Sonny Bryan’s

Very good BBQ! I was a little disappointed in the serving portion of the sides in the family meal, but taste wise, the place rocked. Best ribs.

They are now closed… I felt that their food food was sub par to traditional good bbq… heck I can make better bbq… and their service wasn’t all that great and not all that clean.

Unlike another place around purporting to be Texas BBQ (hint: it’s in Provo), this one has several slight differences and one big one over the rest of the other BBQ places around as well.
Backing up a step, I was predictably late for lunch and it was one of those rare days when I was needing a little pick-​me-​up when I pulled off the freeway and dropped into the lot here. (This is on the North side of the street, by the way, to spare you the lane confusion and spinning around I did).
Anyway, as soon as I walked in, the great advantage was immediately present. This place felt, for all intents and purposes, mostly correct for a BBQ joint and not a single place I’ve been to yet in the valley, spanning 2+ decades has gotten that quite right just yet. This place, it should be noted, is not all the way there yet, but it was a nice reminder oh what should be. As it is, we have lots of real wood (unlike that other place) and lots of cool old signage (some of it for the Dallas Cowboys, but I forgive them that), not a bad seat in the house with their tv placements, a soda fountain, though the best they manage here is Diet Dr. Pepper and help-​yourself fixin’ area and they have beer as well (though I did not partake there). Even the country music I could live with (not forgiving them that, though), as it mostly fit into the motif and contributed to the feel of the place. If I was into NASCAR, this would be a great place to watch it… or even the first CARS movie from Pixar, for that matter. Ambiance and friendliness here is well nigh unbeatable and service here is exemplary. The staff in this place definitely care about your visits, present, past and future.
As to the food… I think Rod has already nailed most of it, though of the 5 sauces, I thought maybe 2 of the BBQ (Original and Spicy) were ones I’d like to eat and I did go through quite a bit of them. Their regular pork sauce worked well enough with the pulled pork, which was slightly on the mushy side, but had just enough actual texture to pull it out from being completely likely that. Brisket was probably the best thing, with the nice hints of smoke and was very moist. Ribs were slathered in sauce, which I found annoying and unnecessary. I’d have preferred them without and will have to remember to have them leave it off for next time.
I also got the okra, which was closer to, but better than the place in Provo, but not even remotely in league with R & R. In fact, if the owners happen to be reading this, they should really check out the okra there. Sauce for the fried pickles went well with the okra also. Speaking of those fried pickles, they were… an ok change of pace, I guess. Not enough pickle to ratio breading, though, in my view. What was the real highlight was the bread. If you follow my reviews, the bread, unless it’s corn bread, is almost always discarded by me but here, I not only ate the bread, but enjoyed it immensely, especially when they got me some hot from the oven. Just fantastic and probably the highlight of my visit, though the meat and ambiance were close seconds.
The way I see it, this really highlights what expanding locations can be and goes a long way towards making «chain» seem less of a dirty word. Even though you’re going to be spending some money eating here, if I lived closer, I’d probably be here all the time. Definitely worth your visit.

Sonny Brian’s is is an inexpensive BBQ place with fast service and an extensive menu.
I have been to Sonney Brian’s three times now, and have never been dissapointed. If you are in the area during the day, it’s a great place to have lunch. They offer eveything from burgers to a standard BBQ menu including pulled pork, smoked sausage, sliced and chopped brisket, ribs etc.
The meats seem to be cooked in a traditional Texas BBQ fashion, but to be honest I would not know because even though I have been to Texas a few times, I have never tried an authentic BBQ place. I imagine this as close as you can get in Salt Lake City for the money.
If you are looking for a casual, relatively inexpensive place to satisfy a BBQ craving, Sonny Bryan’s won’t dissapoint.

Wasn’t too impressed. This place had all the familiar feelings of a chain restaurant. Aesthetically of course, but I’m not as worried about that. The sides were pretty bland. I got mac ‘n cheese and mashed potatoes. The mac seemed like it was out of a box and the mashed potatoes and gravy had enough gravy for about 3 bites. The roll! I almost forgot about the roll. The roll was definitely the highlight of the meal. It was great, but it’s not necessarily a good sign when the roll is the best part of the meal.
The sauces were mediocre. Nothing interesting, pretty run of the mill.
The brisket wasn’t very tender and the pulled pork was pretty dry.
I haven’t done enough BBQ sampling in SL County, but in Utah County Five Star or Bam Bam’s BBQ are far superior options.

This location is making Sonny Bryan’s look bad. Last night, my family was served dried up sausage, super fatty pork, and soggy French fries. The brisket wasn’t as good as I remembered either. We used to enjoy eating at the Foothill Village location. They would bring fresh out-​of-​the-​oven rolls by our table while we enjoyed food that was prepared with care. The food at the Sandy location was prepared with little to no care. It was border-​line gross. Also, no piping fresh rolls were brought to the table. We were very disappointed. I don’t even think the draft Shiner Bock can tempt us back…

When I was informed at the counter that Sonny’s is from Texas, my expectations went up immediately. I’ve tasted Rudy’s BBQ in Austin, TX and their’s are the best brisket, turkey, ribs and pulled pork we’ve ever tasted. Sonny’s brisket is good but not great. The close enough comparison from my TX experience are their turkey and ribs. They’re moist, tender and tasty. My wife’s pulled pork came out dry.
Their sauces are great though. They have a spicy, original and sweet selections. I thought that the ¾ lb plate selection is a good buy. You get to take a stab at any three meat combo and two sides if you’re a first timer and wanted to check them out.
Come out and check them if you’re craving for BBQ and if you’re near the place.

Sonny’s in Dallas is indeed a great place. This one may be affiliated, but it’s not the place in Dallas. So, what do I get here.
If you claim Texas background, the brisket better be damn good. The brisket is pretty good, but not great. The pulled pork was somewhat mushy and it is apparently devoid of any bark. The sauce is bound to be the same recipe as it’s Dallas parent. It’s good. The coleslaw was good. The fries were excellent. Really excellent. So, all in all, pretty good, but not great
All in all, it competes with places that are considered excellent. Pat’s, for example. It doesn’t match the absolute best in the State (in my opinion), but it’s quite good. They have beer. It’s a nice facility. The general manager is an outgoing very nice man who really cares about his business. So, I’d come here anytime I was in the area and needed a meal. If I lived in the area, I’d be a regular.

I have been a fan of Sonny Bryans since they opened in Sandy. For a long time, there has been poor selection of good BBQ in Utah.
Today, when I opened the door one of the best smells in the world hit me hard. (I love driving by when the wind is just right).
The portions today seemed smaller than they have been in the past, and the large onion ring was from a shell of the onion that was too tough.
The BBQ sauce was great. The rolls are Devine.
But the small portions and the meat was not spectacular today.
Today I was not overly thrilled.

Ordered gallons of side dishes for a recent event. The fried okra is one of my favorites, the mashed potatoes are cheesy and delicious, and surprisingly the squash medley was spiced and tasty. Been a while since tasting the BBQ, but the sides are great.

The service was good, but the food was bland. I don’t think it was good, it wasn’t awful, but it was not good. I would have rather went to mcdonalds.

Went hungry came out less then satisfied. I enjoy BBQ and was stationed in Texas for a few years, giving me the chance to try authentic texas style BBQ. I’ve eaten at Country Line, Rudy’s BBQ, Austin smoke house, and Utah’s Pats and Sugar House BBQs.
This place misses the mark. I ordered ½ lbs plate. Brisket wasn’t as moist and didn’t have the low and slow smoke rings, pulled pork and jalapeño sausage was average. I tried spicy BBQ sauce and pork sauce, no kick. Mac and cheese was good really liked the crumb topping.
I spent 15 dollars with a drink.
For the price I don’t suggest this place. Won’t be going back. GREAT NOTE I love Shiner Bock (texas brewed beer) and they have it on tap.

The sausage was great, the ribs were excellent. The brisket and pulled pork were drier than sawdust. They came to our table and asked us how the food was? I told them the brisket and pulled pork was too painful to eat, also said that I tried to drown it out with their nasty bbq sauce and it still didn’t help.
They said «Today must have not been a good day». Rather than say «I am sorry your food was so horrible, can we knock off some of the price?»
That was my 3^rd time there and will never visit again. I will stick to Pat’s BBQ, just wish it wasn’t so crazy busy over there all of the time!

All the meats we tried were quite tasty, especially the jalepeno sausage. Enjoyed the brisket as well. I’d say that the sides were average to poor, with the exception of the okra, which was decent. The bbq beans are some of the worst I’ve ever had. The rolls are definitely a nice touch — freshly baked and delicious.

Conversation while leaving the restaurant:
Couple asked «How was it?»
My friend «Do you like BBQ?»
Couple «We love BBQ!»
Friend «Have you ever been to Pat’s BBQ?»
Couple «We love Pat’s?!
Friend «Then you’ll be sorely disappointed!»
Couple «Good enough, that’s all we needed to know!»
I don’t like taking business away from people just trying to make a living, but they asked. This was the worst bbq I’ve had to date!

My wife and I came for lunch yesterday and enjoyed it.
First off, the rolls are wonderful — better than the «too-​much-​sugar» Texas Roadhouse ones everyone else seems to go crazy for.
I got the pulled pork sandwich, which I really enjoyed. The pork was very tasty and nicely done, the roll it was on was great, and I liked the bbq sauce.
It’s not the best bang for your buck in the world, but this area has been lacking a BBQ restaurant so I’m glad they’re here & I’ll be going back.

This is another disappointing legendary barbecue place for me. Maybe in 1958, when Sonny Bryan started his place, this was the bomb. It hasn’t aged well or it’s been so horribly corporate-​ized that the food is the state it’s in.
The food was ready quickly and while it looked attractive, everything was lukewarm and uninspiring. We had ribs, sliced and chopped brisket and pulled pork with BBQ beans, fried okra and mac and cheese. Yeah, sides do count at BBQ places. Sorry, but if you don’t count them, then why bother selling them? And mac and cheese does not need to taste like baby food. Mac and cheese is a legitimate dish that can be delicious if anyone cares, but this mac and cheese makes me wonder why Gerber got it so much better. But, if only it were the weak sides that did this place in.
We also went with a half order of «World famous» onion rings. Thank God it wasn’t a full order. The thick slices of onion were coated in a batter that made tempura seem flavorful. If the batter was anything more than plain flour and water, I’d be amazed. The onions were still mostly crunchy and the bland batter picked up zero flavor from the undercooked onions. Half of the half order was left behind as inedible garbage.
The ribs were small and coated in the only bright spot: the sauce. Although it was candy-​sweet, it had some nice old-​school flavor that covered up things nicely. I’m picky about ribs and these didn’t fair well. For me, they were overcooked, but many people like their ribs cooked to fall off the bone mush so I can’t totally condemn them.
The sliced brisket had a deep smoke ring. Or, what was made to look like a smoke ring. I’m still not sure what it actually was, a dye or a marinade, but it certainly wasn’t from smoking, that would have given it flavor. This brisket was perfectly tender but absolutely bland unless you drowned it in the sauce. Not something I’ve ever had to do when such a prominent smoke ring was present on brisket at other places. The chopped meats were better, but still shockingly bland. If you don’t like BBQ sauce, don’t eat here because you’ll need it to get any smokey flavor.
A nice thought, warm pillowy-​soft rolls were offered as extras and had lots of promise but they managed to overproof these and I’m sure any 1958 recipe has had all of the real butter long since replaced with whatever processed oil is cheaper. You could taste the mistakes.
The thoughts in my mind were that this was like the Panda Express of BBQ: good ideas very badly executed and overpriced for the quality.
Coke products.

First time here was for the CMYE Brand New ‘Que event with five other Unilocalers, the place has a neat diner feel to it and there are Texas decorations all over the place. I have never been to Texas myself, so this is all new to me. We received complimentary discount and guided tour at the end, so experience may be differ from a regular dining visit.
At the counter, they were out of Okra, Fries (potato shortage?!), and Pull Pork. I ended up getting the Ribs, Jalapeño Sausage, and Pull Chicken with a side of beans and green beans. The Ribs were amazing, the meats come right off the bones, and I would probably get all Ribs when I visit again. The sausage served a little cold and was by no mean «spicy». The chicken was a little chewy and temperature was definitely on the cold side as well.
I was also a little disappointed by sauce selections available, as there was only 1 sauce to choose from, while most BBQ joints I have been to have at least 3 – 4 type of sauces, but the sole sauce they have tasted alright.
Overall, I have mixed feeling about Sonny Bryan’s, they are not a place I would use «Best Bang for the Buck» to describe them as the portion size is quite small under the regular price tag. It may be worth it if you want to try some Texan BBQ without traveling down to Salt Lake City.

Despite being from Dallas, I’d never actually been to a Sonny Bryan’s before now. Don’t hate, it’s just how it went. So I figured if they’re expanding to Utah, I might as well check it out. Some Unilocalers and I headed out here one fine Thursday evening.
I got up to the counter and ordered ribs, chopped brisket, beans, and mac and cheese. They were out of french fries, which was lame. But they just opened, so I forgive them.
The ribs were quite tasty. You know, fall of the bone tender, the whole nine yards. The brisket had a nice flavor as well, but unfortunately was served at about room temperature. Give it to me hot, ya’ll! The beans had a nice flavor but the mac and cheese was in serious need of some black pepper. I know it’s mac and cheese, but why does everyone want to bland this up so much? I also got to try an onion ring, and it was quite tasty but about as big as my head. The BBQ sauce was way too tangy for my liking, and seemed to overpower the meat. Then again, I am picky about the sauce.
I want to rate this place higher because they were so nice to us and gave us a tour and everything, and they’re new and need to work out some kinks. I have to be honest, though, the food was a bit underwhelming. If I want BBQ in Utah, there are quite a few better options.

The first thing we noticed as we walked in was a sign saying «Out of ribs, okra, and pulled pork.» It seems like even after two weeks of being open, they’re still having a hard time figuring out quantities.
That left us getting chopped brisket, turkey, and pulled beef. The brisket had a nice flavor and was tender and juicy. Same with the beef. The turkey wasn’t too good. Too dry for my tastes.
I really liked the BBQ sauce. Very tangy, so be prepared. The noodles in the mac and cheese were overcooked and soggy, and the mac and cheese in general was bland. Their potato salad was tasty, though. Service was friendly enough.
Like all BBQ places in Utah it seems, you spend a lot of money for an average amount of food. I hope they’re able to get the wrinkles ironed out, because it’s a fun place to eat.