Montrose's New Restaurant Empire

Mini restaurant empire moves into Montrose in a big way and its owner is all in on a relaxed takeover binge

Creek Group owner Gary Mosley operates the four location mini-empire of bars and restaurants with a simple philosophy. "When I started Onion Creek, I had a vision of bringing relaxation to Houston," he says.

Now that the Heights is well-supplied with relaxing concepts that feature expansive patios and solid craft beer selections, Mosley's turning his attention south.

First up, Mosley is taking over Montrose bar/restaurant Lowbrow from Free Press Summer Fest co-owner Omar Afra. Then, he confirmed Eater's report that he plans to renovate the former Daily Review Cafe into a new concept called Piggy's Tavern.

Montrose is poised to go from zero Creeks to two in a brief time. If the timetable isn't fast enough, try to relax.

His customers have long requested that he expand across the bayou, but the timing hadn't been right until now. "I was focused on the neighborhood I was living in," Mosley says. "This popped up . . . . I visited it. I thought it was a cute, quaint place. Omar did a great job. The food is amazing."

Mosley anticipates making a few changes, but he'll mostly leave Lowbrow as is. "Montrose gets their Creek. Won't be 100-percent a Creek, but it will have the feel of a Creek," he promises.

As for his acquisition of The Daily Review, Mosley explains that he purchased the property because he heard it might be torn down. "Claire (Smith, owner of Shade and Canopy) did a great job of turning it into a landmark . . . . It's a great location. I think it will be a great location to work with. We're excited. The community is excited."

Work to renovate the space won't begin until after he has Lowbrow dialed in. Without knowing more about how long permitting and construction will take, Mosley declined to offer a timeline of when he expects to open Piggy's.

Still, Montrose is poised to go from zero Creeks to two in a brief time. If the timetable isn't fast enough, try to relax. It will all happen in due time.

Mosley has acquired Lowbrow from Omar Afra, but the restaurant's decor will remain.

Photo by Eric Sandler

Mosley has acquired Lowbrow from Omar Afra, but the restaurant's decor will remain.

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what about your friends?

Rapidly expanding Houston restaurant group befriends Rice Village with shareable plates and craft cocktails

Courtesy of ALife Hospitality Group

The menu includes this penne pasta.

A rapidly growing Houston restaurant and bar group will soon arrive in Rice Village. ALife Hospitality is opening FRNDS Restaurant & Lounge on April 1.

Located in the former Mi Luna space at 2442 University Blvd., FRNDS (pronounced “friends”), aims to be a gathering spot for groups. Although ALife is well established with concepts such as Kamp, Lost & Found, and the recently-opened Bungalow Downtown Dining, the new establishment will be its first in Rice Village.

“The space sort of picked us,” ALife partner Junior Martin tells CultureMap. “While looking for new opportunities, we viewed several locations in different areas of the city. After touring the property during the day and at night, it gave us a vision of what was missing from the Rice Village area and from our hospitality offerings to the city of Houston.”

Those offerings begin with a menu of tapas-style shareable plates created by ALife culinary director Mark Holley. Best known for his time at seafood restaurant Pesce and his current role at Davis Street at Hermann Park, Holley’s menu includes Coconut Curry Shrimp Skewers, Crab Avocado Dip, and Red Curry Fried Calamari. Diners will also find truffle pasta, shrimp cocktail, and baby back ribs. For his part, Martin recommends the wagyu dumplings and chicken satay.

“Several of the menu choices are shareable items to enjoy with your friends,” Martin adds. “This fosters a vibe of fellowship with your group and allows [everyone] to explore multiple menu items together.”

FRNDS pairs its dishes with a range of craft cocktails. Highlights include the Pineapple Patron and a popcorn cocktail that comes with a sidecar of kernels.

FRNDS Pineapple Patron cocktail Behold the Pineapple Patron.Courtesy of ALife Hospitality Group

Renovations to the space include adding royal blue and purple booths, marble bar and table tops, and wood accents.

Rice Village has seen a number of new openings in the past few months, including Navy Blue, the new seafood restaurant from the Bludorn team; Sushi by Hidden, an omakase restaurant from the owners of Hidden Omakase; a new location of Chinese American restaurant the Rice Box; Australian-inspired coffee shop Bluestone Lane; and Eau Tour, a French restaurant from Local Foods owner Benjy Levit.

ALife Hospitality FRNDS Restaurant & Lounge Rice Village openings news-you-can-eat