I love Sonny's. Weirdly this is only the second time I've been inside one!! I think we threw them off their game a bit because we seated ourselves. But no one was there to greet us so...My niece went to find out if we order at the counter or if they come to us and we were told normally we wait to be seated...they didn't seem happy that we seated ourselves. Our waitress was phenomenal she was the nicest kid and I'm so glad that we got her as our waitress. The food was pretty good, as usual. The sauces were a bit disappointing- all sweet, no heat. It was quick and yummy so all in all, a good meal! read more

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

See all

The server was great but everything else really missed the mark. I use to love Sonny's on the southside so I was really looking forward to trying this location. None of the sides were memorable, the sliced pork was just basic. But the ribs... the first batch they brought out to my husband had been on the smoker so long they literally looked like wood. He ate one before I even saw them, because he's not the kind to complain. Once I saw them, I was shocked the kitchen let those come to the table. I was also worried for the next day or two that he would end up sick from it. They did replace them (even though it took some time because a manager had to "ring them in") and the ribs that came out looked great. It's just a shame the quality control wasn't there before the first batch of rib jerky came to the table. read more

This is my neighborhood Sonny's location that I frequent often. I only order one thing; the all you can eat St. Louis ribs with green beans and slaw, so this is the only item I'm reviewing. What keeps me coming back are the tender, fall off the bone ribs. I usually have 2 or 3 refills and many times will opt to refill with chicken instead bc the chicken is so juicy and you really taste the Smokey in the flavor. The green beans taste fresh and seasoned and the slaw always seem to have the right ratio of cabbage, Mayo and dressing. Collin is the sweetest waitress and will make sure your experience everything it can be. read more

The guy I think his name is bob was very nice and made me and my grandma feel very welcome at this location.

We were promptly greeted and seated by the young man upon entry. Place was over half full and very clean. Our server, Brianna, was attentive and helpful. I ordered the sliced pork meal and wifey ordered the bbq salad with brisket beef. Food was fresh and portion size was more than enough - we both were pleased. read more

Sonny's BBQ - BBQ salad with ranch dressing and brisket. - Barbeque Near Me - Jacksonville, Florida

See all

This is usually my go-to Sonny's spot. The brisket is always amazing. But this most recent time, there were a couple of missteps, which I hope is a one-off. Did an online order and when I arrived, they said the corn nuggets have not been available for a week, which was fine. They gave me the option to get two additional regular sides or one premium side. The people working there are very nice and was a pleasant experience. I get home, and one of my sides is missing and the corn on the cob was essentially inedible as a lot of the kernels were black and was extremely soft. I normally would give Sonny's a 4 or 5 stars, but I wanted to make note of this experience. I am optimistic this would not happen moving forward. read more

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

This is my favorite location of my favorite "chain" BBQ place. Always friendly, always solid and consistent food, good portion size. - My wife loves their pulled pork sandwich, so we stop in every couple of months. Only negative are the huge black wood partitions between each table - so high, you can't see the TVs....hopefully they'll go away when this Covid paranoia calms down.... read more

James was the best server and the food was great! I love BBQ but even more I love great service!!

Good food every time and we always leave satisfied! Prices are good too for the amount of food we get

I just ate the best barbecue meal of my life and the wonderful service made it all the better. The food was impeccably made and the meat was some of the most tender I've ever had. And the server James made it all the better, he had this loving and funny demeanor that just made my day. As my grandfather said he had this sort of "kvel" about him that entrances his customers. Overall a very delightful experience read more

My husband had the rib dinner and I had the chicken, everything was hot and fresh, okra was cooked to perfection, waitress was attentive and friendly, excellent service. The smoked chicken was also fresh, not dried out. My husband did notice that they started giving only one piece of garlic bread, but since he didn't finish the one he did get, he can't complain. Restaurant was clean as well as the restroom. read more

Sonny's BBQ - Rib dinner with beans, okra and garlic bread - Barbeque Near Me - Jacksonville, Florida

This has been the go to place we eat after the kids baseball, basketball or football games on Saturdays for years. It's the best Sonny's in the area. All you can eat pork, chicken or ribs with cole slaw, fries and corn bread is a great way to dine. read more

Highly disappointed. Not the same as it used to be. All bbq was dry, small portions, certainly not high quality. The general consensus was it was a big let down. Although we've been coming here for years, we probably won't be back again since there are now so many more choices. read more

Itvseems to me we are back at sonnys often. We came to celebrate may parents 63 aniversary and now we are back for my dads 88th birthday. I love a the specials this month. But i still enjoy the all you can eat plates. The feast for 4 is good but sometimes it looks like feast for two lol. Sliced pork is good and the brisket great. I have no idea how they cook it to be so tender. I am trying to get it ss good as theirs. Come celebrate any thing you have these people are great to help you celebrate Our experience on this 9th of May 2018 my fathers birthday our waitress Marian was excellent even though it was extremly busy. She was very helpful and brought us additional re-orders fast. The general manager was extremly lacking of customer service. She brought a tray with food for the table and left it for on another table without passing it to us. She was a real disrespectful person to us. Our waitress apologized and was very concerned for the way she treated us. Hope next time is better read more

I love coming to this Sonny's! Nothing is better than enjoying a smoked turkey big deal with baked beans and corn nuggets! Everything here is tasty, smoky, crispy, and authentically southern. Be sure to ask for Julie as your server: she's very knowledgeable about the sauces! read more

Got off the highway because I saw a Sonny's as my Sonny's in my hometown closed a couple years ago. Ended up being 2+ miles off the highway. Went thru the drive thru and asked for two PULLED pork sandwich meals . Got back on the highway and to my hotel to find two NASTY, NASTY sliced pork sandwiches which I think should be outlawed. Sliced, fatty, grisly meat. I had to go back out and find something else to eat. SO GROSS! Those two meals cost me $23 plus I gave a $3 tip. Then I had to buy more food. So flaming mad right now. read more

Sonny's BBQ - SLICED PORK is gross! - Barbeque Near Me - Jacksonville, Florida

Sonny's was great today. Pulled pork and sliced brisket were excellent. Last review I was upset that a previous reviewer raved about an all you can eat ribs special, but Sonny's had no such special. Reviewer was wrong. read more

Only my 2nd time here! Good location was able to meet my bf here on my lunch. We were seated right away it was around 3pm and service was quick and easy. Enjoyed every bit read more

Made a big order to go. My husband ordered bbq spareribs, they were very dry. He also found a hair in his food. The baked beans didn't taste like maple, they had more of a tomato sauce taste. All the food tasted greasy. The food is overpriced and the portions are small. I won't order from here again. read more

And so my wife and I walked over to Sonny's on SR13 in Mandarin to give it another try. When we were here on Father's Day they were out of baby back ribs. Can you believe that after we were seated they informed us that they were again out of Baby Back Ribs. Unbelievable, absolutely unbelievable. Going forward we will drive to MAJO on University Blvd in Lakewood. I'm so done with Sonny's. read more

Went 03/12/20 on a Thursday. Not crowded, nice and mellow, music was at a good volume. I don't care for the seating, you are seated very close to other patrons and there should be some kind of structure between the patrons. Feels a bit awkward when strangers are right in your face. The food was pretty good. The redneck eggrolls with the sauce was very good! highly reccommend those, they are creamy and delish. The garlic bread was mediocre, i was pretty satisfied with the rest. read more

See all

I don't get the waiting system at the drive thru. Why do we need to pull at the curb instead of waiting at the window. Also why does the food take so long when all you need to do is cut the meat. It didn't use to be this way. read more

Smoking hot staff and smoking hot meats!!! No brainier V I will always go back for the food and wonderful service. Definitely recommended

Redecorated and remade Sonny's on San Jose Blvd, Mandarin is the place for your BBQ Pork anything meal. High standards, high quality, great service. read more

See all

Sonny's has always been Jacksonville's, even FL's best BBQ. All one has to do is look at the garlic bread toast, taste it. The baked beans too, the sides alone are top notch & unsurpassed. Best collection of sauces, nothing runny & watered down in those bottles. Before the inflationary era's they were always best price and that doesn't need to be qualified with "for what you get" or any sacrifice for quality for meats and any sides ingredient. No BBQ is getting better Beef, pork & poultry. Just keeping it real for those other BBQ places that serve untoasted wonder bread that are just too lazy to make garlic toast ? read more

I am a big Sonny's fan, so whenever I am able to convert someone to the Sonny's side, it's a win for me. I introduced my boyfriend to the ribs special for $14.99, and he loved it! We were able to split the full rack of ribs, a side of macaroni and cheese and baked beans, and a side of the corn nuggets. The guy who took our order was nice enough to suggest the side of corn nuggets instead of the full size order of nuggets, so that we were able to save a few dollars. He was super friendly and congenial, and made sure that our takeout order came out in plenty of time. We didn't have to wait long, and the corn nuggets were quickly consumed while hot and fresh on the ride home! My boyfriend wasn't a fan of the baked beans, but he loved the ribs and said he would definitely come back for them again. read more

Is it what most people would consider a "5 star restaurant"? Maybe not. But for me...if the service is great, the place is clean and the food is good...to me, it deserves a 5. What else could I ask for? Like all Sonny's, it's a great place to get fast, good BBQ. I have always been impressed with the servers, the food always comes out quickly and I've always enjoyed my meals. We bring our kids often. It's a great place to get everyone fed quickly and not spend $60! read more

Previously, one of our orders of take out baby back ribs was terrible. It didn't even look like ribs but rather fatty gristle with literally no bones or meat. I called and spoke with the manager and he apologized and replaced the meal. Thought we would give them a second chance and ordered take out ribs again this evening. One of the sides was okra which was an additional cost. Other sides were corn. When I got home there was no okra in the dinner box and corn is no longer corn on the cob (which before was very good), now it's a small bowl of plain, basic, cold, canned corn. We'll no more! That's it! We will find another barbecue restaurant and not be going back to Sonny's. $42.00 for meals like this definitely isn't worth it. Recommend to check your take out meals before you leave the restaurant to make sure you get what you ordered. read more

Service was okay but the food needs help. I ordered a fried green tomato BLT. It had 2 slices of bacon and 2 very thin fried green tomatoes. A BLT is easy to get right. This was not. read more

Sonnys food is great and Skyler is awesome. We will definitely be back for more ribs and sides.

My server James was extremely helpful and nice, and very attentive. He gave me and my partner tips on what to get and we were very satisfied with our food and server. read more

It's always a great experience, been coming here for 5 years and the quality always stays better!

Walked in while 5 employees standing around doing nothing at approx 11:30am - no help - walked out. ‍ Guess you don't need people in your stores. read more

Sonnys fits the bill most of the time but I feel consistency lacks between locations. We were here for an early dinner and I had ribs, fried okra, baked beans, and garlic toast. Generous portions means you will always be taking home a doggie bag. Okra was enough for a table appetizer and was fried perfectly. Not having had lunch we were early for dinner and I felt the baked beans could have cooked down a little longer - not bad but has definitely been better. The sweet and smoky ribs were good but they've been better on other visits as well. More like a 3.5 because of the friendly service from our waitress. read more

Sonny's BBQ - Feast for 4 equals 2 meals for 3 - at least. - Barbeque Near Me - Jacksonville, Florida

Ok so they have a very convenient drive thru, which is nice and a slab of baby back ribs or my personal favorite is the pulled pork dinner, for about 10 bucks it will feed 2 people with the beans and slaw for sides. Now here's the thing, it's just good bbq, but a friend of mine used to work at Bono's BBQ and she said that they would drop a huge slab of meat on the kitchen floor and then pick it up and still use it and serve it to customers. So when the mood strikes me for some bbq the choice between the two is obviously Sonny's, until I hear different, that's where and why I go to Sonny's over Bono's. Old employees everywhere are going to be disgruntled but that was the nastiest thing I have heard in a while read more

Omg!! Sonny's is the best BBQ! Our waitress Grace is the very best, she has the mindset as we do at our job. Grace say you ask and you shall receive! Thanks Grace!!!The food is so good and lots of it!! read more

This is my normal go to Sonny's. Sonny's in general has changed a lot over the years. I grew up going to the original in Gainesville, FL. This one is pretty good. I don't like it's parking set up, but they recently updated the interior and exterior of the building. It looks really nice and new now. Food is generally good, and so is the service. My wife loves this place for their burgers. I like the pulled pork the most. Favorite is the Whole Hog big deal. Enjoy! read more

The kitchen can't keep up with the drive thru! Sonny's back in the day could build a meal as you finished the order

Sonny's is my husband's favorite place to eat. We live an hours drive away so a friend was picking up an order and bri. called and talked to the manager, Josh, and he said because it was his favorite place and we would have to drive an hour it is a treat on him.One of our first date in Gainesville was at the original Sonny's. Best beans of all barbecue places and good barbecue. read more

So far one of the tastiest BBQ spots I've ever had since moving here. For the most part many of the BBQ places use a mustard based sauce and I am definitely not a fan. While they do have a mustard based sauce their original is the best I've ever tasted. I definitely would love to come back and try more on the menu but so far I've only had the pulled chicken and pork and the meat is so juicy and tender it melts perfectly in your mouth. They give you the option of having cornbread or garlic bread and I'm here to tell you when the cornbread is fresh and hot it is simply amazing but if I know I have to make an extra stop before I get home I'll stick with the garlic bread. I do however feel that the Mac and Cheese could be a bit better but the BBQ beans are awesome too. read more