We have always had great experiences here at the Mandarin location. We were warmly greeted at the door by the host, immediately seated and he asked what we'd like to drink. Our server was over in a minute, introduced herself and took our orders. The food was out in about 2 minutes. The decor was typical Bono's and the interest clean. We'd ordered a small rib plate and a pound of turkey, splitting the sides from the plate. It was a great lunch and we were in and out in 30 minutes. The server frequently checked to top of our drinks, brought us a to go box and asked it we would like drinks to go. Great experience and you couldn't get a faster experience if you were in a fast food restaurant. read more

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The food, atmosphere, and service is great. A good place to bring families and not too noisy. I have been coming here for about 20 years.

I did not want to have dinner there but I wanted some smoked turkey so I ordered 1/2 pound take out and it was great! I think their smoked turkey is the best. I will note though the on-line menu prices are off by $2-4 each! read more

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The smoked brisket is out of this world in flavor & tenderness. It's soo good we order 1.5 lbs, fries, and squash. 5

One of the best Bono's in jax. Yall are so kind and the food is always fresh and the portions are great. Thank you so much!

I am a native of Jacksonville. I spent my life eating at Bono's on Beach Boulevard. Now that I'm older, I have to take my girlfriend to Bono's on San Jose Blvd. I recommend either place. I have found that the food and portions vary by location. read more

Great customer service....Salad was great meat cooked to perfection they greet they communicate thanks guys

We had lunch here today for 14 people. The service was fantastic and the food was great. I paid the bill for the table and was surprised with how inexpensive it was for the amount of food we got. What a great bargain!! Thanks Bono's on San Jose for a great event. We will definitely be back. read more

Best Bono's / Bbq in jacksonville , been going here for over 10+ years and has remained the same great food and service if not better throughout the years . The staff is always welcoming and nice , food is always good and fast , warming environment overall , all meats are cooked and prepared behind the bar in front of you ! read more

Love this place great food and the staff is amazing. I'd really like the turkey myself but it's up to you. They have a drive thought so you can roll right on up and enjoy!! read more

This was my first visit to Bono'. I went for the convenience of the location. I should have known better when I saw a drive-thru with a line almost to the road. How can a good BBQ have a drive-thru? Before I get on a tangent, I will say the burger was definitely the highlight for me. Now to the real story of it all. As you can see from the photos, the ribs were dry, like needed a gallon of water to wash them down dry. I have NEVER wife drench a piece of meat in so much sauce to make it palatable. Honestly, I don't know what I was expecting from a chain restaurant, lesson learned. When you see a drive-thru at a BBQ spot and must wait 10 minutes in line before you order, don't stop the car, press on the gas and go straight to the Bearded Pig. read more

Bono's Pit Bar-B-Q - 1/2 pound ribs - Barbeque Near Me - Jacksonville, Florida

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Great food. Always consistent and greeted with a smile by the hostess. Been a fan of bonos since the original one on beach blvd. Keep it up! read more

I was looking forward to some good barbecue food, but the only thing I ordered that was good was the corn on the cob everything else was bland. The meat was especially disappointing. The ribs were dry with barely any meat on them and the brisket was dry and flavorless. My doctor pepper tasted watered down. A waste of $25.... One of the most disappointing things about the meal was, it was barely warm. Everything on the plate was like that barely freaking warm. read more

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Man O Man!!!! Never thought Bono's be this GOOOOD! My Go to spot for now on!! Hands down this location n crew is exceptional! Thank You read more

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Very good customer service and good. We have become regulars of this establishment. I hope they continue to maintain good customer service and food always. read more

Our server, who is the owner, took care of us and suggested fried onion ring and fried squash for starter Im getting the charbroiled chicken sandwich with their side of the day "potato salad" and my daughter is getting brisket pork/ribs platter with green beans and French fries...yummy read more

Bono's Pit Bar-B-Q - Lunch time - Barbeque Near Me - Jacksonville, Florida

Take out always very good, love the drive thru, and dining room is always clean and friendly staff. Love the turkey sandwich, thick meat on toast, paired with the great sauce!! read more

Well...what can I say? We had the pulled pork and brisket with cole slaw and mac & cheese. Both meats were dry, tasteless and brought to the table at room temperature. Then we found that the BBQ sauces on the table were "all" the sauce the meat would get. When I say dry and tasteless, I mean the meats had no BBQ sauce added during preparation. Actually, there was no seasoning of any kind added to the meats. I believe you only have BBQ'd meat when it is cooked into the meat, with any sauces available at the table being used to add to the cooked-in flavor. Service was polite and adequate, but the dining room was cold. At least the price was good, but we got what we paid for. read more

I didn't realize that some Bono's have a drive through but I had called prior to place an order for pickup. I found the drive through convenient for me to pick up without having to get out of the car. They were super quick and had my food ready in less than 10 minutes- pleasantly surprising! I paid around $40 for a large rib platter and a large pulled pork platter. They both came with 2 sides and was super good! Both the meats were so good and weren't dry at all. I love the Bono's BBQ sauce and I'm not a huge fan to begin with. For sides we got the mac n cheese, baked beans and the fried okra. The fried okra was amazing and was nice and crispy! Definitely will be back here again! read more

First visit to this restaurant of three in Mandarin. The establishment was purchased from corporate ownership by two local brothers. The food is 5*s specially the Brisket that we bought 11/2lbs was amazingly flavourful & tender. Needless to say, it was all consumed. Will be our local BBQ joint henceforth. Glad we visited read more

Guess it's been a while since I've been to Bonos. I needed quick bite but wanted to avoid fast food. At the drive thru, I stared at the menu looking for sliced pork sandwich option and nada. The attendee asked if I had any questions and when I asked, he told me they discontinued sliced pork about 2 years ago. Whoa. Ok. I decided on a pulled pork sandwich on a bun and the drive thru gentleman provided pleasant service. That's where the second star is added. As pulled pork goes, this was the blandest I've ever experienced. No smokiness, no bits of bark, nada. It was as if the pork was baked or boiled or maybe both? So disappointed. Years ago we frequented Bonos quite a bit but with so many better options out there, I don't see myself coming back any time soon. #wheresthesmoke read more

It's just always good. All of their locations. I've been going there since I was there paperboy in the early 60's

I ordered a $70 family meal to go, to feed 8. When I went to pick it up, I asked for plates, they wanted to charge for plates, charge for utensils, charge for more than one little sauce per person, charge for more napkins, got 2 little sweet potatoes as a side (for 8 people)... really?!?!?!? And... there was also a $3 service charge for take-out order?!?! What was that for? I thought I would get supplies for that fee! Wrong! I'll go to Sonny's next time to get all the above for free, and nice serving utensils as well!!! read more

I came to this bonos for the grand opening many many years ago. I amback with my parents and it so pleasent To see that the service is the same amd the food is great. My main dish always is the turkey. But this time the brisket was even better than ever. So tender and well bbqed. I was very pleased with the meats. I think that maybe tomorrow i will stop again and get me some lunch. read more

Bono's Pit Bar-B-Q - Barbeque Near Me - Jacksonville, Florida

I'm really disappointed in the quality of my experience tonight at Bono's. I put my order in online at 6:42 with an estimated time of pick up @ 6:58. I arrived at 7pm to have to wait another 15 minutes. That poor boy that got working the window is running ragged! I'm glad I checked my order bc they forgot my banana pudding. Well maybe I'm just cheap but for what I paid my portions for a dinner platter sure do look piddly compared to what I get if I eat in house. And my coworker ordered onion rings. $6 for onions and she got maybe 8 small onion rings. And I had to pay extra for sauce. A bbq joint that don't provide sauce. And almost 3$ for a tiny itty bitty cup of banana pudding. Well, I won't be going back anytime soon, I can tell you that's for sure! read more

I had some family members give this place some praise, so I went in expecting something solid. This was some of the driest brisket I've ever had (could barely chew). The ribs were crispy...shouldn't happen. The Mac and Cheese was moist and had decent flavor. The bbq beans were not bad either. The sauces were rich in flavor but the meat was just too dry and cold to enjoy. Based on what I was given, the food was bottom tier in comparison to other local bbq restaurants. It is possible that I came on a bad day, but based on what I was given..I have no desire to return. read more

If you want quality and quantity that would be considered blasphemy in other states and want to feel like somebody stole the money out of your wallet then this is a great place to get barbecue. read more

My first review of 2017 and it's a chain restaurant that I have eaten at for years and years. Me, I would have gone across the street to Masala Indian Restaurant but since I was with Mr. "Meat and Potatoes, Bono's it was. For him, the predictable turkey sandwich and fries, for me the Bo-Hawg sandwich, which was their pulled pork with smoked sausage and cheddar cheese. The sandwich was very tasty. The side was a special for the day, southern smoked cheese grits. Now I was expecting some creamy cheese grits but it was made more like a casserole. It was rather dry but had cheddar all through it. It was delicious, although I made a suggestion that they serve it with butter. It needed some added moisture. This is a nice restaurant. Very clean and pleasing to the eye. It must be fairly new. Our server, whose name I did not get, was awesome. Overall a very satisfying dining experience. read more

Bono's Pit Bar-B-Q - Barbeque Near Me - Jacksonville, Florida

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We have lived in Jacksonville many many years and have experienced many bar bq places. Alot of the bar bq restaurants are good BUT our recent visits 2 weeks in a row at our local Bonos in Mandarin was exceptional! Getting it right every time sets this one apart from the other chain restaurants. This includes the very professional young lady operating the front counter service and how her inter-action between each customer was outstanding! Lastly, the pitmaster and the manager on duty assurred that the food was excellent and have set the bar very high for any other restaurants to follow, even during tough restrictions and concerns. Jason, thank you for great leadership and your front register host. My family and I are proud to call this bar bq the best for Jax!!! The food was perfection. We had the brisket and sliced pork by the pound to go. read more

This is great home style be with a twist. There are great options like salads, sandwiches, platters daily specials and family meals. The meals are very reasonably priced and the restaurant is always clean. I have had only good service here with friendly waitstaff. read more

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This location was once amazing but not any longer. It is no longer a corporate location and the level of service that you could once expect to receive is no longer premium. read more

On Sunday afternoon, we drove 14 miles in separate vehicles each way, out of the way, to go to this particular location for a Sunday Bar BQ meal at my friend's insistance. It was a staggering disappointment. She ordered the pork ribs that were as tough as leather, which I thought to be beef ribs while I ordered the large chicken platter that was chopped up in ways, that I'd never seen before, with a back piece included to make the meal look much larger than usual. To save my meal, I ordered the peach cobbler that had been mashed down into a cup. Heaven forbid if I'd ordered vanilla ice cream on it. It wasn't all that good to the taste, barely passing the identifiable test. I know from past experience that not all of their locations are like this and provide this 2 star rating only because they do have compassion for senior ladies by employing them at this location. GOD, save the queen for my generous 2 star rating. BTW, my friend did call the manager on her own recognizance later to air her grievance with her experience. Hopefully, the manager took her call under consideration and will get busy with making some corrections. read more

Bono's has been a favorite for carry out barbecue until recently. Past few visits have continued to get worse in service and food quality. I stopped by on a Sunday afternoon, only one car in front at drive through, ordered a sandwich with beans and a plate dinner with beans, simple order. Sat at the window for 25 minutes before my food was handed to me. The meats were not hot and the barbecue beans had multiple chunks of fat and neither sides was edible. I'm no longer a Bono's Customer. read more

The food and our server was great. However, the person greeting, seating, and walking around (another server) was wearing her mask under her nose while everyone else was wearing their mask properly. She was coming to tables and talking to customers with her mask improperly on her face. Great job on everyone else being Covid safe except the manager who didn't make her correct this. read more

This particular Bono's gets a pass from me since I come here regularly for lunch and they know me here. Recently, one of the waitresses let us know about their "deal" on drinks - if you purchase one of their special plastic cups, you get refills in the cup for 99 cents. That works well for us since we're here so often. Ya'll know how expensive drinks can be when eating out these days! Regarding the food, mostly it's pretty good. Or normally consistent. The nature of BBQ is that it really depends on who's preparing it each day. Consistency is difficult in the BBQ biz. So sometimes it might be a bit dry, but most days it's pretty good. As a BBQ lover, I probably would have given 3 stars if it weren't for the fact I just like this particular Bono's and the staff. I can't say I've had the same good consistent experiences at other Bono's, so I typically only visit this location these days! read more

Bono's Pit Bar-B-Q - Barbeque Near Me - Jacksonville, Florida

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Without being racist if you're black and like good barbecue do not eat here. The meat is over cooked and dry and taste like lighter fluid. the Brunswick stew was just a vegggie stew minus the Brunswick. I regret wasting my money or time at Bono's being that I was in town for the weekend only. Buyer beware!! read more

BBQ is always good! Bono's does it right and since we were in the area checking out a sale at Spiritual Metaphysical Uplift, we walked right over for lunch. Service was quick, aroma's amazing, and the food delicious! read more

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Our family ordered Bono's for our tailgate yesterday for the GA/FL game. Plenty of food, we had tons leftover. We had a slab of ribs, chicken, sliced brisket and chopped pork. Sides were baked beans, mac & cheese, coleslaw, bread and potato salad. I personally enjoyed the chopped pork and baked beans. Felt like the brisket was dry and didn't care for the coleslaw, potato salad or mac (reminded me of frozen mac). We kept the food in a cooler covered in towels and it stayed warm for hours. Was super easy and all bellies were full but we might try something else next year. read more

Our server was very nice and attentive but I went with three stars because my food could have been warmer. My husband ordered the chicken and said it was more bone then chicken. Not sure if we'll give them another try or not. read more

Bono's BBQ on San Jose is one of our go to places for a quick during the week dinner. The barbecue is really good, and the sides are even better. Their BBQ Pit is right behind the counter. The aroma of smoking meat is really nice. The service is usually quick, friendly and courteous. I especially like their barbecue wings. Their sides are especially delicious. Try the Brunswick Stew. Sometimes I just enjoy getting a veggie selection. Their prices are really fair. The place is very clean as well as the restrooms. Parking is easy. Check the Specials Board when you walk in for the best deals. They have specials every day of the week. You can't go wrong at the Bono's BBQ on San Jose. read more