New in Amarillo: Extended dinner hours, international cuisine and fall drinks

AMARILLO, Texas (KFDA) - Three business owners are bringing new drinks and dishes to the Amarillo community.

Girasol Cafe and Bakery off of Coulter St. is usually a breakfast joint, but the cafe has recently expanded their hours on Thursday, Friday and Saturday for dinner.

The cafe’s weekend dinner menu is incredibly unique, featuring dishes such as shrimp and cheddar grits and lobster avocado enchiladas.

“Mojo marinated lobster enchiladas [are] going to be lobster that’s been marinated for a little bit and it’s covered in avocado crema sauce and fresh fruity pico. It also comes with rice and elote,” explained Casey Heath, director of catering and special events.

Girasol will also be handing out a complimentary cocktail to encourage customers to try their new dinner menu.

Their blueberry bomb creation will be available on tap and you can enjoy it on their outdoor patio.

“We’re normally like a breakfast, mid lunch, day type of cafe, so being open for dinner is kind of a newer thing for our guests,” said Heath. “We’re pretty set up for success, so it’s just about using our ingredients differently and opening our doors."

This cafe isn’t the only restaurant experimenting with their ingredients.

Five Senses Coffee House has just released their new fall menu, making it the perfect spot for pumpkin spice and apple cider fanatics.

Each drink is specially created by one of the shop’s many baristas, all of whom experiment with homemade syrups and coffee combinations so everything you are getting at Five Senses is original.

“Our baristas are pretty creative [and] they have a knack for making drinks,” said Chris Wheeler, owner of Five Senses Coffee House. “The baristas that we have here currently, that’s what they love, that’s their passion, they love to come up with new drinks and experiment.”

The coffee house will have two returning menu items this year, the harvest moon and the sweater weather.

New drinks feature a pumpkin cheesecake latte, spiced cider and a honey bun latte.

“Our pumpkin cheesecake latte is our new fall menu creation this year," said Wheeler. “It has a pumpkin pie sauce, a house made cheesecake syrup, which [our barista] Aaron actually developed themselves. It has spiced breve which has ginger, clove, nut mug and then it’s topped with whipped cream and cinnamon.”

If you’re looking for some jalapeno spice instead of pumpkin spice, head over the Flamingo’s Latin Bar and Grill, a brand new restaurant on Amarillo Blvd.

They offer dishes inspired by all different Latin countries, from Peru to Brazil, and many more.

Owners are hoping the restaurant will not only unite the Latin community, but bring others into their culinary culture as well.

“We have a lot of Mexican restaurants, however, I’m half Guatemalan and we felt there’s no representation of Guatemalans,” said the restaurant’s owner Eric Perez. “And then we started thinking, there’s none for Puerto Ricans and Cubans and Dominicans... and so that was really the beginning of this whole project. There’s so much these days that separate us and were very much opposed to that. We want everyone to feel that they can come in and feel welcome.”

The restaurant hopes to soon host events and fundraisers that highlight one specific country’s cuisine, and then donate that money to Amarillo children who need help paying for school.

“In the menu we are trying to educate people and trying to let them experience other stuff," explained Perez. "So we have Mofongo which is Puerto Rican... Tostonas, Pupusas, which are from El Salvador... Arepas from Columbia...”

If you need a coffee on your way to work, or just don’t feel like making dinner, consider supporting some of these Amarillo entrepreneurs.

New in Amarillo will air every week and feature new restaurants, businesses and more.

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