Full disclosure, I did not eat at the restaurant but I purchased his tamales at a Farmer's market.. My neighbor kept on raving about them and so I figured alright, I'll bite. They are really good and a bit addicting! She said he doesn't use lard and I couldn't taste any. I'm not big on Mexican food or spicy primarily because they tend to make me sick but not this one. I had the chicken and green chilli and they were DEELISH, not spicy at all. Highly recommend.