This is the first time I've been disappointed with Sonny's Barbecue. I usually enjoy going there because they do a great job with their pulled pork, ensuring it's not overly fatty and has a nice smoky flavor. Unfortunately, this location was different. The pork I received was very fatty, and it lacked the usual smoky taste I love. As for the sweet potato, it seemed like it had been overcooked, resulting in a dried, caramelized texture inside. Overall, it was not a great experience. I travel for work and have visited numerous Sonny's locations, which I appreciate for their consistency, but the food I had today was far from satisfactory. I'm really disappointed. read more

Really bummed on the service. Went in to grab a Togo order walked in around at 8:50pm on a Friday night they closed at 9:30. I totally get that everyone wanted to go home but we weren't going to stay. I asked if I could place my Togo order at the bar and they said yes. There were 3 people sitting at the bar already. I asked the bartender if I could grab a beer and place my order she said yes and then completely ignored like kept her back to me. I finally went to the front because I wanted to get out of there. The front window was really nice and helpful. Food was good. I always enjoy the food. read more

I stopped in here twice during the holidays. The first time was driving back home from Atlanta after Thanksgiving. On this visit, I dined inside. I ordered the Pork Big Deal Sandwich. Sliced pork on garlic bread served with French fries and an industrial sized sweet tea. The sandwich was good, with plenty of sliced pork accompanied with a big helping of French fries. The dining room area is clean, and the service was good. I wish I had the name of my waitress, but a shout out to her for great service. My second visit was on the way up to Atlanta for Christmas. I decided to order at the drive thru. As usual, there are several cars in front of me. And that one customer who has a problem placing an order. The employee working the drive thru was friendly and helpful. That helped after the wait. I ordered the Pork Big Deal again. And it was just as good as on my first visit. And my meal on both visits cost $10.75. Which is a lot better than some of the burger chains. I would take this sandwich over a burger from a fast-food place anytime. I will most likely stop in here again when I make that drive on Interstate 75. read more

Oh my goodness. This place is amazing!!!!! Tried their pulled pork sandwich with mac and cheese and unsweet tea. Also tried their dry rub ribs, sliced pork, baked beans, green beans and corn bread. By far the best BBQ I've ever had. Everything was fresh and juicy. All the sides were homemade. I'm a snob on tea and their tea was wonderful! From OKLAHOMA and I wish we had BBQ like this place. Service was fast and friendly too. Placed our order to go. Had already started eating before I thought to take a picture. read more

Sonny's BBQ - Already ate like half of it before I thought to take a picture. - Barbeque Near Me - Alachua, Florida

When you step into any Sonny's BBQ, you know how the food will taste as it tastes the same, wherever. So the difference in one location compared to another is the staff. We stopped at the location in Alachua FL making our way back home after summer vacation and were delighted to be served by Taylor. She was welcoming and even worked the upsells ("only $4 more") at a nearby table. Taylor engaged our 3 kids as each ordered and visited our table at just the right cadence - the delicate balance between someone chewing and before a beverage refill is needed. She offered the usual to-go cups, etc. and did what was expected of a good server. Taylor's HOW was what made our dining experience really great. Yay Taylor! read more

Clean and good seating. Delicious BBQ and great service from our server Melanie! The best BBQ I've had in a long time. Try the smoked wings and all the different bbq sauces. read more

Sonny's BBQ - Smoked wings, 1/4 Chicken Combo. - Barbeque Near Me - Alachua, Florida

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First time in 30 plus years that I had a hamburger at Sunny's. I just never think of them and always get barbecue. Well let me tell you, it was well worth it. Nice charbroil burger and grilled bun with all the fixins. Give it a try next time. read more

In the first 25 minutes of our visit I was worried but when the food finally came I was impressed!! The ribs were tender and had a great flavor, the sliced was tender and not a lot of fat. The place is very casual with 4 televisions, all with basketball, read more

Sonny's BBQ - My appetizer - Barbeque Near Me - Alachua, Florida

Food was very good. Would definitely go back! Service was ok, we got charged for second order of wings that we did not order and I did not notice it on the bill until after we left, I called them and they said they were sorry and would fix the charge on my credit card. They use handheld device for payment so I did not see what was on the bill until after I signed for it and asked for a printed receipt. They resolved it without any hassle so I would definitely go back. read more

Server Had attitude when we set down, husband ordered ayce pork,I ordered beans and Frank's, asked for franks on the side, I don't eat meat and husband normally eats the dogs next day. Never received my garlic bread, kept asking, she finally brings it out on top of my husbands second order of pork. Yuck. We then realized that I left my cell phone at bmx track in high springs, told her, she said she would get our ticket, still quite unfriendly. My husband asked for a to go box as she was walking off (my food, as we had to go, bmx person was waiting on us to shut gate. She yelled across the room , you can't have a to go box, mind you, it was my complete meal, husband only ordered one extra pork and NO extra sides, he ate all his food quickly, as we had to go, never any intention to take any of his food, just my plate I did not eat and I paid for. She sits down at our booth and starts arguing with us says she is top server here, I told her as rude as she is, glad she was never my server, she replies glad you were never my customers, mind you we come here 6-8 times a month, loved this particular Sonny's, best servers ever! Brag on this restaurant to all our friends. But we always come before 6pm. Black tall man comes to our table and states no to go box when anyone at the table orders ayce, huh? I've been eating at Sonny's for 40 years, never been told I cannot take my food home, I was not dining ayce, I don't eat meat!! All I wanted was my food to go, as I needed to rush and get my phone, I had not eaten all day! The man argues with us and even walks outside still fussing, I finally tell him to keep my box of food, I do t want it anymore, he does not take it and I toss it in the trash outside the door, my entire meal! a group of five people outside asked if still open, it's 8:40, he tells them, back is probably closed, but he would check. You close at 9pm, my take is they did not want customers after 8pm, we arrived a little after 8pm. (Contacted customer service a week ago,no response.) read more

It's been a decade or more since I've been to a Sonny's location anywhere primarily because there's just hasn't been one anywhere near me. Well living in Memphis for 25+ years before moving to the AL Gulf Coast might have had a little bit to do with it, I suppose :-) But let's get right to it, this particular location which I've never visited before. It's convenient to the interstate, it's clean and well lit and what I expected from other locations. The menu has changed and is a bit more well rounded with Pulled and Sliced Pork, Sliced Brisket, 1/2 or Pulled BBQ Chicken and Sweet & Smokey St. Louis Ribs and Dry or Wet Wings, and Smoked Turkey being the headliners. The salads are pretty standard but the BBQ Cobb looks new and interesting. So I wanted to get a flavor of how the Q was these days so I naturally chose the "Sonny's Sampler which was Pulled Pork, Sliced Brisket, 1/4 BBQ Chicken and Sweet & the DRY Smokey St. Louis Ribs with the cornbread muffin and coleslaw and beans sides. Overall the meats were a little smokey, which is good, but the ribs were a bit too dry. The brisket and pulled pork were somewhat bland but moist and cooked well. The cornbread was edible but the beans and coleslaw were quite good. The savior is the 4 sauces on the table, original, sweet, smokey and sizzlin' as I was free wheeling with different combination to help the meats. Bottom line: In general it's fairly generic BBQ, it's not fantastic but not bad either, just so-so. The service was good, the price was middle of the road and it was really fast. Note: I don't frequent chain restaurants because I'm all about supporting local biz and besides chicken parmesan at Olive Garden in Orlando is one inevitably going to taste just like the chicken parmesan at Olive Garden in Honolulu or any of the other 875 locations, right? Why did I pick on Olive Garden you might ask, hmmm. Well I don't go there any more after reading about my fav chic parm there. According to a woman who worked at Olive Garden for 10 years, as reported in Newsweek last year, said" it's not 100 percent chicken, and the chicken that comes on the never-ending pasta bowl is actually canned chicken." https://www.newsweek.com/woman-who-worked-olive-garden-10-years-exposes-horrifying-restaurant-secrets-1597289 I think I'll post a review about some of the things to watch for when dining at chains in the future, I mean a heads up on McDonald's pink slime and the like is good information to pass around, no? read more

was promptly greeted by a friendly young man. We were taking to our choice of table, the restaurant appears clean. We were greeted by a waitress who is very polite, friendly and suggested the different types of food shows the beef brisket signature BBQ. I got macaron cheese and okra. My wife got your sweet potato and corn nuggets read more

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Love this place. We are a small town and dinning options are limited but John the manager has done a great job with this place . He constantly checks on customers and staff is so friendly . The place is very clean and Amelia was wonderful today read more

Ordered sides from catering dept to be picked up at Sonny's in Alachua. The order was confirmed by email, my credit card was charged. When we got there to pick up the sides, the staff had no order, no idea, no info, NADA. Meanwhile our 30+ guests were waiting for dinner. Very disappointed. The G.M. of Sonny's in Alachua called me to apologize for the incident that happened above. He assured me that he would better train his manager and staff so this does not happen again. As we enjoy eating at our local Sonny's BBQ in Alachua, he offered credits for meals to get us back in the door and make us happy. I appreciate the personal contact from John, G.M. He also gave me his personal phone number so that if there were ever a problem in the future, I could reach out to him. Well done. read more

Excellent food. I had the baby back ribs and the wife had a barbecue salad. Service was outstanding. Place was nice and clean. Only issue I found was that there were no take out menus. There is a drive thru also for pickup. read more

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Best brisket and ribs for the price! Quick, attentive, and friendly service. Plus a full service bar!

The best bbq around, super friendly staff, great service and great food. Modern yet casual dining experience.

Has to wait to sit down and then people that were seated after us were served before us. Waitress was rude and not very intelligent, maybe even stoned. If I could give no stars I would. Have been here another time when they were out of ribs, but didn't tell us until we had been there for about 20 minutes. Awful management. read more

The food is somehow never hot when I come here, just a lukewarm, like it's been sitting in a warmer. The taste is fine, and the service is good, but you could do better if you're looking for BBQ. read more

It's not bad but not great sadly. They actually gave our food away to another customer because they get busy at lunch and decided to have to pick up orders park beside those waiting still from the drive thru and got confused. But the food of course was good as usual but their beans recipe has also changed. Real unfortunate. read more

Traveling on the way to GA & stopped by, customer service gr8 & even though my order was Take Out I was greeted 2x, 1x while waiting in my car and 2x someone called me to reassure my order. Babyback Ribs were nice and tender w/ sweet potato and beans mm mmm mmmm read more

Sonny's BBQ - a person holding a tray of food - Barbeque Near Me - Alachua, Florida

I travel I-75 a lot visiting family. I cannot pass exit 399 without stopping in for a bite. Usually call a friend in the area and meet them for lunch or dinner. Always good and the service is great. Place is always neat and clean. I will be back. read more

Not a particularly good visit last night. Took forever to get my drink. Took even longer for our food to come out. When the food did come out one plate had an ample amount of fries and the other plate had a minuscule amount of fries. One of the chicken tenders was too tough to eat. Didn't get my salad plate until after entrees came. Had to ask again for soup. There appeared to be plenty of waitstaff per table. Steak burger was prepared perfectly. I eat here often. Things have been going downhill here over the past month. I like Sonny's. It's time for this location to step it up. Please stop chopping all the vegetables at the salad bar the same. It's makes them textureless and boring. read more

Made the visit twice! Get the banana pudding... It's really good! Pulled pork was also delicious.

Everything was great from the service to the food, will recommend A++ will return soon

Started off with BBQ Fries. They arrived at our table and they look yummy. But the server never left silverware. So we started eating with our fingers. Kinda messy. Finally after a few minutes the server came back to the table. She was very apologetic about not leaving silverware. She also made sure are drinks were always filled. BBQ salad with pulled chicken was amazing. Was going for a 3 star but changed it to 4 star. read more

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

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Good food. Good service! Parking can be a challenge, especially if you're handicapped!

Fantastic service! We visited this Sonny's twice during a trip to Fort White, and the people at Sonny's were super friendly and welcoming both times. The food was excellent! While I don't think we're BBQ snobs, we spent enough time in Texas to really appreciate good BBQ... and this is it, folks. Highly recommend this place, and really appreciate how great the employees are. read more

Delicious Dinner. Bbq Cobb Salad with Smoke Turkey. We also had a Sonny's Sampler which we always enjoy the variety of meats. Waitress was great we even met the GM very friendly & welcoming. We will be back!! read more

Broke 2 teeth on a bone in a red neck egg roll. The bone was the size of a quarter. The manager (Amy) did an incident report and said that someone would get in touch with me in a few days. After 3 weeks and 4 phone calls, I still have not heard a word from anyone about my teeth. The service was terrible, the food was cold, and there were only 4 groups in the restaurant. This has always been my favorite Sonny's, as I have been a customer for 47 years, but this location has gone down hill! read more

Sonny's BBQ - Bone the size of a quarter in my Red Neck Eggroll. - Barbeque Near Me - Alachua, Florida

If I could no stars I would. Walked in no one acknowledged us or the people in front of us. Servers were arguing among themselves. Ask the person in the Togo area if anyone working the hostess area after 15 minutes she didn't answered and disappeared and didn't return. One waitress finally started seating people. We ordered our food after the waitress finally came. After getting our drinks 25 minutes later still no food and waitress had disappeared we decided to to just leave. No management anywhere. Very sad as this use to be the best Sonnys around. read more

We arrived when a bunch of others did so we had to wait a while to be seated. Every server that walked by us said they would be right with us, lol. When we finally got seated in Sarah booth she was great The food came out fast and was good. Sarah kept our drinks full and made sure we had everything we needed. She even laughed off my daughter having to have her pizza hut pizza. read more

I love this Sonny's. The staff is kind and hardworking and the food is always delicious. Love coming here:) read more

Sonny's BBQ - Pork 3 ways - Barbeque Near Me - Alachua, Florida

I will be honest. If this had been two years ago it would have been three stars at best. Not sure what happened but the last three times have been outstanding. Maybe two years in Hawaii with no Sonny's made the heart grow fonder. Yes for the first visit but that honeymoon is over and the quality is still good. Every aspect from cleanliness, friendly servers and just darn good BBQ. The big deal sandwich side and drink is awesome and I tried pork three ways and all three were great. Mr. Tillman would be proud. read more

Food was fresh and delicious. Got a large pulled chicken BBQ salad was crisp and cold. Service was excellent!

Tried to eat here tonight as we walked in employee yelling how no one cares here taking care of customers, no manager then told not enough servers and would be a wait to even sit at table servers overwhelmed maybe 50% of restaurant seated!! Have lots been here before as well as other Sonnys We know staff shortage nation wide so will try again in future!! Will give 2 stars today due to past history read more

Very friendly staff, although they were understaffed due to COVID they still did a fantastic job at serving us

Delicious food, fast and friendly service, and great prices - the best place in Alachua to grab a bite to eat! My friend and I had lunch and were sat with Amber, she gave us the best service, attended to our every need, and ensured we were completely satisfied! I highly recommend the Sweet Carolina Big Deal with Fried Okra! read more

Tena, my server, was attentive. The food, however, was lackluster. It honestly all tasted microwaved. Nothing stood out as particularly tasty. But this is what I get for going to a chain restaurant. Now I just wish I had my $25 back. read more

So so barbecue. Usually cold and overcooked. Sides not even that great. It's the south so you would think they would do better. Usually crowded which surprises me. read more