Early dinner for the family. We love BBQ! We are visiting from Kansas. Having eaten KC's best BBQ we are pretty critical. Sonny's did not disappoint. The ribs were on point. Very tender and very flavorful. The pulled pork was moist and lean with bark which was a pleasant surprise. Three of us had the sampler and one had the pork three-way. I also added the salad bar for $3.99 - well worth the price. The chicken and brisket were moist and smokey. There were a number of sauces but this BBQ is best naked. The portions were great for the price and we all had plenty of meat and sides to take home for lunch tomorrow. The staff was very attentive and kind. Shout out for the military discount- thank you. read more

I spent 60 dollars at this place today for really bad food for my family and I. I'm not sure what was going on today. The guy that came out to my car said they were short staffed but everything was really bad except the corn nuggets. The meat on the sandwiches we got was so dry that neither my husband or I even ate them. The coleslaw tastes gross and so did the Mac and cheese I got for my kids! I had to make them Mac and cheese at home because they refused to eat the Mac and cheese from here saying it tasted funny. They had forgotten my kids meal so I was happy I realized it before I drove away but once I got home it didn't even matter because my kids would not eat it. I ordered corn on the cob in that kids meal and after waiting 30 plus minutes and them forgetting to put the kids meal in my bag they came out to tell me it would be an extra 30 minutes if I wanted corn. So I changed it to broccoli which my kids love but both said it tastes like nothing. I Should have went to Publix and spent 60 dollars on groceries my family could eat and actually like. read more

Waiter took 15+ minutes to come back to take our order after bringing drinks. People that were seated way after us got their food first. Went up to complain and nothing was done. The place isn't even full. If I wanted to wait that long for food I would've cooked it myself at home. read more

SOOOOOO disappointed!!! I have been a Sonny's fan my whole life!! Cold fries, cold/stale garlic bread (Texas toast). This was at 7pm on a Wednesday night. NOT an odd hour issue. Too bad!! Was looking forward to this for a long time. read more

I was in a real mood for bbq and Sonny's sure came through. I ordered the baby back ribs with fries and Mac with garlic bread. The Mac n cheese and fries weren't the most memorable but they did compliment the savory ribs. My absolute favorite part was the appetizer... GET THE CORN NUGGETS (WITH THE SUGAR)! I would usually opt out for any extra sugar that's not needed but I wanted to get the whole experience since it was my first time, and boy do I regret it. I can't stop thinking about the next time I will have them! If you have a chance, definitely stop by. read more

We went here escaping Irma. What a great place. Clean, ambience was great and the food was terrific . Ordered the fried pickles. They were lightly fried which was good. Had the marbled brisket which was phenomenal . Wife orders the smoked wings which were great. The St. Louis ribs were delicious and the pork rolls were delicious as well. The cornbread was hit fresh! I highly recommend this place. Sonny knows his stuff! read more

If you're craving BBQ, Sonny's will hook you up. There is always some kind of deal going on -- so their prices are pretty cheap. It's not great BBQ, but if you put enough sauce, you're good. However, their corn ball things are DELISH. The service tends to be a bit slow but it's a convenient place to get some BBQ. read more

I have been going to Sonny's BBQ my whole life. It seems like the quality of the food has been going down over the last few years. The service was ok and the waiter seemed like I was a burden on his time. I like the new atmosphere but they need to bring their quality of BBQ back up. read more

This was the first time I eat at this place and overall the experience was positive. The food was good, the atmosphere was welcoming and fresh, and the service was good but not great. I would have given this location at least a 4 review but I did not for three reasons: 1. The overall cleanness of the restaurant at least the places where I as a customer could see, could be better maintained. The floor was sticky, the tables were left with empty plates or trays for quite sometime after the customers had left. Finally the restroom's (men's) overall cleanliness was deficient. 2. The salad bar looked like it belongs in another kind of cheap, all you can eat restaurant chain. It was really messy, not well kept in terms of the presentation of the ingredients, and with a white lighting which made it looked even worse. 3. Even though the service was in general good, I can not categorize it as great. It was just good enough to get the job done, not to make me feel I received a great service. It was just plain and simple. No extra effort to really deserve a tip. read more

After a month of smelling Sonny's food every evening while walking my dog, I decided it was time to get in there and give my nose the satisfaction of what it's been begging me to try. I was met with food and flair that did not meet the expectations given to me by the savory aromas that filled the air. The decor was extremely dated, but they are in the midst of construction, so I won't harp on them for the ugliness. I ordered sweet tea. I asked the waiter if it was super sweet; I like my tea Georgia sweet. He assured me that it was. If that's sweet sweet tea, then I'm the queen of England. We ordered chicken wings for an appetizer. They arrived at the exact same time as the meal. Nothing pisses me off more than an appetizer that arrives at the same time as the meal. Does that not negate the definition of the appetizer? I ordered the ribs. The sauce was tasty, but the ribs were very far from 'fall of the bone'. My husband ordered sausage and ribs. The sausage wasn't seared. It was cooked, but didn't have that seared shell that makes it tastier, if I'm making any sense. The baked beans were tasty. Mac n cheese was worse than that from a box. Corn bread was okay. My husband reports that the baked potato was good. This is a fine place to eat if you are in the mood for okay barbecue in a run down environment with average service at a decent price. Far from the best ribs I've ever tasted. Maybe close to the ugliest place I've ever seen. Would I eat there again? Yes. Is it my first choice for a barbecue dinner out? No. read more

I've been going to this location for a few months now and have had a great experience each time! The food is great and the staff is friendly though location can be very busy at times. I placed an order and an item was not included (Redneck Rolls are the best!) and the management (thank you Roxanne!!) went above and beyond to ensure that it was handled correctly! I appreciate excellent service and will continue to feed my family from this location! Happy Holidays! read more

Went to this location about a month ago. The Food: Good & Tasty Location: Good & Lots of Parking Atmosphere: Western -- a little dated Facility: A little run down -- but nothing too bad So...why the 1-star? Clealiness and Vermin! Cleanliness: or rather, the lack there-of. The wait staffs idea of cleaning a table, is to wipe the table scraps and debris onto the floor and leave it there. Vermin: Cochroachs...Saw one crawling right up the wall next to my table! I realize most restaurants (and most buildings for that matter) have cochroaches. Thankfully, 99.9% of places take pro-active steps to control it and keep it in check. But, when you actually see a cochroach in a busy dining room, it indicates an extensive infestation. For every 1 you see, there a hundred you don't see. After seeing the filthy dining room floor, with left over table scraps and debris all over the place, it's no wonder they've a roach problem! Inexcusable! I'll never be back to this location. Want some Sonny's? Do yourself a favor a visit the NW location, it's clean and well maintained. read more

I've come to this location quite a few times and have never been disappointed. I'm a creature of habit and hardly deviate from my sliced pork plate or sandwich with french fries & coleslaw or whatever side I feel like at that moment. Solid place for lunch and a great value for BBQ. read more

Terrible food. Sandwich meat was completely fat, although asked for lean. Not even enough 'meat' to cover 1/4 of one slice of bread. Table sticky and BBQ bottles were greasy. Told the server about the meat and was like 'oh ok, yeah'. read more

We had a great experience today. Our party of 4 was seated quickly. Our food arrived soon thereafter. Our server was kind & attentive. The restrooms were clean, as was the entire restaurant. The huge lunch portions of baby back ribs & pulled pork came to the table fresh & hot! This was a great location for a lunch stop with its easy access to I-75. read more

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Stopped by this establishment for a quick bite to eat. The service was poor, I should not have left a tip. This is the worst barbecue I have ever had. All of the food was cold, baby back ribs, Mac and cheese and baked beans. It was definitely not worth $46. Definitely would never recommend this restaurant. Also none of the servers wore masks they are were standing around taking out their cell phones and I did not see anyone wash their hands. My husband saw one server rub her nose and did not go and wash her hands afterwards. Hygiene is not up to par very nasty. read more

We ordered ribs for two (rubbed, without sauce so we could add our own favorite), and a pulled pork dinner. This was enough food to feed all four of us. The ribs were our favorite-just the right amount of rub, tender, and delicious. Sweet sauce was the unanimous favorite. The coleslaw is average, baked beans have a unique flavor (possibly flavored with the mild sauce ingredients?), mac and cheese was a little mushy and needed just a bit of salt, but was good, and the corn on the cob was the standard, overcooked version found in many bbq joints. Will come again if we're passing through. read more

My son and I tried the cubin sandwich last night. Huge disappointment! The main ingredient is grease. Also, we asked for sweet bbq sauce on them. Nobody told my son when he picked them up the bbq packets were in the bag. We noticed there was no bbq sauce on the sandwiches and figured they forgot. Later when throwing out the bag he found them. Stay away from Sonny's cubin sandwich unless you like sandwiches dripping with grease. read more

HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE BY THE DRIVE THRU ! They made both of my plates with the wrong meat and when I told the girl she took the plates back slammed the window and literally grabbed the wrong meat off the pate and slung the pork on top of the leftover meat they didn't get out the plate ! They didn't give me my correct side and when I called to speak with a manger both of them where "busy" until I drove back up to the 39th location . when I pulled up to the window the same snotty girl opened then window and I asked to speak to a manger, she had the audacity to ask me for a reason she then again rolled her eyes and slammed the window when the manger came she was very nice and resolved the issue but by that time my sides that were correct were cold and I was waiting for my main entrée . I love Sonny's but will NEVER return to the 39th Location in Gainesville . NEVER ! read more

Sonny's "Real Pit" Barbecue gets three stars mainly on the basis of non-food factors -- the place is clean and the service is polite, reasonably fast and "sit-down" (as opposed to standing in line at a counter to order). It would get four stars if the food was well-priced, and five if the barbecue was outstanding. On price, I paid as much for a single pulled pork sandwich (that's my "usual" barbecue selection) as I would at most barbecue joints for the sandwich and a side ... and frankly the barbecue was just not outstanding in any way. I'm not saying it was BAD. It wasn't dry or nasty. But the sandwich was a lot more bun than meat -- not much meat at all for the price -- and the pork, while it wasn't dry and tasteless, didn't taste like BARBECUE. When I see "real pit" on a sign, I expect pork that has been slow-cooked over hickory smoke. This meat was kind of bland, with no noticeable smoky flavor. It tasted like a fairly mellow, pedestrian roasted pork. I sampled the various sauces and went with the sweet and spicy variety. The sauces were OK. They didn't knock my socks off, but I had no complaints. And they serve up a nice large soda. Unfortunately, large sodas and decent sauces do not a great barbecue joint make, and even a great sauce can't make up for undistinguished meat. I've lived in Gainesville for a little over a year and have had good barbecue at a number of other places, ranging from sit-down joints to "line up and order" counters to roadside trailers/smokers (that last category is less consistent, but usually the best in my opinion). I'd rate Sonny's as slightly behind the middle of the pack. read more

Free appetizer (from gator greenbacks) + big deal combo = one happy customer. The food is on point. The workers are ok, just a few of them aren't as bright as they look. read more

Sonny's BBQ is nothing to freak out about. You can sit down for a nice meal that overall is pretty alright. They have a broad selection of how to prepare the meat whether it is pulled or sliced, dry rub or sweet sauce. Drop by for an adequate meal that tastes tastes pretty good (it is not perfect but it keeps you satiated and satisfied). read more

Good, decent barbeque for Gainesville! The restaurant is located on Archer Rd. right off of I-75 so it's in a great location. I know some locations have revamped their look both inside and out, but this one still holds the older red barn look to it. My usual order at Sonny's is the Pulled Pork Big Deal Combo. It's a pulled pork sandwich served between 2 pieces of garlic bread and comes with a side and a drink! The pulled pork is tender, moist, and with a drizzle of sweet bar-b-q sauce, goes well with the garlic toast. I got the mac & cheese as my side and it came out very cheesy, but good. Because it's a heavier meal, I usually don't finish it so I end up with leftovers for another meal the next day. read more

Nice rib and chicken, waiters are all kind & ready to help. And the price is fairly friendly. I come with myself and the meal is enough to fill my stomach. read more

Really like the new updated look of this location. The smell of the wood smoked BBQ outside was amazing. We had friendly attentive service and the food was very good too. We had the baby-back ribs and pulled pork sandwich. Both were tender and tasty. Best experience I have had at a Sonny's in a while. read more

Sonny's BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

I love Sonny's! I am very particular about my barbeque. I am not a big fan of ribs or any kind of pork for that matter. For this reason I love that I can go and get pulled brisket. I have not ventured far from this. I get the Big Deal Combo every time I go because it comes with a choice of various meats, breads, one side and a soda for about $7. The cups that they serve you soda in are HUGE! Most people only drink one whenever they go but they will give you a to go cup which is awesome! The service is fantastic. The servers are very friendly, helpful and quick with getting you your food. My friends and I have been there so many times now the servers are beginning to remember what we order! read more

The upgrade is really nice! Such a different feel to the restaurant (though I didn't really mind the older more classic look from before). We went on a Friday night with three people at around seven pm. We waited for about 15 minutes. I got the all you can eat ribs (currently $14.99). It might have been me, but I think the ribs got smaller and smaller with each progressive plate that I ordered. The sliced pork is a bit dry, but I suppose that's what the sauces are for... Sonny's used to have great coupons. I wish they would give those out more often. read more

Long wait. Staff sitting at tables not helping the ones actually working. The food was cold. Asked for it to be heated. Still cold. It took 30 minutes from the time we received our check until the time we tracked down our waitress to check us out. Awful experience. read more

Nice inside, and friendly staff. I just wasn't very impressed with the food. The appetizer we tried (redneck eggrolls) was the star of the meal, because the ribs were 3 star, fries 4 star, cole slaw was 2 star, and what is up with the cornbread that tasted like a birthday cake?!?! Blagh!!!! The cornbread gets a 0!!!! read more

Sonny's is always a good choice! The salad bar is fresh and the BBQ is consistently great! Today I had the smokin' sweet wings and salad bar read more

I walked in and was greeted by both the lovey ladies in the front doing take out orders. She was going to seat us but we asked if we could sit at the bar because we wanted some drinks and she pointed us in the direction of the bar. Then a gentleman helped us get seated. So we sat and waited and no one attended us at the bar much less greet both my cousin and I. There was a gentleman sitting next to us eating and having a beer and a waiter walks up to him and ask if everything was ok and if he wanted another beer, he declined and she just left without looking at us or asking if we wanted anything. In my opinion that is some shitty ass customer service! We're In town for work walked in tired as hell wanting a nice cold beer but we decided to walk out. Clearly this part of Florida is mildly racist to Mexicans. Not surprised read more

I did not like this at all. I thought the meat was very bland and not if high quality. The sauces were also run of the mill. I had the potato salad for a side and found it too heavy on the mayonnaise and basically very very wet. The Cole slaw as well was not very good. Overall just very bland and low quality. I won't be returning. read more

Excellent food and even better service! Means my two sons went for dinner and ordered an unlimited ribs meal as well as a brisket meal. Each came with two sides and cornbread. Brisket was nice and tender. The first round of ribs were chewy and tough, we told the waitress and she immediately brought out another round of ribs which were great! Very quick and easy service and really good food. Would definitely recommend! read more

Great bbq, great service! My recommendation- the chopped brisket plate with sweet bbq sauce, green beans and a sweet potato. It's amazing! Ask for Marlee- she'll take great care of you. And pick up a bottle or two of sauce for the road! read more

How can you not like Sonny's? It's BBQ gospel! This location is better than the original (Waldo Rd.). It's cleaner, and the food is usually a little less greasy. The pictures of old-time Gainesville are a nice touch, too. If you can, steal a cracker from the salad bar on your way out. If you're not ordering the Big Deal, why are you at Sonny's? read more

Recently remodeled the exterior and interior architecture is beautiful. Very homey and southern. The food is awesome. I recommend the turkey with the sweet bbq sauce. My server was very nice, excellent service read more

Sonny's BBQ - Redneck egg rolls - Barbeque Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

UPDATE*** Sep 1, 2015. We ordered take out again, each getting pulled pork dinners. Although our food tasted great, the female employee who was behind the take out counter did a TERRIBLE job. We waited for 45mins for our food after the 20mins she said it would take to be ready. We get there to pick up the food, tell her our name and she says it will be a min. We wait, wait and wait some more. While waiting, we watch two handfuls of people come in and get their food no issues. She then looks our way and ask, "What's the name again?" We told her the name and she says, "Oh! That's been done the whole time! I'm so sorry!" Then she grabs the bag that we have been staring at for the last 45mins. The food was still awesome, but the service this go around was terrible. ****Original Review***** Definitely satisfied our craving. This is our first time eating at this new rebuilt Sonny's. The interior is amazing. They did an amazing job on the construction and it is absolutely beautiful. There is nothing like the aroma of good BBQ cooking as well! This visit, we decided to order take out. It was done in 10mins and we had zero issues picking up the food. We each got the spare ribs. Mine were St. Louis style and my wife's were dry rub. They were both pretty darn tasty. I will say I have had better, but they did hit the mark. The fries were cooked well and the Mac and cheese was awesome. My wife said she didn't really care for the BBQ beans as they were to vinegary. The garlic bread/toast is always amazing. Next time, we will surely sit in and eat! In past visits to the old building and the original off Waldo Rd, I usually stick with the pulled pork. Every time I get it I enjoy it. Although the last several years, it seems that the portions have gotten a little smaller and they smother it in sauce. Regardless, it's still awesome pulled pork. If you have a craving for real, good BBQ, you can never go wrong with Sonny's! read more

Went here a while back food absolutely horrible ever since covid shutdowns this one more place that has changed their menu for the worst and the quality of food and service has declined. The service was almost non existent what they call brisket taste like it was microwaved frozen then microwaved again that bad!!! This use to be a weekly stop for us - not anymore complained to manager and corporate they could care less They lost a a long time customer. If I had to do it over again I would get a McRib from McDonald's (the worse excuse for bbq) but would been better than the visit here!! read more

Brand new in Gainesville tried this TV advertised BBQ spot June 2020 during Covid-19 first wave. Few people were out and about, 50% masked. Seating Covid appropriate, waitresses were informative and attentive. Meat was a bit tough, chicken overcooked and dry; portions adequate, but had no desire to take leftovers home. Left thinking that it must have been a bad day for them otherwise how did it get good previous reviews. Do not plan to return based on this experience. read more

My favorite barbecue place in America. Great service and great product. Love the Gainesville place the best.