Buzzy Austin Nightclub Concept Hits H-Town, and It’s a Neon-Dipped Latin-Music Mecca

Buzzy Austin Nightclub Concept Hits H-Town, and It’s a Neon-Dipped Latin-Music Mecca

Gabriela Bucio at Mala Vida Paradise

ONE OF THE fastest-growing hospitality groups in Texas, Gabriela’s Group opened its newest project, Mala Vida Paradise, in EaDo over the weekend. The group also has a Houston eatery planned to bow later this year, dubbed Gabriela’s Midtown.


Club-goers are treated to a multi-level fluorescent wonderland, offering a rotating selection of DJs from across Texas spinning reggaeton, cumbia, perreo, corridos, hip-hop, and more. Expect an emphasis on showcasing the best Latin talent from the surrounding Houston community, as well as premium bottle service and private VIP table reservations.

“It might have taken us a minute to open our doors in Houston, but we are finally here, and I couldn’t be more excited,” said co-owner Gabriela Bucio. “I can already tell by the local community’s positive support that expanding to H-town was the perfect next step for our family-owned business. We are very grateful for this new opportunity and look forward to serving Houstonians for years to come.”

The Austin-based Gabriela’s Group touts itself as one of the largest independently owned Texas restaurant groups. Originally founded by siblings and Mexico natives, Gabriela and Arturo Bucio, Gabriela’s Group is now home to some of the state’s most sought-after restaurants, bars, and nightclubs with the duo having opened more than a dozen unique projects in the past five years.

In place of Houston’s former Paradise Palace, the new two-story concept offers fans a neon-dipped Latin music oasis that will serve as a sister club to the team's two existing nightclubs in downtown Austin: the flagship nightclub Mala Vida and the newly-opened Mala Fama.

Meanwhile, Gabriela's Midtown eatery arrives later this year in Houston. The owners describe it as the city’s most Instagrammable Mexican eatery.

The forthcoming Gabriela's Midtown

Food
Ancient French Wellness Cures Reimagined at Houston’s Escape Spa: The Power of Vichy

Serial entrepreneur and spa visionary LeBrina Jackson

NESTLED IN THE heart of France, the town of Vichy holds a rich history in the world of wellness and hydrotherapy. Acquiring fame for their alkaline springs in the 17th century, the Romans were among the first to recognize the therapeutic benefits of the springs. They established a French spa known as “Vichy,” which still exists today and continues to attract spa-goers from around the world to experience the transformative effects of hydrotherapy.

Keep Reading Show less

Photographer Jhane Hoang with two covers she photographed

ONE OF Houston CityBook’s most beloved photographers was recently diagnosed with stage four cervical cancer. Jhane Hoang has been behind the camera for some of the magazine’s most ambitious shoots — including an overnight shoot at the then-new Weiss Energy Hall at the Houston Museum of Natural Science, and a cold rainy shoot at the Houston Zoo where the crew used a concessions stand as a staging area for hair and makeup.

Keep Reading Show less
Art + Entertainment

Betty Hrncir, Sidney Faust, Julie Baker Finck

ACTUAL WINTER WEATHER was in the forecast the night of the Winter Ball, benefiting the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation and honoring the Women of Distinction, a festive and fitting detail that sparked a flurry of conversation at the Omni Hotel.

Keep Reading Show less
Parties