SONNY'S BAR-B-Q OF PALM BAY

Health grade
C · 75/100
Brevard County rank
Safer than 11%
Diner rating
4.3 ★ · 3,085 reviews
Violations
2 high-priority, 1 intermediate, and 6 basic
Last inspected
May 2026

Its most recent inspection on May 28, 2026 cited 2 high-priority, 1 intermediate, and 6 basic violations. It currently ranks safer than 11% of Brevard County restaurants we grade. Diner rating: 4.3 from 3,085 reviews.

Trend: declining · C (75/100)

Get directions Call (321) 953-3997

Restaurant details

Health grade
C (75/100)
Violations
9 total — 2 high-priority, 1 intermediate, 6 basic
Address
1020 MALABAR RD SE, Palm Bay, FL
Cuisine
American
Categories
Barbecue restaurant, American restaurant, Bar & grill, Catering food and drink supplier, Family restaurant, Lunch restaurant
Price
$10–20
Rating
4.3 stars (3085 reviews)
Seats
180
Phone
(321) 953-3997
Website
Official website
Photo of SONNY'S BAR-B-Q OF PALM BAY
Photo: Sonny's BBQ

Community Rating

Reviews via Google
4.3 Community-sourced rating 3,085 reviews
Read all reviews on Google →

What diners say — our read

Something changed. Recent visits score noticeably higher than earlier ones. Front-of-house tends to be raised approvingly here, averaging 4.7 stars.

16 of 24 rated reviews are four stars or higher; 6 are two or lower. The single most common rating left here is 5 stars (13 of 24). Speed of service shows up in 17% of reviews as well, averaging 4.3.

The inspection lands in between as well: DBPR graded this kitchen a C (75/100), citing 2 high-priority, 1 intermediate, and 6 basic violations. The visit behind that grade was May 28, 2026. Its inspection trajectory is downward over the records we hold. That puts it ahead of 11% of graded kitchens in Brevard County. For specifics, the last inspection cited handwashing.

This is a listing where the two measures each tell half the story. Full reviews follow below in the order they were left.

Our own analysis of 24 reviews for this restaurant, set against its Florida DBPR inspection record. How we calculate grades →

  • June 23, 2026

    Drive through is quick and easy!

  • June 16, 2026

    Delicious as usual. We did not eat in the restaurant, we brought it home.

  • June 15, 2026

    Great food

  • June 14, 2026

    Good food. Clean store. Average price

  • June 10, 2026

    Keep it going. Do it, Do it. BBQ baby.

  • June 9, 2026

    I have a love-hate relationship with Sonny's. Why? Because it's very hit or miss in the drive-thru. I normally order through the drive-thru, though I have eaten inside before. The majority of my visits are drive-thru orders, and I get the same thing every time: the 4 Meat Combo with sliced brisket, sliced pork, sweet ribs, dark meat chicken, baked beans, coleslaw, and of course the corn nuggets, which I can't get enough of with that powdered sugar. Here's where the love-hate relationship comes in. Sometimes I come through the drive-thru and everything is excellent. The meat is fresh, juicy, and exactly how it's supposed to be. Then there are days like yesterday. Yesterday was definitely a miss. My ribs were so overcooked and burned that the meat was basically jerky. My brisket was dry and tough too. The quality was nowhere near what I know Sonny's is capable of serving. It tasted old, dry, and like it had been sitting around way too long. I honestly don't understand the inconsistency. I know the food can be amazing because I've had it that way plenty of times before. That's why I keep coming back. Thankfully, my experiences are more hit than miss, but when I spend almost $35 every visit, I expect better consistency than this. Sometimes it makes me wonder if drive-thru customers get the leftovers because we're the ones who drive away and usually don't want to turn around and come back to complain. I don't live close by, and I don't want to have to drive all the way back for…

  • June 8, 2026

    always very good food and service. Once in awhile they add fun extras to their menu.

  • June 8, 2026

    Always a good experience always ask for JADA or NICOLE you won't go wrong !!

  • June 7, 2026

    Ordering Takeout from here was the best decision I could make for the party I was invited to! Everyone loved the BBQ pork spring rolls, smokin’ ranch, and Mac & Cheese I brought. The online process to place the takeout order was really easy and the food was ready within 10 minutes, while staying nice and hot until we sat down to eat. Highly recommend!

  • June 5, 2026

    Upcharge upcharge… o yea can I have an extra ~20% tip ?? Maybe if the food was fire but it’s not.

  • June 3, 2026

    Fell Off! Plate or getting lighter and lighter. Need new Management. $75 Down the drain Good Luck

  • June 2, 2026

    Try the bowls. They are great. And you can customize... delicious!

  • June 2, 2026

    I’ve only had one bad experience.But other than that I love this place.

  • May 31, 2026

    All you can eat was great, Niki was our waitress and she was very nice. Will be requesting her in the future.

  • May 26, 2026

    Normally my order is really good but this time…not so much. First I ordered through the app and waited in the drive thru for nearly 30 minutes. By the time I got home the food was cold. I got the pulled chicken dinner and it was extremely oily to the point where I couldn’t eat it. I don’t know if it was because of the oil but it didn’t taste right. Like I said, I normally enjoy my food so giving it such a low review is out of the ordinary but I had to.

  • May 26, 2026

    I ordered the family meal plan and some additional ribs. Everything was excellent. Everything cooked and prepared properly. Customer service was great.

  • May 25, 2026

    If you ask you can get all you can eat food. The service was great.

  • May 25, 2026

    I don't know if they're under new ownership or new management. I used to eat here every weekend. But the past month or so the food quality has declined. Getting microwaved pork and beans that has to be yesterdays leftovers. It's gotten so bad. I used to love this place! Please fix it!

  • May 25, 2026

    Don’t even waste the gas coming here, we used to come often and stopped. Gave it another try and was disappointed yet again. They advertise all you can eat but every time we have gone they aren’t able to honor it because they don’t have enough meat. Why even bother going when they are constantly out of everything! We won’t be back. Do better Sonny’s

  • May 23, 2026

    Some of the BESTbaby back ribs I have ever had!! Chicken Ceasar Salad was also amazing!!! Good food Great Price!!

  • May 19, 2026

    The day that we went on Sunny's I believe it was Mother's Day and honestly it was not packed and the service was just very slow and unorganized I don't know if the server was knew but she was very unorganized I can't remember her name and I'm not trying to put her on blast but let's just say we go out to restaurants a lot we eat at Sonny's a lot and it wasn't the greatest service the food was also a little bit on the colder side the meat was dry and not juicy and we got the correct meat it was supposed to be juicy not white meat, even so if you know what you're doing with the white meat it should still be juicy no excuses. I just think that it could have been handled better and I think that it's getting stale. My family was so unpleased with the service they wouldn't even allow me to finish my meal my wife was ready to get the check and just go. We literally see a downfall in restaurant Services abroad and it's definitely declining. I appreciate the staff and I appreciate all their efforts and everything that they were doing I'm not here trying to hurt you I'm just here as an honest man how will people know if they don't know? Whatever was going on that day I hope it has been a better week for you all and I wish you no hard feelings and nothing but positivity ahead thank you for seeing me and my family unfortunately the visit was just not pleasant take care..

  • May 19, 2026

    We were seated and then our server proceeded to forget we were there . Sorry I did not get his name

  • May 16, 2026

    Excellent food never had better barbecue. Sampler platter baked beans and coleslaw.

  • May 12, 2026

    They are always out of everything! Completely ruined our Mother’s Day meal when my dad bought take out and showed back up with a hundred dollar meal that was missing like 3 of the main things we wanted. I messaged them in their website and got zero response! Will not ever be going back and will most definitely spread the word!

Overall Score

52 / 100

  • Health inspection grade 20/40
    Grade C
  • Dietary transparency 13/20
    4 options listed
  • Community rating 17/20
    4.3★ average
  • Hidden-gem status 0/10
    Not flagged
  • Track record 2/10
    Declining, 0% clean

Composite score from health grade, dietary options, ratings, and inspection record — distinct from the state-derived health grade.

Opening hours

Monday
11 AM to 9 PM
Tuesday
11 AM to 9 PM
Wednesday
11 AM to 9 PM
Thursday
11 AM to 9 PM
Friday
11 AM to 9:30 PM
Saturday
11 AM to 9:30 PM
Sunday
11 AM to 9 PM

Inspection history

The following records are from Florida DBPR public inspection records, most recent first.

  1. May 28, 2026 · Routine - Food

    Inspection Completed - No Further Action

    2 high-priority · 1 intermediate · 6 basic

    • 03 — Temperature control of foods (cold/hot holding, cooking, cooling, reheating)
    • 12 — Handwashing; employee eating/drinking/smoking practices
    • 14 — Food-contact & nonfood-contact surfaces properly designed/maintained (×2)
    • 21 — Wiping cloths; clean & soiled linens; laundry
    • 22 — Food-contact surfaces clean and sanitized
    • 33 — Garbage and refuse; premises maintained (×2)
    • 36 — Floors, walls, ceilings clean & maintained; proper ventilation
  2. January 26, 2026 · Complaint Full

    Inspection Completed - No Further Action

    1 high-priority · 1 intermediate · 4 basic

    • 03 — Temperature control of foods (cold/hot holding, cooking, cooling, reheating)
    • 14 — Food-contact & nonfood-contact surfaces properly designed/maintained
    • 16 — Dishwashing facilities; sanitizer test kits; gauges
    • 22 — Food-contact surfaces clean and sanitized
    • 23 — Nonfood-contact surfaces clean
    • 35 — Insects/rodents/pests; outer openings protected against pests
  3. January 14, 2026 · Complaint Full

    Inspection Completed - No Further Action

    3 high-priority · 0 intermediate · 7 basic

    • 03 — Temperature control of foods (cold/hot holding, cooking, cooling, reheating)
    • 14 — Food-contact & nonfood-contact surfaces properly designed/maintained
    • 23 — Nonfood-contact surfaces clean
    • 24 — Storage & handling of clean equipment and utensils; air drying
    • 28 — Sewage and waste water disposed properly
    • 35 — Insects/rodents/pests; outer openings protected against pests (×3)
    • 36 — Floors, walls, ceilings clean & maintained; proper ventilation (×2)
  4. December 8, 2025 · Complaint Full

    Inspection Completed - No Further Action

    3 high-priority · 2 intermediate · 10 basic

    • 03 — Temperature control of foods (cold/hot holding, cooking, cooling, reheating)
    • 12 — Handwashing; employee eating/drinking/smoking practices
    • 14 — Food-contact & nonfood-contact surfaces properly designed/maintained (×2)
    • 16 — Dishwashing facilities; sanitizer test kits; gauges
    • 21 — Wiping cloths; clean & soiled linens; laundry
    • 22 — Food-contact surfaces clean and sanitized
    • 23 — Nonfood-contact surfaces clean (×2)
    • 24 — Storage & handling of clean equipment and utensils; air drying
    • 31 — Handwash sinks accessible; handwashing supplies & sign provided
    • 35 — Insects/rodents/pests; outer openings protected against pests (×2)
    • 36 — Floors, walls, ceilings clean & maintained; proper ventilation (×2)
  5. November 17, 2025 · Routine - Food

    Inspection Completed - No Further Action

    0 high-priority · 1 intermediate · 6 basic

    • 12 — Handwashing; employee eating/drinking/smoking practices
    • 16 — Dishwashing facilities; sanitizer test kits; gauges (×2)
    • 22 — Food-contact surfaces clean and sanitized (×2)
    • 33 — Garbage and refuse; premises maintained
    • 36 — Floors, walls, ceilings clean & maintained; proper ventilation

Safer options nearby

Higher-graded restaurants close to SONNY'S BAR-B-Q OF PALM BAY, by Florida DBPR grade:

  • SONIC DRIVE-IN 6566

    3.6★ nearby

  • DOMINO'S #5089

    3.5★ 0.1 mi away

  • DUNKIN DONUTS/BASKIN ROBBINS

    4★ 0.2 mi away

This grade is calculated by us from Florida DBPR public inspection records — Florida does not issue official grades. How we calculate it →

Data last updated: May 28, 2026