Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    Old Armory BBQ

    3.6 (92 reviews)
    ModerateBarbeque, American
    Open 11:00 am - 8:00 pm

    Old Armory BBQ Photos

    Business Info

    OLD ARMORY BBQ ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Outdoor seating
    Good for kids

    More like Old Armory BBQ

    Recommended Reviews - Old Armory BBQ

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    a man sitting at a table with a plate of food
    Marky N.

    Far better than the first time we tried it. We avoided it for two years. The difference now I believe is that the owner was there this time, so everything was delicious, generous and worked smoothly! The new place is more comfortable than the he old place! If you didn't like it before, give them another chance. I'm glad I did! Here's my smoked cheese steak.

    Smoked Chicken Sandwich Potato Wedges Mac - n - Cheese
    Johanna B.

    LOVE Old Armory. I have been going to Old Armory for years and the would never disappoints. When you come in, you go straight to the register to order your food and pay. I really enjoy this way of eating. I typically will sit in the big booths over by the window so I can people watxh. If you don't know what to order, I recommend any of the pulled chicken or pork sandwiches. I also recommend the mac and cheese. It is some of the best mac and cheese I have ever had. I am so glad Old Armory has stuck around all these years. They really have some amazing food.

    Jadyn T.

    The Luther Basketball team loves Old Armory. Always friendly and the best BBQ place in town. Owner is always suggesting new sources and thing to try. One of the best food spots in tow

    Menu 1
    Michael M.

    Having spent my formative years in Kansas City and many moons in Texas on numerous business trips I know BBQ. I know good BBQ. And while I consider myself a native of Kansas City, I prefer Texas style BBQ even over my beloved KC. The ironic thing is the best BBQ brisket I've ever had wasn't a product of Kansas City or Texas but rather the product of Marco Antonio, a fishing guide from Punta Herrero, Quintana Roo, Mexico. He slow smoked that bad boy for an unholy number of hours, with nothing but salt, pepper and I believe a touch of cumin. Damn thing was like butter. Add to that beer and eating it with sand between my toes and Nova in a bikini all adds up to the best BBQ I've ever had. But your chances of ever having that or even finding Marco are slim to none since he has relocated to Costa Rica so we'll stick to stateside this time around. I ended up in Decorah so I could help a couple of guys that work for me. Decorah is a 3 1/2 hour drive for me and it's a Monday. Mondays are generally my office days. That and Nova had kept me up half the night talking about how we need to communicate more all because she caught me watching a YouTube video about "How to tell if she's a psycho". I was not in the mood but being the boss sometimes you just do what you gotta do. I was pleasantly surprised/pissed when I arrived because my guys already had completed 90% of the job. On the one hand, I was happy that I'm smart enough to hire people better than me and on the other a bit pissed because I drove all that way but regardless I thanked them for a job well done and asked them to pick a place for lunch. The older of the 2 picked BBQ. The younger picked Old Armory. Fine, let's do it. The Old Armory is located downtown in an extremely cool old building and walking into it you are drowned in a smoky aroma that immediately causes your mouth to water. It smelled like a BBQ joint should smell. Each one of us ordered the Brisket platter. 1/2 lb of Brisket, jalapeno cornbread, pickles and 2 sides. The sides we got were coleslaw, smoked beans, house BBQ chips, sweet potato tots and red beans and rice. First up, the cornbread. The cornbread was the star of the show for two of use. It was more like a muffin. Sweet, moist and delicious. The sweet potato tots taste like you'd think sweet potato tots would taste like and in all honesty, weren't that bad but when I think sweet potato I think lots of butter and brown sugar which of course the tots lacked. The chips and were a bit weak on seasoning and the coleslaw was average at best. The red beans and rice were nothing like the red beans and rice I have had anywhere, ever, in my entire life. In my 50+ years on this planet, every time I have ever ordered red beans and rice it has always, ALWAYS been served wet and by wet I mean it has a gravy. This was more like refried beans mixed with rice. It was lifeless and pasty. I suspect that if rice a roni offered red beans and rice it would be like this, only better. I don't even think you can legally call it red beans and rice. Popeyes red beans and rice destroys whatever this stuff is. Lastly the brisket. Being the fan of Texas BBQ that I am I was excited to learn that their brisket is dry rubbed and smoked for 12 hours which in my mind is 3 hours short but I'll take the heat for the brisket because I ordered it wrong. I appreciate that they do not smother it sauce but rather let the meat speak for itself because to me that shows a level of confidence in the pit masters abilities, however, when I ordered I just said I'll have the brisket platter. What I should have said is I'll have the brisket platter and Id like my cuts to come from the fatty side. Don't get me wrong here. The brisket was alright but the cuts we all received were from the lean side and were, therefore, a bit on the dry side. Each of us had to use liberal amounts of sauce but again, this is on me. Great atmosphere. Great building. Great smell but overall it did not translate to the food this time around. I'll hit em up again next time I'm in Decorah and order the Brisket the right way and pray to the BBQ gods that whatever the bean smash with rice was was just a mistake.

    See all

    8 years ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Matt H.

    Matt H.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    9 years ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Matt H.

    Matt H.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Eric P.
    132
    16
    2

    9 years ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Matt H.

    Matt H.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Liz A.
    3
    32
    11

    11 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    9 years ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Matt H.

    Matt H.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Bob K.
    0
    128
    0

    10 years ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Matt H.

    Matt H.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    12 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Jody N.
    131
    18
    0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of J G.
    0
    1
    0

    13 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    11 years ago

    The food is great and hearty portions. However it is quite pricey and they are often out of sides and even meat some times.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    Page 3 of 3

    Ask the Community - Old Armory BBQ

    Verify this business for free

    Get access to customer & competitor insights.

    Verify this business

    Oneota Community Food Co-op - local cheese blocks

    Oneota Community Food Co-op

    4.5(19 reviews)
    0.4 mi
    $$

    I really love the vibe of this store! We stopped in during a first-ever visit to Decorah. I was in…read moresearch of local cheese and singles of local cider. I scored, big time, on both counts. They carried a good range from local cheese maker WW Homestead and also had a nice variety of Wisconsin cheeses along with some imports. The cider selection really came as a wonderful surprise, though. I used to cider being given a short shrift compared to beer. Instead, they had a great variety from local cideries, and I even bought a bottle from Belgium! My husband found a few new beers, too. If and when I come here again, I'd love to look through more of the store, even as I check on the cheese and cider anew. This is definitely my kind of place.

    We stopped in to grab sandwiches for lunch. We were there before lunch and we're the only ones…read moreordering sandwiches. It took two staff members 20 minutes to make two sandwiches "made to order". We stood there and had no idea why it was taking forever. They did toast the bread. As pictured, I was glad they had GF bread but it made my sandwich much smaller. I got lettuce, red peppers, "avocado" the green paste you see on the lid, pepperjack and mayo. We bought a large bad of chips and a tea $2.29 and our total for two "no extras" sandwiches, the tea and one bag of chips was $24 and change. Still can't believe how puny the meal was. Only two veggies before you're charged .99 for extras. I expected it would be substantial and filling. Otherwise the store was clean, and has lot of options for foods and natural products.

    Photos
    Oneota Community Food Co-op - Nice mural on the side of the Oneota Community Food Coop in Decorah, Iowa.

    Nice mural on the side of the Oneota Community Food Coop in Decorah, Iowa.

    Oneota Community Food Co-op - Inside the front door

    Inside the front door

    Oneota Community Food Co-op

    See all

    Old Armory BBQ - bbq - Updated May 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...