Don’t Bring That BS to Casa Vega: Christy Vega and Nayomie Mendoza on LA Mexican-American Food

This week on Taqueando with Bill Esparza, Bill sits down at one of Los Angeles’ most iconic Mexican American restaurants, Casa Vega, with owner Christy Vega and Nayomie Mendoza, owner of Cuernavaca’s Grill, for a conversation about legacy, survival, margaritas, wet burritos, taquitos, salsa, and what it really takes to preserve an LA institution.From Casa Vega’s 70-year history in Sherman Oaks to Cuernavaca’s rise as a community-driven Mexican American restaurant in the Fashion District, this episode digs into the food culture that shaped Los Angeles: chips and salsa, oven-style burritos, chile rellenos, crispy taquitos, big margaritas, celebrity regulars, family ownership, and the generational weight of keeping a restaurant alive.Bill, Christy, and Nayomie also talk about why Mexican American food deserves respect on its own terms, how LA’s classic restaurants survived COVID, fires, strikes, ICE raids, influencer backlash, and impossible operating conditions, and why places like Casa Vega and Cuernavaca’s Grill are not just restaurants. They are memory banks for the city.Plus: Casa Vega’s World Cup specials, Cuernavaca’s Grill joining the FIFA Fan Fest at the LA Coliseum, Casa Vega’s upcoming Baja patio takeover, and why the best way to experience these restaurants is simple: order the margarita, get the taquitos, add the salsa, and have a good time.Produced by Robert Haleblian