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“Nothing beats the sweet aroma of corn that comes from fresh masa and nixtamalization,” says Adriana Azcárate-Ferbel, cofounder of Three Sisters Nixtamal in Portland, Oregon. “The process has been done for thousands of years throughout Central and North America, and it has so much history. It’s incredible to continue the tradition.”
While standard supermarket tortillas can have a dry, papery texture and flavor, Azcárate-Ferbel explains that fresh masa gives your tortillas “distinct corn taste and a pleasant, chewy bite. The smell, texture, flavor—it’s all very different.”
Azcárate-Ferbel and her partners, Pedro Ferbel-Azcárate and Wendy Downing, started making and selling nixtamal, masa, and tortillas in 2012. Today, you can find their products in grocery stores and farmers markets throughout the Pacific Northwest. Their goal: To preserve the ancient technique, provide fresher corn products, and make it all more accessible to their communities.
In Chicago, El Popocatepetl Tortilleria shares a similar objective. “We’re basically using the same recipe that the Indigenous peoples of the Americas did,” says Julian Rodriguez, whose family founded the business in the 1950s. “The Aztecs made masa by cooking the corn and grinding it with volcanic stone, and it picks up so much flavor in that process—it can’t be replicated.”
While places like California, Texas, and Chicago have historically offered an abundance of places to buy fresh masa for making your own tortillas, tamales, and more, it wasn’t always that way for the East Coast, says Chris Vergara of Tortilleria La Milpa de Rosa in Yonkers, New York. “When we started out, you couldn’t really get nixtamalized corn masa in New York—and if you could, it was pricey.” Masa is a fundamental building block of Mexican cuisine, says Vergara, and “the fact that it wasn’t available in a city like New York just didn’t make any sense.” Five years later, La Milpa de Rosa provides masa and tortillas to the five boroughs and throughout the tristate area.
Welcome to the Golden Age of Masa
Three Sisters, El Popocatepetl, and La Milpa de Rosa are far from alone in their efforts. In recent years, fresh masa has become increasingly available all around the U.S. Today, you can pick it up at not only tortillerias, but also at grocery stores, bodegas, farmers markets—and many restaurants, some of which focus on heirloom corn in a rainbow of colors. Below, we’ve listed just some of the places you can find it across the country. (Jump down to start in your region: West, Midwest, South, and Northeast.)
Looking for something shelf-stable? Jump down for options in masa harina—a dried version you can reconstitute to make anything you’d make with fresh masa.
West
California
La Jolla Tortilleria, Los Angeles
La Jolla Tortilleria offers non-GMO white, yellow, and red masa—and organic yellow and blue masa. You can place orders at its shop, via its website, or Instagram.
Tortilleria La California, Los Angeles
Tortilleria La California is a Mexican restaurant, offering a full menu of corn and flour tortillas, fresh masa, and more at their location on Cypress Avenue.
La Princesita Tortilleria, Los Angeles
Tortilleria y Carniceria is a grocery store that sells fresh tortillas, tortilla chips, tostadas, sopes, and more. You can buy masa from either of their locations in Los Angeles.
Acapulco Mexicatessen/Acapulco Tortilleria, Los Angeles
Acapulco sells masa all year round for tamales, sopes, tortillas, and more. Stop by its retail store in East Los Angeles to purchase or call ahead to place larger orders.
Ditroit Taquería, Los Angeles
Ditroit is a taquería and market, offering a full menu of tacos, aguas frescas, and desserts. They also sell fresh masa for pickup. You can place online orders via its website.
Masa Memory, Los Angeles
You can order organic and non-GMO masa, tortillas, tamales, and mole for local delivery via Masa Memory’s website.
El Indio Azteca Tortillería, Los Angeles
Tortilleria El Indio Azteca is a shop offering tortillas, masa, chips, tostadas, and more. Purchase masa from its location in North Hills.
Tlaxcalli Tortilleria, Stanton
Tlaxcalli offers fresh tortillas along with organic white, yellow, and blue corn masa by the pound. Order online for pickup via its website.
El Metate Tortilleria, Santa Ana
El Matate is a leading manufacturer of Mexican food products in Orange County. You can purchase fresh masa at either of its locations in Costa Mesa or Orange County.
Mexico Tortilla Factory & Deli, Newark
Mexico Tortilla Factory & Deli offers a full menu of prepared foods, along with fresh masa, tortillas, and chips. You can order its masa via Doordash or Grubhub in the Bay Area, Newark, and surrounding areas.
La Palma Mexicatessen, San Francisco
This well-stocked grocery store and take-out spot offers a full menu of tacos, huaraches, pupusas, burritos, and more along with fresh non-GMO white and blue masa and a version with nopales. They also provide strawberry and cinnamon flavored masa for desserts. Stop by its location on 24th Street in San Francisco to pickup—and get some salsa while you’re at it.
Bolita, Oakland
Bolita is a micro molino and tortilleria in downtown Oakland. They sell masa (in multiple shades) by the pound. Order online for pickup or purchase at its farmers market stand at the CUESA Mission Community Market in San Francisco.
La Finca Tortillas, Oakland
La Finca offers corn tortillas, fresh masa, and more. You can purchase items from its store in Oakland, or various supermarkets in the area (find one near you via its website).
Tierra Vegetables, Santa Rosa
The Tierra Vegetables Farm Stand offers a variety of corn and corn products, including tortillas, sopes, hominy, grits, and pozole. They also have masa available once a week on Thursdays or Fridays—stop by or call to place orders ahead of time for larger orders.
Arizona
Alejandro’s Tortilla Factory, Tucson
Alejandro’s specializes in corn tortillas, flour tortillas, and bread. They also offer masa, corn gorditas, and more. Stop by the shop in Tucson or call to order.
La Mesa Tortillas, Tucson
La Mesa Tortillas has multiple locations in Tucson, offering tamales, tacos, tortillas, and more. La Mesa also sells masa; order via its website.
Maiz Tucson, Tucson
Maiz specializes in making heirloom corn tortillas and offers fresh masa for sale during the holiday season by special orders through Instagram and its website.
Nevada
Black Hills Way, Las Vegas
Black Hills Way is a new vendor of both heirloom corn tortillas and fresh masa. You can order online for local delivery beginning in July 2021.
Masazul, Las Vegas
In addition to fresh salsas, Masazul specializes in heirloom corn masa and tortillas. You can purchase these items at farmers markets throughout Las Vegas, or place an online order for pickup via its website.
Tortillas Inc., Las Vegas
Tortillas Inc. offers chips, tortillas, and more—including masa. Place an online pickup order via its website.
Washington
San Juan Island Tortillería, San Juan Island
San Juan Island Tortillería offers fresh, non-GMO stone ground masa and tortillas. Visit at San Juan Island Farmers Market or call to place an order.
Oregon
Three Sisters Nixtamal, Portland
Three Sisters Nixtamal produces organic corn masa and tortillas. Find them at New Seasons, Whole Foods, and specialty markets throughout the Northwest, and the PSU Portland Farmers Market. You can also place orders for pickup via its website or email.
Tamale Boy, Portland
Tamale Boy is a restaurant in Portland that serves tamales, tacos, burritos, and more. It also sells fresh masa in quantities of three or five pounds at its Russell location. To place an order for masa pickup, call a day in advance.
Colorado
Pochitos Tortilla Factory, Denver
Pochitos is Mexican restaurant and tortilla and tamale shop that also sells fresh masa for making tamales at home. Stop by its location in Denver to purchase.
New Mexico
La Mexicana Tortilla Co, Albuquerque
La Mexicana has a full restaurant menu along with a store that offers a variety of masa options. Call or order online to purchase.
Grab some fresh masa to make tamales.
Midwest
Illinois
Los Gamas Tortilleria y Restaurante, Chicago
Los Gamas offers a full menu of dishes and fresh masa by the pound. You can place an order for local delivery via Grubhub, Seamless, or Postmates.
El Popocatepetl Tortilleria, Chicago
El Popo is a family-owned tortilleria that offers non-GMO nixtamalized white corn products. Visit either of its locations in Chicago to pick up white masa, masa amarilla, blue masa, fresh tortillas, and more.
La Guadalupana, Chicago
La Guadalupana is a third-generation family-owned food company that offers fresh masa for tortillas and tamales, corn for pozole, and salsa diabla. You can find its products in grocery stores throughout Northern Illinois—for a full list of stores, visit its website.
Masa Uno, Berwyn
Masa Uno is a local bakery, offering freshly prepared masa as well as homemade tortillas. Stop by its location in Berwyn to make a purchase.
Michigan
Molino Tortilleria & Market, Sawyer
Molino Tortilleria specializes in small-batch non-GMO tortillas and chips. It also offers freshly ground organic heirloom corn masa. Place your orders online for pickup at its location on Sawyer Road.
Missouri
Yoli Tortilleria, Kansas City
Yoli Tortilleria specializes in making non-GMO nixtamalized white, yellow, blue, and red corn tortillas. It also sells white, yellow, blue, and red corn masa at its shop in Westside and at the OP Farmers Market.
Kansas
La Tradición Tortilleria, Wichita
La Tradición Tortilleria is a family-owned tortilla shop that specializes in corn and flour tortillas, and also offers fresh masa. Call to place an order for pickup or find them at grocery stores throughout Kansas and Oklahoma (visit its website to find a store near you).
Minnesota
Nixta Tortilleria, Minneapolis
Nixta produces heirloom nixtamalized corn products, including tortillas and tostadas. It also accepts special orders for fresh masa via Instagram or email.
Ohio
Shagbark Seed & Mill, Athens
Shagbark is a certified organic mill that partners with local farms to offer freshly milled heirloom products, including masa, polenta, and cornmeal. It offers fresh masa for pickup via email orders. You can also look for it at Seaman’s grocery store in Athens, the Saturday Athens Farmers Market, and the Clintonville Farmers Market in Columbus.
The best tortillas are freshly made.
South
Texas
Tatemó, Houston
Tatemó is a molino and tortilleria that offers fresh heirloom masa, tortillas, and salsa. You can purchase its products at Urban Harvest Farmers Market or place an order via email.
Dallas Tortilla & Tamale Factory, Dallas
Dallas Tortilla & Tamale Factory offers a range of Mexican food products, including tamales, tortillas, tortilla chips, masa, and more. Stop by its location on North Marsalis Avenue to purchase fresh masa by the pound.
Luna’s Tortillas, Dallas
Luna’s is a take-out counter selling fresh corn and flour tortillas, tamales, tacos, and other Mexican foods. Stop by to place your order for masa by the pound.
Ibarra’s Tortilleria, Fort Worth
Ibarra’s is a restaurant serving homestyle Mexican foods, including tamales, tortillas, tacos, and more. It also sells fresh masa year-round. Call to place an order for pickup or visit the restaurant.
Adelita Tamales & Tortilla, San Antonio
Adelita is a tamale and tortilla factory, offering a variety of nixtamalized corn tamales, tortillas, and masa. Place an order by phone or stop by its location to purchase.
Neighborhood Molino, McAllen
Neighborhood Molino is a small-scale operation that specializes in heirloom corn products. It offers a variety of fresh masa colors (depending on which corn is available) on Saturdays and Sundays at its local farmers market and brunch service at CC’s Sweets. You can preorder online for pickup or purchase in person.
Nixta Taqueria, Austin
Nixta Taqueria is a restaurant, offering a full menu including tacos, tostadas, desserts, and aguas frescas. They also sell fresh masa by special orders of up to five pounds. Call to order.
Georgia
Corn Mafia, Augusta
Corn Mafia specializes in small-batch heirloom hominy and Lyeing Mohawk masa. It provides hominy, cornmeal, grits, and masa by the pound. Message Corn Mafia on Instagram to place an order for fresh masa or to get more information on shipping and pickup options.
Tía Gladys, Atlanta
Tía Gladys specializes in a number of nixtamalized corn products including masa, tortillas, sopes, and more. To place an order, call, text or email—or look for its products in grocery stores throughout Atlanta.
Tennessee
Maíz de la Vida, Nashville
Maíz de la Vida focuses on heirloom corn products, including white corn tortillas and blue corn masa. You can order online for pickup or local delivery.
Alebrije, Nashville
Alebrije is a Mexican pop-up shop offering a full menu of dishes, including tacos, sopes, huaraches, and more. It also sells fresh blue, red, and yellow masa at Bastion Nashville on Mondays and by special request.
A rainbow of flavor.
Northeast
New York
Taqueria Nixtamal, New York
Taqueria Nixtamal is a taco shop that offers a full menu of items, to-go taco kits, and nixtamalized fresh masa. Stop by its location at the Market Line in Manhattan, or place an order online for local delivery via its website or mercato.com.
For All Things Good, Brooklyn
For All Things Good is a restaurant with a full menu, offering delivery from Bed-Stuy. It also sells blue, yellow, and red masa. Call or email to place an order.
Claro, Brooklyn
Claro’s menu includes tacos, tostadas, enchiladas, mezcal co*cktails, and more. They use non-GMO, Oaxacan criollo corn that is stone-ground in-house. You can purchase its masa by the pound for local delivery via Caviar and Seamless.
Xilonen, Brooklyn
Xilonen is a plant-based restaurant in Greenpoint, offering a full menu including heirloom corn tostadas, masa pancakes, gorditas, and more as well as masa by the pound. Make a purchase for local delivery via Caviar.
Tortillería Nixtamal, Queens
Tortillería Nixtamal specializes in non-GMO, organic corn products, including fresh masa, tortillas, and chips. Visit its website to place orders for delivery for white masa, blue masa, and more.
La Milpa de Rosa, Yonkers
La Milpa de Rosa is a tortilleria offering nixtamal tortillas, chips, and masa deliveries throughout New York and the tristate area. Call or email to place an order for delivery.
Vermont
All Souls Tortilleria, Burlington
All Souls Tortilleria offers heirloom corn tortillas, chips, hominy, and masa. To place orders for pickup, visit its online shop or call.
Vermont Tortilla Company, Shelburne
Vermont Tortilla Company specializes in producing small-batch, organic, stone-ground tortillas. They also offer fresh masa for sale by the pound. Stop by its factory in the Vermont Artisan Village in Shelburne to purchase, or place a pickup order by phone or email. You can also place delivery orders via its online shop.
New Hampshire
Vida Tortilla, Dover
Vida Tortilla produces organic heirloom corn tortillas, tostadas, mole, masa, and more. Visit its website to place an order for pickup at its shop in Dover, or buy at the Community Market in Kittery, Maine, and other local farmers markets. Call for information on shipping options.
Nationwide sources for masa harina
Masa harina is a shelf-stable flour made from dried masa dough, which can be used as an alternative to fresh masa when mixed with liquid—usually water. Don’t confuse it with masarepa, though: That’s a different style of corn flour that is not interchangeable with masa harina. You might also see the term harina de maíz, which could refer to any type of flour made from corn. If you’re unsure about a product in your local market, check the ingredients list, which should list “contains traces of lime,” “treated with lime,” or something similar to clarify that the corn in the mix was nixtamalized. Masa harina is widely available both in stores and online; here are a few brands to look out for.
Alma Semilaria
Based in the San Francisco Bay area, Alma Semilaria’s mission is focused on the preservation and revitalization of ancestral Mesoamerican foodways. It offers organic masa harina in both blue and white corn varieties as well as a version made from quinoa.
Azure Market Organics
A family-run outfit based in Dufur, Oregon, Azure ships natural and organic groceries and home goods nationwide. It offers organic masa harina in both white and yellow corn varieties.
Bob’s Red Mill
Bob’s Red Mill is widely available in grocery stores. It offers both organic and nonorganic varieties of masa harina, both made from yellow corn.
Gold Mine Natural Foods
Gold Mine Naturals began as a family business based outside San Diego. It ships heirloom heirloom grains, beans, and seeds—including white, yellow, and blue varieties of masa harina—nationwide in bulk amounts from one pound to 50 pounds as well as other organic goods.
Guelaguetza
A landmark Oaxacan restaurant in Los Angeles, Guelaguetza sells heirloom masa harina in both white and blue varieties through its online retail store, alongside its beautiful 2019 cookbook and other signature ingredients. (Also available at Snuk Foods in white or blue.)
King Arthur Baking Company
This Vermont-based company’s organic masa harina is made from white corn that is 100% American-grown and milled.
Masa Brosa
Produced by RP Foods in Dallas, this masa harina is available in standard white (Walmart, Zócalo Foods) and blue (Amazon) varieties, as well as an organic version and a coarser ground version marketed for tamales.
Maseca
Maseca is perhaps the most widely available masa product sold across the United States. In some countries, the brand name Maseca is used for corn flour that is not nixtamalized, check the ingredients for the phrase treated with lime to be sure.
Masienda
This Los Angeles–based company sells single-origin masa harina made from heirloom corn, such as red mush*to, white olotillo, and blue cónico.
Mount Hope Wholesale
Based in Arizona, family-owned and operated Mount Hope Wholesale offers blue corn masa harina in five-pound or 25-pound quantities.
Quaker
The stalwart brand for oats also produces a widely available masa harina, available on Amazon.
Tres Latin Foods
Based in Colorado, Tres Latin Foods is known for its frozen pupusas, but the company also produces shelf-stable white masa harina (Amazon).
