The Tamale Guy Is a Chicago Landmark | Street Food Icons

Claudio Velez is The Tamale Guy. For 20 years he’s been visiting the bars of Chicago neighborhoods almost every night, selling his handmade pork and chicken tamales to the nightlife scene. Hailing from Mexico, Claudio has become a true celebrity of late-night dining, with a Twitter account to track his whereabouts, a beer named after him, and a loud cheer at every bar he walks into.