Some of the Bay’s best tamales are tucked inside a Richmond convenience store like so much corn inside a plantain leaf. This Salvadoran shop offers pupusas and burritos, too, but for our purposes, the tamales serve as the star. Keeping a low profile, the best way to make this order happen is to pull up and scope things out for yourself.

A drive to Point Richmond is rewarded at Masa with 11 types of tamales including four vegetarian options and two dessert tamales (don’t miss the strawberry). The large tamales practically fall apart as they tumble out of the husk and that’s a good thing. The ratio of tender masa to filling is balanced and the price of $2 per tamale invites mixing and matching. Place Nochebuena orders as soon as possible.

In North Berkeley on San Pablo Avenue, Casa Latina sells long and skinny tamales in pork, chicken, or cheese. Plan on ordering a dozen of their sturdy tamales one week in advance for Nochebuena. Or, if eating them at Casa Latina under the gaze of a multitude of Frida Kahlo paintings, order them “al Vapor”-style, steamed and topped with salsa verde, queso, and crema, or “Abuela”-style, steamed, then fried and doused in mole.

If you’re a vegan looking for your fix of tamales, Flacos is willing to help out with that. The restaurant offers two types of tamales, the first is a tamal poblano with organic corn masa stuffed with chile poblano, black beans, and potatoes and steamed in corn husks. The other is the banana leaf tamale, filled with savory mole, capers, potatoes, and a green olive.

Purveyors of vegan shrimp mofongo and family members to hit burger shop Malibu’s, the team at this Puerto Rican outlet dish up a mean plant-based pastele. Though the permanent location is still to-be-opened, pasteles go for $10 and can be ordered en masse for pick-up or delivery. Olives, garbanzo beans, peppers, and meatless meat make up each succulent serving.

The La Cocina alumni, mother-daughter team at La Guerrera’s makes Guerrero-style tamales. Try chicken tamales or go with their vegan tamales made from lard-free masa and stuffed with calabacitas. Tamales can be ordered all month in December, but the last day for a Nochebuena pre-order online is December 22.

If you plan ahead and show up at 9 a.m. you can score fresh tamales made in small batches at Supermercado Mi Tierra on Fruitvale most days of the week — though they sell out, for good reason. The masa is tender and flavorful, and the chicken tamale is everything anyone could want: juicy and well-seasoned, with an equal ratio of filling to masa. You can also find pork and cheese tamales. For Nochebuena, order 1-2 days in advance.

Tucked into a tiny parking lot on Foothill is a permanently parked food truck called Tamales Mi Lupita with three kinds of Mexican tamales — huge in size and full of masa but light on flavorful fillings — in pork, chicken, or rajas y queso. They also make Guatemalan-style tamales, cooked in banana leaves and available in pork or chicken.

Alicia’s Tamales Los Mayas’ large tamales feature familiar fillings with a twist — like chicken with carrot, zucchini, and potato. Try the vegetable tamales with nopales and garbanzo in masa that’s vegan and gluten-free, too. Alicia’s conveniently offers order pick up at her facility in Hayward or in San Francisco at La Cocina. Berkeley Bowl and Monterey Market also carry ATLM tamales.

A line of cars regularly snakes onto the stretch of Tennyson Road in Hayward that curves by Taqueria Senaida’s drive-thru. The menu is affixed to the front of an old van in the parking lot and in its window, a hand-written sign announces pork and chicken tamales. Hefty in size, the masa is flavorful with ample, well-seasoned meat inside.