Have you run around Buffalo Bayou recently and been wondering what that mysterious new building is by Lost Lake? Amongst all the new exciting changes and grand opening of Buffalo Bayou, there is a new building that is part park info, part event-space, and part grab-and-go café. If you’ve ever wanted to eat at the newly opened Dunlavy, here are five things to know before you go:

1. The Kitchen at the Dunlavy is where you eat. It’s open for breakfast and lunch and then closed during the evenings for events. The Dunlavy is what they call the event space. Even though, from my understanding it’s the same area. The Dunlavy contains a beautiful indoor seating area with big tables seating 10-12 people and a fabulous collection of decadent chandeliers. There’s also an outdoor patio that is equipped with heaters, so event during the winter months it might be an enjoyable place to sit.
2. Breakfast and lunch is a very casual affair. You order your food at the counter, seat yourself, and pour your own coffee and water.  Although we dressed up when we went for brunch, I think they are trying to make The Kitchen at The Dunlavy an approachable place for park-goers to swing by and grab a quick bite after a run. The service is very good and they are very attentive to clearing plates, filling water glasses, etc.
3. Portions are small. Don’t come in hungry after running seven miles and expect to get filled up. The menu is mainly a la carte items like breakfast sandwiches, salads, baked goods and smoothies. I Ordered the Avocado, Egg & Tomato breakfast sandwich–which was delicious and fresh, but I could have eaten about two more of them with a fat side of breakfast potatoes.
4.  Everything is made in house from scratch. The juices are fresh pressed (loved the grapefruit juice–even though it was $5). The baked goods and sandwich breads are baked that morning. And the smoothies are made to order. Even though the sandwiches may resemble a certain restaurant’s McMuffin, the Dunlavy’s English muffins are fresh and light and untouchable by their fast food doppelganger.
5. Grand opening is December 1. We dined at The Kitchen at the Dunlavy during the soft opening during the month of November, but it’s now officially open for business. The menu we saw is pictured below, but is likely to change now that the restaurant is in full swing!

Avocado Egg and Tomato Breakfast Sandwich

Serve yourself coffee and water

Avocado Egg and Tomato Breakfast Sandwich

The Kitchen at the Dunlavy

The Kitchen at the Dunlavy Soft Opening Menu

The Dunlavy chandeliers

The Dunlavy chandeliers interior