Sonny's Real Pit Bar-B-Q

April: I had eaten at Sonny’s one time before and was not impressed with their food. They have been a long time establishment in the Rock Hill area. I always think of them as being too commercial. We agreed to start here after doing a little online research. I picked out my lunch days ahead of time. I started with a bowl of the Brunswick Stew. Now, I feel that I must mention that this past year at the annual Christmasville Festival in Rock Hill, Scott Huffmon and I entered our own Brunswick Stew recipe in the Brunswick Stew/Chili Cook-off Contest and won first place! So my judging of all other Brunswick Stew is a bit skewed. Sonny’s stew was not bad. A nice tomato base with plenty of corn, lima beans, and spice (though not spicy) but the one addition that I did not like was ground beef and the barbecue was added to the top of the stew once it had been ladled into the bowl. For the main meal I had decided to stick with the pulled pork at each restaurant. Pulled pork is what I consider to be the best way to judge barbecue and is my favorite way to eat it! The Sonny’s pulled pork was good, but not very tasty without added sauce. The smoky flavor was not heavy enough for my taste. The good news is that Sonny’s offers a plethora of sauces for any taste on the table. The “Smokin’” sauce was my favorite on the pork. I am not a fan of the sweet sauces but for those that are there are two to chose from. My side item was corn nuggets. These are a Southern specialty made from creamed corn and deep fried. While good, be careful because they are heat hot on the inside when served fresh out of the fryer.
Sonny’s Barbecue overall was good and offers enough variety that it would appeal to most any taste.

Lane: Since this was our first effort towards tasting as much barbecue, I wanted to try as much of a variety as possible so I could be objective. I went with the Super Combo which is Sonny’s “original” Bar-B-Q Sliced Pork, the slow-smoked Beef, Bar-B-Q Chicken and the Sweet & Smokey Ribs (spare rib cuts). I like my side favorites, such as macaroni and cheese and coleslaw, which in my book always are a compliment to barbecue. The top two noteworthy items from this experience were the ribs which were sweet, smoky, savory, and overall delicious. I always prefer spare ribs over baby-back any day and I really enjoyed Sonny’s. The corn nugget sides also made the diner quirky and fun. I did not enjoy the slow-smoked beef. It had a dry chewy texture. I agree with April in her description of the “Smokin” sauce over the sliced pork.

Whenever I think about good consistent barbecue that is served in large portions, Sonny’s comes to mind quickly. They make it their business to know barbecue and pride themselves on offering a variety of smoked meats.

Sonny's Real Pit Bar-B-Q 2181 Cherry Road Rock Hill, SC 29732
803-324-7984
Distance from Home: 4.15 miles