Avant Garden

They have a taco truck that makes the best street Mexican tacos I have ever had. This venue is amazing. The atmosphere is inviting, so far Wednesdays are my favorite nights. I love it. The balconies, the spiral staircase, the wrap around porch, it’s a unique and spacious garden where you can truly vibe.

Had the dreamiest wedding thanks to Minerva, Bella, Jeremy, Chris, Dillon and the rest of the awesome staff at Avant Garden. Mariana put together a beautiful, affordable package for our wedding. From the food to the service and communication you can tell the staff truly loves what they do. Highly recommend them for hosting your big day!

We can’t say enough positive things about our wedding experience at AvantGarden. We had never been to AvantGarden before, but after meeting Mariana and seeing the venue my wife and I both had no doubt it was the place we wanted to hold our wedding. The venue itself has such a funky and cool vibe, truly a gem in the heart of Montrose. Mariana is an absolute pro. She worked with us to create a wedding package that was right for us. We never had any doubts that she had everything under control from the planning and logistics aspect. She also has such a calming vibe that really helped put our minds at ease leading up to the wedding. Everything went so smoothly on the day of the wedding: The tacos and cake were fantastic, the staff was so kind and accommodating, and the DJ really took our song recommendations and created an amazing and unique playlist. We heard from so many guests that it was the best wedding they’ve ever been to. Thank you again to everyone who helped make our wedding so special.

I recently had a wedding at Avant Garden and it was the wedding of my dreams. I wanted a wedding with warmth, beauty and mystery, where little girls danced with their dads and people fell in love in candlelit corners and longtime couples reconnected under the moon, and we danced until we could dance no more. This is exactly how it is at a wedding at Avant Garden. The enchanting old house has a dark sparkly New Orleans meets Houston Montrose feeling. The paper lanterns and garden and flowers felt like a fairyland (and all the photographs reflect that) . Our guests loved the food! That taco truck is outstanding. Everybody was delighted. The cheese board and sweets table was also delicious and beautiful, and the cake (Tres Leches style from a famous East End Houston bakery) was a big hit. Mariana has a fantastic staff and they have got weddings down to a T. They seamlessly guided the events of the evening. I didn’t have to worry about a thing. The valet parking was great, and the DJ was so friendly and had a great sense of how to keep the party going. As for the bartender- even the New Orleans guests were impressed and that’s saying something. (If you know, you know.) I especially loved the little after-party upstairs. I honestly can’t think of any other venue that would let you party until 2 AM. Avant Garden has a long history here in Montrose, and it brought back the days of dancing at the venue back when it was Helios and before that, Mausoleum. Throughout all of this, Mariana was a quiet but constant presence. We had our ceremony elsewhere (Avant Garden was the reception venue) and she even came to this other location to help. Some reviews mention that Mariana did not show up for a planned initial meeting. This happened to us, but everything turned out okay. If it happens to you just eat at the taco truck and reschedule. She will come through. Mariana has been active in the Montrose arts community for many years. She has preserved a physical historic space and also a cultural one. Apart from my wedding, I am grateful for her contributions to Montrose. Thank you so much Mariana! Our family and friends all told us how unique and beautiful the wedding was, and what a wonderful time they had. *Photo by Khanh Nguyen Photography

The atmosphere was Fantastic, the people were very attentive, responsive, and personable. But it was extremely hot as there is no A/C. So if you host an event, hand out fans to your guests. The food was delicious, but the food truck took from the ambiance. Perhaps if they would paint it to match the elegance of the venue, it wouldn't be so bad to walk out to the truck. But, all in all, it was a great place to host an event.