O.H.M.S. Cafe & Bar

Lovely, relaxed bar/ restaurant. Friendly staff team. The elk tenderloin was out of this world, honestly incredible, the risotto underneath was stupidly good and the veg was al dente to perfection, the perfect crunch. Couldn’t recommend more.

My wife and I were excited to try this place after one of my best friends from Amarillo suggested it. I am sorry to say that we were thoroughly disappointed. It has been two hours since we finished dinner, and I am still unable to remove the salt taste from my mouth. We ordered broccolini tempura as an appetizer, at the recommendation of our waiter. It was cooked perfectly, but the sauce just tasted like salt (and we are not afraid of salt generous in our cooking), but this was terrible and inedible. Then we waited 50 minutes for the entrée to come out. We ordered the pork chop and macaroni— the pork chop was like rubber and the macaroni had no taste. When the bill came, I politely mentioned my feedback with the waiter. He was apologetic and said he would get a manger. Several minutes later the pastry chef came over and told me “the manager was too busy and that 30 people had ordered the broccolini tonight without issue.” I’ve eaten at a lot a great restaurants all over the world and this is definitely not one of them. I’m mostly just confused how this place has such high ratings? If you appreciate good food and service, this is not your place.

We absolutely loved our dinner at OHMS. We were visiting Amarillo for a couple of days and staying at the Barfield downtown. I researched dinner spots and this place seemed to be the best choice. It was exactly the right choice. I called about two weeks ahead and was able to get reservations at the time we wanted.

We started with cocktails. They were both good but the bourbon old fashioned was better than the gin cocktail. And the old fashioned here was better than a similar drink at the Paramount Recreation Club next door, the Speakeasy in the basement of the Barfield that you gain entry by "buying" Paramount cigarettes from an antique machine (suddenly the door behind you opens and voila you're in). Back to the main story...

For appetizer we shared a special of the night, the crab cakes. They were perfectly seared and they were bursting with crabmeat. Spiced just right. And the accompanying sauce, we wanted to lick the plate clean. They were really good.

For the mains, one of us had Elk and the other had Chicken. The Elk, recommended medium rare, was oh so tender and moist. The local mushrooms that accompanied were worthy of their own dish. The risotto at the bottom was also good. Unfortunately the photo doesn't show a dish as delicious as it was. We were surprised a little that the Elk wasn't more gamey tasting. It's not a bad thing, just was a surprise.

The chicken was also outstanding. Crunchy and moist. The asparagus was firm but tender, and the mashed potatoes were excellent. I must say it could have used a little more gravy as all that gravy was gone a bit before the chicken was. But then i am a sauce guy.

No room for dessert. Would love to visit for dinner again!

We had a great experience eating there for the first time, for our anniversary. Food was excellent, really. Only one steak was a little overcooked. Nice, rich sauce with my surf 'n turf and the price was reasonable. Eclectic atmosphere, to some extent. Waiter was very nice. Will be back.

O.H.M.S. is an upscale yet unpretentious spot for American dishes and some ethnic-inspired fare. On our last visit we didn't make a reservation on a Friday night and were told it'd be a two-hour wait for walk-ins. However, we were told the bar offers the full menu and then found a seat immediately. Despite being a busy weekend night we had great service at the bar. I ordered the Beef Filet au Poivre and my partner got the Merluza Fillet. We split the Fried Egg Salad as an appetizer and finished with a Crème Brulee. The egg salad really stood out to me, and my steak was cooked perfectly. Our bartender Jake recommended a merlot that paired great with the beef. Great experience overall. O.H.M.S. is a great spot for date night, special occasions, or just because. I'd encourage reservations if you need a more intimate experience, but the bar was great for us.