Ibiza closing

Pioneering Midtown Houston restaurant announces closing date

Ibiza will close next year.

One of the restaurant's that led Midtown's transformation is calling it quits. Ibiza Food & Wine Bar will close February 15, 2020, owner Clark Cooper Concepts announced.

Partners Charles Clark and Grant Cooper opened Ibiza in 2001 with the then-revolutionary idea of charging near-retail prices for bottles of wine. At a time when most restaurants charged three or more times their cost, Ibiza's pricing structure lured oenophiles who suddenly found themselves able to order two or three bottles of wine with dinner instead of one.

“We had the concept of Ibiza in our heads for years. We wanted to create a restaurant where we could drink great wine, eat really good food, and enjoy the experience without spending a fortune,” Clark said in a statement. “After I came back from working in Marbella, Spain, Grant and I knew it was time to open our own concept, and so Ibiza came to life, and we were the first to 're-invent' Midtown.”

When Ibiza opened, Vietnamese restaurants such as Van Loc and Mai's and a couple of Houston classics like Damian's and Brennan's mostly defined Midtown's identity from a dining perspective. Ibiza helped demonstrate that it could support more trendy concepts. Now, dozens of establishments and a thriving nightlife scene call the neighborhood home.

Even as Clark Cooper's reach has grown with restaurants such as Brasserie 19, Coppa Osteria, and The Dunlavy, Clark will typically be found working dinner service at Ibiza. Shuttering the restaurant will allow him to focus on those other businesses. In addition, the company is working on opening new restaurants, as the partners discussed during a recent appearance on CultureMap's "What's Eric Eating" podcast. Without Ibiza, Clark will be able to focus on those yet-to-be-announced projects more intensely.

“It is hard to see a restaurant you’ve worked in everyday close, but we just did not see ourselves in this space for the next five to 10 years," Clark added. "We see this evolution as an opportunity for our customers to frequent our other restaurants more often and for us to evolve our focus and concepts and allow for continued growth of our group of restaurants."

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news you can eat

Growing national pizza chain will bring halal pies and pastas to Katy

Vocelli Pizza/Facebook

Vocelli Pizza will open its first Houston-area location in March.

A Pittsburgh pizzeria has set its sights on Houston. Vocelli Pizza will makes it Bayou City debut next year with a location in Katy.

Scheduled to open in March 2026, the restaurant will be located at 2941 W. Grand Parkway. Although pizza is part of the restaurant’s name, the menu also includes wings, pizza rolls, salads, sandwiches, pasta, and more. Specialty items include mac and cheese pizza, spinach mushroom rolls, and a chicken parmesan sub.

"We are thrilled to continue our growth into new communities that share our passion for quality, service, and authentic Italian-inspired food," Vocelli Pizza CEO Toni Bianco said in a statement. "Our expansion into Dalton and Houston reflects the strong demand for our brand, and we look forward to delivering an exceptional experience to guests in both markets."

For its expansion into Houston, Vocelli’s will debut an all-halal menu that’s designed to appeal to Houston’s diverse community.

"The team is excited to introduce Vocelli Pizza to Houston with a full halal menu," Bianco added. "There is a clear demand for high-quality Halal pizza and delivery options, and we are proud to meet that need while bringing our brand to a new and dynamic market."

Founded by Turkish immigrant Varol Ablak in 1988, Vocelli began franchising in 1993. The restaurant currently has more than 80 locations.

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