Photos by Shannon Richardson
The popularity of brunch may feel fairly recent, at least here in the Texas Panhandle, but the idea dates back as far as the late 1800s, when a British writer used the word to describe a Sunday-morning meal suitable for “Saturday-night carousers.” The late meal allowed those carousers to sleep in, of course. But the breakfast-lunch combo meal should also be filled with good conversation and good cheer in order to end a worrisome week on a high note.
In recent years, brunch has taken on even more meaning. It remains a social meal, offering a way to introduce good food and face-to-face conversation into family or friend groups. But it’s also a social-media meal, with many restaurants building their menus around buzzy cocktails and dishes that beg to be photographed and shared.
Whether you dismiss it as a passing trend or embrace it as a new tradition, brunch has blossomed in the Panhandle. We visited more than 20 local restaurants in Amarillo and Canyon to identify a few of our weekend favorites.
Don’t let the heavy drapes and gas lanterns fool you: The interior atmosphere of this early New Orleans-style restaurant may be moody, but the brunch is undeniably bright. Owned by Rory Schepisi, The Drunken Oyster gives a French Quarter twist to traditional brunch fare, served Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
“Our eggs Benedicts are very popular,” says Executive Chef Alberto Vargas, who lists several unique varieties of the well-known dish. He says the Snapper Cake Benedict and N’awlins Benedict are brunch-time customer favorites. “And our pain perdu sells quite a bit,” Vargas adds, referencing this rich take on classic French toast.
The fried chicken and waffles are served with andouille sausage gravy, topped with fried leeks. And the croque madame—loaded with smoked pork shoulder and plenty of cheese sauce—packs a savory punch.
The brunch cocktail list is just as indulgent, including a maple syrup-sweetened Breakfast Old Fashioned and Diablo Bloody Mary, which uses tequila infused with five peppers.
The Drunken Oyster
7606 SW 45th Ave., Suite 100
806.418.6668
drunkenoysteramarillo.com
Most restaurants on this list offer a brunch menu on Saturdays and Sundays. But Deanna Hurt, the owner of Butterlove Biscuits, describes her restaurant as “brunch all the time.” Hurt conceived of the idea when it became time to move her beloved bakery, The Ruffled Cup, around the corner in Puckett Plaza. She didn’t want to lose the original space, though. “Baking is my backbone so the biscuit idea came into play. We grew the business around that biscuit,” she says.
Hurt knew a lot of customers viewed brunch as a leisurely weekend-morning meal, but that’s not how she designed Butterlove. “Weekends are busy. You don’t always have a lot of time, so you can get in line, get your food, and you’re in and out in less than an hour,” she says. The counter-service ensures a faster experience.
Even so, Butterlove’s food and full bar are worth lingering over. The summer drink menu changes frequently, but customers love its Instagram-worthy cocktails, along with mimosas featuring fresh-squeezed orange juice and “ice cold” champagne on tap.
Its signature “Honey Hush” biscuit—with fried chicken, honey butter spread and a honey drizzle—is among the most popular dishes, as are the Butterlove Rancheros, drenched in housemade chile verde.
Butterlove Biscuits
3440 Bell St., Unit 130
806.418.8966
butterlove.com
“As a chef I love serving food to people because, as a person, I like eating food with people,” says Jessica Higgins at Girasol, a cheerful cafe on Coulter. “I always loved going out on the weekends for brunch with my girlfriends.”
She brought that love to Amarillo when she opened her cafe and artisan bakery in 2016, and you can taste the joy in her fresh, scratch cooking. Brunch is served all day at Girasol on weekends—best enjoyed on its simple, sunny outdoor patio—as well as on weekday mornings. Higgins says she has regulars who show up every Saturday and a steady stream of out-of-towners who make a point to stop at Girasol whenever they pass through Amarillo.
They love the cafe’s “no-gluten multigrain pancakes,” French toast made with custard-dipped brioche, and Santa Fe Eggs Benedict, which is served on a house-made green chile cheese biscuit.
For Brick & Elm, Higgins prepared her specialty corn fritters, which she features just a couple times a year when corn is fresh and in season. “It’s really popular,” she says. “People love it.”
Girasol Cafe & Bakery
3201 S. Coulter St.
806.322.0023
facebook.com/girasolcafeandbakery
This upscale, contemporary restaurant in west Amarillo was one of the first to offer a regular weekend brunch and has been a reliable source of attentive service, exceptional dishes and trendy cocktails. The signature bloody mary, with house-infused spicy vodka, is one of the city’s best.
“We make everything from scratch,” says Front-of-House Manager Tina Brown. “People really love the atmosphere and the higher quality of food.” That food includes the Salmon Benny, a traditional eggs Benedict that adds salmon to the mix. (When
fresh and available, there’s also a Sea Bass Benny.) Topped with two eggs, the southwest enchiladas are also popular at brunch, along with French toast topped with an orange zest cream cheese drizzle.
Last year, to give employees a day off, Public House began closing on Sundays, which makes its Saturday brunch even more special.
Public House
3333 S. Coulter St.
806.398.7777
publichouseamarillo.com
“Brunch” is in the name of this downtown delight, and a Saturday brunch has been one of its highlights since Nicole Fleetwood and McKinzie Hodges opened Scratch Made in 2016. There were few brunch options in Amarillo at the time. “Brunch culture in Amarillo has really come a long way,” Fleetwood says.
“And this is definitely brunch,” says Hodges, pointing out Scratch Made’s quiche, salad and fruit options. “It’s not just breakfast.” The duo recently expanded its brunch menu into the rest of the week, and it’s proven a hit.
“I think it’s just the happy combination between lunch and breakfast, with nice savory options,” says Fleetwood.
“And free mimosas all week long,” Hodges adds. “Brunch has to have mimosas.”
Aside from the mimosas, the Scratch Made French Toast is extremely popular. And available on Saturdays only, the B.A.C. never fails to get attention. “The B.A.C.—the big-ass cinnamon roll—is always a hit,” says Hodges. “People think it’s fun.”
Scratch Made is currently in growth mode, preparing to expand everything from its kitchen to its front bakery cases. Across the street, Fleetwood and Hodges also operate a coffee, breakfast and lunch nook on the first floor of FirstBank Southwest Tower. “We’re also doing pop-up brunken events and private parties,” adds Fleetwood. Yes, that’s brunken: brunch food for late nights and tipsy crowds.
Scratch Made Bakery & Brunchery
118 Sixth Ave.
806.731.4477
scratchmadebakery.com
Located downtown near FirstBank Southwest Tower, this cozy eatery serves food with a Cajun-Creole flair, and that includes its brunch menu, available every Sunday and from Tuesday to Friday.
Chef Ron Granger recognizes that his Creole cooking stands out in a world of pancakes and waffles. “Sausage and shrimp are not conventional breakfast items,” he says, pointing to his popular Creole Breakfast Bowl. This hash-style meal contains onions, peppers, shrimp and smoked sausage served over a bed of potatoes or southern-style grits.
His inspiration for the dish came from the Ruby Slipper Cafe in New Orleans’ French Quarter, where southern brunch is a specialty. “Everything there seemed to be deconstructed,” he says. “Now this is our most popular brunch item.”
But Granger serves standard brunch fare as well, including waffles. Topped with pecans or mixed berry compote, these happen to be fully constructed and are beloved by his customers. In fact, Chef Ron’s weekend brunches became so popular over the past year that Sunday’s Kitchen recently expanded the brunch menu to weekdays.
Sunday’s Kitchen
112 Sixth Ave.
806.418.6477
facebook.com/Sundays-Kitchen
“The idea is that brunch should be both sweet and savory,” says Executive Chef Cole Craven, who has been in the Six Car kitchen since this Polk Street establishment first opened. “It shouldn’t just be pancakes.”
He has the right idea, at least according to the crowds who show up every Saturday and Sunday morning. “We have a line for every brunch,” Manager Rachael McClung says.
Everything at Six Car is made completely from scratch, from the fresh bread and biscuits to the secret ingredients in the bloody mary mix Craven developed with the Six Car bar staff. He says the “pretty accessible” Chicken & Waffles is definitely a crowd favorite, but he prefers the Eggs in Hell—three eggs poached in a spicy chile and tomato sauce, served with chorizo and sourdough toast. “We also sell a lot of omelets, and I cook every one of them,” he says.
Eager to try one of these menu items? “Get here early on Sundays,” advises McClung. Six Car serves brunch from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. every weekend.
Six Car Pub & Brewery
625 S. Polk St.
806.576.3396
sixcarpub.com
This restaurant is new and its brunch is even newer. Fresh off its opening in 2021, Rory Schepisi’s upscale local restaurant began opening for brunch on Mother’s Day. It’s known for tapas-style small plates in the evenings, but for brunch Savór relies on Spanish-themed flavors. “It’s a lot of spice but not spicy,” says Chef Tyler Ryen. “A lot of paprika, saffron, chorizo, cured meats and eggs.”
Local favorites include the Spanish Benedict and its smoky, spicy serrano ham, or the hearty Matador Breakfast, featuring potatoes, marinated tomatoes, eggs, bacon and chorizo. It’s served with torrijas—the Spanish version of French toast. “It’s probably our most approachable brunch item,” says Ryen.
Savór’s brunch fans are also glad to approach its indulgent Mimosa Flight, choosing four of five flavor combinations for the bright and boozy drink—tequila sunrise, blackberry mint, cherry bomb, colada and strawberry. The restaurant is open for brunch on Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Savór Tapas Bar
7669 Hillside Road, Suite 600
806.310.2600
savortapasbar.com
“Our brunch is growing like nobody’s business,” says Laura Sellers at Metropolitan. But it’s definitely her business as the owner of this swanky New American spot in Town Square. “Sunday is our busiest day, but the other days are creeping up.”
Once only available on weekends, Sellers recently made the brunch menu available on Fridays. “People were requesting it. It’s the start of the weekend,” explains Chef Shelby Swindell.
While Metropolitan offers standard fare like made-to-order omelets and Belgian waffles, the brunch menu also includes a few surprises. “We try to offer varieties of things you wouldn’t necessarily find at other restaurants,” says Sellers.
One of those is the breakfast pot pie, served with eggs atop a gravy-smothered puff pastry. The chicken-fried steak with green chile gravy is another favorite, as is the Pancake Board for Two. Stylized on a wooden slab, it comes with six thick pancakes, mixed berries and a variety of toppings.
Customers wash these treats down with hand-crafted drinks from a stunning bar, including the Metropolitan Dirty Bloody. That’s a traditional bloody mary plus olive juice—another salty surprise for the weekend.
Metropolitan-A Speakeasy
9181 Town Square Blvd., Suite 1201
806.242.0117
metroofamarillo.com
“I never thought we’d sell this many chicken-fried steaks,” says Brent Lancour, who owns his namesake cafe with his wife, Heather. The chicken-fried-steak-and-eggs on the brunch menu is their best-selling dish. “I had to get a bigger fryer,” he says with a chuckle.
The couple is known for using locally sourced ingredients whenever possible, including farm-fresh eggs from local suppliers. Everything else is housemade as well. The smoked ham on the eggs Benedict is house-brined. Brent smokes his own bacon.
The Lancours are also known for accommodating most food allergies, offering gluten-free versions of most dishes and tofu substitutions for vegan customers. There’s a steady stream of those customers during each Saturday (10 a.m. to 2 p.m.) and Sunday (11 a.m. to 2 p.m.) brunch. “Sundays are usually booked the day before,” Heather says, though the restaurant always tries to leave a few tables open for walk-ins.
Brent’s also offers a bright, sunny patio—weather-permitting—as well as espresso-based drinks and full bar. Regular patrons love the Mexican Sunrise, which combines champagne with pineapple-infused tequila, as well as the signature bloody mary.
Brent’s Cafe
3701-B, Olsen Blvd.
806.398.2160
brentscafe.com
Welcome to the cutest diner and best-kept secret in the Canyon brunch scene: Buenos Dias, where you’ll drink coffee out of a random mug, choose from a variety of mismatched chairs and enjoy some of the best eggs and waffles in the Panhandle.
“It’s nothing too crazy,” says Xavier Villalobos about the counter-service cafe’s menu, which includes brunch staples like chicken and waffles, huevos rancheros and a sausage hash dish known as the Roger Special.
Villalobos co-owns Buenos Dias with Brenda Lopez. The couple opened Buenos Dias four years ago. Both had a background in food—Lopez had been running a meal prep service and Villalobos’ mother, Teresa, had worked in the Canyon Country Club restaurant. Together they decided to take a chance on the building that had once housed KJ’s Cafe. Unfortunately, Teresa passed away in 2019, leaving them to “figure it out on our own,” Brenda says.
They made it work. Today, the site hosts a bustling breakfast scene from Wednesday through Sunday, opening at 7 a.m. on weekdays and 7:30 on weekends, through 1 p.m.
“Saturdays and Sundays are pretty wild,” Villalobos says about the traffic. “People in this part of town want eggs and bacon.”
Buenos Dias
1202 23rd St., Canyon
806.452.7277
facebook.com/buenosdiaskitchen
After a lengthy career in the restaurant industry, including 14 years managing a gourmet Mexican cantina in the suburbs of Phoenix, Arizona, Mickey Foster brought his family to Canyon. They’d vacationed in the Panhandle at a friend’s ranch and Lake Tanglewood home, and the small town atmosphere of Canyon felt like a reprieve.
It just so happened that two restaurants on the Square had closed down prior to the Fosters’ arrival. He jumped at the chance to start something new, and Mickey’s Place at the Square opened in late 2021. The restaurant serves Italian specialties for lunch and dinner, but has recently expanded its brunch offerings to Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
“There was nothing open on Sundays,” Foster says. “A lot of people tended to go into Amarillo for brunch.”
That’s no longer necessary. Foster says his brunch menu has turned Sunday into a “true weekend sales day,” especially with dishes like the salmon cake eggs Benedict, Italian sausage and eggs, and the Perfect Frittata, which includes roasted red peppers and asparagus. Foster says the brunch menu reflects the kinds of things he likes to cook for his family on weekend mornings. “Everything is generated from my family,” he says.
Mickey’s Place
1512 Fifth Ave., Canyon
806.452.7320
mickeysplacetx.com
Plenty of local restaurants serve great brunch food, says Don Rhode, general manager of Cask & Cork. But none of them can match the sunny, scenic rooftop patio of this restaurant near Town Square. The all-year space truly shines during the spring and summer months—especially on Sundays, the restaurant’s busiest day of the week.
With the main campus of Hillside Christian Church just a short walk or drive away, the Sunday traffic is steady before and after services. “We get a double-dip,” Rhode says of the churchgoing crowd. “The early rush tends to be more breakfasty, and the later push after church tends to be more of a brunch mix.”
Regardless of the day, though, those patrons gravitate toward the Three-Egg Benny, a dish with country ham and cheesy hashbrowns, or the Country Benedict, which serves fried chicken and sausage gravy Benedict-style on a sweet cornbread muffin. “For Amarillo, it’s recognizable and not weird,” he says of the unique dish.
Cask & Cork opened in 2017 and has served brunch from the start. “As you see people travel more or move here from other places, brunch is becoming a much more focused part of the week. What used to be 150 people on a great Sunday has turned into
400 people,” says Rhode. The restaurant serves its weekend brunch from 10:30 a.m. until 3 p.m.
Cask & Cork
5461 McKenna Square, Suite 101
806.410.1113
caskncorkamarillo.com
Three years ago, the Greyhound bus station at Seventh and Tyler closed its restaurant. Paul Olivarez had been thinking about opening a restaurant next door, but ultimately decided a food truck was a better option—and the station manager allowed him to operate out of the parking lot next door. The Brunch Truck of Amarillo opened in July 2022 and the brunch business is booming.
“I’ve served 40 Kitchen Sink Burritos already today,” Olivarez says at 10 a.m. on a midweek morning. He opens at 5:30 a.m. when the early crowds begin to gather. “People come and go all day long.” Closed Mondays and Saturdays, Olivarez serves Sunday brunch from 5:30 a.m. until 3 p.m.
The Sunday hours are significant, because The Brunch Truck serves a full vegan menu, and those options are limited locally—especially on Sundays. “That’s our busiest day of the week,” he says. “It’s amazing how many vegan customers come out.” He’ll add meat or cheese for any diner, but the base of every dish is vegan-friendly and includes substitutes like vegan eggs, cheese and soyrizo.
Popular dishes include the migas plate, tacos al pastor (which is marinated a minimum of two days), French toast and the Kitchen Sink Burrito, which is rich and flavorful and decidedly non-vegan.
The Brunch Truck of Amarillo
213 SW Seventh Ave.
806.373.4199
thebrunchtruckamarillo.com
Before the ballpark and the murals and the restoration of neon-lit nightlife, locals tended to forget about downtown on weekends. A newly thriving restaurant scene is bringing them back, starting with Saturday brunch. It’s been part of Crush’s menu since the restaurant moved into its new building in 2018.
“It’s really popular during spring and summer,” says General Manager Seth Quinn. Locals love the covered streetside patio in warm weather, and recently the restaurant has also opened its rooftop patio for brunch-goers. Available between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. every Saturday, Crush sometimes seats as many as 100 tables for the meal.
Those numbers are growing. “I’ve definitely seen a heavier push the past few months,” he says.
At the heart of the upscale menu are three varieties of eggs Benedict, including a crab cake version with chipotle hollandaise sauce. The Brunch Board is another favorite. Think of it as a shareable breakfast charcuterie plate with waffles, pancakes, sausage, bacon, cheesy eggs and more. “I had that idea one night and we introduced it five months ago,” says Quinn. “It just took off.” Unlike other restaurants, Crush’s full dinner menu is also available during brunch hours. “You can order our filet if you want.”
Crush
627 S. Polk St.
806.418.2011
crushamarillo.com
“For me, it’s the comfort of breakfast food,” says Rosario Ortega about the focus of Golden Waffle Company, a brunch spot in southwest Amarillo she owns with Angela Corpening. “You get to sleep in a little bit, have a slower morning, and then enjoy breakfast food later.”
Golden Waffle is built around that idea, and the two friends launched it in 2019 after bemoaning the lack of “cool breakfast spots” in Amarillo. (For what it’s worth, this article offers proof that the city has come a long way in the past three years.)
The sweet and savory waffle dishes have attracted a solid customer base at the counter-serve restaurant, which is open Wednesday through Sunday, 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. On weekends, expect to find a line developing around mid-morning.
Everything on the menu is worth a try—including the non-waffly breakfast tacos—but customers are drawn to the waffle-based sandwiches and dessert-like dishes, including the Short Cake, which pairs a sweet waffle with strawberries, whipped cream and cookie crumbles. Our photo pairs it with a piña colada, which began as a weekly special until the high demand earned it a place on the drink menu. This summer’s drink special? Peaches and Cream.
Golden Waffle Company
6017 Hillside Road, Suite 250
806.367.8141
goldenwafflecompany.com
Weekend travelers who stay at The Barfield are almost always in the mood for Saturday or Sunday brunch at this boutique downtown hotel. But so are locals. “We definitely have regulars,” says Executive Chef Joseph Guzman. His Toscana Italian Steakhouse is the upscale restaurant on the hotel’s first floor, and it serves brunch every weekend until 2 p.m.
Guzman’s menu applies Italian flair to traditional brunch fare, like the Fried Chicken & Zeppoles, which combines hand-breaded chicken breasts with fresh Italian donuts in a twist on chicken and waffles. Likewise, the Barfield Smoked Salmon Benedict stacks salmon, a fried green tomato and avocado atop a toasted English muffin.
“People love it,” he says. “We’re just trying to create a menu that hits each area. If someone wants a good breakfast, we have a good breakfast selection. If people want lunch, we have a reasonably priced lunch selection, as well.”
He points out that Toscana is one of just a few downtown restaurants open for Sunday brunch. “That brings more traffic to us. It makes people want to go downtown and that’s what we want.”
Toscana Italian Steakhouse
600 S. Polk St. (The Barfield)
806.414.2200
toscanaamarillo.com
East of Canyon on Highway 217—still within sight of the WT campus—Creek House Honey Farm and Honey Buzz Winery offer one of the most unique brunch settings in the area.
“We work hard to make everything from scratch,” says Paige Nester, who owns the honey farm and winery with her husband, George. “We can make a lot of our menu gluten-free. We try to do a little of everything with a honey twist.”
That twist reflects the heart of this working honey farm and its spacious outdoor patio. As Paige speaks, a family decked out in full beekeeping suits embarks on a bee tour of the property, where they’ll learn about honeybees and their hives.
The brunch menu is simple: a brunch board stocked with fruit, cheese, Edes sausage, egg frittatas, blueberry muffins, cinnamon rolls, honey-glazed donut holes and waffles, served with local honey and chocolate honey for dipping. The winery’s mead—an alcoholic beverage made from fermenting honey—serves as the basis for four delicious fresh-fruit slushies. The honey-rimmed mimosas are also refreshing favorites.
The Nesters serve brunch every Saturday starting at 10 a.m. The lunch sandwich menu opens at 11.
Honey Buzz Winery
5005 Fourth Ave., Canyon
806.381.3446
honeybuzzwinery.com
“Brunch is madness up here. It’s bigger than all the other days,” says Rin Buchanan, who co-owns Yellow City Street Food with her husband, Scott. Both Buchanans estimate they’ve offered a Saturday brunch menu since the restaurant’s early days, back when they were operating out of a shack on 10th. “We’ve done it all nine years,” Scott says.
Like everything else, the brunch menu at YCSF rotates between a number of favorites, including chilaquiles, chicken and waffles, brunch gravy fries and more. YCSF is one of the most reliable vegan-friendly restaurants in the city, and the Buchanans always make sure to serve vegan options—like Rin’s new caramel apple hand pies, a melt-in-your-mouth puff pastry with a hint of miso. It’s practically a dessert. “Our desserts are always vegan,” Rin says.
The visually stunning avocado toast is also a hit. Listed on a brunch menu, the dish seems simple. “We had a lady [last] Saturday who said, ‘I can make that at home.’ Then she saw the table next to her get it. She asked to take a picture of their food,” Rin says, laughing. It’s topped with a slow-poached egg and a spiral-cut potato nest. “It’s got some crispy onion hidden in there and some cotija cheese,” Scott says.
YCSF also serves mimosas and beer-mosas for brunch, and is in the process of applying for a liquor license to serve other mixed drinks, like the Yellow City Sunrise, a concoction of mezcal, orange juice and citrusy curaçao. The brunch menu is available Saturdays from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. “or until sellout,” says Rin.
YCSF
2916 Wolflin Ave.
806.353.9273
yellowcitystreetfood.com
Breakfast All Day
If menu items like quiche or pain perdu seem a little too fussy—or if you find yourself at brunch ordering eggs and pancakes—then you’re not really a brunch person. You’re a breakfast person. In a recent national survey, 62 percent of adults identified breakfast as their favorite meal of the day. Those patrons would be right at home in the city’s treasured all-day breakfast establishments. These places aren’t always fancy. But they are incredibly popular.
At the top of the list is Ye Olde Pancake Station, which is acclaimed on both Yelp and Tripadvisor for the best breakfast in town. The sign outside echoes that sentiment, proclaiming it’s home to the “world’s best pancakes.” Plenty of locals—and a steady stream of tourists—likely agree.
Though relatively tucked away a block east of Paramount Boulevard, the Pancake Station is almost always busy between its 6 a.m. opening and 2 p.m. close. “We’re full probably 90 percent of the time, every single day of the week,” says owner Mike Fogiel, who bought the restaurant from the original family owners around 7 years ago. (He also owns Hoffbrau and The Lost Cajun restaurants.) “It still amazes me how many people come in. We have people from all over the world.”
That clientele includes regulars who eat there on a daily basis. In addition to weekly lunch specials, those locals frequent Pancake Station for the restaurant’s expansive and traditional breakfast menu, including omelets, eggs Benedict, and those fluffy pancakes.
“Everybody loves breakfast,” Fogiel says. “I’ll make eggs and sausage [myself] for dinner. It’s just something that works here. The public likes having the option.”
Find a new favorite breakfast spot:
Ye Olde Pancake Station
2800 Virginia Circle
806.355.0211
pancakestation.com
Calico County
2410 Paramount Blvd.
806.358.7664
calicocountyrestaurant.com
Youngblood’s Cafe
620 SW 16th Ave.
806.342.9411
youngbloodscafe.com
Yolo’s Food Truck & Restaurant
316 Sixth Ave.
806.337.0508
yolosfoodtruck.com
English Field House Restaurant
10609 American Drive
806.335.2996
englishfieldhouserestaurant.com
Ranch House Cafe
810 23rd St., Canyon
806.655.8785
theranchhousecafe.com
Mexican Breakfast
Amarillo loves its wealth of traditional Mexican and Tex-Mex restaurants. And Amarillo loves brunch and breakfast foods. What happens when you merge those two passions?
You get the hearty menus at places like La Fiesta Grande, which has been serving a weekend brunch longer than almost any other restaurant in the city—and which predates any recent trends. “We were one of the first places to have a brunch,” says Ashley Bara, one of the owners of this iconic family restaurant. La Fiesta introduced its weekend brunch—now available from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays—around 12 years ago.
“Our menudo is very popular,” she says. This spicy soup, which features tripe (stomach lining) and hominy, is as much a traditional Saturday-morning dish in Mexican-American culture as pancakes or eggs-and-bacon. “There’s an art behind it. Everybody measures it by their own family recipe.”
La Fiesta Grande also offers breakfast burritos, huevos rancheros, chilaquiles (fried tortilla chips in a guajillo sauce) and a Mexican breakfast plate, which combines eggs, beans and tortillas with a protein like barbacoa or carne guisada. The brunch drink menu includes mimosas and a bloody mary featuring the family’s special tomato juice blend.
But it’s another blend—the combination of traditional Mexican flavors and the love of a weekend-making breakfast—that keeps customers coming back. “It’s the best of both worlds,” Bara says.
Find a new favorite Mexican breakfast spot:
La Fiesta Grande
2200 S. Ross St.
806.374.3689
7415 SW 45th Ave.
806.352.1330
fiestagrande.com
Taqueria El Tapatio
3410 S. Coulter St.
806.331.6248
tapatiotx.com
La Campana Restaurant
2220 Canyon Drive
806.373.4486
facebook.com/La-Campana-Restaurant
Jacobo’s Cafe
3701 Olsen Blvd.
806.418.8850
jacoboscafe.com
Grandma’s Cocina
3609 SW 45th Ave.
806.398.9999
facebook.com/grandmascocina
La Frontera Mexican Food Restaurant
1401 S. Arthur St.
806.372.4593
facebook.com/La-Frontera-Mexican-Food-Restaurant
