Nick Jonas (left) and John Varvatos strike a pose in the agave fields in Jalisco, Mexico. PHOTO COURTESY OF VILLA ONE TEQUILA GARDEN
In 2019, designer John Varvatos teamed up with singer Nick Jonas to launch Villa One Tequila (villaonetequila.com). Here, Varvatos discusses the brand’s first restaurant collaboration—Villa One Tequila Gardens in San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter—a stylish outdoor concept he and Jonas also plan to bring to Miami, Las Vegas, New York, L.A. and Dallas.
Why did you want to open Villa One Tequila Gardens, and why now? When we started Villa One, we always thought of it as a lifestyle brand. We’ve been talking about creating Tequila Gardens for years and the San Diego location and timing just seemed to fall into place.
Why did you choose San Diego and the Gaslamp Quarter for your first location? What did you love about the rooftop of Theatre Box? Nick and I both love San Diego. Our goal with the Tequila Gardens was to have most locations be rooftop or outdoor spaces to really capture that garden feeling. The rooftop location in the Gaslamp Quarter is a magical space. The views, beautiful sunsets and energy in the area are just perfect!
How did Tulum inspire the restaurant’s design? We love the natural textures, incredible wood and artisanal feeling of Tulum. The concept is all about making an incredible experience for our guests.
What do you think makes Villa One Tequila so unique? It’s all in the taste! We use 100% blue agave from both the highland and lowland regions. The combination of the sweet highland agave with the nuttier, more earthy lowlands creates this amazing, unique taste profile. Also, our master distiller, Arturo Fuentes, known as ‘The Godfather of Tequila,’ is a secret weapon.
What can we expect from the food and drink menus? On top of Villa One, we will carry over 100 different tequilas. The menu is being worked on as we speak, but I can say that there will be fresh takes on some classics and lots of interesting new dishes with incredible flavors.
How are you planning to expand the Villa One Tequila Gardens concept and your brand moving forward? We are looking to open five more Tequila Gardens in the next two years. It’s going to be a very exciting time. The Villa One brand continues to expand nationally post-COVID shutdown and is available in spirit stores, restaurants and bars in almost every state and Canada.
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