A Notorious Houston Hospitality Group Has a New Restaurant in the Works for Uptown Dallas

Cle Group, a controversial Houston hospitality group that owns multiple restaurants, will soon debut its first Dallas establishment in Uptown.

The group is set to take over the ritzy space that was briefly occupied by short-lived New York City export Circo with its upscale lounge-restauant concept Bisou, according to CultureMap. It’s the first Dallas project for the Cle Group, which operates two massive nightclubs — Spire and Cle — in addition to the original location of Bisou in Houston.

According to Eater Houston, Bisou first opened its doors there in 2018, bringing glam vibes and “continental cuisine” to the tony River Oaks neighborhood. A self-described “social dining hotspot,” Bisou’s menu boasts pricey plates like USDA Prime ribeyes, Texas flounder with spring pea risotto, and veal scallopini.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Cle Group made headlines on multiple occasions for allegedly flouting safety guidelines implemented by state officials. On the first weekend that bars in Houston were allowed to reopen in May 2020, a huge pool party packed into the space at Cle, with videos posted to social media showing large crowds of maskless people congregating in the club’s pool, appearing to violate capacity limits that were implemented in an effort to stem the spread of the virus.

When the governor was forced to walk back his plans to reopen bars in Texas at limited capacity in July, Cle Group’s club Spire continued to host packed-out parties because its liquor license allowed it to operate as a “reception hall,” which meant that it wasn’t subject to the same rules that other clubs had to follow. Those parties, which featured rappers like Shad “Bow Wow” Miller, drew ire from Houston hospitality professionals and elected officials alike.

Throughout the past year and into 2021, Cle Group’s clubs had their liquor licenses suspended on multiple occasions. In January, the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission announced that Cle would lose its liquor license for 60 days, and Spire wouldn’t be able to serve alcohol for 90 days. In fact, Spire just announced plans to reopen following the suspension on March 13.

Bisou is expected to arrive sometime this spring, likely in late April or early May. Stay tuned for an official opening date.

• Glitzy Houston restaurant-club shimmies into old Circo space in Uptown Dallas [CultureMap Dallas]
• After Gov. Abbott Ordered Bars to Close, Crowds Still Packed Into Houston Nightclub Spire [EHOU]
• TABC Slaps Two Houston Nightclubs With Liquor License Suspensions [EHOU]
• River Oaks’ Glamorous New Restaurant Bisou Opens Next Week [EHOU]
• TABC Suspends Notorious Houston Bar Spire’s Liquor License [EHOU]