Yvolina's Tamales

Unlike many of Chicago's tamale shops—which favor a corn husk for the steaming process—Yvolina's steams each tamal in a neat cocoon of banana leaves, which creates a slightly moister masa shell. You'll also find ingenuity among its fillings, which range from the classics (chicken with salsa verde or rojo) to the not-so-classics (tofu and green tomatillo, quinoa with lentils); both ends of the spectrum, however, are equally delicious, especially when drenched in the shop's mole sauce. Vegans and vegetarians will be happy to note that many of the tamales are meat- and animal product-free.