If Texas BBQ had a shrine in Sunnyvale, Armadillo Willy's would be it. This place has been a staple for our work lunch hour, and while it's not exactly a health food joint, if you're going to clog your arteries, you might as well do it here. It's a sacrifice worth making. I've tried most of the burgers on the menu, and they're all really good. The mushroom Swiss made with turkey is my personal favorite. My friends usually go for the ribs, which they rave about. The fries are also delicious, no matter which variety you choose. Cajun fries, garlic parmesan fries, sweet potato fries. And let's not forget the onion rings--crispy, golden deep fried to cholesterol-raising perfection. The BBQ sauce - both mild and jalapeño - is also insanely good. The workers are always super friendly, making the whole experience even better. Pro tip: Budget an extra 20 minutes after lunch for a short walk to bring down your glucose levels (and to convince yourself you don't need a nap). read more

Picked up two too good to go bags here and was pleasantly surprised by how good the food was! I've seen mixed reviews of this restaurant and was hesitant on coming here, so when I saw the bags available on TGTG, I figured it was a good time to try, and they didn't disappoint! If their TGTG can be this delicious, their normal food must be even better. Would be happy to come back another time to try other things! Pulled pork wasn't dry and was smoky, chicken wasn't dry. Their BBQ sauce was a good mix of sweet and salty. Cole slaw, potato salad, beans, and corn muffin were delicious! No complaints at all. There's plenty of seating inside and the workers were very nice. read more

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The food and staff were delicious. The dining area was spacious and clean. Portion sizes were fair for the price. read more

Armadillo Willy's BBQ - American Near Me - Sunnyvale, California

For those who've lived in the South Bay (Santa Clara/Sunnyvale) you know how much of a staple this BBQ chain is. I stopped by this restaurant during a business trip to relive out my childhood. Nothing about this place has changed, in a good way! Let's break it down Service You order your food at the front, but can also have someone come to your table and order. Everyone is nice and welcoming, and will help you order if you feel overwhelmed by the amount of choices. Ambiance It looks and feels like your neighborhood bbq restaurant, with matching music chairs and tablecloths. They have light rock or country playing in the background and it's not too loud in there. I went during lunch time and there were guests sprinkled about the tables. Food The food was amazing! It was cooked to perfection, and you can choose from many bbq sauces available. I ended up getting the pork beef and chicken, with corn bread and potato salad. Their potato salad was to die for! The only thing that I guess I was shocked by was the price. My meal came out to around 6 dollars after tip, and I thought it would be closer to 30. All in all, I give this spot a 4/5 would recommend! read more

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We ordered the food to go. We ordered through Yelp. We are not very good at order in general via online. We ordered what sounded familiar to us. Bbq chicken, bbq ribs, macaroni. We ordered some other sides but we aren't sure what was what. The food was fresh, hot, juicy, savory. When the food was picked up, the staff were busy and the restaurant had people. They asked for the name of the order. And that was that. read more

first time to this location of armadillo willy's in Palo Alto. Food, obviously speaks for itself, the barbecue is always on point and the tater tots are always crispy. Service was good, their second plates are about the same as the serving portion and the ambience was like going to a rodeo. Love, coming here for the barbecue and would come again read more

Absolute hidden gem for bbq lovers BBQ beef brisket is lovely - solid smoke ring Corn salad is the best side; get if you love pico de gallo. my go to is the brisket sandwich. Favorite BBQ place in the Bay Area and severely underrated. There usually isn't a wait - spacious interior and cool commute as vibe inside Their Parmesan cheese garlic fries are always so crispy and fresh! read more

First timer ! I got the pulled pork sandwich and added macaroni and cheese! Absolutely loved it, it was quiet and calm. Love the music makes me think of living in the countryside. After our meal we played a game. The kids loved it. The service was great. Definitely will come back. read more

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Ordered catering ( shout out to Julie!)Christmas luncheon for work. Everything was excellent from ordering to delivery/setting up. Ordered Holiday menu and 4 meats with 3 sides. Food was great, a lot of compliments. Thank you, will definitely order again read more

I haven't been to this chain for probably 10 years! Menu has changed a bit but quality stayed the same. We got the 2 meat combo with baby back ribs and brisket, with a side of tri tip. The combo comes with 2 sides. Great value ... combo was $27 and the side of trip tip was only $6. Enough for 2 to share. Ribs were nice and easily off the bone. Brisket was a bit dry for me but my Boyfriend loved it. I loved the tri tip. The sides Caesar salad and Texas toast were delicious! Place is clean , but could use some updating. read more

Armadillo Willy's BBQ - Ribs and brisket combo with a side of tri tip . - American Near Me - Sunnyvale, California

The meat was delicious. I ordered the bowl, which comes with rice and beans as a base and choice of meat on top. It's a nice portion of food to not be over stuffed. The beans were good, but I was really disappointed in the rice... it was dry, clumpy, and was as if it had been sitting out for an extended period of time, or possibly whatever they were using to hold the rice had been open or uncovered for a while and they gave me the dried up top layer. Outside of that, the cashier was really nice and the place has a fun atmosphere. read more

Armadillo Willy's BBQ - Bowl - American Near Me - Sunnyvale, California

It does the job for your bbq craving but not that great. Order at the counter and wait for your order. Spacious restaurant with tvs. The regular baby back ribs 8 ribs with 2 sides were dry on the outside and too crisp. But the inside was juicy. The texas tots are just regular tater tots and the potato salad is ok. Nothing really stood out but it's worth a try. Different locations across the South Bay. read more

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We ordered Armadillo Willy's for catering and it was a hit. The favorites were: -the baby back ribs: good flavor, good smokiness! -brisket: we specifically asked for the moist, fatty pieces and they definitely delivered. The pieces were absolutely tender! -white cheddar mac and cheese: ooey, gooey thick cheesy sauce drenched all over macaroni noodles. I personally could not stop eating them. I only wished that some kind of cinnamon butter would accompany the cornbread muffins, which were a bit lackluster. Nonetheless, it was an overall a positive experience. It was a large order but every item was fulfilled successfully. Pick-up was a breeze and on time. Service was friendly. Everyone enjoyed the food, so I would definitely recommend Armadillo Willy's! read more

My family's favorite location. Food always great and the place is much more spacious with how the location is laid out. Friendly staff. They have the best ranch and the burgers are hands down one of the best. read more

This place is kind of hidden in plain site. Maybe it's just me, cuz I'm rarely ever in this area, and El Chameeno Ray-All is so full of different shoppes, how could you ever wind up here?! They got BBQ, brosephino. That's all that anyone ever really needs. Okay, maybe not anyone. And maybe not all your needs. But hot dang, it sure hits the spot when you're craving it, amirite?! Of Course, I am. BBQ and Brew. Maybe it iiiiiis all anyone needs! Vegetables are overrated, right? Beer is like Vegetable water, if you really think about it. So you should definitely drink more of it. I know I will :D read more

Armadillo Willy's BBQ - Do you love meat in your mouth?! Yes. You do. - American Near Me - Sunnyvale, California

We did the Build Your Own Plate option where we can select any of the three meats. I went with their bestsellers: Texas BBQ ribs, Baby Back Ribs, and Texas Brisket. We requested that the meat were a balanced between the lean and fatty cut. The plate also came with two sides. I chose the classic sides: Cornbread and Spicy Peanut Slaw. The order came out fast. And man was the food delicious! Everything was falling off the bone and has a nice smokey flavor to it. The BBQ sauce rounds out the flavor profile but didn't mask the meat. The cornbread came with cinnamon butter. The slaw was interesting. It wasn't really that spicy and peanuts added texture to the slaw but it wasn't mind blowing. The whole plate was enough for the two of us and we left completely stuffed! We came on a Friday night and it wasn't that crowded. Ambience was very causal and we got our food right away. read more

Armadillo Willy's BBQ - American Near Me - Sunnyvale, California

Food 10/10 Corn bread and butter is a must! Corn bread is not dry and the butter is very flaring. If you like cinnamon you will love it! Tri-tip is not dry at all. Meats are smoked, no gas used for cooking the meats . French fried are crispy . IF you order a salad, ask for dressing on the side. My Cesar was smothered is dressing. Still good though but if you're trying to watch your calorie intake (which you shouldn't if you come here because the food is deli) ask for it on the side. El Jefe sandwich 9/10 Not a big fan of Coleslaw, if you like coleslaw this might be a 10/10 for you. The have a soda fountain that included BUBLY sparkling water. Great draft beer options. Ambiance is pretty chill on a Monday afternoon. Country music playing in the background. We will definitely be coming back and inviting friends. read more

Serviceable if craving bbq. The brisket is tender but lacks any bark, flavor or smokiness. read more

Armadillo Willy's BBQ - American Near Me - Sunnyvale, California

When I paid 20 dollars I expected a good sandwich. something surprising. When I opened my box I was surprised on how tiny it was for 20 dollars. Wow I just spent this money for something so tiny. After I tasted it with the sauce I said damn that's why. It was sooo good it made sense for the price. I do not regret spending 20 dollars for such a small sandwich read more

Armadillo Willy's BBQ - Texas Prime Brisket A la Carte - Sandwich - American Near Me - Sunnyvale, California

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The service was incredibly rude. I was first in line and simply taking a moment to ask my children what they wanted for about 30 seconds when the server skipped me and took the order of the person behind me. After serving that customer, the server then told me to rejoin the line (about 10 person). I had been patiently waiting for them to finish taking the other person's order, but they insisted I get back in line. read more

Armadillo Willy's BBQ is located in Sunnyvale. While driving on El Camino Real, I've passed by this place many a time. I finally decided to stop and try it out. The place was spacious. The staff were friendly and her as I ordered the Brisket plate. My wait was short, and I soon got my food. The Brisket was delicious, as were the Tots and Potato Salad. I will be back to try out more of their menu. read more

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Yesterday's ribs. Asked for new ones and not much better. Over priced for the taste. Brisket rated a 5 read more

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Been here a bunch of times and have gotten there bakers when offered. Seems that they haven't offered these in awhile. Have had Texas ribs here in the past and thought I could get these as a small plate. Was told it was $24! This is only $2 less than the regular plate! Settling for brisket small plate which was a lot more reasonable. Brisket was good as was the fries. The cost of the ribs is unreasonable. read more

Armadillo Willy's BBQ - Brisket Small Plate - American Near Me - Sunnyvale, California

I've visited twice, because I was picking up my Too Good To Go purchase which are nice! Love the corn bread, sandwiches and sides are also tasty! Service is quick. Will have to come back and try some of their specials. read more

Ordered food via a Discount app. Arrived at the restaurant, and was told that there was no food for us. Said that they would not make food for us. And told we would be refunded, although I already paid, and they made no effort whatsoever to take a credit card, or any information from me to refund. Contact with the app service and no response from them. So essentially armadillo willies has stolen my money for at least a few days until I can get a hold of the right person to refund me. Not to mention that my son was hungry not to mention that we drove across town and not to mention that the guy was just plain rude . Update; They called me back from the store, and asked me to come back in. We had already gotten home so they told me I could come in another day. We did get the refund and they offered me a free lunch to make it up. The food is always good here . Hopefully it was just a bad day. read more

Armadillo Willy's BBQ - American Near Me - Sunnyvale, California

Been here several times before but have never written a review on this place. This time we came here to ordered the Build your own plate where you get to choose three different types of meat (can't duplicate the meat) & you get two sides. Since it was a weekday (M-T), they have the deal "Bring-A-Friend" where the friend's meal is half price. Our order was ready within five minutes after paying for it. The platter didn't look like there was much meat. Upon checking the contents, we realized that they only gave two of the three meats that we ordered. This happened on both of our orders. Before we dug into the food, we bought it back to the counter & asked them "where was the baby back rib meat"? The worker took a look at the order form & realized he did forget that meat. He plopped the meat down on our platters & did not even apologize for the mistake. The brisket meat itself (supposed to be half & half i.e. partial fatty) was in pieces, like they gave us scraps of meat & the fat portion was just a big blob of fat sitting on top of the leaner meat. The Texas rib meat was dry and hard & we had to douse it w/ sauce which makes it super salty. Overall, disappointed with the quality of the meat. Will think twice before coming back here again even though they have the deal where the friends gets half off of their meal. Unfortunately, ever since the pandemic, many restaurants have increased their prices substantially and the quality of & the customer service have gone down due to high cost of labor and shortage of good qualified & dedicated workers. No thanks to the CA law passed to increase the minimum wages. read more

Can I add another 5 star rating for this one? This is by far the best BBQ I have tried on the west coast. We have spent our honeymoon touring California and on our last stop I took my wife to Armadillo Willie's as I haven't stopped comparing every BBQ in Europe to this place. A few years have passed but it was just as good as the first time I tried it. You need to try the trinity tray, the meat is amazing. These smokers are top notch. Keep up the great work guys. This should be a bucket list item for any BBQ enthusiasts in Cali. read more

Armadillo Willy's BBQ - Trinity Tray, just wow - American Near Me - Sunnyvale, California

The brisket and ribs were delicious! I was really not a fan of their barbecue sauce. It tasted like straight tomato paste to me. Otherwise, the food was good! Just BYOBBQ sauce! read more

That brisket is SO GOOD! I got 50/50 lean and fatty. I definitely prefer the fatty brisket. Tender, juicy, and a little sweet. It literally falls apart from being so tender. The lean pieces are more on the dry side, but still pretty juicy. The brisket has a thick char, so you can definitely taste the smoke. The menu claims that it's smoked for 18 HOURS. For about $30, the Texas BBQ Plate was enough to feed two people. Not bad. For sides, I recommend the potato salad! Creamy and simple. The green salad... I wasn't a huge fan of. The lettuce was limp and soggy, not crunchy at all. read more

Armadillo Willy's BBQ - 18 Hr Texas Prime Brisket Plate with Potato Salad & Green Salad - American Near Me - Sunnyvale, California

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Grease city. Ordered mushroom Swiss burgers. Drenched in grease. Couldn't even pick it up. It would fall apart. Gross. Tried to sop up some of the excess. Lost my appetite. Asked for a new burger but it had maybe 2 mushrooms. Lettuce was old and gross. Barbeque sauce has changed. Used to be good. Now just tomatoey and yuck. Not spending our hard earned money for this anymore. Go home and make it yourself. Note that manager was off today. Chef or cook, whatever, was busy on their phone. They don't care anymore. Save your money. read more

Used to come here as a kid, I'm 26 now. Not sure if I just grew up or if the quality went down. I've come here twice in the past year and was disappointed both times. The flavor of the ribs is decent but missing something. They're also dry but somehow dripping in grease. It's hard to find decent bbq in the bay but it's just overpriced for what you get. I've made better bbq at home....in an oven. read more

Sadly it's not the same Armadillo Willeys that John Carroll opened with John B! They used to be the best BBQ, but not anymore! Overpriced and the quality has gone down now I remember why I haven't been here in a couple years! Sadly, they changed the french fry recipe where they used to soak them in water overnight and they were freshly cut and delicious and they change the cornbread recipe and I'm sure many other things. My brisket had a good taste, but one piece was all black seasoning. The chicken on my sons kids meal Was hard as a rock so they must have needed to get rid of it. And they used to have kids ribs and they've taken that out too. So sad at least there's other barbecue spots out there, but this used to be one of my favorites. read more

Armadillo Willy's BBQ - $19 dollars worth of food - American Near Me - Sunnyvale, California

Had the baby back ribs...they were extremely dry like they had been over cooked. If I wanted over cooked food, I'd rather stay home and do it myself. read more

Ordered a mix brisket and it was pretty good. The lean part of the brisket was a bit dry... this is the difference between good and great. I upgraded to onion rings for an extra $1 and it was good but the onion part fell out, meaning that it steamed within the batter. This was part of the small plate combo for 15.99 (+1 and tax so it came out to $18+). It was ok. For the sake of something new, this was not awful but I'm probably not coming back as I can get something better for nearly $20. If I did come back, I'd try something else with better value/quality. I did not find the staff to be that welcoming at the entrance/ordering as well. Why am I saying this for a quickie lunch place? It's the difference between me coming back or not so If the managers ever read this, I hope the find it useful. read more

We celebrated Father's Day with ribs n chicken, muffins and Mac n cheese and yummy brownies. I realized the ribs I prefer are the baby back ribs. Finger licking good. read more

We haven't been to Armadillo Willy's BBQ in many years, not since the kids were young, so we thought to try it tonight. It was very quiet inside, which was great; we did not need to sit near anyone. I had the bowl of Mac N Cheese. It did not come with sides, but I'm all about the sides, so I ordered the spicy coleslaw & beans. Husband got the chicken meal with cornbread and potato salad; he liked everything. My meal was okay. The mac n cheese tasted fine, but the chicken that came with it was hard, dry, and overcooked. The coleslaw was edible, and not spicy (a plus for me) but overly soft. And the beans tasted fine, but had an excess of water. read more

Armadillo Willy's BBQ - Mac N Cheese bowl, extra sides of coleslaw & beans - American Near Me - Sunnyvale, California

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The Catalina pulled pork salad was amazingly delicious. Great salad fixings with generous amounts of Catalina pulled pork on top with a scrumptious honey mustard dressing on the side. The salad was enough for two to share. read more

Armadillo Willy's restaurant in Sunnyvale was a huge disappointment today and a few weeks ago. Today I ordered the Texas ribs that were over-cooked and way too dry -- not tender at all. A few weeks ago I ordered the tri-tip that also was overcooked too dry. What a disappointment and a waste of money! Armadillo Willy's used to be much better than this. I don't know what happened, but the Sunnyvale restaurant has gone way downhill. And I noticed out of the very large restaurant there were only about five people dining for lunch at noon time when I was there. It used to have many more customers. The Texas rib meal and the tr-tip meal both cost about $30 plus tip plus drink. That's awfully expensive for a lousy food. I wonder if the local owner and the regional manager care enough to correct this problem. I wonder if they have even noticed. I did notice that several recent Yelp reviewers were not impressed since 5 of the last 7 reviews were either 3* or 2* read more

The brisket by the pound was great, juicy and well seasoned with a good bark, and good value. They let you choose fatty vs lean whoch is always nice. The baby back ribs are disgusting, so overcooked and dry its like eating jerky. The sides and sauces are okay, not great. read more

I rarely come here b/c I'm allergic to pork. However, when I do, like today; we have an delightful time. The food and service is great! The staff is great. - I always order the full plate BBQ Boneless Chicken with Mac&Cheese and Potato Salad. - I never have a bad time with this. On a side note, they have a soda machine an option to add flavor shots to anything you want. - Your imagination is the limit. Mountain Dew with Vanilla? Sure, why not! read more

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