Amarillo Lost These Two Popular Restaurants But This Smaller Town Still Has Them

Amarillo, Texas is a growing city in the heart of I-40.  We have hundreds of restaurants surrounding us and that's a lot for a city of our size.  People have to eat and you can find a restaurant for just about anything you are craving.

Just about.

If you're craving Long John Silver's or Leal's keep craving because those two restaurants moved out of Amarillo long ago, but people still wish they were here.

Seriously, there is a cult of Long John Silver lovers in Amarillo.

Occasionally Victor Leal will pop up on social media and tease us with the dream of Leal's coming back.

Read More: Popular Mexican Restaurant Returning to Amarillo on Wheels |

Instead of the boy who cried wolf, he is becoming the restaurant owner who cried wolf.  A chicken little per se. But instead of "the sky is falling" it's "Leal's is coming back".  Seriously, Victor, we would love for you to bring Leal's back to Amarillo, and soon.  I hear the old location is still available.

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When Did Leal's and Long John Silver's Close in Amarillo?

Amarillo said goodbye to Long John Silver's in 2019 and Leal's in 2020.  It has seemed like an eternity since they left. Many of us are sad because they no longer are within a 10-minute drive from our homes.

I'm just wondering how Amarillo, with over 200,000 people, doesn't have the restaurants that everyone loves. Yet, there's a smaller city with under 40,000 people that has both of those restaurants. How does that happen?

What popular restaurants are in Clovis, NM?

Yes, both restaurants are still open and flourishing in Clovis, NM.

Now don't get me wrong, one can find Leal's in several cities including Plainview and the original in Muleshoe.  Yes, you can find Long John Silver's in Lubbock and other cities across Texas and the US.  But, how is it Clovis has both and Amarillo has none?  It baffles the mind.

Luckily, Clovis is about an hour and 45 minutes from Amarillo so you can take a foodie road trip to enjoy, the Fish and more (yes that includes a chicken plank) from Long John Silver's for lunch and the Bryant or Laura's Special from Leal's (don't forget the queso) for dinner.

To add insult to injury, I just found out Lubbock has a Leal's restaurant, Leal's Tamale Factory.

Read More: Here's How You Can Help Bring Long John Silver's Back to Amarillo |

What do you say, let's start a petition to bring both back to Amarillo.