Just one trip to this Montrose breakfast and lunch eatery and you’ll know why its name is Vibrant. The plates are colorful, artistic and ready for their Instagram close up. It comes as no surprise that Vibrant is the lovechild of former Museum of Fine Arts Houston curatorial assistant Kelly Barnhart, who injects the Houston culinary world with the same holistic and self-care philosophy she has adhered to for years. Vibrant is not just about the food, it’s aim is to promote a healthy well-being and pleasure with food. That's why Vibrant’s M.O. is non-GMO, gluten free, dairy free and refined sugar-free, with all bread made from scratch in-house by Karen Man. 

Entering Vibrant is like breathing in clean forest air. Natural light illuminates the modern space and ushers in a sense of tranquility. The muted banquets and retro-style seating offer comfort to relax and recharge from the stresses of the week. The white-on-white design is just a canvas for colorful and unique dishes. 

Health-food restaurants often get pre-judged as bland and boring but Vibrant takes those healthy ingredients and turns the flavor dial way up. The breakfast menu is served until 4 p.m. and features staples like Sweet Toast with vanilla-cardamom cashew butter and pear sauce, and a hearty Granola Bowl with raw coconut yogurt, fresh fruit, and local honey. A menu standout would be the Breakfast Socca, a chickpea flour flatbread slathered with homemade pesto, topped with roasted tomato, avocado and topped with a runny, fried that what floods the plate with flavor. 

The lunch menu begins at 11 a.m. and is filled with zesty twists on casual dishes. There are delightful soups like Carrot-ginger and a hearty Chicken Bone Broth that will be your new go-to chicken noodle soup. Other standouts include the Za-atar Socca with an eggplant-caramelized onion spread on a flatbread with sunflower ricotta, avocado and castelvetranos, as well as the Soba Noodle Bowl with buckwheat noodles, pickled shiitake mushrooms, carrot, daikon and herbs. 

The menu is topped off with a selection of juices, or potions and elixirs as Vibrant calls them. Ingredients like matcha, coconut milk, rose essence, ginger and ashwagandha are mixed together with other flavors to create five different health-conscious beverages. 

In a city filled with BBQ and unlimited Tex-Mex, Vibrant stands out as a brunch spot rich in flavor and the perfect way to reenergize your body and soul on the weekends.

Vibrant is open every day from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.