Meet Misael Villa | A man with ideas

We had the good fortune of connecting with Misael Villa and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Misael, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Risks are difficult for anyone, risks are scary, the unknown is scary, but sometimes those risks are what we need to get further in life. As a bartender I used to work as much as I could and learn as much as I could, I soon realized that I had the tools to start my own project. The real question was wether I was ready for it, I decided that I wasn’t and needed to manage a larger company and see how a corporate company operates. This is where the first risk would take place in my life, leaving the comfort of my bar top to learn what goes on with a business in the back end. I knew I had to quit and get myself to the next level, after learning how a large company operates I knew it was time to leap into the world and start something that I could influence with my own ideas. Pattern bar was already a great place but I knew it could be more and it’s been 4 years now of trying to introduce this small gem to everyone possible. I like to see it as the most unknown well known venue.

What should our readers know about your business?
With Pattern bar it was walking into a business that had been built around a great idea but as I came into the picture I realized that I couldn’t keep it going as it was currently operating because it was not something I created. I liked the idea but I needed to give it an image, an image that I could stand behind, which is when Pattern bar “house of agave” comes in. The rebranding was scary, I didn’t want to scare away the previous owners clients as those were clients that could add to the new clients I was targeting. I come from a background in the agave world and it only made sense to introduce a little piece of me to downtown LA, fortunately the crowd was very receptive to the idea and now I am very proud to say that Pattern bar is a great option to enjoy a great mezcal or tequila on any given day without the pretentiousness that sometimes comes with the spirit.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
This is actually a very funny question I get asked quite often, even though I am from Los Angeles (KTown native) I am always dumbfounded when asked this. I typically like a place where I can get a shot of mezcal los Javis and a cheap Mexican beer, most of my friends are a lot fancier and this won’t do the trick for them. I know I won’t be able to suggest maybe the trendiest places but I can definitely take my friends to a place where they will be welcomed with open arms and treated like they are at home. With that said, la Cuevita in highland park is always a great place, kalaveras in uptown Whittier has great people, el Zarape also good friends. Something about club tee Gee always sounds like a good time and can always be a good time whether it’s a chill night or a full house. I love shows at the echoplex! I’m in the bar scene so if you’re visiting me I’m most likely going to take you out to drink all night and have tacos at a taco truck afterwards. With taco truck mentioned, la chinatla hands down my favorite taco truck at the moment, the tasajo torta, tlayuda, birria tacos, all fire and really really sweet people!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My first restaurant job was at the now gone Denny’s on wilshire and Vermont, I fell in love with the chaos of the industry then. I started to geek out on everything restaurant/bar related. When Anthony Bourdain came into the picture I fell completely in love with the industry and knew what I wanted to do in my life, even though I was attending Cal state LA trying to figure out where I wanted to go in life. It all made sense as soon as I read “kitchen confidential”. Huge shoutout to the legend Anthony Bourdain for the inspiration, RIP! Everyone I’ve had the opportunity to work with are huge contributors to everything as well, even though dealing with so many different personalities at once can be difficult, they all added to what I needed to move forward. I worked with many people that had more time in the industry then myself and I was able to gain knowledge from every single person. Huge shoutout to those that have worked along side me, you all know who you are! There’s one man that has stuck by my side throughout everything I’ve been involved with and I think he’s earned all my respect and has always been the backbone to every bar he’s helped me with and many more for others, shout out to Luis, the man is the hardest working man I’ve met and I wish to someday be able to pay it back and pay him for all the time he’s given me when it could have been with his family.

Website: Www.patternbar.com

Instagram: @patternbar

Yelp: Pattern bar

Other: Instagram @mezcallosjavis

Image Credits
@eldragontragon