Victor Villa didn’t know what to think at first when he found out his beloved Villa’s Tacos would be part of the Super Bowl halftime extravaganza.
One thing he knew for sure was who to thank — his parents.
Victor Villa (right) appears alongside his parents Monday Feb. 9, 2026 a day after his appearance in the Super Bowl halftime show.
“They showed me that anything is possible in this life,” Villa said Monday, still reeling from a whirlwind weekend at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara. “My dad came to this country at 18 years of age with nothing more than hopes and dreams, and he turned that into attainable goods.
“I take that, and I pass that along to my children. And, that’s just one story. I know there are others out there who can relate. We are citizens who have learned from immigrants. You can take whoever away, we will be here forever.”
In the opening moments of Sunday’s highly anticipated performance by Bad Bunny, the Puerto Rican superstar was seen handing a piragua, a shaved ice dessert, to Villa behind a cart with a Villa’s Tacos sign across the front. In a game without a Los Angeles team and featuring a Rams rival, it was a scene that likely resulted in cheers in living rooms and sports bars across Los Angeles.
For Villa, born and raised in LA, it was the moment of a lifetime. He started Villa’s Tacos in Highland Park in 2018.
Villa said he found out about the surprise cameo when got a call notifying him that Bad Bunny wanted him to be part of the halftime show seen around the world.
Bad Bunny, joined by many famous faces, took the stage during the big game between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots.
“I just got the call, you’ve been selected… They want you for the Super Bowl,” Villa said. “I’m like, what am I going to do? They want me to cook? Will they make me do a skit?”
Actually, Villa would just needed to be himself, the son of immigrants who made his restaurants part of Los Angeles’ food landscape.
“Instead of hiring actors to portray the role of a taquero, the role of a boxer, the role of a nail tech, the role of a hair braider, (Bad Bunny) wants to get actual professionals in their field to make it feel real, to make it feel authentic,” Villa said.
Villa’s Tacos has appeared in the Michelin guide and been featured three times in the LA Times 101 Best Restaurants list. There are three locations with more opening in South Pasadena and Hollywood, near the Walk of Fame.
Staff members who spoke with NBCLA Monday morning said they gathered around a TV at the stand to watch the halftime show with customers. They said they didn’t know about the appearance until a few days ago.
In an Instagram post Sunday, Villa thanks Bad Bunny for the “opportunity to represent my people, my culture, my family & my business.”
“This Super Bowl halftime performance goes down as one of, if not the biggest Super Bowl halftime performance of all time & what an absolute honor it is to have been part of such a special moment!” he continued. “We sold our first taco in the front yard of my grandma’s house in Highland Park more than 8 years ago & I feel that every taco along the way, brought me here. Today. For this moment! I couldn’t have sold that 1st taco, if my parents didn’t make the difficult decision to leave their homeland for a better life & immigrate to the U.S. This one is for all the immigrants who paved the way before us to make this moment possible.
“Villa’s Tacos is a product of immigrants. As a 1st generation Mexican-America born & raised in LA, It was an honor to represent my raza & all the taqueros of the world by bringing my taco cart to @badbunnypr’s Super Bowl LX 2026 Halftime show.”
In a follow-up post, Villa said, “It’s crazy where a taco can take you.”