Amarillo processes more beef than almost any other city in the United States, and the best way to engage with that fact is at one of the straightforward BBQ and steak places that serve the people who actually work in the industry. The area near the old stockyards on the south side of town has a handful of lunch counters and barbecue joints where brisket, ribs, and sausage come on butcher paper with white bread and pickles.
The city's independent restaurant scene has grown in the past decade, with the 6th Street corridor adding several places that go beyond the obvious beef-and-potatoes formula. For visitors who want a meal that feels genuinely local rather than tourist-oriented, exploring along 6th Street or in the historic downtown on Polk Street will turn up better options than the chain restaurants clustered around I-40.