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Taqueando with Bill Esparza: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Acquired Taste Media
Taqueando with Bill Esparza is your front-row seat to the vibrant world of Mexican and Latino food culture. Hosted by James Beard Award-winning writer Bill Esparza, we go way beyond tacos, diving deep into street food, regional cuisines, travel adventures, chef interviews, and the real stories behind the food. From the mercados of Mexico to the kitchens of Los Angeles, Bill brings decades of expertise, insider access, and serious passion to each episode. Expect no-BS conversations, big personalities, and a whole lot of taco talk. Powered by Acquired Taste Media. New episodes every Wednesday.
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- 4 days ago51 min
32 States of Mexico, One Dinner: Inside Evil Cooks’ Disciples of the Corn
This week on Taqueando, Bill Esparza sits down with Chef Alex Garcia of Evil Cooks to talk about the restaurant’s evolution from a backyard pop-up into one of Los Angeles’ most distinctive Mexican restaurants, and the return of Disciples of the Corn, an ambitious dinner celebrating the food of all 32 states of Mexico. Alex shares the story behind the event, the chaos of pulling it off, and this year’s lineup of chefs including Ray Garcia and Tomás Ortega, while opening up about his partnership with Elvia, his heavy-metal ethos and the life experiences that shaped Evil Cooks.Plus, in this week’s Antojitos, Bill recaps a Los Angeles food crawl with Nithya Raman through Evil Cooks, Distrito Catorce and Casa Gish Bac; makes the case for where to find truly great caldo, pozole and menudo in LA; visits the Guatemalan night market; and breaks down the ultimate Hollywood Bowl food experience. Somehow, there’s also room for Sheila E., the Commodores, Kenny G., smooth jazz slander and some very strong opinions about aging rock stars.Produced by Robert Haleblian.
- 1 weeks ago59 min
Is Goldfish Copying Holbox? Inside a Wild Restaurant Ripoff
What happens when a former employee leaves one of LA’s most acclaimed restaurants and opens a place that looks… remarkably familiar? Bill Esparza and Robert Haleblian dig into Goldfish Seafood in Orange County, the restaurant they argue borrows heavily from Michelin-starred Holbox, from the menu and plating to the logo and overall aesthetic, and debate where inspiration ends and straight-up copying begins. Plus, Bill recaps Taqueando After Dark, one of the best fine-dining fish tacos he’s ever had, and a star-studded This Is About Humanity fundraiser.
- 2 weeks ago1h 17m
Inside The New York Times’ 41 Greatest Mexican Restaurants in America
Bill Esparza spent more than a year helping The New York Times build its list of the 41 greatest Mexican restaurants in America. This week, Rob flips the script and interviews Bill about how the list came together, why so many “best Mexican restaurant” lists get the country wrong, and what he found crisscrossing America in search of regional Mexican cooking, from al pastor in Charlotte and gorditas in Chicago to an unexpected Aguascalientes community in Oklahoma City. Plus, Bill breaks down why Mariscos Jalisco, Valle, Mercado La Paloma and other California standouts made the cut, what makes a restaurant “great” rather than simply famous, and why some of the most exciting Mexican food in America is happening far outside the cities people usually look.Produced (and co-hosted!) by Robert Haleblian.
- 3 weeks ago1h 7m
What Tourists Get Wrong About Spanish Food, with PABÚ’s Coco Montes
On Episode 69 of Taqueando, Bill Esparza returns from Barcelona with a challenge to the way Americans talk about Spanish food: Michelin-starred temples may dazzle, but they’re only part of the story, and the country’s simplest dishes lose something essential when removed from their context. He moves from a spectacular tasting menu at Esperit Roca in Girona to bocadillos, tortillas, croquetas, conservas, rice dishes, vermouth and the no-nonsense neighborhood bars most food tourists overlook, asking whether great food can ever be separated from the place and people that give it meaning.Then Bill sits down with Coco Montes, chef of Michelin-starred PABÚ in Madrid, after watching him discover California’s extraordinary produce at the Santa Barbara farmers market. Montes brings French technique shaped by Alain Passard’s L’Arpège to a produce-first, microseasonal restaurant that changes its menu daily and is run alongside his mother, Rita González. It’s an episode about destination dining versus everyday eating, technical ambition versus simplicity, and what it really means to taste Spain.Produced by Robert HaleblianBuy your tickets to Taqueando After Dark
- Aug 19, 20261h 2m
The Rules of Salsa with Chef Jonathan Zaragoza AKA Goatboy International
Chef Jonathan Zaragoza joins Bill Esparza to trace his journey from his family’s acclaimed Birrieria Zaragoza and Michelin-starred Chicago kitchens to Goatboy International, Salsa 101 and America’s Test Kitchen. They dig into the unwritten rules of Mexican salsa, salsa falsa, regional birria, fully loaded Ensenada fish tacos and Jonathan’s controversial belief that brioche buns don’t belong on burgers. Jonathan also shares why he spoke out against ICE, reflects on his family’s immigration story and previews his forthcoming cookbook and a possible return to Chicago restaurants, while Bill announces Taqueando After Dark at Level 8 in Downtown Los Angeles.Produced by Robert Haleblian
- Aug 12, 20261h 4m
Nithya Raman Wants to Make LA a Restaurant City Again
Los Angeles mayoral candidate and City Councilmember Nithya Raman joins Bill Esparza at Las Margaritas in Boyle Heights to explain how she would confront the crisis facing LA restaurants, street vendors and small businesses. Raman lays out plans to accelerate restaurant permitting, simplify outdoor dining and liquor approvals, protect immigrant communities during ICE raids, reduce homelessness and illegal dumping, preserve legacy restaurants, revive Hollywood production, and ensure the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics benefit local operators. Plus, she addresses the Lineage fire, housing affordability and City Hall accountability before sharing her favorite Los Angeles restaurants, including Saffy’s, Ruen Pair and Restaurante Tierra Caliente.Produced by Robert Haleblian.
- Aug 5, 20261h 4m
Gabriela Cámara Bets Big on Vegas With Cantina Contramar
Gabriela Cámara has brought the spirit of Mexico City’s legendary Contramar to the Las Vegas Strip. In this episode, Bill Esparza explores Cantina Contramar at Fontainebleau Las Vegas, the acclaimed chef and restaurateur’s first U.S. expansion of Contramar.Bill examines how the new restaurant translates Contramar’s seafood-driven cooking and lively cantina energy for Las Vegas, from its iconic tuna tostada and pescado a la talla to fresh tortillas and dishes created specifically for the Strip. Does Cantina Contramar preserve what made the Roma Norte original a global dining destination, or has Las Vegas turned it into something entirely its own?Plus, Bill announces Taqueando After Dark, a two-night taco pop-up happening August 27 and 28 at Level 8 inside the Moxy in Downtown Los Angeles. Expect taqueros from Baja California and Los Angeles, seven to eight taquerías, and one ticket to taste every taco.Taqueando is hosted by James Beard Award-winning food writer Bill Esparza and explores Mexican food, tacos, restaurants and the people shaping how we eat across Los Angeles, Mexico and beyond.Produced by Robert Haleblian.
- Jul 29, 20261h 14m
“Creativity Is Over”: Daniel Ovadia on What Happened to Mexican Fine Dining
Before Mexico City became one of the world’s most celebrated dining destinations, Daniel Ovadia was helping create its modern culinary identity. He opened the groundbreaking restaurant Paxia at just 21 years old, serving ambitious Mexican tasting menus, artisanal mezcal and even an all-taco menu years before those ideas became fashionable.Daniel joins Bill Esparza to revisit the early days of Paxia and Pujol, the resistance he faced serving tacos and pozole in a fine-dining restaurant, and why an entire generation of Mexican chefs developed such distinct culinary voices. He also explains why he eventually walked away from the awards-driven fine-dining world, why he believes social media has made restaurants more repetitive, and how he found a new purpose building Peltre in Mexico City and the Michelin-recognized Punta Corcho in Puerto Morelos.Plus, Daniel shares his essential Mexico City markets and restaurants, the traditional techniques that shaped Paxia, and why Puerto Morelos remains one of the Mexican Caribbean’s best-kept culinary secrets. Bill also announces the return of his taco festival with Taqueando After Dark, coming to Level 8 in downtown Los Angeles on August 27 and 28.Produced by Robert Haleblian.
About Taqueando with Bill Esparza
Taqueando with Bill Esparza is your front-row seat to the vibrant world of Mexican and Latino food culture. Hosted by James Beard Award-winning writer Bill Esparza, we go way beyond tacos, diving deep into street food, regional cuisines, travel adventures, chef interviews, and the real stories behind the food. From the mercados of Mexico to the kitchens of Los Angeles, Bill brings decades of expertise, insider access, and serious passion to each episode. Expect no-BS conversations, big personalities, and a whole lot of taco talk. Powered by Acquired Taste Media. New episodes every Wednesday.
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