The LA Taco Spot That Went From Backyard Pop-Up To Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl Stage
If you blinked during Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime performance, you might’ve missed it. But for anyone who knows Los Angeles food culture, the appearance of Villa’s Tacos wasn’t random at all. It was a quiet flex for the city.
Villa’s Tacos is one of those LA institutions that didn’t come up through hype cycles or venture-backed rollouts. It came up the old way: backyard roots, word of mouth, and a line that kept getting longer.
Founded by chef Victor Villa, the taqueria began as a backyard pop-up in Highland Park, cooked out of his grandmother’s yard. What started as a side passion quickly became a neighborhood staple, built on mesquite-grilled meats, house-made blue corn tortillas, and a style Villa calls “Estilo Los Angeles”—a reflection of the city’s layered food identity rather than a rigid regional label.
The tacos are straightforward but deliberate. Blue corn tortillas made in-house. Meats grilled over mesquite. And the detail that regulars swear by: a layer of Monterey Jack melted directly onto the tortilla, creating a crisp, cheese-crusted base that blurs the line between taco and quesadilla without trying to reinvent either.
That clarity of vision is what carried Villa’s Tacos from a backyard setup to a brick-and-mortar in Highland Park, then to a second location at Grand Central Market. Along the way, the accolades followed, not the other way around. The taqueria was listed in the Michelin Guide, won LA Taco’s Taco Madness in 2023, and appeared on Netflix’s Taco Chronicles. Each milestone stacked quietly, without changing the food.
Victor Villa’s own story is also deeply personal. He’s a first-generation Mexican-American, inspired early on by his grandmother’s cooking, and driven by the idea that food can anchor a neighborhood. That ethos still shows up in the way the restaurant operates. Villa didn’t set out to create a viral concept. He set out to cook food he believed in, for people he knew.
So when Villa’s Tacos showed up during the Super Bowl halftime show, it felt less like a brand cameo or a novelty flex and more like a cultural nod. The performance itself was a celebration of the Americas, Latino culture, and the everyday spaces that actually define it.
Villa’s Tacos represents that exact lineage. It’s not just a taqueria, it’s a snapshot of how culture, food, and neighborhood identity move together.
