I had the worst meal every the sweet potato was stone cold and the baby back ribs had BBQ sauce so thick I could see the meat or bones. The place was dirty and fly's were around our table the whole time.
(1)
Jarrod C.
Have never had a dry piece of BBQ turkey @ this place, and have probably given it 100 chances to do so. Sometimes the chicken isn't ideal, but however they smoke that turkey they can't seem to lose juice. Good authentic sweet tea. Saying they're solid middle innovation BBQ is not at all a bad thing, they're reliable and that's worth plenty. Most of the sides are just "fine" but combine 2 w/ their turkey and/or pulled pork & u can count on a good lunch.
(3)
Sandy P.
Ate at a Bono's with the family for the 1st time last night. Ordered 2 glasses of beer at $5 ea. which was warm, notified server and she said she couldn't do "nothing" about it... ordered the family feast and came in stone cold. Didn't bother notifying server just ate it because we were starved So $70.00 check for cold food/warm beer. Not impressed at all.
(2)
Sara C.
I love Bono's...they are an oldie but goodie barbecue restaurant that's been around for a while here in Jacksonville. They have your standard items available like smoked chicken, turkey, ribs, beef, and pork. They just added chicken wings which are my fave. The sides are good and country and include Mac and cheese, baked beans, green beans, Cole slaw, French fries, sweet potato, corn, stew, and salad. They have lots of fried appetizers and banana pudding for dessert. Some locations have a drive-thru but they are usually really quick.
(4)
Meredith H.
This is part 2 of the review I left for the Bono's on 3rd St. I definitely think that this is the better Bono's. They have the full Bono's menu unlike the other location. You are able to dine in, take out, or go through the drive thru. The service is fast and friendly. One time, I got someone else's order at the drive thru and when I called to tell them, they replaced the entire meal the next time I went in about 2 weeks after it happened. The salad at this location is a $1 more than the other locaiton, but it's enormous and the serving of meat on the salad is plentiful. My favorite sides there are the baked beans (because they put little pieces of the smoked meat in there), and the fried corn on the cob. So bad, but soooooooo good. :-)
(3)
Tom H.
Arrived for lunch at 11:15 and was met by a sparse crowd and we were quickly seated. Our party included an infant and there was ample room for her carrier in one of the larger booths. Our server was attentive and quickly took our order. Our meal included fried okra appetizer which arrived hot, crispy and acompanied by ranch dressing. Our party of three ordered the turkey sandwich and two small order of St Louis ribs which consists of 4 bones and were the day's special. Ribs were had dry rubbed and were smokey, tender and very good. Turkey was moist and tender. Sides were a mixed bag with the cole slaw having too much dressing for me and the cabbage was not crispy. Lima beans and rice was a winner and the fries were hot and tasty. Upon leaving, noticed placed had filled and was busy. Bono's, Rib Shack and Mojo's are my favorite BBQ joints but Bono's offers the best BBQ variety and bang for the buck .
(4)
Theresa P.
I have never had such a HOT sweet potato in my life. I think I burnt my tongue. Lol I had pulled pork dinner and it was delicious. Service was friendly and quick. I would recommend the hickory red BBQ sauce
(4)
Alan L.
Just brought home their baby back rib special and a whole chicken...last time I will torture myself with this poor excuse for BBQ. It's happened before so I should have know better but it's a convenient location so here I am stuck with BBQ that is dry and tough. Do yourself a favor and go the extra distance to get BBQ. The ribs are dry and tough and the smallest skinniest excuse for baby backs I ever saw. To add insult to injury, they are covered with something like BBQ sauce but it's not and it's bad. The chicken is over cooked. Hard to screw up a smoked chicken but they managed. The owners of this place need to fix it quick!
(1)
Kyle R.
Had a pretty bad experience here recently. Pulled pork was barely edible. Dry, lots of burnt parts, and bone chunks mixed in. I'm not very picky, and rarely complain, and never send anything back. But this time I did I was utterly disappointed because I was craving that juicy pulled pork that I'm used to. I've been before and the food was much better.. And granted it was busy when my food sucked, so I won't complain about slower service because I understand when you're busy you're busy.. but being busy is not an excuse for bad food. I can't justify coming back after that, and I will go elsewhere for my BBQ cravings. 3 stars for good corn on the cob, sweet tea, and nice warm wet naps after your meal.
(3)
David H.
You can't go wrong with Bono's for a BBQ lunch or dinner. The sweet tea is excellent and for less sugar order the half sweet half unsweetened blend. The fried okra was slightly overcooked but excellent and not too greasy. The BBQ pork sandwich is plenty of pork sliced thick with minimal fat and serviced on grilled Texas toast. You have a choice of 4 sauces at the table, I recommend the original mustard based sauce. I chose the green beans and Brunswick Stew for sides. The green beans are tender with bacon which gives an excellent flavor you'd expect from a southern BBQ restaurant. The Brunswick stew is full of meat and veggies and is one of the better Brunswick Stews I've tried. If you want top notch BBQ and the authentic southern BBQ experience check out Bono's.
(4)
Keith H.
A Jax classic. Super sweet sweet tea, great smoked turkey, and terrific mustard sauce.
(4)
Ralph D.
Good food and service, the wait staff at this location are great! I miss the all you can eat specials though, looks like I'll be heading to Woody's next time.
(3)
Andy L.
So I finally made it to Bono's. We've lived in Jax for about 4 years now and had yet to try out Bonos. That doesn't mean I haven't heard many people's opinions that it is one of their favorite BBQ joints in town. What did I think??? ehhhhh. I wasn't knocked out. I've eaten at Mojo's many times and if you had to compare, Mojo's is much better. Bono's is quick and cheap, but I think it reflects in the quality. Will we go back? Probably, simply because we have a couple more Teal Deals to use. If it wasn't for the coupon, I'd probably not eat here again.
(2)
Rodney B.
Living in the Intracoastal West area of town, I'm lucky to be within 10 minutes away from multiple barbecue spots. When the family gets the craving, we head off to the Bono's on San Pablo to get our fix. For less than 30 dollars I can feed my family of 4 and still have left overs! The Barbecue feast is $22.99 and gets you a pound of meat of your choice (we like to mix 1/2 lb of turkey with 1/2 lb of chopped pork), bread, and 3 sides. In addition, we like to add an order of the corn nuggets for a nice appetizer treat. All of this comes out to be about 28 bucks and some change. Usually, the local Mint and Money Pages magazines have money saving coupons that can lower the total even more, making the deal even sweeter! The beautiful thing about Bono's is that the quality of the food isn't just limited to my area restaurant. All the ones I've been to in town has the signature taste that we've grown accustomed to along with the southern hospitality of the servers. My family can attest. In Duval, Bono's is the boss of barbecue!
(4)
JK D.
Good food obviously but this particular location is slow as molasses. When calling in my order i was on hold for 5 and a half minutes, when at the intercom just to say i arrived I was told to look over the menu and waited for another 4 minutes... This was a 15 minute order that has taken over 45 minutes so far and the staff is acting like this is normal, no apologies... Not a satisfied customer today at all... Edit: Just got home, they forgot our desert too, not a good day for Bono's.
(2)
Morgan H.
In my opinion you really can't go wrong with BBQ....Bono's did a great job on my lunch (I had the pulled pork sandwich). Decent portions and fast service.
(3)
B M.
Sorry the Jax Beach Bono's is better wait staff could be better
(2)
Dave S.
This is the kind of place that converts Vegetarians into Carnivorous people. The pleasant smell of the wood smoke gives you the sensation of walking into a ski lodge. The meat is smoked and I like their chicken best. A variety of BBQ sauce flavors are available. The staff is hard working and friendly, the portions are ample and the prices are moderate. A great place for lunch.
(3)
Maisha R.
I'll preface this by saying that I grew up in Memphis and I love barbecue. Having recently moved to Jacksonville, I wanted to get a feel for the barbecue scene here. My first stop - Bono's. The daily special was a rack of ribs, two sides and toast for about $14. Not a bad deal. I decided to try it with macaroni and cheese and baked beans. Let's talk about the ribs first. They were smoked and tender but the sauce that was on them tasted a bit watered down. I certainly needed the extra containers of sauce! I tried the sweet and tangy sauce, which thankfully was delicious and added a much needed kick to the ribs. Unfortunately, the mac and cheese didn't fare as well as the BBQ sauce. The dish was bland and really in need of a bit of salt and pepper. The baked beans, however were great. The little pieces of pork in them really helped the flavor. All in all, the meal was alright. Hopefully, I will find better places around here.
(3)
Jessica P.
The taste didn't live up to my expectations. This was the Fifty Shades of Grey movie in a dining experience. When you walk through the door, the heavenly smell immediately activates your salivary glands and sends chills down you spine- you're ready for flavor town. We ordered an assortment of meats, I'd say the chicken holding the best smoked flavor. The pork was also okay, but it was chopped. The baked beans were by far the best thing I put in my mouth at Bonos. The sauces weren't exciting enough for this saucy lady, but the service gets an A. The bottom line- no lady boners at Bonos. Ps-NO CORNBREAD!
(1)
Max J.
If you had to slow roast me and cover me in BBQ sauce, these are the folks I would want to do it. Bono's has been a childhood favorite of mine for years. Now that I am an adult (a claim some will no doubt take issue with) I still go here just about every chance I get. There are several locations of this franchise started by Mr. Lou Bono. My top picks are this one, the one on gate parkway, and the original location just outside of the downtown metroplex on Atlantic. I would avoid the location on 3rd street in the Jacksonville beaches. Here is what you want to know about Bono's. It's a BBQ place known for their slow cooked meats, and sauces. I myself am partial to their pulled pork basket. It comes with two sides, (French fries, and baked beans for me) and I always use the "sweet and tangy" sauce. Ask for your fries extra crispy for a treat. Ketchup on BBQ is a sin, and you will be thrown into the live fire pits each Bono's has if you put it on your sandwich. Its crazy, I've seen it. When you go, don't get the salad, get the BBQ. Don't get the apps, get the BBQ. Don't get the Desserts GET THE BBQ! The locations are usually clean, and well kept and the service is speedy and friendly in a deep south kind of way, I've had my off meal here but that's the exception not the rule. I'll give Bono's 4 stars because the food is great, if your looking for BBQ that will leave you satisfied and coming back again and again then this is your ticket. Don't waste your time on Sonny's, or other mass produced BBQ.
(4)
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Address :3303 San Pablo Rd S
Jacksonville, FL, 32224
Sorry, Store hours have not been updated. If you are the owner of this restaurants. Please update the store hours.
Specialities
Takes Reservations : No Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Beer & Wine Only Outdoor Seating : No Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes
James P.
I had the worst meal every the sweet potato was stone cold and the baby back ribs had BBQ sauce so thick I could see the meat or bones. The place was dirty and fly's were around our table the whole time.
(1)Jarrod C.
Have never had a dry piece of BBQ turkey @ this place, and have probably given it 100 chances to do so. Sometimes the chicken isn't ideal, but however they smoke that turkey they can't seem to lose juice. Good authentic sweet tea. Saying they're solid middle innovation BBQ is not at all a bad thing, they're reliable and that's worth plenty. Most of the sides are just "fine" but combine 2 w/ their turkey and/or pulled pork & u can count on a good lunch.
(3)Sandy P.
Ate at a Bono's with the family for the 1st time last night. Ordered 2 glasses of beer at $5 ea. which was warm, notified server and she said she couldn't do "nothing" about it... ordered the family feast and came in stone cold. Didn't bother notifying server just ate it because we were starved So $70.00 check for cold food/warm beer. Not impressed at all.
(2)Sara C.
I love Bono's...they are an oldie but goodie barbecue restaurant that's been around for a while here in Jacksonville. They have your standard items available like smoked chicken, turkey, ribs, beef, and pork. They just added chicken wings which are my fave. The sides are good and country and include Mac and cheese, baked beans, green beans, Cole slaw, French fries, sweet potato, corn, stew, and salad. They have lots of fried appetizers and banana pudding for dessert. Some locations have a drive-thru but they are usually really quick.
(4)Meredith H.
This is part 2 of the review I left for the Bono's on 3rd St. I definitely think that this is the better Bono's. They have the full Bono's menu unlike the other location. You are able to dine in, take out, or go through the drive thru. The service is fast and friendly. One time, I got someone else's order at the drive thru and when I called to tell them, they replaced the entire meal the next time I went in about 2 weeks after it happened. The salad at this location is a $1 more than the other locaiton, but it's enormous and the serving of meat on the salad is plentiful. My favorite sides there are the baked beans (because they put little pieces of the smoked meat in there), and the fried corn on the cob. So bad, but soooooooo good. :-)
(3)Tom H.
Arrived for lunch at 11:15 and was met by a sparse crowd and we were quickly seated. Our party included an infant and there was ample room for her carrier in one of the larger booths. Our server was attentive and quickly took our order. Our meal included fried okra appetizer which arrived hot, crispy and acompanied by ranch dressing. Our party of three ordered the turkey sandwich and two small order of St Louis ribs which consists of 4 bones and were the day's special. Ribs were had dry rubbed and were smokey, tender and very good. Turkey was moist and tender. Sides were a mixed bag with the cole slaw having too much dressing for me and the cabbage was not crispy. Lima beans and rice was a winner and the fries were hot and tasty. Upon leaving, noticed placed had filled and was busy. Bono's, Rib Shack and Mojo's are my favorite BBQ joints but Bono's offers the best BBQ variety and bang for the buck .
(4)Theresa P.
I have never had such a HOT sweet potato in my life. I think I burnt my tongue. Lol I had pulled pork dinner and it was delicious. Service was friendly and quick. I would recommend the hickory red BBQ sauce
(4)Alan L.
Just brought home their baby back rib special and a whole chicken...last time I will torture myself with this poor excuse for BBQ. It's happened before so I should have know better but it's a convenient location so here I am stuck with BBQ that is dry and tough. Do yourself a favor and go the extra distance to get BBQ. The ribs are dry and tough and the smallest skinniest excuse for baby backs I ever saw. To add insult to injury, they are covered with something like BBQ sauce but it's not and it's bad. The chicken is over cooked. Hard to screw up a smoked chicken but they managed. The owners of this place need to fix it quick!
(1)Kyle R.
Had a pretty bad experience here recently. Pulled pork was barely edible. Dry, lots of burnt parts, and bone chunks mixed in. I'm not very picky, and rarely complain, and never send anything back. But this time I did I was utterly disappointed because I was craving that juicy pulled pork that I'm used to. I've been before and the food was much better.. And granted it was busy when my food sucked, so I won't complain about slower service because I understand when you're busy you're busy.. but being busy is not an excuse for bad food. I can't justify coming back after that, and I will go elsewhere for my BBQ cravings. 3 stars for good corn on the cob, sweet tea, and nice warm wet naps after your meal.
(3)David H.
You can't go wrong with Bono's for a BBQ lunch or dinner. The sweet tea is excellent and for less sugar order the half sweet half unsweetened blend. The fried okra was slightly overcooked but excellent and not too greasy. The BBQ pork sandwich is plenty of pork sliced thick with minimal fat and serviced on grilled Texas toast. You have a choice of 4 sauces at the table, I recommend the original mustard based sauce. I chose the green beans and Brunswick Stew for sides. The green beans are tender with bacon which gives an excellent flavor you'd expect from a southern BBQ restaurant. The Brunswick stew is full of meat and veggies and is one of the better Brunswick Stews I've tried. If you want top notch BBQ and the authentic southern BBQ experience check out Bono's.
(4)Keith H.
A Jax classic. Super sweet sweet tea, great smoked turkey, and terrific mustard sauce.
(4)Ralph D.
Good food and service, the wait staff at this location are great! I miss the all you can eat specials though, looks like I'll be heading to Woody's next time.
(3)Andy L.
So I finally made it to Bono's. We've lived in Jax for about 4 years now and had yet to try out Bonos. That doesn't mean I haven't heard many people's opinions that it is one of their favorite BBQ joints in town. What did I think??? ehhhhh. I wasn't knocked out. I've eaten at Mojo's many times and if you had to compare, Mojo's is much better. Bono's is quick and cheap, but I think it reflects in the quality. Will we go back? Probably, simply because we have a couple more Teal Deals to use. If it wasn't for the coupon, I'd probably not eat here again.
(2)Rodney B.
Living in the Intracoastal West area of town, I'm lucky to be within 10 minutes away from multiple barbecue spots. When the family gets the craving, we head off to the Bono's on San Pablo to get our fix. For less than 30 dollars I can feed my family of 4 and still have left overs! The Barbecue feast is $22.99 and gets you a pound of meat of your choice (we like to mix 1/2 lb of turkey with 1/2 lb of chopped pork), bread, and 3 sides. In addition, we like to add an order of the corn nuggets for a nice appetizer treat. All of this comes out to be about 28 bucks and some change. Usually, the local Mint and Money Pages magazines have money saving coupons that can lower the total even more, making the deal even sweeter! The beautiful thing about Bono's is that the quality of the food isn't just limited to my area restaurant. All the ones I've been to in town has the signature taste that we've grown accustomed to along with the southern hospitality of the servers. My family can attest. In Duval, Bono's is the boss of barbecue!
(4)JK D.
Good food obviously but this particular location is slow as molasses. When calling in my order i was on hold for 5 and a half minutes, when at the intercom just to say i arrived I was told to look over the menu and waited for another 4 minutes... This was a 15 minute order that has taken over 45 minutes so far and the staff is acting like this is normal, no apologies... Not a satisfied customer today at all... Edit: Just got home, they forgot our desert too, not a good day for Bono's.
(2)Morgan H.
In my opinion you really can't go wrong with BBQ....Bono's did a great job on my lunch (I had the pulled pork sandwich). Decent portions and fast service.
(3)B M.
Sorry the Jax Beach Bono's is better wait staff could be better
(2)Dave S.
This is the kind of place that converts Vegetarians into Carnivorous people. The pleasant smell of the wood smoke gives you the sensation of walking into a ski lodge. The meat is smoked and I like their chicken best. A variety of BBQ sauce flavors are available. The staff is hard working and friendly, the portions are ample and the prices are moderate. A great place for lunch.
(3)Maisha R.
I'll preface this by saying that I grew up in Memphis and I love barbecue. Having recently moved to Jacksonville, I wanted to get a feel for the barbecue scene here. My first stop - Bono's. The daily special was a rack of ribs, two sides and toast for about $14. Not a bad deal. I decided to try it with macaroni and cheese and baked beans. Let's talk about the ribs first. They were smoked and tender but the sauce that was on them tasted a bit watered down. I certainly needed the extra containers of sauce! I tried the sweet and tangy sauce, which thankfully was delicious and added a much needed kick to the ribs. Unfortunately, the mac and cheese didn't fare as well as the BBQ sauce. The dish was bland and really in need of a bit of salt and pepper. The baked beans, however were great. The little pieces of pork in them really helped the flavor. All in all, the meal was alright. Hopefully, I will find better places around here.
(3)Jessica P.
The taste didn't live up to my expectations. This was the Fifty Shades of Grey movie in a dining experience. When you walk through the door, the heavenly smell immediately activates your salivary glands and sends chills down you spine- you're ready for flavor town. We ordered an assortment of meats, I'd say the chicken holding the best smoked flavor. The pork was also okay, but it was chopped. The baked beans were by far the best thing I put in my mouth at Bonos. The sauces weren't exciting enough for this saucy lady, but the service gets an A. The bottom line- no lady boners at Bonos. Ps-NO CORNBREAD!
(1)Max J.
If you had to slow roast me and cover me in BBQ sauce, these are the folks I would want to do it. Bono's has been a childhood favorite of mine for years. Now that I am an adult (a claim some will no doubt take issue with) I still go here just about every chance I get. There are several locations of this franchise started by Mr. Lou Bono. My top picks are this one, the one on gate parkway, and the original location just outside of the downtown metroplex on Atlantic. I would avoid the location on 3rd street in the Jacksonville beaches. Here is what you want to know about Bono's. It's a BBQ place known for their slow cooked meats, and sauces. I myself am partial to their pulled pork basket. It comes with two sides, (French fries, and baked beans for me) and I always use the "sweet and tangy" sauce. Ask for your fries extra crispy for a treat. Ketchup on BBQ is a sin, and you will be thrown into the live fire pits each Bono's has if you put it on your sandwich. Its crazy, I've seen it. When you go, don't get the salad, get the BBQ. Don't get the apps, get the BBQ. Don't get the Desserts GET THE BBQ! The locations are usually clean, and well kept and the service is speedy and friendly in a deep south kind of way, I've had my off meal here but that's the exception not the rule. I'll give Bono's 4 stars because the food is great, if your looking for BBQ that will leave you satisfied and coming back again and again then this is your ticket. Don't waste your time on Sonny's, or other mass produced BBQ.
(4)