Gabriela’s Group Expands Latin Business Empire With Mala Fama on Sixth Street
By Christina Garcia, August 1, 2023, 1:15pm, Earache!
Last Friday night, Gabriela Bucio gleamed on the rooftop of the newly opened Mala Fama, her second nightclub on Sixth Street.
Formerly home to Buckshot, the two-story historic bar at 422 E. Sixth, built in 1877, saw revelers huddled in line around the corner. Door staff and security quickly shuffled them in to explore the latest party experience curated by Bucio and her team.
[image-1-right]Latin pop stars Bad Bunny, Karol G, Rosalía, Rauw Alejandro, and Feid smiled from giant posters mounted behind the first-floor bar, framed like saints by glowing neon designs. Across their towering faces, two connected archways festooned in lush fabric greenery and flowers stood as one of the hallmark Bucio-style design elements. If her previous spaces are any indication, there’s much more neon to come.
Following the soft opening on July 28, Mala Fama will be open Friday and Saturday from 9pm-2am the next few weekends, with scheduling updates to come. Musically, the space plans to host DJs “spinning reggaeton, perreo, hip-hop and other Latin music every weekend as well as live bandas.” Alongside the rooftop, Mala Fama will also include a second smaller space inside called La Factoria.
Bucio has proudly proclaimed herself at the service of fellow Latinos, catering to them with welcoming spaces across the city. Mala Fama is the latest club from Bucio’s Gabriela’s Group, which she runs with her brother Arturo. Their other clubs include Mala Vida – just a few blocks west of Mala Fama – and East Austin’s Mala Santa on Burleson Road. Aside from nightclubs, Gabriela’s Group is notable for their Mexican restaurants and cafes including seafood eatery Seareinas, two locations of Taquero Mucho, Revival Coffee, and dessert truck Churro Co. – plus two Austin locations and one Houston expansion of flagship restaurant Gabriela’s.
Bucio’s younger brother and manager for various Gabriela’s Group sites, Salvador Lopez Jr., also owns Space Siete, a new Latin after-hours club that opened in April. The new majority-minority state, where Hispanic Texans are officially the largest ethnic group outnumbering even non-Hispanic white Texans, motivates Bucio’s fast-paced expansions. According to a press release, Mala Fama’s opening keeps up with overflowing demand at their already established locations like Mala Vida.
[image-3-right]“Every weekend at Mala Vida we have a line around the door, and we need a nearby space to serve our customers to make sure they have the best night out they can,” said Bucio in the press release. “We are proud of the diverse crowds that stop by every weekend and we hope this Mala Fama will allow us to reach more fans, while showcasing what makes our Latin culture so special. Get ready because even more openings are on the way.”
DJs ALE and Ezoh soundtracked the crowded first and second floors with reggaeton and pop during the Friday opening. Busy bartenders mixed popular cocktails like Palomas, rimmed in a deliciously tart Mexican fruit and chili paste called chamoy and sprinkled with dried chili flakes à la Tajín.
Climbing the stairs from the second floor to the rooftop, towering pink neon trees revealed themselves slowly as the Mala Fama house band, Mexican regional group Puro Guasave, played tubas, trumpets, trombones, saxophones, clarinets, and drums. Rotating lead singers roamed through the crowd to interact, dance, and sing in Spanish.
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