NYC nightlife legend Eli Escobar opens his own club in North Williamsburg

If you like to go out in New York City, you’ve inevitably had a night soundtracked by Eli Escobar.

The DJ and producer has been making music happen in the city since the late 1990s, whether through parties such as Tiki Disco and All Night Long, releases on his Night People label, or by bringing house giants including Kerri Chandler to newer audiences.

Now, for the first time, the NYC native (and LaGuardia High School grad) is opening his own nightclub, Gabriela, at the corner of North 11th Street and Wythe Avenue in Williamsburg on Friday.

The plan for the club took shape during the pandemic, when Escobar and his childhood friend Rafael Ohayon, who owns Cafe Mogador, were desperate for nightlife to return.

“Both of us are obsessed with music and have used it as a cure for trauma we’ve experienced,” Escobar says. “We knew lots of people were going to be in need of that once things opened up.”

They teamed up with partners from Bushwick’s House of Yes to realize the new club, which Escobar says is named in honor of a deceased friend he had always wanted to open a space with.

At first, he was skeptical of the location — a pocket of northwest Williamsburg that’s significantly changed over the past decade, with the Wythe, Arlo and Hoxton hotels luring tourists and weekend visitors into the historically low-rise neighborhood.

“We looked at rooms in other areas that were decidedly less fancy or gentrified,” Escobar says. “And nothing was as inspiring as this actual space.”

Gabriela is taking over the space that formerly housed Kinfolk, the 2010s nightlife institution that closed early in the pandemic. Escobar says he and his partners have revamped the space for “spectacular” sound, including with speakers from house-audio giant Gary Stewart, who built sound systems at iconic NYC clubs such as the Sound Factory and Vinyl.

The team plans to introduce food offerings inspired by Cafe Mogador’s menu in the new year, according to Escobar.

The initial lineup for the first several weeks is listed on the electronic music website Resident Advisor for now.

Regardless of the crowds this corner of Williamsburg attracts, Escobar says Gabriela will be open to everyone and that music fans will travel to visit it.

“There’s not gonna be any judgment at the door,” he says. “A lot of nightlife folks get a little caught up in their geographical preferences. We’re gonna be welcoming to everyone.”

Gabriela opens Friday with a six-hour set from Escobar from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. Tickets are $20 at the door only.