Sonny’s Place

If you can appreciate a dining experience not only for the food, but the atmosphere; here particularly based on nostalgia, Sonny’s does the trick every time. Before you even get inside its like a pleasant journey into any 20^th century time period before ⁹⁄₁₁. That’s not to say its outdated, with a flat screen tv above the bar and patrons checking their cell phones you still know what time it is. Now onto the food, been going there a year or so, and have tried to check off everything I haven’t tried, but I keep coming back to the shrimp platter, chili, and gumbo. As professed by others, the muffaletta is terrific, but I’m just not a muffaletta person. Wait staff is friendly, and the patrons are respectable, so that’s good enough for me. Not a big beer drinker but had one there yesterday from draft in an ice cold frosty mug, which didn’t disappoint, I always enjoy talking to Junior, the owner, but he was unusually absent when I was there yesterday and one of the waitresses said he’d be in later that night. I’ve been coming to the island for decades, and I was lucky enough to discover this place after being disappointed in many of the mid priced eateries that for some reason are applauded by the locals and tourists. This place is a rare gem, and amazing is not an inaccurate rating. Will be going down there in two weeks to Gtown and will stop in again, if nothing else than for a soda or two and to talk with Junior about the old days. They used to have a roast beef sandwich, but discontinued it, Sometimes I wish they had a selection of deli sandwiches, but they carry enough other goodies, that you can find something else delicious to consume. There’s another eatery in town that has deli foods where I can get my fix when I’m down there, but sshhh≠ I’m keeping that a secret.

I’m honestly surprised at how positive the reviews are for this place. The overall impression I got was that this place is a local dive bar with a lot of loyal regulars.
The signs reading, «Behave or Begone» and «Watch Your Language,» which are posted EVERYWHERE, are excessive. I felt more like a child than a customer.
Our waitress seemed to have a hard time understanding our order, and she also didn’t communicate that we needed to pay at the counter, even after we waited for the check for several minutes.
The food was average at best. My husband and I ordered cheeseburgers and French fries, and my friend ordered gumbo. Although the gumbo was left uneaten due to being overcooked and mushy, the burgers and fries were adequate. I would honestly rather eat at Whataburger, though.
We did meet a man (who I assume is Sonny) when we went to pay for our food, and he was very charming and charismatic. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough for us to return.

My fiancé and I ate at Sonny’s place during our most recent trip to Galveston. We really enjoyed spending a couple hours here. This family-​friendly dive restaurant is wonderful. The owner and his wife seem to be great people and to really enjoy their restaurant. While the burger was good, it was nothing special. The crispy muffaletta though was fantastic. We’ll definitely be returning.

Sonny’s is a great place to grab a burger and a beer. The service is great, the food is great, and it’s not as pretentious as other places on the island. Love coming here for lunch!

Great place, been coming here for years great food fun atmosphere cold beer! Sonny’s Place is all about the customer. Pool table was a hit for the family!

Little hole in the wall, local place. Good vibes. More than decent food and fast service. The son of the guy who opened the place still working behind bar, funny sense of humor. Ask for mustard *wink wink* Thanks Unilocalers – you’re all always reliable!

The atmosphere is the main attraction. The food is nothing special, but not too bad. There is however a super fun old man that runs around and makes the night super enjoyable.

So this is a contender for my favorite restaurant in town. I always love the spot but my meal here tonight was outstanding. I got the artery clogger (chicken fried steak sandwich with bacon, ranch, and cheese) and it was delicious. I’d recommend it to anybody!

I finally had a burger — chili cheese burger to be exact. Was very good. Not quite as good as mine but as far as restaurants go it was top notch. Richard and crew are always the best. Still the best Triple D in Galveston

Made. My. Day! After the owner scared me with his mustard tricks, we sat and chatted. This place opened over 70 years ago. You read that right, over 70 years ago. Still the old counter tops and old school décor while old western movies play on the tv. Grilled muffelata is amazing! Sit at the bar and make friends while enjoying some awesome food. Did I mention it’s cheap? If I lived here I would happily gain 20 pounds from coming here so much!

I went in here a few weeks ago with my bf and we decided to give it a try. Bought some sandwiches to go: the artery clogger and the muffaletta that everyone was raving about. I thought they were pretty good, and the portions were huge. Loved that! I was only able to eat half my sandwich and saved the other half for another meal.
Our server was really sweet and helpful in answering our questions. I’ll definitely stop by again sometime.

Went here to try their famous burgers. Walk in & sit down, some guy walks over and says we closed 15 mins ago.
I Unilocaled before we went and hours said they close at 11 pm. The little green open is still green, ½ an hour later.
If you are not going to keep hours as posted, please change them.

Hard to review this place because it has a lot of different layers to it. It has been around forever. Guess u can best describe it as a dive bar. Local neighborhood place. Food was just ok. I would not drive to Galveston just to eat there. But if you r a local and want a place where everyone knows your name then this might be for you. For me just doesn’t do it
Did meet sonny very nice man. I can see why people come back.

The four of us shared a whole muffelatto and a large order of French fries. Yum! Absolutely delicious. To our surprise the 85 year old owner came right to our table with jokes and tricks. It was very special. Thanks so much for a wonderful dinner.

Be sure to check hours of operation. Unilocal shows hours 11:00 am-9:30 pm. I found out today they actually open 11:00 am –2:00 pm and 5:00 — 9:30pm.
Got to eat here today.
Great Shrimp Gumbo. Only Fridays and some Saturdays.
Also Grilled Muffalata… heaven.
Yummy god.

Yet another cup of Gumbo. Came to Sonny’s to get a Muffaletta. We are running out of time in Galveston and this was on our «Must Eat» list. SO after an afternoon of running around we headed over to the easy to miss location not far from the Historic District. So glad we did this.
The place is a gem just to walk in to. The same atmosphere they have had for about a billion years, including the giant old cash register that while no longer used, still dominates the counter.
We apologized for not being hungry yet and ordered a whole muffaletta to go, grilled because they told us that was the way to do it. Good advice.
Grilled takes longer, and since this was a Friday, and they only have gumbo on Friday, we had to try a cup. Another good choice as this was the best yet in Galveston.
Then came the entertainment. Junior, the owner and I think I heard Sonny’s nephew walks about the bar meeting folks. His vaudeville schtick goes back to the borscht belt, starting with his squirting mustard on my wife’s white sweater (see photo). For those under 60, that means he tells old jokes, many old jokes… Not to be missed.
The young women at the bar still made the night encouraging us as we ate and talked while waiting for the take home order.
When we got back to the hotel we found enough food for a small army. Grilled is indeed an experience. Tomorrow we will find out if it improves as it ages.
Go to Sonny’s. On a Friday if you can.

Bar & grill doesn’t really evoke the proper image for Sonnys… Maybe tavern is old-​timey enough.
Is it a bar that serves reasonably priced, but damn good bar type food? Or is it an old fashioned (not retro, but actually old) grill that serves a wide variety of «American» food & has a bar in it? Will the building fall down around you while you are having a cardiac event from the food? Does it matter?
It is kid freindly, delicious, bad for your arteries, cheap, & you can get an alcholic beverage.

When my husband and I stumbled on Sonny’s looking for cheap, quick eats on our last night in Galveston, I did not expect what I got.
Sonny’s is a hidden gem. On the outside, it’s quaint and humble. On the inside, it’s a comfortable dive. This is a no frills, seat yourself kind of place. You get your soda in a can and your beer in a bottle. You get an icy pop for dessert. This is not a high class place, but it’s a place with just enough class.
I overheard Sonny himself making jokes and conversing with customers. He’s been doing this for some 64 years. Our server, Candace, was kind, helpful and quick.
DO NOT leave Sonny’s without trying the muffuletta. And make sure you order it grilled. Three days of trying all the hot spots in Galveston that are listed in all the «top ten» lists and none of them came close to this.
You will not be treated like royalty at Sonny’s. Your food won’t be pretty and you won’t get a waterside view. But you will get friendly service, family treatment and the best damn food you’ve eaten in a long time.
Tell your friends, but don’t tell too many. This place is best as it is – small and humble. Thank you for the best dinner of our vacation!

This is a place to take everyone, except your Foodie Friends. This is not high-​end or elegant food, but it is good and the hamburgers are great.
The fries are not homemade but once you put cheese and onions and jalapenos on there, who cares!
The spaghetti is very good. The price is very good. The wait staff are great.
Go for the atmosphere and burgers and you will really enjoy this place!

If you are looking for originality and good tastes, then stay away from this place! We ordered an appetizer, ate half of it, and then went to eat somewhere else. I asked the waitress if their chicken fried steak was homemade, her response, «no it’s frozen and comes out of a box.»
I do not understand any of the positive reviews on here! Hunts brand ketchup on the tables (not labeled for restaurant use) and NO SODA FOUNTAIN?! What triple D (which this place is not, so do not believe any reviews claiming otherwise) brings out a can of soda? This place is pathetic, save your time and money and go thru a drive-​thru at any fast food restaurant instead, you’ll be glad you did!