A Bay Area Restaurant Concept that Focuses on the Texas BBQ Style
Armadillo Willy’s
By Ellen Walsh

Owner John Berwald with Executive Chef Andrew Waterhouse

Meet John Berwald, owner of Armadillo Willy’s.

“All our meats at Armadillo Willy’s are slow cooked — up to 18 hours — using only the heat and smoke of a real oak and hickory wood fire. No gas. No electricity. No hurry. We take our time to get it right.“

In fact, no kidding, the aroma of slow cooking meats wafting out of the 7 foot tall and very deep J&R Manufacturing Smoker Oven Pit was almost too much to take. We had to photograph every dish on the menu before we got to dive in and taste the fare.

That just makes John laugh. A relaxed, seasoned and successful restaurant owner, John began his career in the restaurant industry with a lot of trial and error. His first restaurant, started in 1977 in Silicon Valley, grasped for what would take hold with his local constituency. He experimented with locations, hours, menu items, you name it. When he discovered that down home, slow cooking, Texas Style barbecue was his sure fire winner every time, he then went on a search to outfit his restaurant with the best smoker equipment that money could buy.

ABOUT THE SMOKER 1300E 67"W x 120"D x 88"H Holds 1800 lbs For more details on this smoker manufactured by J&R Manufacturing

His trip to Texas and state wide tour of Texas BBQ joints eventually led him to the lobby of J&R Manufacturing Company, the manufacturer and designer of the most effective, well made smokers in the business. “70% of my business comes from this smoker,” says John Berwald. “ And as I went from one restaurant to 13 restaurants, I had to make sure I had the equipment that gave me consistent results every time.”

“I love this thing,” says John. “I load it with oak wood, put the meat in, and go away. It won’t go below 145 degrees ever, and it stays at 200 degrees, which is where I need it. I use all angus beef, and if I do say so myself, I make the best barbecue sauce in the business.” The winner of numerous awards throughout the Bay Area, John bastes the meats in the smoker with his winning formula barbecue sauce, only adding to the overwhelming appetite driven atmosphere that wafts through the air.

Executive Chef Andrew Waterhouse was on hand to prepare the restaurant’s favorite fare.