Sonny’s BBQ

Yes, it’s a chain but every time we go the food and service have been very good. The prices are reasonable, especially the Big Meal Deal for lunch.

Compared to my local BBQ joint back home (City BBQ) in Columbus Ohio this place needs to step up their game. Nice service, sub par bbq. The meat seemed dry like they had pre cut it and left it under a heat lamp.

Meh.
My server was friendly but never introduced himself… and didn’t check back later (see below)…
The Redneck egg rolls were pretty decent, albeit a bit greasy. Flavor was good.
The sandwich was definitely not what I expected. I was given the option of chopped or sliced brisket, so I opted for sliced, & I chose the garlic bread over whatever the other type was. What I received were 3 big chunks of meat on the stale-​ish bread, which I then proceeded to eat in pieces rather than sandwich bites. The meat wanted to pull apart the way a brisket should, but since these were chunks instead of slices, it was an awkward pull with big cells of meat kinda hanging on to not be pulled apart.
Server also never asked me how the food was, or he would have seen the pieces broken apart on my «plate.» Then again, maybe he wouldn’t have bothered to look, since he hadn’t seemed to notice during the dozen times he walked by me.
The meat did have a smoky flavor, but not a noticeable smoke ring. Just slightly pink. I also left a big piece of it untouched because it was just too fatty.
Ahhhh, it wanted to be bbq. Maybe even actually tried. And this is a chain… but I won’t be rushing back to Sonny’s when I’m in the area again.

Needed some late take out food. Found out the kids burger for $ 4.99 was the same as adult burger. DEAL! Delicious as well. I also grabbed some onion rings as well. Fantastic. The gal helping was incredible. Saw the burger they served up and sent it back and made them do it again. Quality control. I like that. The only reason I did t give it 5 is the place was a bit run down, but I wouldn’t hesitate going back!

On our way home to Fernandina from a car show in Zephrhills. Decided to stop for some Que. Food came out quickly & was excellent. The restaurant was super clean & our waitress Natasha was fantastic. All of the staff were very friendly. We will definitely go back to this Sonny’s again!

The chicken was moist and tasty and I loved the onion rings. My husband got fried Okra with his sliced pork meal and that was tasty also. Desert was excellent and the service was fast and friendly. I would one back to this location again.

30 plus minute wait for food in an empty place. Then food was cold. Ordered fries well done and they are barely cooked and when I asked server in front of manager how I order and s he said well done she laughed. Real customer service not

The food was good. however, our entres were brought to the table as we were starting to eat our salads. It made things very crowded on the table.

Service was great, and the portions are generous. The ribs were tender and flavorful, not too salty like some other bbq places. Will definitely come back.

We’ve come to this sonnys for several years and enjoyed the food but recently the quality has taken a dive! The ribs are tough and dry… the salad greens are not cleaned properly… i had to pick out half of the salad greens because they were brown and slimy… yuck

We stopped here on our way home to Chicago from Orlando. It was a great find for something quick. Very hearty. Loved the giant cups of sweet tea! The redneck egg rolls were awesome too!

Omg the redneck egg rolls, salad bar was fresh w lots of choices & the brisket was cooked perfect.

This chain is a staple of southern BBQ flavor! Get the «big deal» pulled pork on garlic Texas toast with dripping sweet bbq sauce and a side of fried okra with ranch dipping sauce!

All you can eat BBQ! Foodgasm! Chicken and ribs and pulled pork — oh my!
Sure, this is basically chain restaurant BBQ but for the cheapo prices it can’t be beat for when an urge to consume monsterous amounts of meat strikes.
My sis took me here down where she lives in Ocala for a late lunch before we did the Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing. When we arrived during lunchtime midweek the joint was empty. Kind of strange but then again there are not that many people in this area. Clean looking, and we also had our choice of tables to sit at. I thought the service was fine and our waitress called me «sweetie». Southern charm.
Immediately I dug into the ALL YOU CAN EAT option — Sliced or pulled pork, sliced or pulled beef brisket, sweet & smokey ribs, classic dry rub ribs, or Bar-​B-​Q chicken. Yes, UNLIMITED MEAT. Overall, not bad. Good ribs and BBQ chicken. Cornbread and sweet potato too. I filled up my plate over and over. I think it was something like $ 12.99. I was like a dog that if you keep feeding will eat until it explodes.
Again, it’s chain BBQ so rate it for what it is. This ain’t no Michelin ranked joint!
Good thing the racing museum had no crazy rides in it or fast moving features as I had the meat sweats hard core!

Their center cut sliced pork is great. If you want great baby back ribs I would go to one of the four Oakwood rest. Leesburg, Eustis or next to Citrus tower in Clermont as they have the best ribs in Florida

Horribly run restaurant– 8 tables open, no sense of urgency or even friendliness… over heard one waitress say «I refuse to bus tables» as she rolled her eyes at us… finally got seated, gave us «insert» menus… then left us there… forever…
So we walked out– manager looked at me and said «have a nice day” — so I told him what happened– his response was «who said that??” — my response was «I cannot remember, but you have an issue»
It was a shame, because I ate here before, and it was good
–waitresses AND managers who do not bus tables
–dirty dinning room (makes you wonder what the kitchen looks like)
–unfriendly
Whoever runs this location has a true issue at the top
I do not like to leave negative reviews (I am thinking this May be my first on Unilocal) but someone has to say something
I hope the people who run this place read this, and take it to heart– good people are not hard to find when they are led well

I saw 2 servers working in my area. One was great and well we had the other. I was never asked for refills or had the chance to ask myself. The food was fine, I recommend the pulled pork,

My husband and I have been avid Sonny’s customers for decades and have enjoyed their awesome smokey barbecue chicken, ribs and pulled pork. However, when we dined at this Ocala location over the weekend, we encountered our first disappointment with this chain.
First let me say that the pulled pork platter I ordered was okay. The pulled pork was tender and already sweet so it didn’t need any of the assorted sauces that were on the table. My husband had a taste of it and said that it was cold. (Although it was not piping hot, I didn’t think it was cold.) The sides of cole slaw and garlic bread were adequate. The baked beans, however, tasted like they had been sitting around for a while.
The main problem was with the bbq chicken that my husband ordered. Normally when we order chicken at a Sonny’s restaurant, it comes out dark, smokey and fully cooked to the bone. At this location, the chicken was barely a golden color and when my husband cut into it, it was blood red near the bone. It also didn’t have that wonderful smokey flavor that one usually associates with Sonny’s. It almost tasted like it was baked in an oven. Our server told us that it was red because it was smoked. We didn’t buy that for a minute but she had such a pleasant tableside manner that we just gave her a pass on the issue.
Oddly enough, we overheard a customer behind us tell our waitress that she also had to send a dish back on a previous visit because it was not done enough to her liking. That should have given us a clue.
I have contacted Sonny’s and made them aware of our experience in the hopes that the kitchen will improve. As for the service, it was flawless. At least the front of the house is in good order.

The Sunday afternoon stop… # love my cheese cubes and peppers

Sonny’s, where have you been all my life? Not in miami thats for sure. $ 10.99 all you can eat ribs and sauces to choose from. Really delicious ribs! If you’re ever in central florida, stop on in. It’ll put Shorty’s to shame!