On my Road Trip to WrestleMania 39 this past March, I did a lot of research for unique and popular places to stay. I planned an overnight in an RV, another night in a WigWam Motel, and another night at a historic Route 66 motel. I also learned that a trip to The Big Texan Steak Ranch on Route 66 in Amarillo, Texas was a must.
Now I promised myself that I would be completely honest with my reviews of the places I stayed, both good and bad. First off, this place is fun. The photo ops are plenty (check me out in the pic) and the motel rooms are cute. You can see by the photos (that’s me in the one above) that the lodging is colorful on the outside and has a complete Western-style motif inside (I’ll post the video on my Instagram so you can see the inside). I paid about $95 for the room, which wasn’t bad because I was aiming for $100 or less per night (my aim was way off, but I like when a few of them hit the budget).
It was awesome that we got to sign the back of our room door. We left our mark and read about all of the other people from all over the world who have stayed here. If you want to stay in the motel you can choose from one or two queen beds. You can also choose to stay at the Big Texan RV Ranch, in one of the cabins they have, or in a Conestoga wagon.
But one of the biggest reasons why people visit The Big Texan Steakhouse Ranch is, of course, the restaurant. I was looking forward to a steak — I love steak. I had been eating pretty cheaply on the road and this was supposed to be a treat. Plus, the Steakhouse has a very well-known contest. If you can eat a 72-ounce steak, plus sides, a salad, and a drink in an hour, the meal is free. When we were there, it was exciting to see two contestants. One succeeded and one failed. They stream the contest on their YouTube channel. The excitement builds as the crowd in the dining room starts to cheer on the contestants. I can’t imagine eating a steak that size! Not that I wouldn’t want to because I really do love steak, but add in the sides and the salad, etc., and I have no idea where they put it! So the steak is bigger than the plate and, in comparison, I can only eat a six-ounce steak.
I ordered the sirloin tips and Ej ordered a steak. Ej loves his steak really well done. It took them THREE times to get the steak right. In the meantime, my food was served and the sirloin tips really did leave something to be desired. The plate was more a steak tip mush on top of mashed potatoes. I’ve had sirloin tips before and these tips just weren’t very distinguishable and were chewy. The mashed potatoes were good, but the broccoli was obviously frozen broccoli cuts and the mac and cheese was just okay.
When they finally got Ej’s steak right, it was quite tasty and I regret not ordering a steak versus the tips. I didn’t really eat much of my meal. Maybe I should’ve tried the 72-ounce steak challenge! LOL
They have a bakery and a pub too, but we had enough to eat and went to the souvenir shop instead. I bought postcards and a magnet etc.
The room was fine and clean and good enough for a night’s sleep. The next morning we took our selfies and were on our way. Now I can say I’ve been there and isn’t what the Road Trip was all about? It wasn’t my favorite place but it was okay. Just don’t order the sirloin tips.
For more information on The Big Texan Steakhouse, visit https://www.bigtexan.com.
