By Natalie Lozano Trimble
Photography by Jill Johnson
With a purple ube liqueur, Lola’s Halo is a striking taste of Southeast Asia on the menu at Jane in Southlake. The cocktail, inspired by the Filipino shaved ice dessert, halo-halo, incorporates traditional toppings, like jackfruit and young coconut strings.
Reece Bautista, the operating owner at Jane, wanted the seasonal drink to pay homage to his first home, the Philippines, after leaving in 1988, and his mom, Lola, who died in 2021 at 89 years old. Bautista shares that her favorite color was purple, so when he saw the ube liqueur, it inspired him.
Before Bautista became an owner at Jane, he was a loyal patron since its opening day in August 2021. He joined the two other owners, brothers Mo and Karim Noorali, about a year and a half ago. “They have young families, and I have adult children,” Bautista says. His other job as the owner of a staffing agency for nearshore, offshore and onshore roles like virtual assistants means he’s used to being up late to accommodate the time difference when necessary.
The Nooralis grew up in the Colleyville/Grapevine area. Mo worked on Wall Street before returning home to raise his family alongside his brothers. While dining at Malai Kitchen one night, Mo peeked in at a vacant space across the street from the restaurant. Bautista thought it would be fun to bring the vibe back. When he first called, Mo was told it was already leased out.
When those tenants backed out, Mo got a call from the owners and decided it was meant to be, naming the restaurant after Jane Street in Manhattan. “The inspiration for the place is an upscale boutique lounge for hotels,” Bautista says.
The evening menu is diverse with salads, wagyu truffle sliders, calamari, shrimp tacos and pork belly bao buns. “We do small bites,” Bautista says. “It’s almost like American tapas.”
Jane offers brunch daily, with espresso-based drinks and tea available alongside morning cocktails and mimosas. Food offerings go beyond the expected, with options like breakfast tacos, banana bread French toast and avocado toast, and Jane’s original menu items, which include a breakfast flatbread and hangover sliders, featuring wagyu beef, egg, bacon and cheese.
Their most popular drink is the espresso martini, which outsells their other beverages four-to-one, Bautista says. Their signature cocktails are creative, colorful and relevant, like the Dubai Chocolate Martini with pistachio and chocolate liqueurs, and the Holy Water, whose Pisco liqueur pays tribute to the new Pope’s time serving in Peru.
Regulars can rent a locker and buy a bottle of liquor from Jane at a discount, similar to the wine locker program at Capital Grille. It’s more than a cost savings, it’s an expansion of what’s available. “Any wine you want, any bourbon you want as long as I can source it,” Bautista says.
Jane’s events are designed with the community in mind, like the recent “Love Island” watch parties held on the patio and family-friendly, all-day fireworks watch parties on July 3-4. Bautista also has tequila, wine and whiskey pairing events in the works.
And while Jane is not a club, it is one of the few places open until midnight in Southlake on Friday and Saturday, with entertainment ranging from jazz, karaoke, live bands or a DJ during the weekend.
Jane is open seven days a week, from 10:30 a.m. until 10 p.m., Monday-Wednesday, and 10:30 a.m. until midnight on Thursday and Friday. On Saturday and Sunday they open at 10 a.m., closing at midnight on Saturday and at 9 p.m. on Sunday.
Find the recipe for Jane’s Lola’s Halo cocktail here.