Bono's Pit BBQ seems like one of those "typical BBQ joints". You know what I mean...kind of like Sonny's, Woody's, Dustin's, Dickie's, and countless others. Normally it's a dried out, over smoked, over cooked, and over-sauced BBQ mess on a plate. Little did we know Bono's has been around since 1949. Mostly scattered around NE Florida in Jacksonville, with a place in Denver, Gainesville and St. Augustine. Sixty-seven (67) years is almost unheard of in the restaurant business. Bono's St. Augustine has never looked crowded, but the drive-thru is always hopping. We visited on a Thursday evening. The crowd was minimal, the staff was cordial and efficient. Food service was very fast, almost too-fast. You know, the kind of fast where you think the food is coming directly from the microwave to your table. Not so at Bono's. Always fresh. We both ordered combo platters of meats, sides, and sweet tea. SIDES: Mac/Cheese - very, very cheesy and obviously handmade. Piping hot with just right amount of cheese to pasta. Not one to share mac/cheese, we each had our own. Brunswick Stew - smoked brisket, beans, veggies, and spices. A cupful of lovely homemade goodness. We could eat this by itself with some garlic toast. Baked Beans - somewhat typical of most BBQ joints, but with their spices and meats it's above par. Definitely not from a can. MEATS: First, let me say that Bono's is the FIRST BBQ joint that we enjoyed ALL of our meats without adding any sauce. Every meat was tender and juicy with an excellent bark. Their slow cooking shows through with awesome little crunchy bits from the bark. We tried the brisket, pork, ribs, turkey, and chicken. Secondly, who offers turkey? My other half spied the turkey and added it to her combo. Man-o-man was that some juicy, tender, and flavorful bird. Major kudos on that one Bono's. SAUCES: We're not fans of BBQ joint sauces. Most of them are generic and taste the same from roadside joint to roadside joint. Bono's is no different, except for the Reggie's Pit Boss Sauce. This sauce was freakin' amazing. Hot, spicy, peppery, thick, and just plain yummy. This sauce was a creation of one of their cutters in Jacksonville. He took their basic hot BBQ sauce and added some tasty bits. Reggie...you're the man. If I ever meet you I'm going to hug you and slap your butt. That's some tasty sauce. CONCLUSION: Being a Southerner, it takes a lot for me to get excited about BBQ. I've had bad, fair, decent, good, amazing, and great BBQ's. I would class Bono's as one of the greats. A pit master is judged by his meats, not his sides. The meats are great. Tender, juicy, and flavorful. So good you don't need sauce. In fact, if you need to sauce your meat you should be going to a different BBQ joint. I was born and raised in NE Florida, how I've never been to Bono's before is beyond me. We have finally found some great BBQ meats, and it is Bono's. You won't be disappointed. p.s. the extremely large wet-naps are delivered warm! read more

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I am finicky when it comes to BBQ and this passed the test. Had the Bird Dig sandwhich and it was bigger than expected and stacked with turkey and a sausage link and one side. 4 Different Sauces were offered and but not needed because the meats had such a great smoke flavor. I will definitely eat here again whenever I am in this area. read more

Bono's Pit Bar-B-Q - Bird Dog Sandwhich (turkey and sausage) with fried corn. - Barbeque Near Me - St. Augustine, Florida

The food was good, but not exceptional. The food wasn't ready as scheduled time prescribed by the online order. Staff were some what rude and unwelcoming. As a customer, I'm not inspired to return. I was deeply upset by the lack of proper safety precautions taken by the entire restaurant staff by not wearing facial masks. The cooks and waitresses were ALL In violation of COVID-19 satiety protocols. I would NOT recommend. read more

Very disappointed. I purchased an order of pull pork, when I got home and looked at it, it looked liked the shaving dropping. So I went back up there, I believe I live about 7 or 10 minutes away, I waited patiently in the drive thru line until my turn. The cashier, was the very one that waited on me the first time. I told her about my order, she was very nice, said she would go have a word with the cutter, when she came back she gave me another order of the pull pork, saying that the cutter did not chop it up this time and she hoped I was satisfied with it. Well, when I got home and looked at it, it was worse than the first order, I took pictures of both orders because I want to show it to the person that recommend Bono to me. Both orders of meat, or droppings have been thrown in the trash, it cost me 15.00, plus tip for a lesson learned. I didn't go back for a third time even though my sister wanted me to and when she was going to go I said no, but she made me promise to not go back, and I will not be going there again. I am sure and know that they have good food there, but this is a lesson learned for me. I did try calling but they didn't answer phone and at the time they were not busy because I thought they were not open when I pulled up. Thank you for allowing me to vent read more

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Our first time there. First of all, none of the staff wore masks. Our pulled pork and brisket was lukewarm. My husband ordered the fried corn on the cob and that was not hit either. So none of the hot parts weren't more than lukewarm. Sauces gave a lot of different choices and were very good. read more

Bring Sara (our favorite server who we would leave if we didn't see )back! I heard she doesn't work here anymore & only sat down and stayed to eat because my husband didn't want to go anywhere else since he was starving. Such a shame she's gone she has always went above and beyond for us and all her other customers as we could tell alway sitting with her and has been the only person I've seen actually deep cleaning that place by moving booths and cleaning them or dusting pictures off. While me and my husband were there the server treated us pretty much like a bother being there and being slow only checked in on us one time and the rest of their time was spent sitting down eating and on their phone. I hate to say it but since the last manager guy (I forget his name) left this whole restaurant has gone downhill from food to service (maybe they should switch whoever is in charge now I know my favorite server isn't working here anymore we will not be back. ( with saying this not all the servers are bad we've had Jodie a few times in the morning time and she's a beast of a server tooo! Good luck Bonos! read more

Overall I enjoyed my time here. The Service was very good. Drinks stayed full and she even brought us togo sweet teas without us asking which was thoughtful. The locations was clean and the service was quick. The server was knowledge about the items on the menu and answered my questions easily. The only reason this isnt a 5 star is becuase I feel that for what you pay for the portion size was small. I ordered a pullpork sandwich and a side of mac and cheese and it was like a snack. It was so good tho. I am willing to give this place another shot and will try there "platter option" to see if I feel I get my moneys worth. read more

The customer service was horrific. I ordered food in the drive thru, including a feast meal. At home, while having the family sit to eat I pulled the food out of the bags to find half the meat missing from the order. An entire chicken was missing. I had to drive 20 minutes to the restaurant to get the missing meat, then 20 minutes back - making my family wait about an hour to eat. On top of that they refused to either provide a partial refund or additional meat for the mess up. "So sorry, but no we won't do that" was their response. "We are giving you your chicken". i paid for that chicken. of course you will give me that chicken. I will never go here again. read more

No consistency.. Two days ago I got. A chopped pork dinner that was excellent.. Tonight I can't get one.. Only pulled pork.. Don't bother.. read more

We always stop by when we are in the area, and have not been disappointed with a meal yet. For the price, you can't beat the potions, and the open pit in the kitchen really sells the home style feel of all the food. I got the three meat platter and it was fantastic. Highly recommend the sausage and Brunswick stew. Not many places offer the stew and it was delicious! Homemade deserts from banana pudding to fresh brownies really ends the meal off right. Plus they have a drive thru if you're in a hurry. Definitely reliable source of good BBQ. read more

Bono's Pit Bar-B-Q - Three meat platter. Sausage, pork, and sliced brisket. Sides of Mac and cheese and Brunswick stew. - Barbeque Near Me - St. Augustine, Florida

We were looking for some good bbq while on vacation and this was it! We had to feed 10 people (6 kids) and got the bbq feast and the hog feast. Plenty of food. Meat was excellent- brisket amazing, pork great, turkey and chx really good. Wish we'd got some sausage and ribs too! Sides were ok- mac n cheese was mediocre, fries were normal and collard greens and beans were really good. I'd recommend here for sure! read more

We arrived with a group of five Hungry adults after spending the entire day at St. Agustine, FL. The location has plenty of parking. The restaurant is clean, and the waitress sat us down quickly. She was extremely attentive to our group. Great service. Kudos! I ordered two protein (chicken and ribs) and two sides (fries and coleslaw), it comes with a slice of toast and garlic butter. The ribs were different than what i am use to but definitely great Smokey flavor. I tried the different BBQ sauces available on the table. Chicken was moist! I would definitely be coming back when I'm in town. read more

Another Yelp hopeful that just didn't add up. I read the rave reviews about the great BBQ place called Bono's. My wife and I eagerly anticipated that good smoky flavor and some great sides to go along with it. Well, maybe we just hit it on a bad afternoon but if this is the best BBQ people around here can find....they really need to travel into Georgia and get some real good stuff. The staff was very friendly and attentive. That is where the good review ends.....the meal......started with fried okra, it was good but seemed to be of the frozen kind, very watery. I got the two meat dinner: turkey and pork with side of collard greens and a baked sweet potato. My wife got same two meat dinner with coleslaw and mac and cheese. My meat was cold...almost as if it came out of the refrigerator and was warmed up in the micro before being plated. The meat had a good smoke rim but didn't really have much smoke flavor. I was NOT a fan of the turkey. It was dry and flavorless. My wife said her meat was warm but agrees with the turkey being flavorless. The BBQ sauces really didn't add much flavor other than to mask the flavorless meat, IMHO. I have had some good BBQ in my 63 years but not at Bono's. As for the sides: collard greens should have been stripped of their large veins prior to cooking and serving. Not much flavor other than some vinegar. Baked sweet potato was nothing spectacular. And it came with packaged cinnamon butter, UGH. The coleslaw tasted like the best Sysco or Gordon's can sell. The mac and cheese must have been Velveeta or Kraft....definitely homemade, or they have stolen the recipe. All in all....skip this place. It isn't worth your time or money. Come on Bono's if you want this family business to be around for another 5 years you will need to step up your game, or get a new smoker, and kitchen staff, or all 3. read more

Very good BBQ for the price. Usually end up taking some home. If you can get in before 5 p.m. it is easy to get a table. Very good sweet tea and the Brunswick stew is oh so yummy. read more

Bono's Pit Bar-B-Q - Barbeque Near Me - St. Augustine, Florida

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Great service other than (Manager Kenny) loves talking bad about his employees to customers. I come in regularly and it's the same employee almost everyday it's terrible you have to watch a young lady run to the bathroom in tears over a manager making comments. You guys should really get more help in here!! read more

Poor customer service. Got takeout from them. Three dinners and an order of banana pudding. Got home and no banana pudding. Called the restaurant to get it taken off my credit card. The employee said she couldn't remove the charge. Asked to speak to the manager. He said he couldn't remove the charge. He said I would have to come back to the restaurant to either get the charge removed or pick up the pudding. I know that at SONNY'S BBQ Restaurant if something is left off the order they can remove the charge over the phone. I find it hard to believe that Bono's can't do the same. Lost a customer over $3 of banana pudding!! So disappointed!!! read more

A frequent vacationer to Saint Augustine, and as a resident of South Florida, I always make a point to get BBQ when I start venturing up north again. With that being said, Bono's has been a favorite spot of mine for the past few years... I always go with the classic southern plate (in my opinion)... Sweet Tea, Pork Sandwich with ColeSlaw side. They have four different sauces waiting for you on the table, two of which (hickory red and the sweet/tangy) are amazing, the other two I would steer away from. This past time, my wife ordered the Pulled Chicken Sandwich and she very much approved as well. The servers have always been fast and attentive and have no complaints whatsoever... If you are in the area and are looking for BBQ, go with Bono's, it's a no-miss. read more

Won't order from here again. Placed an order online Sunday evening for pick up. Waited patiently for the app to process and give a pick up time. Never finished so I contacted the store by phone. Was told the order would be ready by 7:30 for pickup. Went to the store and got a place in the drive thru. Should have known with all the vehicles something was up. Well after waiting nearly an hour in line (couldn't get out of line as blocked in) finally received cold food. Got home and was missing our brisket that was paid for. Second time we have had issues with this place. Thought the first time was maybe bad timing. Evidently not. Done this time! read more

Just ordered the Bono's feast for 4 1/2 (yes, that's the way it is on the menu) for our 4th of July get-together. As usual, it's a ridiculously large amount of food (my husband and I usually split the "feast for one" and have leftovers) - pork, beef, sausage, turkey (actually turkey ham or turkey breast pieces/parts-mash), and a whole chicken, along with fries, Texas toast, baked beans and coleslaw. I had them add in a batch of fried (yellow) squash. Four stars because their service is excellent (even for takeout), the baked beans are really good, and the fried squash is one of my husband's favorites. Minus a star for the mediocre sauce. The meat is good, not spectacular. (I think the turkey is just silly - if you're gonna do turkey, you should really do *real* turkey breast or entire turkeys, not this frankeyturkey mess!) In sum - good value for money, don't drive out of your way. Besides, they're a big chain, so there's probably one near you, anyway. read more

We have not been to Bono's in a very long time. This Bono's is the best by far. Great turkey, corn nuggets, cole slaw and baked beans. The employees are very friendly which is incredibly important to me! read more

Pork was 4 maybe 4.5 stars. Sauce...2 stars. I'm averaging. I sat at the bar in front of the "pit" as Rob sliced meat. He was entertaining but it killed me that they took huge hunks of the burnt ends and just threw them away. Are you freaking kidding me? Some places give that away or sell it. I will send an email to the owners. I had the onion rings because I read a review (not here) that they were good. They are not. Way too much cornbread batter and way too crispy. I don't understand why more places don't do onion loafs instead of rings. Onion loafs were made for BBQ. Now for the "pit". It seems like this is just a way to keep the meats warm and for the show and smell. I'm guessing they smoke their meats elsewhere, bring them in and put them in the "pit". I would return if I were in the area. But I will tell them when I sit down to save me some burnt ends. read more

Okay, so we walked in and the bartender, some random person and the hostess were chit chatting... there was no greeting or anything from the HOSTess... not pleased. I'm giving four stars because the waitress was very respectful and kind! Food was alright. Wouldn't say it's 5 star but better than fast food! Onion rings were awesome! read more

I have been here before and it was great. Things are very different now. Service has gone very far downhill. We sat for an hour. Only received drinks while others around us received their meals. No one even checked back. I paid for the drinks and left. Terrible service. I will not return. We went to Sonny's BBQ down the road and had great service and great food. read more

Simple pick-up order (side salad, side of brunswick stew and a dinner entree), was told would be ready at 6:22pm. Order didn't come out till 6:58pm. Restaurant had 10 employees visible, and the inside of the restaurant wasn't busy at all. Good BBQ can take time, that's understood, but not over 30 minutes. Horrible experience. Terrible customer service, as the employees didn't seem to care. read more

This is a nice go to restaurant when you can't decide what to get. Appetizers, veggies, salads, meats---- lots of options. Tried the bbq, cheese fries today and it was yummy. Enough to feed 2 or more. Service was very good and food was also very good. Glad we went to Bono's today!!!!!!! read more

I wish I could even tell you how the food was but we never even got to try it. Was on hold for ten minutes-so we called from another phone and whoever answered the phone actually flipped out on me and complained how busy it was and was the rudest person I've ever encountered in a restaurant setting. Don't waste your time! :) read more

Once was too much. Menu say's beef brisket - it wasn't brisket, it wasn't smoked. It was a fatty tasteless cut of beef. The waitress was just as charming as the food. Recently purchased a Green Egg - bought a brisket - several hours later feasted on Real Smoked Brisket. Bono's in my opinion doesn't even begin to capture smoke in their products. A genuine imitation. read more

I can't eat my ribs anywhere else. Amazing! I've tried to cook my own ribs or dine elsewhere, but nothing compares to Bonos ribs. Drive thru takes a little bit of time, longer than most drive thru's. Though this can vary depending on what you order. I only come here for ribs and double mac n cheese (also phenomenal). Great food, great service. I've never had an issue at this location. read more

Food: 3 meat platter (Brisket, sausage, pork) Brisket and pork were good Sausage was.. different. It tasted like Jimmy Dean breakfast sausage. Our friend tried it and said the same. Macaroni and cheese was also just weird. It had a plastic or aluminum taste. We all decided it was like when you drink from an outside water spicket... which probably doesn't make sense unless you taste it, then you'd agree. Garlic "toast" was not toasted, it was like they put melted butter on top of a regular soft bread piece. Just really weird. Service was pretty awful. It was busy but there were still tables open and seemingly enough servers. Our waitress didn't say 5 words to us. When we sat down we waited a while, then when she finally came over she threw silverware down on the table and ran off without a word. Another few minutes later she came by to get our drink orders, then we had to wait quite a while to order. She would drop things off or take things, all without saying a word. It was all just so peculiar and uncomfortable. read more

We had an amazing meal with great service. Food was outstanding. 9.99 special was 2 sides and an enormous pulled pork double decker.

The staff was friendly. The food was pretty decent. The only complaint I had was the BBQ sauces they offered weren't very good. Maybe it's just me tho. I'd still go back read more

Its a chain bbq, its what to be expected. Decent food nothing special. Theres nothing like authentic bbq and thats where this place falls short. read more

Got good service from a girl who did not introduce herself. Son had the Pork sandwich, two sides. Good portion. He liked it all. I had the Turkey BBQ Salad and it was very good. Plenty to eat. Decent prices. Only downside is that your clothes smell like BBQ after you leave (could be the upside). read more

My wife and I usually love Bono's for both flavor and portion sizes. Today was not that day. I ordered the lunch chicken plate and green beans ( I am doing the low carb thing ). Well I was in luck today!!!! I can't imagine there are many carbs in the pigeon sized piece of chicken that I received. It doesn't even look like it survived the fire!! The green beans were good and flavored well, but that chicken. We were 1 of 2 couples in the whole place once the check was on our table the waitress disappeared for 15 minutes. I only hope she brings me back correct change or it would drop to 2 stars. read more

The food is good and I like the taste better than other barbecue places. The staff of always nice and the food comes out right. I think the prices are over priced for some things on the menu. I always get chicken or turkey and it's always good. I hate when they run out of backed sweet potatoes before dinner. I absolutely love the green beans and garlic toast. read more

Went with my family to this local BBQ joint which some of my family members had been to before (and raved about). Well, they weren't wrong. I ordered the two-meat plate (I chose pork and beef) with garlic toast, french fries and good ole' baked beans. Portions were gracious and food was cooked very well. The meat at these places can sometimes be dry but this meat was anything but - tender and juicy. The garlic toast wasn't anything too special, nor were the fries. But the beans... Good consistency - not watery and seasoned very well. The meal was delicious! The service was prompt and friendly (food came out about ten minutes after ordering and considering the place was busy, I think this was good). Kirbie was our server - if you eat here, ask for her. She's super sweet and knows the menu well. Also the interior is pretty cool - bar to the left with an open wood fire BBQ pit that's a hoot to watch as they cook. Something else that's really cool - they give 20% off to police, fire and military personnel. That's awesome! read more

Bono's Pit Bar-B-Q - Good ole BBQ! - Barbeque Near Me - St. Augustine, Florida

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Best Bar-B-Q hands down. We go here every chance we get. It is a bit pricey but for what you get it is worth it. Make sure you order the sausage because it is amazing. We always get this big sampler plate with chicken and sausage and a bunch of other meat on it. Shoot now I am hungry. read more

I am a fan because I have been eating at Bono's for years, and always found that it was well prepared, tasty BBQ at a reasonable price. The chef has been doing the cooking for years, and knows what he is doing, is willing to discuss the various offerings and even will give you a taste. My bride even likes their chocolate chip cookies. I'm all in for ribs, ribs and more ribs. Can't wait for another visit. read more

Service was extremely slow the bbq was average at best and the prices high for the quality and quantity of the food. I've lived in St. Augustine for 7 years but I was born and raised in west Texas and I know good bbq and this definitely wasn't it. Had the bird dog sandwich and my wife had the 3 meat plate. I sampled the brisket which I found to be crumbly and overcooked the pork was ok be certainly nothing special the turkey had good smoke flavor but was cut very thick. Overall I was disappointed. If you're visiting St. Augustine or live here locally go 2 miles down the street to sonnys bbq better food that's less expensive. read more

This is the best BBQ I've ever tasted and I lived in Kansas City. The meats are all tender and juicy. The choice of sauces can't be beat. If you are ever in the Jacksonville or St. Augustine Area give Bono's a try. You won't regret it. read more