Armadillo Willy’s BBQ

This place is ABOVE 5 stars. I have not been to Armadillo Willy’s in a long, long time. The last one I went to was in San Jose, but I had never tried this one, well, I am SO GLAD I did. In fact I came here twice in a week, and I never do that… but the first time a few days ago was so awesome I had to come back again!
I tried the BBQ chicken and the Baby Back ribs, the ribs have a smokiness to them that is insanely good, and addicting. When you add the tastiness of their 3 BBQ sauces your taste buds are clapping wildly in a standing ovation, wanting more! I am just delighted with this place. Seriously, the full rack of ribs is pricey but WORTH it. The mild sauce is sweet, the chipotle sauce has a yummy buttery-​ness to it, and the jalapeño sauce is wonderfully vinegary, all 3 sauces are perfect.
I tried the potato salad which was lovely, and the beans which are like a delicious mild chili, I also tried the corn bread muffin which has a honey cinnamon butter to spread that I could not get over how good it was.
This is going to be my very favorite new place to have excellent BBQ! Wow, keep up the great work Armadillo Willy’s, I will come back and tell all my friends to come here too!!!

The food was really good. The waiters were so friendly. Why I’m giving them 4 stars because they didn’t allow tips to their waiters. I couldn’t tip with my credit card and i was told they dont allow tips. I felt so bad because waiters depend on tips. I had to tip them in cash. Other than that food is good

Ordered a tri tip sandwich. It was delicious. Meat was cooked perfectly. It came with a side of salsa which is the OG way to serve it. I’d come back all the time if I lived closer. They also have a cool selection of sodas.
Knocking off 1 star because my side of fries were waaaay too salty.

I haven’t been at this place in a long time so a week ago I stopped for a burger and I had a fantastic bacon cheeseburger. It was meaty, well cooked and I really enjoyed it. Some of the drink choices do not contain HFCS which is great so I usually dive into those (they are fresh and fruity). The barbecue sauce they have at this place is amazing (it’s even warm). The Warriors were playing so I watched them while I was eating which was nice.

I like the food here, but I got sticker shock this time when the BBQ plate I ordered was $ 25. I was told they give you more food now. I hope so. You can easily feed two people at other places for the same price. I’ll think twice before coming back now, mainly because I can’t afford this place anymore. So sad watching the value of money get less and less. More food my —. That was a lie.

The whole reason you come here is to get ribs. I know they try to spin it like its some sort of good thing that they run out of ribs but it’s not. I for one are quite sick of it. I just assume to stay home and cook my own ribs instead of going out only to be disappointed every time I go out. This is the third time I have been disappointed and am done being disappointed. If I wanted burgers I would go to a burger place if I wanted tri tip I would go to a steak house. They think your stupid with no options. And I for one am sick of it.
Well John B. As a customer I do take offense to being talked down to aka rant. When you don’t have product when a customer comes in then there’s no reason for that customer to come in maybe you should think about doing something about it instead of just saying well too bad. You do have a very eloquent way of saying well that’s too bad for you but in essence you’re still saying well that’s too bad for you you’re out of luck. If I ever decide to come back and you just don’t have ribs that day then you probably will never see me again. I guess it’s time to go to the 10 or so different social networks that I belong to and share this bit of information with all of my friends and yes I have over 1000 followers on each one of those social networks thanks for a whole Lotta nothing.

The brisket sammys here are bomb here and I’m not a coleslaw fan but this one is yummy all there sauces are great especially the spicy ones and there beer selection is on point best IPAs in town next time I go it’s all about the ribs enjoy the next time you in town.

Great selection of food choices here. I almost got a salad and saw the advertisement for the Reuben sandwich which looked awesome! My dad had also gotten a corn salad which looked great as well. A+++

REALLY DISAPPOINTED. A few fridays ago we ordered 2 plates, tri-​tip and baby backed ribs.
each with two sides. First, get home and find that one side is missing. The BB Ribs were almost inedible — NO meat at all, and tasted NOT GOOD. Not to say they were tasteless, but they didn’t taste like they have before. Tri tip was gristly, and almost tasteless, except for the BBQ sauce! Neither of us could finish our plates! WHAT’S HAPPENED? chef quit, cutting costs & therefore cutting quality by choosing cheaper vendors? What a shame, we used to love to get «to go orders» from this restaurant. Not any more!

Make sure to dine in on Saturday’s 11−4pm for half off burgers! I get the salmon burger which is a delicious concoction with the right amount of protein, fats, and carbs to fuel my day (No breakfast yet).
It’s worth a try :)

The food here is always awesome!!! We came here for SF beer week and ballast point brewery was hosting the event! So as you can imagine the place was packed– in fact it was so packed I had to circle a 100 times around the parking lot! Not exhadurating ! It was cray! But as soon as we got in we waited in line and the people who took our orders were great! We waited and the got to try some ballast beat brewery beer! My favorite was the coconut stout!!! It was amazing and it worked well with my pulle sport which by the way was super tasty!!! They had a special for Wednesday which was Texas taco Wednesday and you can mix and match Baja fish tacos with pulled pork and or any other meat! For $ 7.95 !!! That’s a deal!!! In really enjoy armadillo Willis BBQ it always taste good but the location and parking around this place sucks!!! They don’t get enough people because they end up giving up on the parking lot. It’s right next to chef Chui which is another crowded place so if your ok waiting an hour in the parking lot then this is a must try

I would rate this place 10 stars if I could!
I first tasted this fare yesterday at a gig that had it catered! I had to come to the actual store today to see if it was a fluke?
Spare ribs = awesome! Meaty, tender and very little fat! Smoked to perfection!
I also tried the baby backs, but I think their spare ribs are better!
Brisket = amazing! Smoked to perfection! They ask if you like fatish or lean? I opted for lean! This stuff melts in your mouth!
They offer three types of sauce, but their meat needs none of them, although these tasted great too! They have a sweet, a vinegar and an ‘in between’. I liked the sweet the best!
BBQ beans = incredible! Loaded with chunks of meat and great flavor!
Potato Salad = good stuff!
Iced Tea= great! Had a hint of an herb but didn’t detract from it being iced tea! Pleasant surprise!
Wet nap is thick like a small towel and gets your hands and face clean! Not like some places!
Price is what you expect for this level of BBQ skill!
If you’re a true BBQ aficionado, then you’ll enjoy eating here daily! :)
I only wish one of these was near me!

Holy moly! Why haven’t I eaten here before! The jalapeño bbq sauce is amazing. The chicken was delicious! I’m not big into bbq, but will be now!

This. Place. Is. Great.
The west coast definitely isn’t known for good barbecue but you will absolutely not be disappointed at Armadillo Willy’s. The meat is juicy, the sauce is tasty and the sides are perfect every time. I normally either go with the Salt & Pepper Turkey plate or the Texas Trinity BBQ plate. Both are awesome. The turkey comes in nice thick cuts and is never too dry. With the Trinity, the ribs fall right off, the brisket is nice and tender and the cowboy sausage is spiced just right. You won’t go wrong with any of the sides either. The peanut slaw, baked beans, salads, onion rings and the rest are all great. I’ll eat here frequently as long as I’m living in the area.

My family and I would frequent Armadillo Willy’s when I was a kid but I hadn’t been back in years. Glad that it was as good as I remember! Nothing fancy about this place but they have all the classics — baby back ribs, cornbread, buttery sandwiches, and delicious fries. I haven’t found a better BBQ spot in Northern California. It’s also self seating and overall a fast dinner, considering how much good you end up getting!
I got the BBQ chicken sandwich which was totally reasonably priced at ~$ 8. Slather on some BBQ sauce and it’ll satisfy your craving for yummy southern food!

Brisket was delicious; sauce was yummy. Caesar salad was boring: lettuce was room temperature & dressing tasted bottled. Sweet potato fries were OK, not thick enough to be tasty. Service was nonexistent. Physical surroundings not charming. Music was happy.
I won’t go back to eat inside, but I might order take-​out & make my own Caesar.

Good spot for some decent, inexpensive BBQ. I like the brisket platter, and every side I’ve tried with it. Texas toast is always good, and I like the cornbread croutons in the caesar salad. BBQ baked beans and spicy slaw are good too. They do dinner service at the bar, which is nice, and the Smith & Forge cider is pretty good.

Fast, friendly, and delicious. Lives up to its name as «Texas Inspired» bbq.
In our second visit that impressed us, we split the large brisket plate and a bowl of soup. Chicken tortilla soup was hearty and homemade, with big pieces of pulled bbq chicken (not just cubes of meat). Brisket was tender with a flavorful crust from cooking. Both side dishes were surprisingly tasty: corn salad in a vinegar dressing and cole slaw with peanuts.
Order at the counter or bar, and the food was ready within 5 – 10 min. I look forward to returning.

Decent BBQ … Huge portion. We got belly buster and it was totally a belly buster lol
Some of the items were either hit or miss … The baby ribs and brisket were great… Chicken was OK and sausage was nice ;)
Great deal (bargain) for BBQ in Palo alto

Updating my review.
This is the best BBQ in the Palo Alto area.
Moreover, it is Texas-​inspired. Texas-​inspired BBQ people who take their BBQ seriously generally make good food. And this definitely fits the bill.
Why get a deli sandwich when you get a fresh smoked meat sandwich? Those are the types of thrills this place delivers on. It gets you your BBQ nearby and with decent hours.
The parking could be better, it could have some more sauces maybe, the meat could be more consistent, it could have more offerings in the ‘middling amount of food’ price range, it could have better priced craft beers, it could show the NBA on better screens, but overall it’s good. It has parking, has good sauces, has good sandwich prices, has texas platters, has craft beers, shows the NBA, and puts care into smoking its meats.
The meats might be better in the best places in Austin, but they are pretty good here. I especially like the brisket and tri-​tip.
Come get some BBQ. A sandwich is a good entry point.
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The owner reached out and was going to show me around. He didn’t end up doing that, but I’m still coming to this place :). You probably will come back too!