Villa's Tacos #3
Mexican restaurant · Highland Park ·
Seafood tacos, wagyu, blue corn tortillas, unique salsas
Seafood tacos, wagyu, blue corn tortillas, unique salsas
"Sweet smoke from a roadside taco stand blows across the Highland Park parking lot, but the crowd gathered in front of Chef Victor Villa’s taqueria doesn’t budge. This brick-and-mortar marks a milestone for a chef who first started serving out of his grandmother’s house. The signature queso taco is instantly recognizable, built on a blue corn masa tortilla stacked with refried beans, onion, cilantro, guacamole, cotija cheese, crema and a melted skirt of Monterey Jack. Variations with asada and chorizo are favorites, with vegan options on offer as well. Colorful, messy and filling, these tacos thrive on their own but also sing with the homemade salsas, some of which are ferociously spicy. Seating is limited to a few picnic tables outside." - Michelin Inspector
"This strip mall Highland Park taquería takes a more-is-more approach with its fully loaded tacos. Each one comes on a Dodger-blue corn tortilla layered with crispy griddled cheese, diced onions, cilantro, crema, cotija, guacamole, and a mesquite-grilled protein of your choice. (Oh, and the option to add seven different salsas and hibiscus-pickled onions, too.) If this sounds like a messy mountain to you, you're not incorrect. But it's a mess worth making. Order the Villa's Trio, a cheesy, three-taco sampler that includes grilled asada, chorizo with potato, and chicken with black beans." - brant cox, sylvio martins, andrew ryce, cathy park
"Villa Tacos debuted a brick-and-mortar restaurant in 2023 after five years of operating out of owner Victor Villa’s grandmother’s Highland Park house and along York Boulevard. Villa opened a Grand Central Market location in 2024 and a new spot on the north end of Highland Park in April. The menu brings together family recipes with Villa’s culinary flair. The signature tacos are made using blue corn tortillas with a crispy cheese-griddled interior, refried beans, onions, cilantro, crema, cotija, guacamole, and a choice of three kinds of mesquite-grilled meat." - Mona Holmes
"The line at the original Villa's Tacos in Highland Park often stretches across the parking lot, so we're not surprised they’ve expanded with a new mariscos-focused concept down the street from Figueroa. The Dodger-themed signage, signature blue corn tortillas, and a full lineup of colorful salsas are the same, but the new menu stars seafood like beer-battered mahi tacos, mesquite-grilled octopus, and shrimp a la diabla. We haven’t been here yet, but want you to know this spot exists." - Cathy Park
"Victor Villa opened his newest taqueria on March 23 in the former La Estrella building in Highland Park with an emphasis on fish and shrimp tacos. He’ll be using wild-caught Mexican shrimp, mahi-mahi, octopus, and even A5 Japanese wagyu in his tacos and mulitas." - Matthew Kang
