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Texas BBQ Meets New York Style Deli. Come enjoy your BBQ favorites like brisket, pulled, pork, and ribs alongside NYC Classics like a Reuben sandwich, pastrami, and French dip. Finish the meal off with our famous banana pudding! Locally owned and under new ownership.
Hours
| Friday | 11 AM–8 PM |
| Saturday | 8 AM–8 PM |
| Sunday | 8 AM–8 PM |
| Monday | 11 AM–8 PM |
| Tuesday | 11 AM–8 PM |
| Wednesday | 11 AM–8 PM |
| Thursday | 11 AM–8 PM |
Address and Contact Information
Address: 161 E El Camino Real, Sunnyvale, CA 94087
Phone: (669) 249-7080
Website: https://empirearmadillo.com/
Menu Photos
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Empire Armadillo BBQ & Deli – Sunnyvale 161 East El Camino Real
Real Texas BBQ and New York Deli Sandwich style. Location. 161 East El Camino Real, Sunnyvale, CA 94087. Directions. Similar restaurants in your area. scroll …
Reviews
Kyle Chen
This place just doesn’t hit the same. The building as a whole is outdated, especially the bathroom. It does give that Texas feeling tho. I was in a big group, and was able to try everything. The meat is cold, and the portions are small. It is quite expensive. I did enjoy the pinto beans, the brisket, and the ribs. The service is good tho, I complained that one of my sides were cold, and they gave me another bowl, which was great. This place is just an average bbq place. Nothing special.
… moreSungjun Choi
Ordered delivery for ribs+brisket with high hopes. However both were cold and dry. Ribs were like beef jerky and I had to rip each bone off the rack and chew down the meat with great effort. Brisket was supppsed to be half&half but I couldn’t tell which was supposed to be the juicy portion. Coleslaw was bland, more or less just cabbage, and the tots were the best part because they were typical tots. I doubt a dine-in would present a much better experience that is worth the rating.
… moreRamona Turner
We stopped at this place after seeing the sign along El Camino Real advertising TX BBQ. We were running errands and had only had freshly made veggie juice when our bellies started growling. So we popped in here. Wow! The menu was so broad and read deliciously, we couldn’t decide what to get. Other customers came after us and were regulars. They said everything was good.
They were so right! We let the regulars go in front of us so we could thoroughly study the menu. We decided on the chicken and rib family meal, which came with 3 sides. We chose the white cheddar Mac n cheese, baked beans, and potato salad. We sprung for the dozen cornbread muffins and banana pudding too.
Let me tell you, my family is from the south (KY) and finding scrumptious southern cooking here in CA has been difficult… usually it’s too salty or greasy.. and sometimes no flavor at all.
Well… that was NOT the case here. This food was perfect!!!
#1. The staff was friendly, helpful, smiling and went above and beyond to help us… even offered to carry our purchase to our car.
#2. They offer free samples of the banana pudding!! So creamy and whipped and delish.. and perfectly sweet.
#3. The cornbread muffins were pillows, dense, and very filling.
#4. The meat was perfectly seasoned. I didn’t need the BBQ sauce they gave us on the side.
#5. The tater salad was scruptious
scrumptious
#6. The mac n cheese was topped with BACON!! Everything is better with bacon, right!!
#7. The beans…. i swear… the best baked beans.
The restaurant to itself was clean. The restrooms were clean.
Oh.. and they offer a senior discount for folks 65+. Mom is 76. That took $15 off the total for all we ordered!
Yeah… we’ll be back.
We will definitely be back.
… moreThey were so right! We let the regulars go in front of us so we could thoroughly study the menu. We decided on the chicken and rib family meal, which came with 3 sides. We chose the white cheddar Mac n cheese, baked beans, and potato salad. We sprung for the dozen cornbread muffins and banana pudding too.
Let me tell you, my family is from the south (KY) and finding scrumptious southern cooking here in CA has been difficult… usually it’s too salty or greasy.. and sometimes no flavor at all.
Well… that was NOT the case here. This food was perfect!!!
#1. The staff was friendly, helpful, smiling and went above and beyond to help us… even offered to carry our purchase to our car.
#2. They offer free samples of the banana pudding!! So creamy and whipped and delish.. and perfectly sweet.
#3. The cornbread muffins were pillows, dense, and very filling.
#4. The meat was perfectly seasoned. I didn’t need the BBQ sauce they gave us on the side.
#5. The tater salad was scruptious
scrumptious
#6. The mac n cheese was topped with BACON!! Everything is better with bacon, right!!
#7. The beans…. i swear… the best baked beans.
The restaurant to itself was clean. The restrooms were clean.
Oh.. and they offer a senior discount for folks 65+. Mom is 76. That took $15 off the total for all we ordered!
Yeah… we’ll be back.
We will definitely be back.
Justin Reichert
A good pastrami sandwich is hard to come by around these parts so I was skeptical to order this, but I am sure glad I did. I was told they are now brining their briskets in house and it shows. Best part is that this isn’t a random special. They plan to have this all the time. This definitely will compete with the great pastrami spots like katz’s/refuge/slab bbq (pastrami Monday RIP)
I opted for onion rings on the side which were great as well.
The service was also extremely friendly and welcoming.
Will definitely be back to try other items (and more pastrami)!
… moreI opted for onion rings on the side which were great as well.
The service was also extremely friendly and welcoming.
Will definitely be back to try other items (and more pastrami)!
Dan Kim
So to be blunt they might of had a bad batch of tri tip, it was overly chewy and just was a bit off.
Rest of the meats were fine, brisket was good.
The fries and hashbrowns are about what you’d expect as well.
All in all not bad besides the tri tip and pricing is pretty in line as well so would recommend.
… moreRest of the meats were fine, brisket was good.
The fries and hashbrowns are about what you’d expect as well.
All in all not bad besides the tri tip and pricing is pretty in line as well so would recommend.
Jflo
I had heard through the grapevine that the Armadillo Willy location in SV was returning since I grew up on Armadillo Willys in Los Altos, Sunnyvale, and Cupertino . I was super excited to see an open sign. My mom wanted to try it out, so we went to celebrate her birthday.
I had high hopes, but it quickly turned into food disappointment and anger.
My mom ordered the small brisket plate (19.99) and her side was a salad. It was more like a salad with a side of brisket. I took it back to the counter to ask how many ounces. They said 5 oz., but I call suspect. Weigh that stuff in front of customers and charge them by the pound like the legit Texas Bbq joints, if we are playing that game. I am paying for meat, not salad. My mom ordered half and half brisket -meaning some lean and some fatty). She did not get that either. Have your ppl learn the basics of BBQ and the difference between fatty and lean.
Then we get to my pastrami sandwich (18.99) because I wanted, to try the deli part. Horrible. Right away I could tell it was subpar store bought pastrami on subpar rye and subquality Swiss. It was greasy, overcooked, and gross tasting.Since my mom didn’t believe me ( about the store bought part), she had to go ask to verify. At least they admitted it was bought. With a 5 figure smoker ( at minimum), why wouldn’t you make your own scratch pastrami? You did state deli on the door. At least tell your guests it is store bought when they are ordering and give them an informed choice. Then there was my tater tots. Crunchy over cooked sad potatoes. I always like to try the BBQ sauces, and they had a dispenser. I dispensed some sharty looking liquid. No thank you! I tasted some BBQ sauce from my mom’s plate and it was nothing to write home about. I thought the owner bought Willy’s, at least that is what it said online. No Willy’s BBQ sauce either. Do y’all buy your bbq sauce too?
The owner was in the building and chose to stay behind the counter instead of talk to guests. If the owner doesn’t care enough to want to talk to guests about their experience I don’t care enough either to talk to the owner about their gross product. Let customers decide.
If I was a fan of an establishment and wanted to recreate and honor a place, this would not be the answer. I would be embarrassed. Let it be a fond memory instead of this sad disappointment.
You insult the produce and animals that sacrificed their souls to make it on a plate. Have some respect for the product. And have some respect for your guests. Do better, because if Armadillo Willys couldn’t make it, this place doesn’t deserve to.
Some advice, please take any mention of Armadillo Willy’s off of your website as to not confuse your guests what to expect.
Needless to say, I owe my mother another birthday lunch, because this was not the day to take her here.
If you want Armadillo Willys, invest in driving to San Mateo. Don’t invest your time, money, calories or fond memories on cosplay Armadillo BBQ and deli, because the NYC/ jewish deli part isn’t that good either.
… moreI had high hopes, but it quickly turned into food disappointment and anger.
My mom ordered the small brisket plate (19.99) and her side was a salad. It was more like a salad with a side of brisket. I took it back to the counter to ask how many ounces. They said 5 oz., but I call suspect. Weigh that stuff in front of customers and charge them by the pound like the legit Texas Bbq joints, if we are playing that game. I am paying for meat, not salad. My mom ordered half and half brisket -meaning some lean and some fatty). She did not get that either. Have your ppl learn the basics of BBQ and the difference between fatty and lean.
Then we get to my pastrami sandwich (18.99) because I wanted, to try the deli part. Horrible. Right away I could tell it was subpar store bought pastrami on subpar rye and subquality Swiss. It was greasy, overcooked, and gross tasting.Since my mom didn’t believe me ( about the store bought part), she had to go ask to verify. At least they admitted it was bought. With a 5 figure smoker ( at minimum), why wouldn’t you make your own scratch pastrami? You did state deli on the door. At least tell your guests it is store bought when they are ordering and give them an informed choice. Then there was my tater tots. Crunchy over cooked sad potatoes. I always like to try the BBQ sauces, and they had a dispenser. I dispensed some sharty looking liquid. No thank you! I tasted some BBQ sauce from my mom’s plate and it was nothing to write home about. I thought the owner bought Willy’s, at least that is what it said online. No Willy’s BBQ sauce either. Do y’all buy your bbq sauce too?
The owner was in the building and chose to stay behind the counter instead of talk to guests. If the owner doesn’t care enough to want to talk to guests about their experience I don’t care enough either to talk to the owner about their gross product. Let customers decide.
If I was a fan of an establishment and wanted to recreate and honor a place, this would not be the answer. I would be embarrassed. Let it be a fond memory instead of this sad disappointment.
You insult the produce and animals that sacrificed their souls to make it on a plate. Have some respect for the product. And have some respect for your guests. Do better, because if Armadillo Willys couldn’t make it, this place doesn’t deserve to.
Some advice, please take any mention of Armadillo Willy’s off of your website as to not confuse your guests what to expect.
Needless to say, I owe my mother another birthday lunch, because this was not the day to take her here.
If you want Armadillo Willys, invest in driving to San Mateo. Don’t invest your time, money, calories or fond memories on cosplay Armadillo BBQ and deli, because the NYC/ jewish deli part isn’t that good either.
Lucky Flower
The food was delicious, the service was also fast enev though it was pretty full for lunch. The brisket was juicy and flavorful without BBQ sauce and the ribs were tender. I can’t wait to try their NY deli options next.
… moreHow Can We Help
I used to eat at this BBQ place when it was Armadillo Willeys, and I can say that the food is 2 stars better. Atmosphere the same. Still have to pick up your food and self-serve drinks which is ok.
I tried the pick 3 meal with Baby Back & St Louis ribs and the mixed brisket. Both ribs were moist and fall off the bones. The baby backs had a little more smokey flavor. The BBQ sauce tasted the same as before. The brisket was delicious and tender. My sides were pinto beans with bits of brisket and was really good. My only complaint is that I got the corn salad and it was way too spicy for me to eat. My only suggestion would be to rename it to spicy corn salad. Or make it without the jalapenos (or use way less and remove the seeds) and keep the name the same. I’d prefer it not be spicy so I could order it again. I don’t mind a mild spice. I will be going back. Thank you!
… moreI tried the pick 3 meal with Baby Back & St Louis ribs and the mixed brisket. Both ribs were moist and fall off the bones. The baby backs had a little more smokey flavor. The BBQ sauce tasted the same as before. The brisket was delicious and tender. My sides were pinto beans with bits of brisket and was really good. My only complaint is that I got the corn salad and it was way too spicy for me to eat. My only suggestion would be to rename it to spicy corn salad. Or make it without the jalapenos (or use way less and remove the seeds) and keep the name the same. I’d prefer it not be spicy so I could order it again. I don’t mind a mild spice. I will be going back. Thank you!
Gary Tang
Came here for their soft opening. Got a rib and tri tip plate with cajun fries and Caesar salad. Ribs and tri tip were tender and portion sizes were solid. Cajun fries were fried just right and a good amount of seasoning. Bbq and jalapeño sauces were solid condiments for added flavor. Definitely will return for more, glad this location has reopened in my neighborhood
… moreGeorge Chang
Same as previous Armadillo Willis.
Menu, store setup, are the same.
But this store now owned by ex-hardware engineer.
… moreMenu, store setup, are the same.
But this store now owned by ex-hardware engineer.