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GoldenLight Cafe

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GoldenLight Cafe is a burger café in Amarillo, TX, on Sixth Avenue, the old Route 66 through town. Chester "Pop" Ray and his wife, Louise, founded it in 1946, and it has stayed at the same spot ever since. It bills itself as Amarillo's oldest restaurant. The menu leans on hamburgers and chili dishes, and a music room next door, the GoldenLight Cantina, hosts live bands.

What is GoldenLight Cafe?

The café fills a low brick storefront in Amarillo's San Jacinto area, inside the US Route 66–Sixth Street Historic District, which covers Sixth Avenue between Georgia and Forrest. The food is short-order fare: griddle-cooked hamburgers and chili in several forms, from green chile stew to chili cheese fries. Next door, the GoldenLight Cantina books live bands and has hosted Texas musicians such as Joe Ely.

History of GoldenLight Cafe

Sixth Street became part of US Route 66 in 1926. Twenty years later, in 1946, Pop Ray and Louise founded the GoldenLight on it. It has changed hands several times since. Marc Reed, its fourth owner, added the cantina. The stretch of Sixth Avenue around it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994 as a historic district.

Visiting GoldenLight Cafe: tips

The café is right on the old highway, so there is no detour. Pair a meal with a slow drive along the historic district's blocks of Sixth Avenue, and check the café's website for the cantina's show schedule if you want live music.

Updated · Written by Route 66 Trip Guide

Practical info

Address
2906 SW 6th Ave, Amarillo, TX 79106
Phone
+1 806-374-9237
Website
goldenlightcafe.com
Hours
Mon–Sat 11 am–10 pm · Sun 11:30 am–11:30 pm
On site & nearby

Sources: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) · Wikidata · official site — may be outdated. Suggest a fix

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GoldenLight Cafe with the 6 closest stops and another place to eat (fork and knife). Tap a marker for details.

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Stops near GoldenLight Cafe

All of Texas
Amarillo Natatorium (The Nat), Texas

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Historic buildingPhoto credit

0.1 mi from GoldenLight Cafe

Ranchotel in Amarillo, TX

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Amarillo, Texas · on Route 66

A 1940 motel on Amarillo's old Route 66, on the National Register but now boarded up and closed.

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0.2 mi from GoldenLight Cafe

U.S. Route 66-Sixth Street Historic District in Amarillo, TX

U.S. Route 66-Sixth Street Historic District

Amarillo, Texas · on Route 66

Amarillo's preserved stretch of Route 66 along Sixth Street, home of the old Amarillo Natatorium.

Route 66 sitePhoto credit

0.4 mi from GoldenLight Cafe

Amarillo Museum of Art, Texas

Amarillo Museum of Art

Amarillo, Texas · 1.3 mi from Route 66

A free art museum on the Amarillo College campus, a short drive from the Sixth Street stretch of Route 66.

MuseumPhoto credit

2.1 mi from GoldenLight Cafe

Don Harrington Discovery Center in Amarillo, TX

Don Harrington Discovery Center

Amarillo, Texas · 0.2 mi from Route 66

Amarillo's hands-on science center, with a full-dome planetarium and a helium monument by the door.

MuseumPhoto credit

2.6 mi from GoldenLight Cafe

American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame in Amarillo, TX

American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame

Amarillo, Texas · 1.7 mi from Route 66

The Quarter Horse breed's own hall of honor and museum, a short hop off the old road in Amarillo.

MuseumPhoto credit

3.7 mi from GoldenLight Cafe

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