A First Look at Armoury Deep Ellum

The red "A" hanging over Elm Street was first illuminated about a month ago, alerting pedestrians that their next late-night dining option was ready for business. Armoury Deep Ellum (or Armoury D.E.) brings a familiar mix of cocktails, beer and food in a dimly lit space reminiscent of the steampunk vibe that's becoming a trend in the neighborhood. A similar decor can be found at recently reviewed On Premise and Brick and Bones, just across the street.

Late night eats and exposed brick may no longer be unique in Deep Ellum, but neither location has a sandwich like the creation served here. No picture was possible because of extremely low light and an unprecedented rapid disappearance of the sandwich in question, but it's still worth pointing out. The Armoury's Csavargó belongs in every pork lover's sandwich rotation.

The Csavargó starts out like all good sandwiches do, with solid bread. The batard resembles a chubby baguette with a pliable chew and does a good job at keeping its contents in place. A layer of pork belly forms the base. It's sliced thin and not smoked, but it's cooked up thoroughly like chewy bacon.  Then there's gyulai, a sausage with a rusty red color from insane amounts of paprika. The spice lends an earthy flavor to a sandwich that's already off to a good start, but we're not done yet. Lettuce and tomato add a cooling contrast and crunch, but it's the pickled jalapeño slices that take this sandwich over the top. The peppers are brighter than the small medallions that adorn a typical nacho platter, but they still pack that telltale earthy punch. 

The gyulai isn't the only Hungarian influence on the Armoury menu. A spicy beef stew called Mama's Gulyás features carrots, onions and more paprika, according to the menu. There's a deep-fried Hungarian flat bread and a chicken breast loaded up with even more paprika. Boards loaded up with charcuterie and cheese round out the snacking options. The results are an interesting menu even if the space feels a little familiar. The kitchen is open till 2 a.m.