Sonny's BBQ in Ft. Lauderdale turns into Jaxx House of Ribs.
To my surprise, the Sonny's BBQ restaurant on Powerline Road in Ft. Lauderdale...recently changed over to Jaxx House of Ribs. Sonny's was never my favorite place by far. While the food wasn't horrible, I could think of 3 BBQ places that were so much better and worth the extra few miles drive.
We stopped in for lunch on Saturday to check it out. All of the signs now read Jaxx House of Ribs. I won't really go over a full 'review' of the place. To sum it up...it's Sonny's with a fresh coat of paint on the outside (bright yellow) and a much much cleaner dining room. The food looked to be exactly the same....even down to the salad bar. The food wasn't horrible...but nothing special. It's definitely a step up from the Sonny's though.
They retained all of the staff and this is the only Sonny's that changed over to Jaxx. My guess is that the franchise owner got tired of paying the fees to Sonny's....or health inspectors gave too many citations to Sonny's, so the owner re-opened (just a guess...not a fact.).
Jaxx House of Ribs is located at 5401 Powerline Road, across from the new BJ's Wholesale.
We stopped in for lunch on Saturday to check it out. All of the signs now read Jaxx House of Ribs. I won't really go over a full 'review' of the place. To sum it up...it's Sonny's with a fresh coat of paint on the outside (bright yellow) and a much much cleaner dining room. The food looked to be exactly the same....even down to the salad bar. The food wasn't horrible...but nothing special. It's definitely a step up from the Sonny's though.
They retained all of the staff and this is the only Sonny's that changed over to Jaxx. My guess is that the franchise owner got tired of paying the fees to Sonny's....or health inspectors gave too many citations to Sonny's, so the owner re-opened (just a guess...not a fact.).
Jaxx House of Ribs is located at 5401 Powerline Road, across from the new BJ's Wholesale.
Jax House of Ribs is owned by Echo Point Cuisiniers, Inc. While many of the staff stayed, it has no relationship with Sonny's BBQ nor the prior owner. I hope that those of you who enjoyed Sonny's will give us a try, and those who, for one reason or another, were never customers of the former restaurant, will stop in and join us. Our menu is expanded and includes items such as fried cheesecake, funnel cake,homemade onion rings and smoked chicken dip, just to name a few.
Unlike chain restaurants, we make all our dishes from scratch. It would be our pleasure to serve you lunch or dinner!
Sincerely,
Mitchell Soligan
Proprietor
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I did see the fried cheesecake on the chalkboard....I wish we weren't too full to give it a try. Great job on cleaning the place up too. I do love the salad bar...it's something different that you don't see much of anymore.
Mark B.
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JAX is FANTASTIC..what a find! a few friends & I stopped in one rainy Sunday afternoon and we truly enjoyed our lunch. My turkey sandwich on garlic bread (with bacon!!) was so GREAT that I crave it and go thru the Drive-Thru for it at least once a week. GO TO JAX, you'll be so glad you did!
enjoy
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I've been going to Sonny's since college days in Gainesville -- the first one in the "empire" was on the Waldo Road.
I like Sonny's BBQ for what it is -- their sliced pork is very good; my father always liked their ribs.
My hope is that JAX does not change the beans -- Sonny's beans, with a sweet sauce and plenty of meat -- cannot be beat. There's no point in experimenting with other recipes.
Haven't been to Jax yet, but will give it a try.
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Just came back from Jaxx, after reading some of the comments on this blog, as well as, the comment of Mitch Soligan, proprietor of Jax.
I must say that I knew the place before as Sonny's and while not offering GREAT BBQ, it was always sufficient to satisfy my lunchtime BBQ craving.
Upon entering the restaurant, a friendly and affable mustachioed guy met me at the door and I asked if he might be Mitch (I remembered him from the blog). He said that he was! How nice to be met at the door by the owner and feel so welcome, so quickly.
At any rate, we chatted for a bit about the "pre" and "post" Sonny's era and I must admit, the premises did sparkle a bit more than before. By now, the aroma of slow cooked wood fire BBQ wafting in from the kitchen did nothing to dissuade me from wanting to explore even further.
Overhead and to your left, as you enter, you will notice the wall is plastered with "daily specials chalkboards" that include, now get this, 25% discount for different groups on each day of the week...best of all, for those of you who are first responders and me, retired miltary, the 25% discount applies EVERY day. Hats off to Mitch for putting his mouth where his money is and supporting those of you that support us each and every day!
So what did I have, finally? I opted for my tried and true quick lunch of 20 wings with the sweet and tangy sauce slathered all over them...took them back to the office and it was pandemonium...guys that didn't even know they were alive, yet alone hungry, were following me as if I was the Pied Piper of Chicken Wing Hamlet Town, they were that good.
So, do yourself a favor, especially if you like nice people, nice food and a friendly atmosphere and "truck on down to wide track town" and grab yourself some of Jax's 'Q...see ya there (I'll be the guy with a BBQ sauce grin from ear to ear - oh, and, Mitch, from all of us who served or are serving, thanks for your support and recognition)
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Well, Jaxx is trying to break the Sonny's mold, however I was just there and the food was 'ok'. The service was friendly and the place looked a lot cleaner. Salad bar was good...but the fries were cold. Ribs were 'ok'. The all-you-can-eat special is a good deal, but I hope they can improve the food quality...especially the sides. Sometimes the BBQ sides are just as important as the meat.
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I'm sorry to hear that your food wasn't as hot as it could be. In the future, never hesitate to send it back; we are striving to serve the best BBQ in South Florida and your input is critical.
Please mention to me personally your experience next time you come in and I'll be happy to make certain I try and make up for your less than perfect dining experience.
Sincerely,
Mitch Soligan
Proprietor
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We just returned from JAX's and wow what a neat place. We were looking for funnel cakes, as my wife had a craving, and they advertised they had them on the menu. We were excited to hear about the change to Jax's from Sunny's that we read about here on this blog. We had the Smoked Chicken Dip and it was delish! We also had Boneless BBQ Wings, and they, along with the sauces that came with them were great. The funnel cake was OK, not the best and not the worst, but tasted pretty good. It was clean, bright, and the wait staff was very attentive and pleasant. We will definately go back and try some of the other great sounding stuff on the menu. I also dig the fact that he gives a little something back to the folks that watch out for us every day, in the fomr of a discount. All around, I would recommend this joint to anyone.
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