Sonny's BBQ in Lakeland - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

Always clean. Food always good. Service is helpful

I love barbeque but probably won't be back to this sonny's super slow staff rude and didn't care . There are way to many other barbeques in the area to wait around for dlow rude sevice

Spare ribs were great & love their beans & coleslaw

Sat for 10 min while never being acknowledged, counter at the bar was really dirty hasn't been wiped down in a while decided to leave and eat elsewhere.

Excellent bbq restaurant. Great food and service every time I go.

Friendly server, tasty food. I believe they changed their cornbread.

Everything was perfect. I love the fried okra. It is always fabulous!

Would of been higher if I didn't have to wait over an hour at the restaurant for a Togo order.

I Placed an order via their app, after getting there in the appointment time, i went thru drive thru, no response, waited at drive thru window, no response, moved to a parking spot, no response. Due to limited walking capabilities, I waited in my car for my food. I waited a total of approximately 30 minutes in my car at 98° after spending 15 minutes on the phone the employee came out with my food and proceed to inform me she was the only one in there, seating guest, taking regular orders, taking phone orders and doing drive thru. Poor scheduling, poor management, poor customer service. This location really needs help.

On my last day in Central Florida, after a refreshing dip in the pool, I decided to satisfy my hunger with some good ol’ barbecue. Not far from the hotel, I spotted a Sonny’s restaurant. I hadn’t been to Sonny’s in over 30 years, so I figured it was time for a reunion. As soon as I walked in, the place smelled like a barbecue lover’s dream. It had that perfect balance—welcoming but not trying too hard. The five or so staff members I saw were zipping around the place like they were on a mission, each one expertly handling their stations with purpose and determination. Within about three minutes of sitting at the bar and browsing the menu, I was greeted by a professionally cheery young woman. Since I had already had a few minutes to look over the menu, I knew exactly what I wanted: the Sonny’s Sampler, a pitmaster’s dream plate featuring pulled pork, sliced brisket, a quarter barbecue chicken, and sweet and smoky ribs. It was $18.99 and packed a whopping 1,960 calories. I also ordered the mac & cheese and homemade coleslaw, pushing the total calorie count to around 2,500. Since I’ll be sharing this feast with my best friend while we chill poolside, it’s just the right amount of food. Of course, I had to sample everything before I left the restaurant with my takeout order. If you’re a barbecue lover like I am, you’d absolutely appreciate the consistent quality and flavor in their food and recipes. The sides? They were just right—nothing mind-blowing, but exactly what you’d want with a solid barbecue meal. In less than 15 minutes, the order was ready to go. Another young woman about my age was cleaving the counter near me and the windows behind me. I asked if I could get some of her Windex to clean my glasses. She beamed at me and helped me out. It was really sweet. She gave me this most radiant smile. The crew chief offered to compliment me with s sweet iced tea because Apple Pay wasn’t working and she had to actually run my card through old school style.

What a wonderful meal and the service was amazing! "Cat" is so friendly and attentive! Thank you Sonny's for employing the best people!

What are the best places for barbecue loved it 😉

Loved it Very moderate pricing.

Always enjoy my meals at Sonny’s. Clean restaurant and food comes out fast. 1 complaint tho, Tina needs customer service and serving etiquette. She always has a sour look on her face and isn’t very personable or professional.

This is an amazing place for barbecue and great service. The food was quick to come out and was hot. It was delicious and our server Kat was great. She was quick and helpful. I recommend coming here especially with family!

Fairly typical sonny's, though even woth a group this one seems just a bit better than the rest lately.

Unfortunately, this time the redneck egg rolls were burnt & no sauce was included, even though I requested extra sauce

Delicious BBQ and sweet tea, always great!

Food is always and consistently delicious.

Went there for dinner. Waited 45 minutes, only got 2 iced teas. Was told they were out of what we both ordered, but it would be coming out soon. Another 15 minutes, nothing. I had given this place another chance after having a similar experience the last time. The manager acted like she didn't care. Will not be going back after the attitude we got. Ridiculous!

Didnt even get to try my food as i waited at drive thru window for 10 min and nobody came. Trash service.

My husband and I got to the restaurant around 1230. My son and his two boys got to the restaurant 10 minutes later and my son called my other grandson told him we are ordering. Where are you five minutes he was walking in the restaurant and ordered from that point we waited 45 minutes For food when I went to the front to ask them what’s going on with our food? Because we did not see our waitress anywhere I asked for the manager they said the two manager are working in the pit on the barbecue grill so I said whenever they’re available the manager came to our table and couldn’t no responsibility whatsoever that the food was 45 minutes behind and was sitting in the window For 30 of that 45 minutes and we were served cold food So the manager sent out a little bit of warm food with the sarcastic attitude, she went back to the pit. I do not believe I will come to the restaurant again. These people need some serious training on waitressing and how to address the customer. In spite of it all we did leave a large tip. Please get your training in order.

There were so many people there & not a lot of staff to cover. They all did a great job. Especially our server, Terri. She made us feel like we were the most important ones there even though she was running like crazy. So was everyone else The food was fresh & delicious. It had been a while since we were in a Sonny's. I'm so happy we were not disappointed. The biggest surprise was how good the new summer shanty ale was. It had just the right taste, light, cool & refreshing to compliment the food we enjoyed

Great food, great portions. Super unfriendly waitress didn’t even bothered to introduce herself. Funny anecdote, she will smile and talk to English speaking clients but for us, we got no greeting, threw the straws on the table when she brought our drinks, in a rush. Not even half way or our dinner and she asked if we wanted dessert and brought the to go bowls. Next time she came around she brought the ticket. There are empty tables and no line at the door so I wonder why she was in a hurry with us. It’s sad that people behave like this in a industry where customer service is a must. Looking at other waitresses around they are smiling and talking to there customers. We felt discriminated by this waitress. First and last time here.

I had a curbside. I ensured to put my parking lot slot in as well as I called I waited 30 minutes for them to tell me my food was sitting there getting cold very unprofessional. I paid too much money for unprofessionalism.

We stopped in here for a quick family dinner. The food was delicious but for some reason the kitchen was backed up. It took an extra long time to get everything. Our waitress looked like she was a little frazzled and it took a long time to get anything including a box and a check.

I don’t know if this is just a summer thing but the bbq bowl was amazing. Pork, Mac n chz, coleslaw and beans. Service was great and for being lunchtime on a Thursday it wasn’t too busy.

Wanted some ribs today. Stopped by Sonny's BBQ. Got the Pick 3 Combo to go. You pick 3 items from several different items. I picked Baby Back Ribs, Sweet & Smokey Ribs, and Jalapeno and Cheese Sausage. It came with garlic bread and 2 sides (I had BBQ beans and coleslaw). Food was great. Will be back to try other items.

I worked at the one in plant city years ago.my husband,who us picky,really enjoyed the food.its alwaysbeen good there

My wife and I were at the restaurant today and in my 77 years the worst experience at your restaurant ever, the service was great but the food was lacking the chicken was rubbery in our opinion not fit to eat but it will not stop us from attending the restaurant

It's always a great vibe , an customer service is usually on point 👉

Waitress spent more time in the back room eating. We’re waiting on our food for about 20 minutes. Then we waited on a box or ticket to pay for another 25 minutes or more. No sense of urgency.

BBQ is good not great. Prices are fair. Service is always friendly, but not always fast. Stay away from the drive thru unless you have an hour.

We waited 15 minutes to just get our drinks and they didn't even give me the right drink I ordered root beer and they gave me Pepsi or coke and then we waited a hour and a half for our food to come and when it did it was med.... could have been better I've definitely had better service there before

It was sonnys! I'm not a big sonnys fan but my wife is. But it was exactly what sonnys has always been like. The server was nice. The food was fresh and good.

Waited ten minutes just to get seated, not busy. food was so so. I can understand why some Sonny's are closing.

Always a great place at reasonable prices.

Good food but a little on the pricey side We only go these days when someone in my family is craving their smoked turkey. They do have a good selection and variety and the service is always good.

Heather and Stephanie catered our employee appreciation luncheon, we did set up and serve with three meats, three sides, and drinks. These ladies arrived early, provided everything we needed including table cloths, they were professional and friendly! The feedback on the food was astoundingly positive, would highly recommend for your next company event.

Walked in and waited to be seated. 4 people were working the front. Not one person greeted us, acknowledged us, or sat us. We wait for about 10 minutes before we left and went to a different restaurant. Just from this experience, I wouldn't recommend or go back.

Best bbq in town with out a doubt! Four rivers not close and the rest in the dust! No one comes close period!!!

we were here Sunday June 2, 2024. the place was packed,only down part of our awesome experience was that the seater wasn't friendly at all, not even a welcome. but the food was super delicious, big portions..... actually, huge portions. great prices and our server, Cat, was out of this world, super friendly, and with all the tables that she had, she didn't missed anything.

It was horrible the ribs were dried out.the tator tots were over cooked and the pork egg rolls were also over cooked and hard but the tea was good and the waitress was very nice not much else I can really say about it except the one on 301 was better

First of all I placed a curbside order that was to be ready at 6:55pm for pick up. After checking in and waiting ten minutes I went inside. I see one young lady, I believe her name is Tiffany scrambling to get orders together but the product is not up for her to bag....I see no manager and Noone trying g to assist her and there is other people waiting on their orders as well. This is when a manager should either step up and assist or assign someone to assist. I stood waiting until after 7:30 to recieve an order that is 30 minutes past the designated pick up time. The only apology I received was from Tiffany. I do understand restaurants get busy and get behind but when they do a manager should be there to speak to customers and atleast say I'm sorry we are a little behind. It is poor management that would allow one person to carry all that weight instead of seeing there is a back up and stepping in.

Good food, tasty in-house BBQ sauces, wonderful service from Tiffany. This could have been five stars all round but the undercooked fries & the small portion let it down. Otherwise it's a great place to eat.

Good food at a good cost. Wish there was one in the Knoxville area

Elani was really sweet to me, my husband, and my kids. She was very patient with us all and she talked to us in a sweet tone.

Ordered to-go meals for 6:15 pm pick-up. Arrived at 6:15, send notification that I was there, received acknowledgment and food brought to car within just a few minutes. All food was there which was not the last time I did a to-go order. Very pleased with service even though there were so many customers there.

Never had bad experience with this location.

Had not been here in years to any location. This location I can say had great service and food was outstanding. Will be back

Food was delicious and staff was nice. Only downside was they were very backed up with orders and they took 1 hour and 40 minutes to prepare our order for 5 people.

Large portions. Macaroni and cheese is really good. One of the few places that has corn fritters, delicious.

Server Isaac was extremely good. Food was hot. We got our dinners within 10 minute We had Pork/ Ribs special. Yummy 😋

Had a great meal at a great price. Service was excellent.

Ordered the feast for four to go when I arrived to pick it up.I was told they didnt have corn and would substitute it. Ok. Then some how they found corn. Pork and beef was tender and good taste. Chicken was some what dry. I have ordered this meal for years and just seems to smaller in quanity and higher in price.

My spouse an i decided to stop here on the way home for dinner an to be honest our bbq egg rolls were good but my spouses dinner,the brisket looked like it was cooked in a pressure cooker(tasted like rubber only ate 4 bites an my side of French fries VERY unhappy.For the price you would think it would be able to eat it.....Our waitress Mia was awesome other wise honestly dnt think we will be back.

The lady working the drive thru was optimistic and upbeat. She was friendly and very pleasant to interact with and more people she be able to behave like her

Food was fantastic and server was full of personality!

Please bring back the salad bar.

Asked for sandwich combo got only brisket,fries and a bread

Ribs and Mac and cheese were great

Young staff not trained properly our food was served cold we sent it back. It was cold the second time.

Order takeout forgot half my order waited 30 minutes in a not busy time always check your order before leaving

Went through the drive thru with no one in it after placing a mobile order and they wouldn’t give me my food. Literally so rude. I already paid for it.

Delicious food, great prices, nice clean restaurant. Our server Isaac was amazing! These days good service is hard to come by, highly recommend this location

Pulled pork on garlic bread. Coleslaw, fries and baked beans for sides. Taste sensation. Sonny's is always a hit

I love Sonny’s BBQ, but for some reason this trip was not as good as usual. Less flavor and overcooked meat. I’ll try again soon.

New food on the menu ! Amazing as always!

Really the chicken BBQ not have nothing seasoning, not had flavor , the pulled pork is ok the bread with garlic good and the Mac and cheese , but the ribs and the chicken need some seasonings....

Tiffany is the best server! She was running her butt off and still gave us amazing service. Good was delicious as always.

The food here was so delicious, our server was awesome too she was very busy but seemed to look after us just fine , looking forward to another visit here .

This is 98 north location will not return waitress very snobby and rude just because I asked for REDNECK EGG ROLLS she rolled her eyes and said I don't call them that then was out of sliced pork didn't offer anything else to us...

Heather and the team at Sonny's are amazing! I had a wonderful experience there! Everyone is super friendly, and my food came out FAST!!!!!!! I couldn't decide what to order, so Heather suggested her favorite AND gifted me with a delicious surprise! Super sweet! THANK YOU! Everything was wonderful! I enjoyed it! I'm so glad I came in today! I'm new to the area and wasn't sure where to go! Definitely recommend eating here!

Sonny’s is always good food and service.

It was freezing during our meal today. Asked server to see if she could turn off the fan blowing directly above us or adjust temp. She came back and said "the manager says it's on a timer and he can't adjust it". Yes, really! Apparently customer comfort doesn't matter here! Unfortunately this happened to us here before and we got the same excuse, but thought we'd give them a second chance. I had notified Sonny's corporate after our previous freeze out but apparently they didn't care either! Won't be back, and consider this a warning to others! I recommend going to a restaurant where the manager actually has control over the temperature, and where customers matter. Picture is of my wife trying to stay warm with paper towels.

This restaurant has good food, if they get it to you while it's hot. Our server was super nice. The egg rolls were delicious and hot. It took forever to get our main course. They ran out of sweet potatoes and asked us if we'd like regular baked potatoes. They were barely warm and not cooked all the way. Baked beans were cold. They did give some extra ribs. The brisket grilled cheese was delicious.

Stood in the lobby for 5 minutes and wasn’t even greeted. Then watched the big lady with the black hair at the front folding silverware be very condescending to who I assume is a trainee. Ended up walking out and heard the lady say “oh they walked out, oh well” as if she had even said “Hello” when we walked in. She obviously doesn’t care and should just stay home Was my first time coming and never coming back, I know yall don’t care but just so other people are aware.

Great meals with very quick service. Our server, Elani, was efficient and checked often to see if we were in need of anything.

We tried to have dinner here the other day on our way through from Orlando, but gave up after twenty minutes of sitting at the bar. About five minutes in a bartender came by and said she’d be right with us. Fifteen minutes later we just walked out.

Great place!!! Great food!!! Amazing service!!!

I brought my workers in to eat and we all got sick 🤮

I literally sat outside looking to see what time they closed which I found out was 930, and it was 9:10 so I went through the drive-thru and sat there for almost 5 minutes realizing nobody was going to come and it was about 9:15. I pulled up to the drive-thru window saw them on the phone and chatting it up not paying anybody any attention I said okay well maybe the drive through is closed. Went to the front knocked on the door and the one chick behind the counter got mad! Im looking right at her and told somebody else somebody was at the door. Somebody else came unlock the door because yes it was locked and it was still not 9:30 and I said are y'all closed because online it says you close at 9:30. She said sure for takeout? I said you know what, nevermind. Like if y'all that sketchy I'm not eating nothing from here!!!!! Nasty ole attitudes and the door was LOCKED so obviously y'all don't feel earning your paycheck!

Not 5 star food but great food for the money

just for deliverys is vthe worst rest in town, you have to wait for 25 min for 1 order uber , doordash , etc no mmanager , lazy people, not recommend for take out Worst

We got there around 4ish I had a brisket sandwich It was tough and dried out french fries were half cooked. I had to chew on the brisket a long time and it was hard to cut . I typically do not eat out at that particular part of the day bcuz that's what you get Your eating the same batch of food that the people ate at 12 noon when it was hot and delicious same thing as going to a restaurant like this 1 to 2 hours before they close . Buffets are bad late hours .Maybe Sonny's was just having a bad day that day but whoever put that awful brisket on my sandwich would not have if it was their sandwich they were making which to me should be the standard

OMG! The food was horrible. Chicken was tasteless, baked beans pasty and too sweet, ... the only good thing on that plate was the corn nuggets. The gentleman at the window was nice and humorous.

Sonny's is like everyone else. Less food and higher prices but the food and service were very good.

I truly am disappointed with this experience food wise. Our server , Jodi, provided great service even with being double sat. Ok, what did y'all do to the garlic bread... it tasted like the cheapest store brand ever. The baked beans tasted like churched up store brands. The pulled chicken was poorly pulled...looked as if the kitchen was in the weeds and just yanked big chunks with bone off the chicken instead of taking the time to actually properly pull it. The cole slaw has changed also...very bland and blah. What has happened to food quality and taste?

The Corn bread was delicious, the mac and cheese was really good, beans were ok, the smoked chicken was good, the brisket was good, and the ribs were delicious. The best part was I got to pick it up through a drive through, I got the sonny's sampler.

Sonnys is always a great choice! We frequent this location quite often, it's always clean, staff are always really friendly, and the food is always great!

Live this place. Food and service is excellent

Always enjoy Sonny's BBQ. My favorite food to get is sliced pork. I got it this visit. Twas excellent. Came with 2 friends after a movie. We all enjoyed our food. Service was friendly and efficient. There is a very relaxed atmosphere.

Fried green tomato BLT was nasty. Burnt beyond belief. Ordered again a month later, a big deal pork. Did not include coleslaw as my side. Called them, they said contact uber eats. This restaurant is going south in my rating. What happened?

Employees are so nice and the restaurant is clean and friendly. Really impressed with the service.

Pretty let down by the food :( but are server was good and attentive

They were out of Ribs, Chicken, Queso, Onion straws and when I asked to substitute the baby backs for the ribs they said no but server knocked it out of the park and saved the day!

The temperature inside the dining area was extremely cold. We asked the server to adjust the temperature ans nothing happened. It was 65 degree and service was ridiculously slow

Great waitress, great food and clean restaurant.

Me gustó mucho la costilla de cerdo

Again, service is great. Food is wonderful. Atmosphere, always way too cold. And need updated silverware and dishes.