Alma Café Has Your Christmas Tamale Cravings Covered

(Christmas Tamales at Alma Café, Featured Photo by Isabel Byfield)

By: Isabel Byfield

The heart is the first to feel when food is made with love – and that might be Alma’s secret ingredient. Opened this past summer, Alma Café is a fairly new addition to the Phoenix food scene. Brought to you by Sheila Bryson of Soul Cafe, this Southern American restaurant has a lot of interesting Mexican influence in their dishes. We recently tried it for brunch and here are our impressions:

Upon first walking in, you’ll be hard-pressed not to notice the bold, modern décor, with strong accents that make it very unique. It has a beautiful outside seating area, a spacious bar and gorgeous indoor dinning room. They’re open from breakfast to dinner, with a special brunch menu on the weekends. The options are endless and the dishes are very creative, blending traditional food with modern twists. The restaurant offers dishes like traditional antojitos, as well as green pork chili, pimiento cheese dip and jalapeno bacon wrapped shrimp.

The drink menu puts a spin on the go-to brunch beverages. Instead of the traditional mimosa, we got an Almosa, a Mexican inspired mimosa featuring bubbly wine, orange juice and agua de Jamaica. If you are feeling adventurous, get a Macho Micha – a combination of Clamato, beer, Worcestershire, lime and chili. Or, try a Caliente Maria. Definitely hotter than your average Bloody Mary, this drink includes jalapeno infused tequila and is garnished with Jicama and a stuffed jalapeno popper.

Almamosa Drink at Alma Café (Photo Credit: Isabel Byfield)

The brunch menu is extensive and covers a variety of dishes that include traditional Migas, Chilaquiles, Enchiladas and even Christmas Tamales! Of course I couldn’t help myself and I had to try them. Needless to say, I devoured every bite of this traditional Mexican delicacy. They were flavorful, meaty and the masa was cooked to perfection. I also loved that they topped the tamale with two made to order eggs and smothered them in abundant green and red salsa, the Christmas colors. They are must try.

We also ordered the chilaquiles, which were exquisite – a generous portion of tortilla chips, topped with green pork chili, queso fresco and two eggs. The pork was tender and juicy, with a deep green chile flavor.

Chilaquiles at Alma Café  (Photo Credit: Isabel Byfield/AZLatinos.com)

Alma Café hasn’t forgotten about the brunch classics either – like French toast, bagels or pancakes. Their brunch was delightful and left me craving some more soul food. I will definitely be back to try their lunch and dinner menu, and I hope you come over and experience it for yourself.