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
Leadership in Action: ‘Family, Community and Spiritual Connection’ Drives Success for Henry Richardson

How did you get to where you are today? The present moment is a combined history of my family, my time as an athlete, my passion for learning, and my desire to see the world be better. I grew up as a successful springboard and platform diver, however, an injury caused me to seek alternative treatments to heal my body. In that process, I discovered the power of yoga, exercise, meditation, mindset, and nutrition. This holistic approach eventually led me to open a Pilates and cycling studio called DEFINE body & mind. I opened studios around the nation, and after selling most of my business between 2017-2019, I was ready to explore how I could make an even greater impact on the wellbeing of our community. In 2023, I started actively working on a brand new multi-family/apartment concept called, Define Living. The idea focused on offering health and wellness services within a beautiful apartment setting to increase the wellbeing of our residents. Having a strong sense of community is the number one factor in living a happy life, so why not build a community where daily fitness, cooking classes, and social connection are the norm? We opened Define Living in March of 2024, and we couldn’t be happier with how things are being received. We are already looking at building more concepts like this in the Houston area and beyond.

Keep Reading Show less

Photo by Lynn Lane

HOUSTON GRAND OPERA’S second fall repertoire production is Gioachino Rossini’s Cinderella. The colorful, commedia dell'arte-inspired production opens Friday, Oct. 25, and stars Grammy Award-winning mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard — a breathtaking brunette beauty, even when doused in soot — in bel canto role of Angelina, known to her mean step-sisters as “Cenerentola.”

Keep Reading Show less
Art + Entertainment

BRETT MILLER WAS just 10 years old when his parents took him to a screening of the 1925 silent film, The Phantom of the Opera, starring Lon Chaney as “The Phantom” of the Paris Opera House, with an accompanying soundtrack played live by an organist. The film contains one of the most famous “reveals” on celluloid (We won’t give it away!) and is all the more shocking when accompanied by live music played on the Phantom’s favorite instrument.

Keep Reading Show less