Tacos Villa Corona Has Been My Favorite Los Angeles Breakfast Burrito for 30 Years

In the 1990s, the diminutive burrito shop Tacos Villa Corona in Atwater Village had an eat-in counter, a bulletproof partition, and Rage Against the Machine’s Zack de la Rocha and I were regular customers (usually not together). By the time Anthony Bourdain blew up the spot on The Layover in 2012, the inside seating was long gone, the neighborhood had largely gentrified, and TVC had become beloved by locals, celebrated for its comforting, affordable burritos and a smoky chile de arbol salsa. Now, after three decades and multiple generations of ownership, the founding Reza-Flores family has opened a second outpost. The new Tacos Villa Corona in Eagle Rock is as good as the original, with the same spicy salsa, warm service, and patio seating.

What to order

• Burritos are the move — I’ve been going to TVC for 30 years and only ordered a handful of tacos. Its breakfast burritos are wildly popular: I recommend the chilaquiles burrito with plenty of salsa.
• They serve breakfast all day, but if you’re in a midday mood, go for a steak and bean burrito. A few years ago they switched their potatoes from diced to mashed, so I pivoted my go-to order toward beans (it’s a winning move).
• Vegetarians also do quite well: Choose any or all of nopales, spinach, beans, papas, cheese, and avocado in your order.

Insider tip

These burritos travel well, as any good burrito should, and make an excellent pairing with one of the area’s many excellent coffee shops, like Kumquat, Creature’s, and PDA, to name a few.

Know before you go

These are not the flashy, extravagant pockets that dominate the collective burrito consciousness. They are smaller, bordering on austere, and distinctly not camera-ready. But you would be hard pressed to find a more satisfying $6 meal.