Sonny's BBQ in Somerset Kentucky Review

When it comes to BBQ, the friendly folks in Somerset, Kentucky don’t just have it good, they have it gooooooood. Sonny’s BBQ is out-of-this-world.

My husband and I had the pleasure of spending Friday at Dale Hollow State Resort Park. He shot the beautiful golf course with a set of clubs, I shot it with a Cannon. We knew that, at the end of the day, we wanted BBQ for supper. We’d initially planned on eating at an old favorite, but I asked if we could go someplace I’ve never been, so I could write a new restaurant review. I’ve heard him talk about Sonny’s BBQ before (with lots of oooohs and ahhhhs), so I dropped the hint (right on his golf shoes) where I’d like to go. I’m not sure if it was to make me happy, or to make his belly happy, but we did, in fact, go to Sonny’s BBQ after the round of golf.

I’d never been to Somerset, Kentucky before, but I fell in love right off the bat. So many UK Wildcats t-shirts and signs! I had nothing but love for all the fellow Cat lovers. I noticed that their McDonald’s even had something they called a “Wildcat Breakfast,” with blueberries in the oatmeal. If I didn’t love Owensboro so madly, I’d have campaigned to MOVE to Somerset.

Holy cats, I love the way they think!

Sonny’s BBQ is a beautiful restaurant – much bigger than I’d expected. The parking lot reminded me of Moonlite’s BBQ here in Owensboro, as did the intoxicating aroma of goodness that leads you to the front doors.

My husband knew what he wanted right off the bat. The man’s a professional when it comes to BBQ. He got an all you can eat plate with pulled pork and ribs. For sides (you get two with the all you can eat deal), he got coleslaw and baked beans. For bread, he went with cornbread. An excellent choice as it turned out.

Being a newbie, I was a little overwhelmed by the menu and the aroma at first.

What did I want? Well, everything.

Sonny’s BBQ in Somerset Kentucky knows a thing or gazillion about BBQ. Their sliced pork is delicious!

I decided on the sliced pork plate and chose a baked potato and baked beans. For my bread, I ordered garlic toast (two fat toasted Texas Toast beauties – fortunately there wasn’t much of a garlic flavor, I didn’t want it trying to upstage the BBQ). We ordered a bowl of fried okra for our appetizer. I noticed that they had quite a few cool appetizers and sides to choose from – always a good thing.

The okra was good. My husband loved it as much as any okra he’s ever gotten out.

Sonny’s BBQ Okra was just a tiny bit tough – a sign that the okra was left on the plant too long. I promise you, this is only something someone who has grown and cooked okra half their life would notice. The seasoning and coating were spot on.

I was pleasantly surprised by how fast we were served (and seated, for that matter). After a long day in the sun, I was also pleasantly surprised by how large (and outstanding!) my glass of sweet tea was. Heaven on ice.

My sliced pork was outstanding! Sonny’s has a variety of BBQ sauces on the table for you to choose from. Let me just stop there and shout, “Well done!” I hate when a restaurant asks you which of their sauces you want… then proceeds to name about 6.. and you’re sitting there thinking, “I don’t know what any of them taste like, how do I know which one I want?!” Sonny’s BBQ waxed brilliant – place them all in marked bottles on the table and allow your guests to sample each. My husband and I both kept using and reusing the Mild and the Sweet. They were just outstanding. They were thick, beautiful, and very flavorful. I HATE BBQ sauce that’s so thin and pale that it looks like it’s 50% water. Instant turn off. Sonny’s sauces were perfection – delicious perfection.

The potato and baked beans were good. I sampled Michael’s coleslaw and it was really, really good. The pulled pork was fantastic, it would have made a BBQ pork sandwich to remember through the ages! The BBQ Ribs also fit this description. These ribs were so good, all I could do was shake my head. Whether you are currently a ribs fanatic, or you’d like to become one – order the BBQ ribs at Sonny’s. They’re scrumptious, with such a Heavenly smokey flavor that time stands still.

The same thing happened when we ordered dessert – time stood still. We got the home style banana pudding, because it’s apparently the dessert Sonny’s is known for. Let me just say I can see why this is the case! One bite in and I was transported back to my grandma’s kitchen. My mom’s mom was an adorable, beautiful, all around lovely woman who died much, much too young. She had a stroke which left her paralyzed on one side. However, she still cooked. She’d turn up Lawrence Welk and cook away. The only dessert she ever made was Banana Pudding, and it was extraordinary. To this day, it’s a dessert I seldom order or even make because it’s like, “Why even try, it’ll never be like MeMe’s!”

Sonny’s BBQ’s Banana Pudding conjured up memories of her banana pudding. I just sat kind of mystified and transported in time. Then I had to snap out of it or Michael would finish the dessert off all by himself. I’ll be darned if I’ll let that happen. When you go to Sonny’s BBQ, and I highly recommend that you do, don’t even look at the other desserts, order the banana pudding, then hang on tight.

Coleslaw and Fried Okra

Everything was very, very good at Sonny’s BBQ, but the food that stood out were:

Wonderful Iced Tea (I’m pretty particular when it comes to tea, so if I mention it, know that it was perfect)
BBQ Ribs to die for. Smokey, flavorful… I wish I had a stack of them right now.
Cornbread! It was so beautiful and delicious – sweet, just like I love my cornbread.
Coleslaw. I’m hesitant to order coleslaw simply because bad coleslaw crushes my spirit. If all coleslaw tasted like this, I’d order it each and every time.
Pulled Pork. Wonderful! Just like you want pulled pork to taste before you take a bite. Dead on great!
Sliced Pork. YUM!
Banana Pudding. Do I even have to tell you again how extraordinary their home-style banana pudding is??? It’s spectacular. It’ll take you back to your own grandma’s kitchen. IF she made excellent banana pudding, that is!
Baked potato with butter and sour cream… perfect. Simply perfect.
Although I didn’t order them, I noticed on a platter that passed right by me that their fries at Sonny’s BBQ are crinkle fries. I’ve got a real thing for crinkle fries!

The Banana Pudding at Sonny’s BBQ in Somerset, Kentucky is worth the trip all by itself!

Sonny’s BBQ is at 70 Sonny’s Way in Somerset, Kentucky. According to the website, there are also locations in Corbin, Nicholasville, and Richmond in Kentucky and Knoxville, Tennessee. There are also other locations throughout the south, click here for all locations.

You can view the menu online – but prepare for your mouth to water.

Finally, I’m glad to report that they serve Heinz Ketchup at Sonny’s – you know it’s something I always look for. It’s part of my campaign to end nasty, off-brand ketchup in restaurants! It always makes me so unbelievably happy to see a bottle of Heinz setting on the table when I fling myself into the booth.