Empire Armadillo BBQ & Deli

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 The building as a whole is outdated, especially the bathroom.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.

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.

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 diffi

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)!

I have always loved the food from here. My all lifetime favorite is mushroom Swiss burger. They also have sweet potatoe fries. The burger is juicy and you are satisfied with one, but if you have room for a cornbread muffin or brownie go for it!! Thank you for remaining here. You need to come for your burger or bbq ribs !!