Villa's Tacos #3

"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

The 16 Best Restaurants In Highland Park - Los Angeles - The Infatuation

"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

The Best Restaurants in Highland Park | Eater LA

"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

Villas Tacos #3 - Review - Highland Park - Los Angeles - The Infatuation

"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

The 25 Best Tacos In Los Angeles - Los Angeles - The Infatuation

"Villa's Tacos makes what might be the most over-the-top tacos in Los Angeles. (And given the guide you're reading, some of the best, too.) Their questions come on Dodger-blue corn tortillas crusted with griddled cheese, which serve as cradles for the onions, cilantro, crema, cotija, guacamole, and mesquite-grilled meats piled on top. If this sounds like a messy taco, you're not wrong. But it's a mess worth making. Order the Villa's Trio sampler that includes grilled asada, a spicy chorizo-potato hash, and smoky chicken with black beans—either at their original location in Highland Park, or Grand Central Market." - sylvio martins, garrett snyder, brant cox