Memorial Park Conservancy is thrilled to announce the latest addition to its dining landscape with the opening of Vibrant, the Houston-based café known for its commitment to health and sustainability. This new establishment joins the existing Vibrant location in Montrose, providing an all-day dining option within the Park’s Running Complex. A portion of the café’s revenue goes towards the Conservancy's efforts to maintain and preserve the Park.

Vibrant’s health-focused fare complements the Park’s eclectic mix of dining venues that accommodate a variety of palates and budgets. Guests can enjoy classic fare at Becks Prime at the Memorial Park Golf Course or explore a rotating selection of local food trucks at Live Oak Court, such as TheDoughCone and El Deleite. Clay Family Eastern Glades and the Kinder Land Bridge and Cyvia and Melvyn Wolff Prairie, both integral parts of the Memorial Park Master Plan and its associated Ten-Year Plan, have also introduced 400 acres of picnic-friendly spaces—including four picnic pavilions—for Houstonians to savor meals in Houston’s largest urban park.

 Vibrant Cafe at Memorial Park exterior; Courtesy of Leonid Furmansky

“Vibrant introduces a new gathering space at Memorial Park, offering the community a place to enjoy nourishing, sustainable food amidst the Park's natural beauty,” said Shellye Arnold, President and CEO of Memorial Park Conservancy. “The café's opening and the broader expansion of dining and recreational options in the Park reflect our ongoing commitment to meet the diverse needs of all Houstonians.”

Vibrant’s menu, available for both dine-in and takeout, is all made in-house from scratch with optimally nutritious, local, regenerative and organic ingredients. Patrons can enjoy breakfast, lunch, and dinner offerings complemented by a full-service organic coffee program, freshly made pastries and bread, natural wines and specialty retail products. All menu items are completely free from gluten, dairy, refined sugars, peanuts, GMOs, and gums. Designed by Schaum Architects, an award-winning local firm, with interior elements curated by Vibrant’s own founder, the café’s light-filled space reflects the natural aesthetic of its surroundings, creating a seamless integration with the Park's native landscape designed by Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects.

The new café is part of Memorial Park’s Running Complex, a major programmatic hub and access point on the south side of the Park that debuted in November 2023. Located to the southwest of the Kinder Land Bridge & Cyvia and Melvyn Wolff Prairie, the Running Complex was designed as a central gathering spot and serves as a new gateway to enjoy the Bayou Wilds trails of Memorial Park. The Running Complex also features the Roy H. Cullen Timing Track—a 400-meter, five-lane track—and an Event Plaza that will be available to rent for private events in the future. The project complements the adjacent Cullen Running Trails Center, which opened in 2014 and includes Visitor Services, restrooms and showers.

The Running Complex is the latest project completed under the Memorial Park Master Plan and the associated Ten-Year Plan that aims to enhance the Park's green infrastructure, protect natural resources, and improve recreational assets for the community. Other recently completed Ten-Year Plan projects include the 100-acre Clay Family Eastern Glades (opened July 2020); the Sports Complex (opened October 2020); a new one-mile segment of the Seymour Lieberman Trail that was moved off of Memorial Drive, offering a scenic running route through trees and over ravines (opened October 2022); and the 100-acre Kinder Land Bridge and Cyvia and Melvyn Wolff Prairie (opened February 2023). Memorial Park Conservancy is delivering the Ten-Year plan projects with its project partners: Houston Parks and Recreation Department, Uptown Houston, and Kinder Foundation. Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects served as the lead designer for the Master Plan, which was informed by an extensive public engagement process.  They also led the design for the Clay Family Eastern Glades, Kinder Land Bridge and Cyvia and Melvyn Wolff Prairie, and the Running Complex projects.

Vibrant offers fast-casual counter service daily from 7 AM to 8 PM, with hours adjusting seasonally to coincide with daylight hours. For more information, visit wearevibrant.com.

Memorial Park picnic pavilions are free for general use on a first-come, first-served basis. Online reservations are also available to ensure a specific date and time for private use. For more information on Memorial Park’s dining and picnic offerings, including the food truck schedule, visit Memorial Park Conservancy’s website, and follow along on Facebook and Instagram.