The California Alcohol and Beverage Control department issued temporary permits late last week for a new establishment called Mark and Jonnie’s Houston Gazette in West Hollywood near its border with Beverly Hills.
Twin brothers Mark and Jonnie Houston are club impresarios who have shaped the nightlife scene in Los Angeles with a series of uniquely themed venues, including Piano Bar, La Descarga (Cuban-themed), Harvard & Stone (rock and roll theme) and Pour Vous (French cocktail lounge).
Their new venture will be located at 9077 Santa Monica Blvd., currently home to Doheny Room, which is next door to the Troubadour.
The Houston brothers’ foray into the nightlife industry is deeply rooted in their upbringing. Their mother owned MonteCarlo, a popular bar in Koreatown during the 1970s, and Raji’s on Hollywood Boulevard in the 1980s, a venue that was frequented by bands like Black Flag, Guns N’ Roses and Green Day.
Their most recent project, Level 8, features multiple restaurants, cocktail bars and a club connected through a network of hidden entrances inside Downtown L.A.’s Moxy hotel.
Mark and Johnnie’s Houston Gazette is owned by West Own LLC, operated out of the same Hollywood location as the brothers’ Houston Hospitality.
