Sonney’s BBQ Shack Bar & Grill

BBQ in Texas, BBQ in Tennessee & this place compares to the best of the south. Wonderful smokey ribs, chicken, mac cheese, greens, cheesy grits, jalapeño corn bread. Sonney’s does it right! Yummo!!!

We stopped in a Sonney’s for lunch on a Sunday, which is conveniently located on Hwy 89, about one mile north of the ⁸⁹⁄₅₀ junction.
It has a nice, rustic-​looking décor. The service was prompt and friendly. I recommend asking to sit in the restaurant side of the business, unless you want the noise and commotion of the bar side.
The food was great. We ordered pulled pork and the Classic BLT sandwich (which is made with Texas toast). The portions are huge. I would highly recommend Sonney’s to anyone looking for great BBQ.

Amazing. Always come here with in town and they never disappoint! The fried pickles are AMAZING!!!

I’m a baby back fan. I’ll go out of my way to find a good rib. I’ve eaten them all over the U.S., up and down the East Coast and the South as well as Kansas City. My #1 rib sits in Memphis, my #2 rib now sits in South Lake Tahoe. Sonney’s BBQ Shack was a wonderful discovery. We were returning from a trip to Emerald Bay and were hungry. Unilocal had listed and Sonney’s and we were actually passing it as I was trying to decide where lunch was going to be. I’m glad we stopped.
The hostess/​waitress was very nice, we were seated immediately. It’s an older building currently undergoing reconstruction but do NOT let that keep you away. We shared a rack of ribs. They were dry rubbed which is my favorite preparation. I’ve had a lot of bad ribs hidden under good BBQ sauce. Though they provide you with a variety of sauces, my ribs didn’t need any help, Sonney’s rub was world class. The ribs were properly cooked, smelled incredible and were just fun to eat. The sides were equally as good. I wish we’d had more time in town because I’d have loved to try their brisket because I’m pretty sure it would have been equally as good. With the cold beer that I selected, it was one of the better lunches that I’ve had in the last 63 years.
If you like damn fine BBQ, Sonney’s is an excellent place to try. I will return every time we return to South Lake Tahoe. I eat, it’s what I do. Sonney’s is a great place to do just that.

Fantastic food and great service. Our waiter recommended the smoked wings appetizer. They were amazing. Get them dry and then add your own sauce from the ones they offer at the table.
We split a combo platter and they brought an extra plate without us even asking. At the end of the meal they brought us steaming hot towels to use on our hands. Warning they are really hot. It’s the simple above and beyond gestures that make this place special. We would definitely go back.

A local suggested this place, and we noticed we had bookmarked it as a possibility to visit.
Upon arrival, we noticed they are under construction. Looks like they are adding on. We thought that might be a good sign.
Upon arrival, 11:00am, not busy at all and hostess was pleasant and let us sit where we would like.
Very friendly and gave us a few recommendations.
We ordered the pork ribs and brisket combo. It came with two sides and corn bread.
Chose greens and grits. Both were superb! Very good!
The pork ribs were cooked just right with a lot of flavor. Brisket was very good and moist.
Had the bread pudding for dessert and it did not disappoint!
My wife had the BLT. It came with a ton of bacon. It also came with one side, and she chose the garlic mashed potatoes. They were moist, and homemade! No boxed potatoes here. So good!
After the meal she ordered the strawberry parfait. Soft pound cake, whipped creamed and strawberries. Wow!!! Very good. The pound cake was nice and moist!
All in all, highly recommend!!!

Delicious BBQ! We actually didn’t get BBQ ribs, but the BBQ Pulled Pork Nachos were excellent! There was a nice balance of smokiness and saltiness in the pork. It was tender and it tasted great with the black beans, cheese, and other toppings. We ordered the nachos without sour cream and guacamole on the side, and they gave us a large container of guacamole. We ordered the food to go because we were driving back to the East Bay. If we ate in the restaurant, we would’ve ordered baby back ribs as well. I love love loveeee ribs, but again because we were driving back, I took the mess-​free option and ordered chicken strips. I know, I know. boring. and not what should be ordered at a BBQ spot, but I did it anyway haha. They gave us a container of their house BBQ sauce and it was soooo good! I even saved the leftover BBQ sauce and used it once we got home. The sauce was sweet, tangy and spicy! From looking at it, there was a lot of crushed black pepper. Yummy! The sauce was definitely more vinegary than some other BBQ sauces, but the consistency of Sonney’s BBQ sauce was on point! I like that a dip in the BBQ sauce gives you the perfect amount on your meat. No one wants meat to their BBQ sauce. It should be BBQ sauce with your meat! Again, this is a great place to go for BBQ anything. If they were located a bit closer, I’d probably go once a week…

Don’t wanna risk All Ribs being sold out Off Season. Go on Tuesday Lunch. They Smoke ribs thru morning hours.
Sonney’s won Best of Best award restuarant for 2015.
They constructing a Patio and a Grassy Dinning area with Tahoe Pines view, Fresh air and that.
Burgers was good. 4 Unilocal stars. Different bun with improve that.
Beef rib very Tasty. Excellent rub. Smoky For some it maybe tad salty. With maybe average amounts meat to Chomp. Takes 3 to be full. Not Cheap here but quality of Beef Rib meat is excellent. I guess an add in Beef Rib maybe near $ 7. My rib at 11:30 rates 4 stars. More meat I would bump it to 4.5.
We went Sunday night off seasons. All platters was sold out. No more the various Smokys.
Tuesday 11:30noon I went back to complete my Foodie review.
Excellent Fries or Sweet Potatoe Fries. Ditto that. They are cooked perfect. They told me they use fresh oils. Always. 5 stars.
Service. Aly, and their young man server was cool and attentive. Very open to Q&A. 4 plus stars.

Great BBQ! Absolutely amazing! Stumbled around this place on accident and glad we did. Great staff and friendly service. Will definitely come back before we have to head back down to So Cal.:)

Awesome service and awesome food! We started with the fried Mac and cheese and for lunch had the pulled pork sandwich. I had mine with a side of potato salad. I would definitely go back and recommend everyone to try… Oh and the variety of sauces at the table were delicious

Wow what an amazing restaurant and atmosphere! We just left and had a great meal and even more amazing service! I believe our waiters name was Paul (hopefully) he was beyond nice! The food was terrific! My boyfriend had the brisket with Mac and cheese and baked beans. FYI on the baked beans they are superrrrrr sweet he wasn’t fond of them but I thought they were okay, his brisket was the best brisket I’ve had since I was in Texas. I had the beef ribs with garlic mashed (yummmm) and Mac and cheese (even more yum) the ribs are messy lol one rib was all bone so I asked to get me a new one and I got 2 new ribs lol everyone was so nice this is a MUST for everyone in Tahoe! Forget the high priced casino food and come here

This place is amazing! First off the staff couldn’t be anymore friendlier. We were immediately seated and brought water. The restaurant itself is decorated nicely and is very clean.
We ordered baby back ribs with sides of cheesy grits, corn bread, and coleslaw.
My husband ordered the pulled pork sandwich and fries.
We ordered beer and waited for our food.
Our table had 5 different types of BBQ sauce, all made by the restaurant.
Once our food arrived we were amazed at how delicious everything looked.
The ribs were absolutely perfect. Meat was tender and the marinade packed with flavor. I dipped the meat in a variety of BBQ sauces and each one was heavenly.
The pulled pork was also great. Tender, flavorful meat and the sauce gave a punch of flavor.
The sides were also a hit. The cheesy grits were creamy and I loved the fresh corn mixed in.
The coleslaw fresh and flavorful.
My favorite was the corn bread with honey butter! Fresh corn was baked throughout the bread, which made it even more tasty.
Overall this place is a must when visiting South Tahoe.
We were very satisfied and my husband thought the pulled pork was the best he had ever tasted.

I can not say enough about this place… like seriously!!! We first walked in with baby and Annie greeted us and baby faye so warmly, we knew we would be in good hands. They have so many wonderful BBQ sauce choices, right on the table.
*they are currently building a brand new outdoor patio which should be up and running by summer… so can’t wait to check it out*** interesting fact, the owner Sonney was actually the one working on the patio with his own hands, so cool!
Ok, now back to the food… I had the brisket sandwich, so much flavor and juicy! With the seasoned fries as my side, yum! No complaints. The husband got the pulled pork sandwich, and the sweet potato fries. it was gone in seconds! He loved it, and Baby loved his sweet potato fries
They do have a kids menu and offer coloring pages a kind crayons. And I really can’t say enough about Annie, she was so amazing and friendly with us and baby. We can’t wait to come back with the whole family.
****tip– we were told that they are crazy busy in the summer, so just prepare yourself, but believe me, it’s worth it!***

Great great great bbq. I’ve had the deep fried nachos, the chicken strips, pulled pork sliders and the RIBS.
Deep fried nachos: huge portion, and the nachos have a bunch of toppings on them and also has pulled pork in it. Amazing.
Chicken strips: your basic chicken strips and they were good as well.
Pulled pork sliders: the whole it was cooked was amazing this really tasted great.
RIBS: ribs were great. I wasn’t expecting to find really good ribs, but I did. These were great and the service was amazing.
Server: Chris.
Chris was super nice and really helped the experience be great. We ordered 2 sides and he gave us the jalapeño corn bread complimentary… Which was amazing. I will definitely be coming back here. Thank you Chris. :)

Sonney’s is a great option for dining in south lake tahoe. There aren’t that many decent restaurant options in the area and I’m thankful that Sonney’s is around. It’s been a staple for my visits to the area.
Basically everything we’ve had here has been above average.
Their smoked wings are probably some of the best I’ve had. Get the dry rub on them and a side of whatever other sauce you’d like.
The beef and pork ribs are both prepared well. Loaded with flavor and not dried out.
Both the BBQ beans and the mac and cheese are delicious.
I would advise coming here if you like good food.

WOW! With having high expectations for some GOOD barbecue, I have to say, Sonney’s did GREAT! We started with the naked jalapeño poppers and HAWT DAMN they were tasty. Grilled jalapeños stuffed with cream cheese and wrapped in crispy thick bacon… Probably the BEST we have had. Beware, they have a kick to them… some more than others. I ordered from the Littles’ menu (I don’t have a big appetite), and so did my Son. I had the Jr. Slider with mashed tatoes and it was tasty. Little had the Mac-​n-​cheese with fries. He wasn’t too thrilled with the Mac-​n-​cheese, but he’s not big on «fancy» Mac-​n-​cheese. Hahaha. The jalapeño corn bread is A-​MAZING! Especially with the cinnamon butter they provide on the side. Hubbs ordered the Brisket dinner with mashed tatoes, collard greens and jalapeño corn bread. Was a LOT of food, and every bit of it he devoured.
What a perfect ending to our little family trip to Tahoe. Will definitely be a guaranteed stop every time we come back up here from the Bay Area. Service was on par, hostesses were very friendly, and our waiter, Travis, was AWESOME!
I highly suggest giving this spot a GO!!! Get there before 6pm on a Friday night and avoid the long wait!!!

Sonny’s BBQ offered excellent dishes but unsatisfactory service the night that a few friends and I dropped in after New Years.
After waiting for 45 mins for a table which was understandable on a holiday night, we had to wait another 30 – 45 minutes to even place an order. I discovered that our waitress was serving other tables and speaking with the bartender while we still didn’t even have drinks.
Once the food finally came out, we were disappointed to find the mashed potatoes cold and my friend’s entrée, the pulled pork sandwich, was cold as well. While we did ask for these items to be replaced, the general attitude of our waitress was either negligent or unapologetic.
Overall, the food was excellent, but the poor service ruined what would’ve been a great meal.

The food was a 4, but the service was pretty inexcusable and this is coming from someone who usually doesn’t care much about service.
After we were seated, we waited at least 20 minutes and no one came to take our order or even bring water. Someone from my party had to go find our server who was not busy with other guests but was talking to the bartender. Then, after our orders, we waited close to half an hour for food. The appetizers did not come out first, and the sides for the main courses were lukewarm at best. We weren’t checked on at all after the food came out and got our water refilled after another half hour. Most of all, our server was relatively rude and unapologetic when we confronted her with our service issues.
The food was pretty good though. The babyback ribs were tender and juicy. The spicy Mac and cheese was a new, tasty take on an old classic. The potato skins were solid albeit not outstanding. No complaints about the food.

Absolutely one of the best BBQ ribs I have ever had (the other one I love is in Bali, by the way). Been craving this place since we decided to come up to Tahoe few weeks back. Nothing in the Bay Area can beat this joint…
You also have to try their chicken wings with Dry rub… And just have the other flavor son the side… Heavenly…
Sonney came by the table and let us try crispy bacon with the dry rub… Omg… Little salty but pair it with breakfast… Mmmmmmmmm

I would say I love everything I order. Louisiana BBQ and smoke brisket salad both of them are awesome. Good service «Dave», clean place, nice friendly services.
Definitely come back again. When we are in town.