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Armadillo Willy's Texas BBQ - Steakhouse in Sunnyvale, California

Armadillo Willy's Texas BBQ

4.2 (1181 reviews)

161 E El Camino Real, Sunnyvale, CA 94087

Barbecue restaurant
Caterer
Hamburger restaurant
Restaurant

About Armadillo Willy's Texas BBQ - steak house in Sunnyvale, California

Local Texas-inspired chain serving wood-fired BBQ plates & sandwiches, plus burgers & sides.

Customer Review Summary

Armadillo Willy's Texas BBQ offers a mix of experiences. First-time visitors were disappointed with the sweet tea options and found the chicken dry but appreciated the BBQ sauce and parmesan fries. Long-time customers praised the consistent quality of food and service, noting favorites like brisket, mac and cheese, and well-cooked burgers, but missed country music in the atmosphere. Many reviewers highlighted the good portion sizes and tasty sides, although a few found some meats, particularly brisket and ribs, to be dry. Burgers receive positive mentions for being juicy with crispy fries and onion rings. Some diners criticized the consistency of the brisket, describing it as dry and lacking flavor, while others found the cornbread size reduced for the price. Overall, the restaurant has loyal fans who appreciate the variety of BBQ options and good service, despite some complaints about dryness in certain dishes.

Key Features

Service options

  • Outdoor seating
  • Delivery
  • Onsite services
  • Takeout
  • Dine-in

Highlights

  • Fast service
  • Great beer selection
  • Sports

Popular for

  • Lunch
  • Dinner
  • Solo dining

Accessibility

  • Wheelchair accessible entrance
  • Wheelchair accessible parking lot
  • Wheelchair accessible restroom
  • Wheelchair accessible seating

Offerings

  • Alcohol
  • Beer
  • Comfort food
  • Quick bite
  • Small plates
  • Vegetarian options
  • Wine

Dining options

  • Lunch
  • Dinner
  • Catering
  • Dessert
  • Seating

Amenities

  • Restroom
  • Wi-Fi

Atmosphere

  • Casual

Crowd

  • Family-friendly
  • Groups
  • Tourists

Payments

  • Credit cards
  • Debit cards
  • NFC mobile payments

Children

  • Good for kids
  • High chairs
  • Kids' menu

Parking

  • Free parking lot
  • Free street parking

Pets

  • Dogs allowed outside

Customer Reviews

Rating Distribution

4.2 out of 5
5
621
4
339
3
143
2
41
1
37
Based on 1181 reviews

Matthew P

1 month ago

First time here drove from Fremont in the rain to try it out. Being an aficionado of sweet tea I was expecting some great Texas sweet tea but was presented with bottled tea or the soda fountain. 0 stars for that. Great BBQ sauce. The chicken was all thigh meat. It was tasty but dry. Get the BBQ sauce. No pickles. The parmesan fries were great !

Ian

4 months ago

Food has always been fantastic, and I’ve been coming here since I was a kid. Service is always kind and helpful and I don’t recall a negative experience in over 150 visits. Get the brisket. Even when lean, it is delicious! The mac and cheese bowl with meat is tasty too and same with 1/4 lb chicken, the burgers, the beans, and the BBQ sauce and honey mustard. Atmosphere is well themed but can never beat the Los Altos location (don’t worry, nothing can!) This is probably my favorite BBQ place with fantastic food and service! Please bring the country music though, please pretty please! This is not the atmosphere for modern pop!

Cris Vasconcelos

1 year ago

Great service, great food. Order a 3 meat plate with pulled pork, brisket and baby back ribs. The brisket and the pulled pork was an amazing and the ribs was ok. As a side, I ordered a mac & Cheese and potato salad and both were delicious. Highly recommend this spot.

Fiona Han

Good portion for things, we ordered one big plate and it's good for the two of us who usually both eats a lot. The brisket and baby ribs are a bit too dry, but the chicken was stellar and really good! Fries are also pretty nice although I find them to be a bit too savory.

George Chang

4 months ago

Good BBQ, I go fat brisket. It is healthy, trust me, I am an engineer.

Chelle T

1 year ago

My brother was craving a burger so we headed to Armadillo Willy's. They have a nice selection of BBQ ribs and meat but their burgers are done well and tasty. We chose garlic fries for $1 extra and a side of onion rings. We found an open table, picked up our sauces and drinks and waited for a text for pick up. The burger was pretty large so we split the meal. It was juicy and fries and onion rings were crispy. Service is nice, if you have leftovers, you can request a box at pick up counter. We tried sausage and pulled pork, it seemed pretty dry and overcooked. The corn bread is tasty but it seems those got smaller for the price.

Jake Bernstein

7 months ago

Good sweet potato fries. Really large eating area. Briskets plate will run you $25+.

Tina Luong

11 months ago

I got the 18 hour Texas brisket. I didn't expect to get my mind blown because this is a chain but I didn't expect really dried out brisket. They ask you if you want juicy, lean, or half and half. I got juicy. There was no juicy going on here. It was so dry, like it's been left in the oven for days or weeks. It also has a chemical aftertaste like liquid smoke. It really tastes like they make a quick 2 hour brisket last week, season with some liquid smoke, freeze it, then reheat it for the whole day for today. Just not worth the $20 for a small plate. Also it was a sad amount for a meal. I really only took in one bite like half a piece before I took a picture. Cornbread was okay, nothing special. Not worth the 5.95 or whatever the cost. The best thing I had here was the fries. Just plain fries. Because they were freshly made and not overcooked.

Location

Contact Information

Hours of Operation

Friday 11 AM–8:30 PM
Monday 11 AM–8 PM
Saturday 11 AM–8:30 PM
Sunday 11 AM–8 PM
Thursday 11 AM–8 PM
Tuesday 11 AM–8 PM
Wednesday 11 AM–8 PM

Price Range

$20–30