It was only six seconds, but enough to make history. On Sunday, during Bad Bunny’s halftime show at Super Bowl LX, Villa’s Tacos, a taqueria in the Highland Park neighborhood northeast of Los Angeles, made a cameo appearance. On Monday, the line at the restaurant was up to an hour long. It stretched out to neighboring businesses, including a couple of barbershops (both for humans and dogs). Local news stations rolled out their trucks to see the city’s star chef, Victor Villa, who arrived at his business to applause and colorful confetti. Accompanied by his team and his parents, he thanked his new and old customers — to whom he gave Modelo and Pacífico beers — and his family, who have believed in him over the years to make his business a success. Emotional, he embraced his co-workers in long hugs.
His parents, Víctor and Marilú, watched him proudly. They arrived decades ago from Michoacán and helped their son build a now thriving business that already has three taquerías (and, wait for it, a hair salon) and will soon open two more.
The couple, who have two daughters, said that Víctor’s story was one of overcoming adversity, like so many other Latinos, explaining that they came to California to get ahead and work, like any other migrants, and that appearing in the Super Bowl alongside Bad Bunny was a dream come true. A dream and a secret, because they had known what was going to happen for three weeks. Their son explained that he received the first calls about this surprise collaboration in December, but that they never knew exactly how Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio was going to bring them on stage.
The Villas were excited, and so were their customers. People of all ages and backgrounds would wait in line for up to an hour to get their blue tortilla tacos. Jasmine, in her thirties, has lived in the neighborhood since she was born and remembers buying tacos from Victor when he only had a cart with plastic chairs and tables. Now he has a store with a couple of wooden tables that reign over the corner of a small mall between Figueroa Street, Marmion Way, 55th Avenue, and 56th Avenue. “They take us into account for our hard work, but not for our culture. So seeing Latin Americans like me succeeding, like Bad Bunny, like him… It’s fantastic,” he said, wearing his Dodgers cap.
In the first few minutes of the Puerto Rican artist’s performance on Sunday, Victor appeared at a small stand selling cold coconuts and piraguas (a traditional Puerto Rican drink consisting of shaved ice covered with concentrated flavored syrup), to name a few. “I want to express my sincere gratitude to Bad Bunny for hand selecting me and giving me an opportunity to represent my people, my culture, my family, and my business,” Villa wrote on his Facebook page, words similar to those he said to his customers. “It’s amazing how far a taco can take you.”
Villa, a thirty-something born in California, started his venture as a street stall and a few years later, in November 2022, he formally established himself in the premises. The space is small, so eating there when it’s busy can take a while. Food critic Bill Addison described the place as a gravitational pull, where the line of customers eager for flavor endure the wait thanks to the aromas hover from the grill.
The taqueria has earned its place in the Los Angeles food scene. In 2022, for example, it was crowned two-time champion of the Taco Madness contest organized by the independent media outlet L.A. TACO, which focuses on sharing local stories from marginalized areas of the city or stories that other media outlets don’t dare to cover, according to its website. That same year, the third season of Taco Chronicles, a Netflix documentary series, premiered, featuring Villa’s Tacos. In 2023, 2024, and 2025, it received recognition from the Michelin Guide, which they proudly display on their door.
The Villas have also shown their support for the immigrant community, which has been hit hard by ICE raids and the Trump administration’s anti-Latino policies. “We are a company built by immigrants. My parents and grandparents were immigrants. We stand in solidarity with all those who protest and offer our restaurants as a safe place for everyone to gather, eat, drink, and charge their phones if they need to,” they wrote on their Instagram profile.
The menu features three types of prepared tortillas: taco (onion, cilantro, and guacamole); taco cheese, one of the star dishes (onion, cilantro, guacamole, Cotija cheese, and Mexican cream); and mulita (onion, cilantro, guacamole, Cotija cheese, and Mexican cream served on a blue tortilla). You can add chicken leg; roasted beef skirt; pork chorizo; soyrizo (vegetarian chorizo alternative); beans with nopal cactus; and grilled potatoes.
Another option is Baja-style tacos: fried shrimp or mahi mahi (white fish), served with rice bran, pico de gallo with mango, green and purple cabbage, chipotle cream, and guacamole; sweet potato tacos (with black beans, macha sauce, cilantro cream, and fresh cheese), and mixed mushroom tacos (with caramelized onions, roasted green sauce, Cotija cheese, and cilantro). The menu also includes aguas frescas such as horchata, tamarind, lemon with cucumber, mint with chia, watermelon, and pineapple. Prices range from $5 to $38.
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