 100, Seattle, WA 98103. Reservations: Not confirmed , walk-in friendly format suggested by concept type; no booking platform data available. Dress: Casual. Budget: Price range not confirmed; tamale-focused casual concepts in Seattle typically run $10–20 per person. Booking difficulty: Easy.