Sonney's BBQ Shack Bar & Grill — Restaurant in South Lake Tahoe

This is the first time I’ve ever left a review for anything — but I’m so disappointed and honestly pissed that I feel compelled to say something.

We’ve been coming to this restaurant for years. It’s been our go-to spot every time we visit Tahoe, especially for special occasions like family reunions. We used to love the food, the great service, the warm ambience, and how kid-friendly it was. But this time was shockingly different.

First, the food was a major letdown. The ribs were stringy and tough, and the brisket was dry and flavorless.

But what really pushed this over the edge was the service. Our server, Tyler, seemed either drunk or getting over his hangover because I can swear I could smell alcohol on him and the way he spoke was didn’t sound sober/normal.

After we took our seats, it took over 15 minutes for him to come to our table, and when we tried to place our order (because we’d already been waiting with hungry, crying kids), he told us to wait and walked away even after I clearly told him that we were ready to order because all of were starving. Five minutes later, taking his time and talking to other customers, he brought… waters. Why couldn’t he take our order first and bring us waters? Nobody asked for water — we just wanted food.

When he did come back, we had to repeat the order several times, and he still forgot items. We reminded him, but they never came. We ended up canceling them out of frustration. When the food finally arrived, it wasn’t worth the wait, and I was honestly embarrassed we had brought our family here.

The restaurant wasn’t even busy so it’s not like he was overwhelmed. We waited a long time for the check, which he never returned to pick up. One of us had to physically go to the cashier to pay. Oh and he also forgot about our to-go box. Can’t believe my partner gave our server what I consider such a generous tip.

So the food was disappointing (especially because I know how good it used to be), and our sever was either racist or utterly bad at his job. Whether this was a one-off, a staffing issue, or a sign of bigger changes behind the scenes, it was a BAD experience. We won’t be...

Saturday, 8/12/2023 - We "Sonny's BBQ Shack Bar & Grill" and decided to give them a try for lunch. Address is 787 Emerald Bay Rd, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150. Upon arrival...

Pros

1. plenty of parking when we arrived. Parking was a bit small and tight.
2. saw a sign that they were voted Best BBQ in Lake Tahoe.
3. we walked in and hostess took our name down for the next large table. It was like a 10 min wait. Hostess was nice.
4. the first section of the restaurant looked close. There were tables and chairs, but no one was seated in there to eat. We were seated outside in the back.
5. as you walked to the back outside tables is a very short hallway where there are two bathrooms across from each other. One stall in each. Then you walk pass the second room where there's a bar and people were seated in this section. You pass this second section to get to the back tables.
6. we were seated on a big table with 2 umbrellas to shade us.
7. our server was a nice young gentleman. He took our orders and brought us water. He brought us plenty of water cups. We even had a few extra water cups. Which was great, cus some of us needed a 2nd cup of water. It was very warm during the day this day.
8. we got the BBQ Beef ribs (4 ribs) for $32. You can order an additional side of beef ribs for $7.00 a rib. Beef ribs were very good. There's 4 different kinds of BBQ sauce on the table for your ribs. Bread pudding with ice cream is$10.00. That was good.
9. it didn't take long to get our tab once we were done eating. They brought us to-go boxes to pack our left overs.
10. easy to get to parking lot from the back seating outside.
11. they had a nice, green , grassy area at the end in the back patio where we sat at

Cons

1. the fried Mac & Cheese balls ($15.00) did not taste good. It was dry. 5 of us tried it and did not like it. We tossed it.

Conclusion We all liked this restaurant. Staffs were nice. BBQ was great! Bathroom clean. Had a bar, if you want alcohol. Easy parking when we arrived. Try this place when...

Mediocre BBQ at best for the highest price I ever have paid per pound. I'll be as constructive and specific as possible to give the proprietor info instead of just bile... Brisket- No real flavor (no smoke, seasoning or otherwise), dried out, and all the fat still sitting firm. Fat should have melted away and taken looser consistency if it was properly slow-cooked to 196'F+ internal. It was either rushed, cut short or day(s) old requiring it be chilled at some point, not sure. My amateur self has made better brisket on accident. Brisket is a pain OK, and they did seem marketed around pork more than beef, yet... Ribs disappointing. They looked beautiful, but again dry, with no real flavor. The combo portion of each is laughable for the price. Go with the single meat entre to get closer to sane levels. Fries were excellent and strangely the saving grace of a BBQ joint. Burger doesn't quite matter, because for $20 after tax it better blow my mind or forget it (see Burgers & Brew for prime example and under $15). Instead I got a basic black on the outside-red on the inside cliche. Beans were forced with some weird over sweetened seasoning that made them inedible... And also dry despite the sauce(?) Homemade cornbread was unnecessarily ruined with peppers to the point it was also not edible. I'd argue the majority of folks want it classic style, please make it an option. The goods: -Sauces were diverse and interesting flavors Beer was cool and crisp, and the one thing that was reasonably priced Ambiance was very well done with inside/outside transition charming enough, despite being in a mountain town with 57'F average temp in summertime (bring a sweater). I appreciate all that was done with the space, considering all the different establishments that I have seen come through it over the years. Service was exceptional. Hard-working staff with a great attitude and very hospitable vibe. They definitely saved a lot of the experience for me...