get your swim on

Adults-only swim club-pool bar in Second Ward makes a splash with big return and 2023 opening date

One of Houston’s favorite ways to beat the summer heat returns for 2023 with an enhanced offering to keep the party going.

Second Ward pool bar El Segundo Swim Club opens for the season on Saturday, April 29. Located in the Second Ward at 5180 Avenue L, El Segundo is owner Matthew Healey’s option for adults who lack regular access to a pool (21-plus only). The 15,000-square-foot venue features a 1,400-square-foot pool as well as hammocks, lounge chairs, and a changing area.

To access the facility, customers simply purchase a day pass via the Tock reservation platform. Priced at $35 on Saturday and $20 on Sunday, admission includes towels and sunscreen.

On eight Sundays throughout the summer, the bar will host Sound Waves. The 90-120 minute DJ sets will feature top talent such as members of The Faint, Disko Cowboy, and Fat Tony (see full lineup below).

Those who want a to entertain a group of friends can rent one of the property’s six cabanas. Sized for groups of 10-15 people, prices range from $100-300 plus day passes. They rise to $300 each on Sound Waves Sundays.

While there, people can snack on food from food trucks and sip a selection of wine, grower champagne, beer, and cocktails created by Chris Frankel, an Anvil alum who’s consulted for resulting including the Heights location of Mala Sichuan.

Both Mala and El Segundo also feature design by local firm Gin Design Group. The pool bar takes some of its inspiration from artist Roberto Burle Marx and features a retro, Brazilian-inspired design that includes lots of plants “and a bit of kitsch,” according to the firm’s website.

“El Segundo Swim Club has become the premier destination for those seeking a fun and unpretentious, yet sophisticated pool club in Houston,” Healey said in a statement. “We’re very excited to introduce our new Sound Waves event series this season, where we’ve lined up a mix of sought-after indie DJs from around the country to play sets at our pool club in the Second Ward.”

Sound Waves Dates:

May 7 — The Faint
May 28 — Ed Droste (Grizzly Bear)
Jun. 4 — Disko Cowboy
Jun. 25 — Neon Indian
Jul. 23 — Washed Out
Aug. 27 — Fat Tony
Sept. 17 — Twin Shadow
Sept. 24 — Them Jeans

Photo by Becca Wright

El Segundo returns April 29.

Pool Bar cocktails openings

a spoonful of sugar

New Mexican eatery sweetens Houston with 150 spirits and bold flavors

Courtesy of Mexican Sugar

Mexican Sugar is coming to Regent Square in December.

A Dallas-based Mexican restaurant is coming to Houston. Mexican Sugar will open its first Houston location in Montrose this December.

Located next to Georgia James in the Regent Square mixed-use development, Mexican Sugar will occupy a two-story, 13,000-square-foot building. All that room offers seating for 375 as well as two private dining rooms with full audio-visual capabilities. Both the upstairs and downstairs patios will have a view of nearby Buffalo Bayou Park.

Its part of FB Society, the Dallas-based hospitality group behind Whiskey Cake, Sixty Vines, and Haywire, the Texas-inspired comfort food restaurant that opened its first Houston-area location earlier this year. Mexican Sugar has three locations in the Dallas area: Plano, Las Colinas, and Uptown Dallas.

In a release, Mexican Sugar touts its use of seasonal ingredients. It also makes its tortillas by hand. Menu highlights include skirt steak, lobster fundido, and a bone-in pork chop. At brunch, look for options such as cajeta French toast, Benedictos Rancheros, and vanilla-cinnamon pancakes.

Agave fans will find plenty of choices courtesy of more the 150 tequilas and mezcals. They’re available in individual pours as well as in flights that allow customers to compare the flavors of the different spirits.

“Our goal is to create a dining experience that blends bold Mexican flavors with our signature style of hospitality that stays two steps ahead,” Justin Beam, Mexican Sugar’s director of operations, said in a statement. “We’re excited to offer Houstonians an immersive Mexican experience in a fresh, light, and approachable way.”

Courtesy of Mexican Sugar

Mexican Sugar is coming to Regent Square in December.

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a spoonful of sugar

New Mexican eatery sweetens Houston with 150 spirits and bold flavors