Despite being “outside the loop,” Memorial has been a neighborhood that’s been greatly blossoming over the past few years. We joke that the Memorial City Malls is the only store in Houston adding stores instead of downsizing. Memorial City Mall and the surrounding area like CITYCENTRE and Town and Country is a hub of activity and a destination for semi-suburbia people to experience that city life as well as a great place for those working out at Energy Corridor to go for lunch or happy hour. The Memorial area extends from Uptown to the Barker Reservoir. We’re defining it as north of Buffalo Bayou and south of I-10.

Where you need to go

Best Staycation: Hotel Sorella
Best Apartments: Alexan CityCentre
Best Yoga: Revolution
Best Cycling: Soul Cycle
Best Sweat Sesh: OrangeTheory Fitness
Best Workout Classes: Define Memorial Green
Best Bowling: Bowl & Barrel –-luxury bowling
Best Night Life: Straits —DJ on the weekends
Best Park: Terry Hersey — running and biking trails for days!
Best Work Outing: Top Golf Katy
Best Breakfast: Snooze AM Eatery — off Beltway 8
Best Coffee: Tree House — get the rainbow latte!
Best Brunch: State Fare
Best Lunch: Dish Society Memorial Green
Best Barbecue: Good & Co.
Best Southern Bites: Mason Jar
Best for Meat Lovers: Jonathan’s the Rub
Best Tex Mex: Guadalajara
Best Wine Date: The Tasting Room
Best Vietnamese: Kim Son Cafe
Best Instagram Spot: Sweet Paris Crepes
Best Winery: Nice Winery — technically north of I-10, but counts
Best Desserts: SWEET Cafe
Best Sushi: Ra
Best Coffee: Tout Suite
Best Family Friendly Cafe: Skeeters –– went here after every middle school soccer game
Best Texas Experience: Taste of Texas –– we went on a field trip here in 7th grade. It’s legit.
Best Gym: Lifetime — indoor/outdoor pools, hot tub and sauna!
Best Mac & Cheese: Liberty Kitchen
Best Greek: Niko Niko’s
Best Boutique: Elaine Turner
Best Boots: Cavenders
Best Jewelry: Charming Charlie’s –– headquartered in Houston!
Best Eyelash/Eyebrows: The Lash Lounge Memorial Green

What you need to know

Memorial is a big destination for families. It’s got good public schools and wealthy people love to buy large pieces of land to tear down ranch houses and build mansions in their place. A chunk of the Memorial area is dedicated to “The Villages” which are autonomous municipalities that are inside Houston and are considered independent cities. The villages are Spring Valley Village, Piney Point Village, Bunker Hill Village, Hedwig Village, Hilshire Village and Hunters Creek Village.

Memorial is a super wooded area and plenty of protected park area around Buffalo Bayou. Most neighborhoods have pretty good access to I-10 and Memorial Drive (which stretches from the Barker Reservoir to Downtown) is a good alternative to the highway during peak rush hours. Unfortunately, due to its proximity to the Barker Reservoir many of the neighborhoods flooded during Hurricane Harvey.

If you love to shop, Memorial is a hot place to be. Near the corner of I-10 and Beltway 8, Memorial City Mall, CITYCENTRE and Town & Country shopping complexes coexist and are constantly growing. These malls are no longer just hot spots for high schoolers to hang out at. They’re classy destinations for date night, entertaining visiting friends and staycations! Many of the restaurants that have traditionally been inside the loop have been opening up second locations in the Memorial area, like Snooze, Dish Society, Liberty Kitchen, and many others.

Memorial City Mall is your quintessential mall with department stores, food court and zero free parking spots. It’s wildly distinguishable by the skyline of office buildings that all color coordinate their neon lights on the roof with the crowning jewel (literally designed after the architect’s wife’s engagement ring) the Memorial Herman Tower. CITYCENTRE is an open air shopping complex with more boutique-y vibe and local to Houston spots. It’s got an open air green space that regularly hosts events like yoga, dog parties, and car shows. A stay at Hotel Sorella is a luxurious spot for a staycation. Walking distance from CITYCENTRE is Town & Country, which used to be a traditional mall and in the past 15 years or so has transformed into a giant mega collection of strip mall stores and restaurants.

If you want to be in the center of it all in Memorial, CITYCENTRE is a bomb place to live. The Alexan CityCentre apartments recently opened and have a prime location that’s spitting distance from I-10 and Beltway 8 (easy commute!) and is integrated into the CITYCENTRE community. It’s a stylish and sleek complex with an incredible infinity pool that makes apartment living like a vacation in the tropics. Plus, right now they have a special for one month of FREE rent on selected floor plans! This post is sponsored by The Alexan CityCentre, but all recommendations are our own!