No two queso tacos look exactly alike emerging from the griddles at Villa’s Tacos. Sometimes the blue corn tortillas fuse with cheese to form the jagged rhombus shapes of continents. Or the cheese runs like thinned crêpe batter that seizes into lacy edges. But at either location — the Highland Park taqueria or the Grand Central Market counter — the result is salty-crisp deliciousness. I always favor the hashed chicken thigh meat bathed in mesquite smoke. For second and third tacos, look to fragrant chopped asada, nubbly chorizo or a piquant vegan option of half-pureed black beans scattered with cactus salad. “Tacos estilo Los Angeles” is Victor Villa’s motto for his more-is-more taco philosophy. Like the city he invokes, the closer you look, the more stories you find. Among a half-dozen salsas, for example, look for “jiquilpan,” based on a recipe dense with smoked chiles that Villa’s father was taught in Michoacán. — B.A.

5455 N. FIGUEROA ST., LOS ANGELES, (818) 741-8011; ALSO AT 312 S. HILL ST., LOS ANGELES l VILLASTACOS.COM