Sonny’s BBQ

What to say about this top notch BBQ joint?
I took my girlfriend and her brother out for some lunch BBQ. Glad I did. We all enjoyed or food and our server was very great.
I got endless baby back ribs with mashed potatoes and corn on the cob. They accidentally sent out an extra Mac and cheese. Which was fortunate because I had instant remorse about not getting their Mac and cheese.
So to start my endless ribs were incredible. They kept getting better as I kept going. I ate 3 slabs of ribs and didn’t finish my 4^th and took it home. The Mac and cheese was you’re regular home made Mac and cheese. Good! Mashed potatoes and corn were as good as they could.
It was over all a really great time and experience. The food was great, the service was excellent. So I would ⁴⁄₅ recommend this place. The only reason I don’t give these guys 5 starts is because their sides weren’t lack luster, but they weren’t that BBQ joint incredibly big and juicy sides. I think anyone would enjoy this place.

Tends to be inconsistent. We always get take-​out and sometimes the brisket is cut from the flat and is fantastic! Other times from the point or deckle and is mostly fat. I guess a good mix would be ok but when it’s all fat it’s not so good. This last time it was sliced with the grain and was a bit stringy and not very good.
We typically buy 2 – 3 pound of sliced brisket as well as some smoked turkey or a chicken.
Overall a good deal for a decent price.

I came through the drive through for a pulled pork sandwich. I got crinkle cut fries with it. Very good bbq! I had to wait for the fries, but it was so worth it. Hot, crispy fries! The pork tastes as good as my father’s homemade pulled pork. Excellent food.

Food was good. We were all starving (there was a group of 14 of us), so that helps. Pulled pork is great, had wings and Mac and cheese which was good. Buckets of beer for $ 8 is a good deal too. Worth the 4 star rating.
Service was good. Took her a while to get orders in but it may have been my hunger talking. I would recommend.

Ate here many times, never a bad experience. Food is hot, meat is fresh, salad bar has dozens of items, drinks are refilled in a timely matter. Good place.

Took a little bit long to get our food but it was worth the wait staff was pretty friendly and accommodating I think we just happen to go in there one day when things just were completely up to par but will come back and try again

Decent ribs, brisket was flavorless, baked beans were not good. Probably won’t make Sonny’s a regular stop when down south, better options for the price.

It’s pretty good tasting bar b que! The salad bar is consistently fresh and full of tasty rid bits. Smoked chicken salad portions are standard not skimpy. Wait staff is prompt & friendly. It’s at least a month meal. Coldest beer in frosty mugs.

I thought this would be good since I was in a southern state and they are somewhat known for decent bbq but I was wrong.
My friends and I got takeout here Sunday evening. I ordered the chicken meal, which comes with two sides, and a cornbread. I chose baked beans and mac n cheese for my sides. The chicken did not have any flavor, it was undercooked (still pink on the inside) and dry. The beans and the cornbread were good, and the mac n cheese was ok. On a positive note the staff is very friendly.
I guess I had high expectations since the bbq place I frequent in CT never disappoints. I don’t plan on returning to this establishment if I’m in the area.

Best BBQ in Tampa Bay! I had the pulled chicken BBQ salad which is my favorite. They drizzle their sweet BBQ sauce on it which is awesome. We had our favorite waitress, Aleshia serving us so this made our visit even more perfect. This is a «must visit» every time we visit Florida.

We have eaten at this location for many years and our favorite waitress is Lara. She’s awesome, however she was not there when we stopped by for Saturday lunch. There were only two other tables that were occupied at the time we ate.
We both ordered the slice pork lunch special with the salad bar. The salad bar was fresh and awesome. I will say that I’d agree with other Unilocalers in that they definitely need to add Thousand Island Dressing to the dressing choices! The Sonny’s location up at Curlew and US 19 has it, though. Being children of the ‘50s, Thousand Island Dressing is our go to salad dressing not the seemingly infinite varieties of vinegar based ones that are everywhere these days.
When our lunches arrived my sliced pork was literally a pile of chopped fat. Furious, I flagged down our waitress to lodge my complaint and then I asked her to, «Please try again.» Five minutes later another person (who did not identify themselves) arrives with a normal looking side of sliced pork with no real apology.
At this point, I didn’t know who I should be mad at: our waitress for serving it to me, the chef or both. I am one of those folks who believes that the wait staff earns their tips by ensuring that everything that happens at my table is the best it can be. When the waitress delivered me inedible food, I wondered if she ever even looked at my plate? What was the chef thinking? Do they even care that I’m having a good lunch or not?
To Sonny’s management, please make it clear to your staff that everyone is responsible for delivering the best possible product to the customer. To be fair, the staff did act promptly to address my issue but the damage was done and my dining experience suffered. The two stars are for the awesome salad bar (it would be 3 stars with Thousand Island).

My boyfriend and I were craving a unhealthy salad covered in egg and ranch dressing. So we both got the salad bar. Came back with my salad and started eating at the table, and then my boyfriend returns saying he found a very large black hair in the ranch dressing. finding a hair is enough for me to never return to this location or any other. I have ate at sonnys for years with my family and now its ruined forever. I’m still uneasy in my stomach as I write this.

My wife loves Sonny’s, I do not care as much for them to be honest, this location has some ups and downs, they can be fast with their service some days and be slow others.
We normally get the salad bar/​soup combo which is unlimited deal that is no longer featured on the menu however they still do offer it, last time we went a waiter who was new charged us separately for all of our items, no big deal however it took them 15 minutes to fix it. Sonny’s food is good if you love BBQ. This location has a salad bar however does not offer quite as much as others, for instance thousand island dressing they do not have.
I will give them 4 stars for a chain restaurant they have decent food and if they charge you right you will have a quick/​enjoyable experience.

I love Sonny’s and I love the mango tea addition! Yum! The BBQ is expensive, but it is BBQ! Try everything it is good!

This Sonnys is different than the others here in town. No Sonnys Red on tap, salad bar not as good and no thousand island dressing. But for a family style BBQ it isn’t the worst at all. Drive through is fast too. Friday night’s at this location long waits are the norm.
Pinellas Park location is the best IMO

Food was fair… buy BBQ is not my fav anyways. The burgers were dusgusting. The ribs were good. The all you can eat chicken was average. The pulled chicken was more like chopped chicken and I caught a piece of bone at the end of my sandwich. The mac and cheese was gross. The fries had no seasoning. The broccoli was frozen. The side salad was good and fresh. The service was friendly. The sodas are huge.

Brandon literally comes here all the time so obviously he’s a fan! Him and his friends know the staff fairly well so we always have great service when we come here and the food is always good. Decently priced and a lot of food, I don’t think it’s possible to leave here still hungry. The sides are delish and of course they have sweet tea and really good happy hour beer prices so Brandon is a happy camper. Pulled pork here is so good and there’s the option of having it on a bun or with garlic bread which is sort of different but a good combination.

Yeah I like to drop in here for some Ribs when I’m craving them.
This location is always clean and vey friendly
Always good and as a matter a fact I could really go for some right about now…

My first time at Sonny’s came a week after I had BBQ in countryside Georgia. I wasn’t expecting it to be as «authentic» as the hole-​in-​the-​wall good-​eats place in GA… and I was right. When I think BBQ, I think meat on meat on meat moistened with sauce. Only moistened because every BBQ joint has a variety of sauces on the table for you to add yourself. And of course the southern sides.
Well, Sonny’s meets the options for meats and sides, but I don’t know about the portion of the meat. I chose the pulled pork with a side of corn on the cob and baked beans. (Typical southern dinner, yum!) Everything tasted pretty good. I was disappointed in the sauces at the table, though. Four choices, but I only liked one since 3 of the 4 were spicy. Meh. I also expected more quantity of pork, not that I could have eaten it all, but still. The corn on the cob was double the size I expected, though. And it came with butter to slather on there. Double yum. And no complaints about the beans. Good as expected.
Service was all right. They seemed pretty busy, and our server was a little rushed from table to table. She did her job decent enough.

Sonny’s is a bit of an institution for Florida. We always come here when we visit. The BBQ is good but not great.
I had the pulled port and sliced beef. Beef was a bit on the dry side. I enjoy the BBQ sauces. They have super sweet tea.
Very reasonable prices for BBQ. I am a KC BBQ guy so tough act to follow. The corn nuggets and fried okra are now appetizers and not additional cost sides. Still have to get them though.
I will of course return.