Great food. The muffalatta is the best I have ever had. Love this place.

While staying at the Speakeasy ordered lunch to go before hitting the beach!! Amazing!! From the cheeseburger, double burger, chicken strips, amazing fries and yes the shrimp sandwich. Will definitely order again!! Thank you 😊

The history of this place speaks for itself! As I read other reviews it is obvious that the negative ones are from people who have an entitlement mentality and expect perfection. This restaurant would not have survived for almost 80 years if the food was not great and it was not run by a family dedicated to Galveston traditions and that cares about people. I know this from first hand experience as I worked there in my early 20s. Just because their hours don’t fit your schedule or a waitress has a bad day is no reason to leave a bad review/comment!! Maybe you need to realize they are human and learn to have more compassion for people in the world! And if you have dietary restrictions that is in NO WAY their fault for you having to order more food because you ordered something that cut out half of what the meal is made of! If you want some of the best gumbo I’ve ever tasted visit on Fridays when it’s made hot and fresh!!

Wonderful little family friendly neighborhood restaurant and bar. With fresh oysters to die for!

Great little hole in the wall that is a flashback to the 70’s. It was clean with great food. Food price excellent. $6 bottled beer meh however it was cold.

Sonny’s offers an authentic, cozy atmosphere that instantly makes you feel at home. The staff is friendly, and the food is delicious. It's the perfect spot to relax and enjoy a great meal. Highly recommended!!!

I've been coming here for the better part of 20 years anytime I was in Galveston. It's a family owned neighborhood restaurant that is just phenomenal! From burgers to chicken to seafood Sonny's has you covered. I will admit I was a little disappointed they didn't have oysters this time but when the owner came by and advised he wasn't willing to charge the "going rate" I couldn't complain. (RIP Larry - your mug will always be sitting on our table waiting for you)

Good food and a great place to hang out

+3

We were in town for the night and my husband found this place when searching on yelp. Sometimes he finds good places, sometimes it's questionable. Sonny's is one of the amazing places! Service was really friendly and fast. Great prices, food was to die for, and we will definitely be returning! Husband got the 1/2 grilled muffalatoe and I couldn't stop stealing some of the bread from the sandwich. I got the dressed shrimp bun and it was fantastic! The drinks are the best priced on the island. I definitely recommend this place!

An old school Galveston restaurant……. I love the atmosphere which hasn’t changed since I was young. The food is great and there’s always service with a smile. 😊

Long-time customer starting back in the late 70s. It was always a treat for me to go as a kid. The place was lively with good food and coin-op video games (classic arcade). Now bringing my own kids is a treat unto itself. The feel is still similar and the food is still good. The staff is helpful and friendly. Do yourself a favor and give Sonny's a try. Not even Hurricane Ike nor Covid could kill it. Highly recommended!!!

Service and good was excellent! Really old building with lots of history.

Coming here regularly, all food is delicious, but Gumbo is my favourite.

The food tasted great and even my kids who are picky eaters loved it - would 100% recommend this place to anyone!

Cool vibe. Nice staff. Food made to order. Strong drinks.

Awesome place! Like going back in time. The owner is a hoot. He is 91 and puts in a full day up there every day. Best Muffaletta I have ever had. Burgers are great too. We ate there every day on our trip. It was that good.

Went there last night with some local friends. I had the oyster cocktail in a glass and fried oysters for dinner. Everything was great. My friends had the muffalatta which was amazing and others had spaghetti and burgers. Generous potions and everyone raved about there orders. The owner came by several times and shared some jokes with us. Lots of fun and well be back for sure.

Very comfortable place with great, dripping burgers. Junior is very friendly and has lots of interesting and entertaining history. We will be back multiple times. Had their shrimp gumbo this time. It was good and full of shrimp. Chili in the Frito pie is also very thick and rich.

LOVE THIS PLACE! Local bar and grill that's been here forever! Great food! Great atmosphere! Great service! Owner will come to your table (at least once) and tell you the only joke he knows. That's part of the charm! Each table has one or more small brass plaques dedicated to a service member. Authentic food, real people and true community! You become a local just by coming in!! If you are here during Mardi Gras, make sure you go there after the parades on Saturday night. All the Krew organizers are there watching the recaps and celebrating another year of success, hard work, and fun.

Sonnys is the best place in Galveston. The food is fantastic, and the staff is super friendly, especially Alina and Natasha. Definitely a must-visit when you’re in town!

Richard took very good care of us. Service was prompt., Very generous portions. Lots of History there. I couldn’t make up my mind what to eat so I ordered the shrimp bun with oysters and several other orders for take out so we could try other items later at home. The muffuletta and the spaghetti are a must. If you don’t fall in love with this place you are either a yankee or just in need of an attitude adjustment. Come with your appetite Leave full and very happy.

We had lunch for the first time today. Will definitely be back. Their food and service was over the top. My mufalatta sandwich was huge. Their chicken soup was really tasty. Can't wait to back to try something else.

Fantastic customer service and their Hamburgers are yummy too 😋

+2

So... If you have fine dining expectations, this is not for you. However, if you like good food, low key environment, and a owner who enjoys making folks laugh... This is the spot. Try the spaghetti, muffaletta, or my fav, the mug of raw oysters (see photo). Love this place, 70 years of a Galveston staple!

First time having muffaleta and wow it was fantastic. Also had a cup of gumbo and it was excellent. Would definitely eat here again. Nice atmosphere too

we just so happened to have stumbled upon this place last min, and man are we happy we did. everything about this place was great! the atmosphere, the people, the food, the price! now every time we come back to galveston we are for sure eating here.

Very prompt service. Delicious food with wonderful ambiance. Lots of Galveston history shown on the walls and booths. You can tell it is a well-loved spot for the locals. Muffaletta was huge and delicious. Fries are the old-timey type and cooked to perfection. The hamburger was juicy and hit the spot. We will make this our go-to place.

Awesome Grilled Muffaletta and ice cold draft beer. Always a pleasure to eat at Sonny's when we are on the island.

Sonny's is charming and a great place for food, family, and friends. Everytime I go to Galveston, my family and I eat here. I highly recommend it.

Great food, great service. The only warning I would have is this is what's left over from a full order of muffaletta. It's so much food!

Hands down the BEST BURGERS AND MUFFALETTA you will ever have and I have literally had them everywhere. The ambience is what really sets this place apart along with the food. Generous portions and pricing that is very friendly. A must whether you live on the island or are visiting.

1st time in this place. Service was great. The muffuletta I ordered would have fed a small town. I ate a quarter of the sandwich. Very tasty.

I have been wanting to try this place out for over a year. I'm from New Orleans and it's hard to find a place who makes a good fried shrimp sandwich. Well, I finally was able to go and experience the place. I'll say that they nailed the po-boy. I'll be back to try the muffuletta.

The chicken fried sandwich was excellent. So was the chili cheeseburger. Can't wait to go again. Has a full menu, something for EVERYONE!

I came for the muffaletta. It is the best muffaletta anywhere. Period. It's grilled to perfection, the portion is huge, tastes amazing.

Local Business EST 1944. Full Italian menu and bar. Family and Veteran Owned. Mr Pruchetti was incredibly hospitable. It was an honor to meet him! Looking forward to Sampling the Menu! Call shots $3. Well $2. Makers, Titos' etc. Support Veteran and Local Businesses.

Some of if not the best fried shrimp on the island. Great atmosphere, between the jukebox, Astros games playing, and friendly locals it doesn’t get better and a one in all experience for the island.

Always a pleasant experience at Sonny's.Food is always fresh and awesome.

Our go to Saturday lunch stop. Great service and food

Love this place. If your live here or need to know where the locals go this is it. Cheapest drinks anywhere. Top shelf for $3 well drinks for $2. Beer goes for $3.25, imports are $4 and pitchers go for $12.50. The food is also reasonably priced. You can get a great burger or a grilled cheese, you like pasta they have great pasta dishes. You want a hot dog? No problem. Nachos, chicken strips, and fried shrimp sandwiches, everyone can find something here. This is a great place to bring friends, or just duck in and hide from them. It's open for lunch then reopens for dinner. Sonnys is closed on Sunday's and Monday's. If you like games they have pinball, darts, shuffleboard and pool. Several Tvs keep you tuned in and the owners like to chat with you and help keep you entertained with a joke or two. Bring one or two for yourself. It has a bar you can sit at and there are lots of tables. It can get crowded so be patient and you'll stay happy. Watch your language while your here. You are encouraged to behave or you can be gone. Lots of family photos line the walls to let you know that this is a place for families. There is a bullet hole and a plaque on the bar that tells a good story of how it got there. If you ask me where to go on the island I would recommend this place first.

+6

This place is a gem back off of the seawall. Looks like an old house but walk in and the atmosphere is fantastic. The man that owns the place told us jokes and pulled little tricks on us which was so stinking cute. The food was well cooked and AMAZING! Frosty glasses for a good root beer to top it off.....I can eat here every day. We are here from Louisiana and the food is inspired from my roots. Not to mention a good cheap eat. I highly recommend the Grilled Muffuletta!! Thank me later!

This is a place only islanders really know about. Its been around for >70yrs and has a ton of personality. One thing to know: there is no cursing allowed inside! And if you get the Muffuletta, be prepared for leftovers.

Love being right on the beach with the beautiful ocean breeze blowing the straw out of your lips, causing a mist of ocean water to cascade over all at the table. I love mother nature and the ironies it present us. I also love the Post. The best place to eat and drink. good quality, reasonable price for the location. Best place in Galveston.

Absolutely amazing mufalattaa! I ordered the full like a far kid, and yes, I know who big they are. Alos ordered a chicken sandwich, which was also quite tasty. Portions are BIG! The atmosphere looks dated, but the overall experience is well worth going. Highly recommend!!

Our waiter was from the UK and she was very nice. The food was delicious! We ordered the Grilled Chicken Sandwich and fries and cheeseburger with cheese fries. The chicken sandwich was our favorite!!

Their shrimp, and double meat bacon burger are wonderful. Love the atmosphere there, and the service. The owner was friendly and funny. Mom, my niece and I got our food to go, but we will going back and eating in before we go back home.

Be coming here for was a baby, best place on the island for gumbo(Friday nights), muffuletta, a chicken fried steak sandwich, and even the shrimp is good. Always has be more affordable than most places on the island . Very friendly staff and service.

First time here this afternoon for the Chic soup which was amazing. I said next time I will try the pasta. I ddn't know next time would be evening of the same day. Lol The was uge and delicious. This place is must go. Lots of food awards.

D C

Recently stopped in Central Grocery & Deli in New Orleans (home of the ORIGINAL muffaletta) to pickup a muffaletta. Its really good but Sonny's makes it better. Especially the baked one......so awesome!

Obaid Syed

Sonny’s Place is one of those classic spots you’re always glad you stopped at. The food is delicious, portions are generous, and everything tastes fresh and full of flavor. The atmosphere has that warm, old-school charm—colorful, inviting, and perfect for relaxing with family or friends. Staff is friendly and the service is fast. Definitely a must-try if you’re in the area. I’ll be coming back for sure!

Al

I love these kind of places, man. Low key, normal, regular people kind of stuff, dude. The guy made us Hurricanes. He didn't have to, but he did. One thing - the cheese on the cheese fries needs a little work, and the bright fluorescent lights kind of killed it - some warm lighting would rock it. Other than that, we really enjoyed our burger and hanging around talking the bull crap, ayy. Good people here. They made us feel very welcomed and the prices were better than reasonable. Long live Sonny's.

Bart Cooke

We had a great burger and fries at Sonny’s place. This place has been around since 1944. Service was great with lots of interesting pictures on the walls.

+3

Hanna A.

Wonderful place with excellent service! The staff was attentive and friendly. The fish was especially delicious flavorful, and perfectly cooked. Definitely coming back!

C M

Hubby and I had dinner here on a Saturday night. Our waitress was friendly. We got a cheeseburger and fries, quarter grilled muffaletta and cup of soup with 2 alcohol drinks and it was about 55 bucks. The chili was decent. My husband said his burger was really good. The muffaletta was the best I've ever eaten and I've tried them everywhere including a bunch in Nola. I'd say it was a little pricey but I'll still be going back especially for that muffaletta

Elisa Vazquez Roper

No frills, great food and history at this long frequented establishment. Stepping in you’re in a time capsule of a neighborhood restaurant. Sit by the bullet hole at the bar! I had a quarter of the grilled muffuletta and could not eat it all. The crusty Parmesan (?)grilled side of the bread is delicate yet dense. And the flavors inside are cheesy, tangy and salty all at once. I had to eat it with a knife and fork and couldn’t eat all the bread. Left with a full tummy, saying hello to Puccetti Jr on the way in and out. Not trendy or fancy; no frills comfort food at its best. Picture does not do the sandwich justice. I should have opened it up! I wanna go back for the chili & spaghetti and the Tex Mex pasta. 3/6/24. Husband and I went. He had two Coney chili dogs and they were more than he could eat. I had the quarter grilled muffaletta again. Delicious but an eighth would be plenty for me. Was able to talk to Richard and pass our condolences for the loss of his Dad. Again, a must visit. Go hungry! Be mindful that lunch is over at 1:30 but they open again for dinner at 5.

Houston Explorer

I was skeptical about going here after reading the reviews and hearing the aggressive responses but I tried it anyway since it's near. On first visit chili cheese dogs were great. On second visit tried the hamburger and give it four star because the cook stacked all the pickles on top of each other which were wet of course and created so much water they almost went through the bun so it got too mushy to eat but he/she didn't appear to put too much thought in the person who would eat the burger. The fries that came with it were excellent. The waitress offered extra crispy if I wanted which I got. On both visits wait staff gave excellent service. Friendly neighborhood establishment which offers pool tables shuffleboard and screens to watch sports as well as cold beer in a friendly environment. Management seems to be mature type that just wants to run business in a no-nonsense environment and prefers that people behave and don't use profanity which is something people should know better than anyway as there are often families present which is why I give Sonny's five-star and will return. Updated 09/28/23 Everything still same

Geoff McClure

Ive been coming to Galveston since the 70's. Even lived at 17th/Broadway for short while back in the 80's. Not sure how I never came inside this place. Love everything about it. The grilled muffuletta is off the charts good and I rarely get gumbo because no one can compete with mine (thanks Mom) but this was pretty good gumbo and for a cup I got probably a half dozen shrimp. We will definitely be back. Actually my wife is upset I went without her.

John Stoddard

A true "neighborhood" bar and grill. A left over relic from the olden days. A bit off the mainstream roadways but worth it. Building has seen better days for sure. But the food was great. I am telling ya it was good. Bread was soft, not to thick, ingredients portioned just right, not sloppy, just the right amount of dressing. French fries were golden and hot. Looking at all the old photos you can see the love staff and residents have for each other. This fat boy went home with half a grilled muffuletta for two more meals. Honestly say the amount of food for the money was worth it. I even tossed a 5 into the old fashioned jukebox to listen to Some Patsy Cline, Elvis, Johnny Cash and others. No modern trash in that jukebox.

+18

L Washington

Took my son and his friends for birthday dinner and everything was perfect. The staff was super sweet and food was great. Pricing was shocking in a good way. Thank you to the waitress who ran out my son's stuffed doll to the car when we were leaving!

Jeffrey Kane

GRILLED MUFFALETTA! Not the traditional roll and that's excellent because it is SLAP YA MAMA GOOD! Fried shrimp were also great. Tried the tex mex pasta and it caused more seismic activity than a regiment of tanks. Only for cast iron fortified intestinal tracts.

+2

Happy Life

Cool locals spot. The grilled muffletta was huge and yummy! We had a great time talking with the owner. This place has been around a long time! Gumbo was good too.

Martha Sheckells

Love, love, love this place! We really enjoyed the local flavor and personality. The fried oysters and muffaletta were delicious!! The best part of our visit was talking with Lawrence and his son, the owners of the restaurant.

+2

S C

Fantastic I'm so glad we found this great place wonderful food excellent service friendly people it's so nice to go into a restaurant and feel at home.. Sonny's is a family owned and operated establishment so if your looking for a great meal with a healthy portions,and a few great stories this is the place to come . Oh they pool tables to

+11

Cool local vibe spot, old school feel, great story's of the place. Sorry to hear the old man passed away., he had some great jokes for my wife. Lol, We ate the muffuletta ,chili and a salad. We had a few beers at the bar and said Pura Vida amigos, All good!

Off the beaten path locally owned restaurant. The grilled muffuletta was off the charts awesome! We got the large one which can easily feed 4 if you want to share or 2 if you know how good it is. Will definitely stop by on our next visit to Galveston

I like little hole in the wall bars. Sonny may resent it being classified as that, but I think it is fine. My father loves their nachos. I would say the food is a bit above what I consider bar food, so it gets 4 stars. If you like the charm of a small bar and need a snack, this is the place to be.

Made it back to this local hangout this week and as always the food was good. Had some chili and shared a whole Muffaletta, still took some back to the house. A do have to say, the service was a little lacking. The young ladies seemed to have more interest in phones than customers. Watched the interaction at other tables in seemed pretty much, what do ya want and ok! Never got asked if we wanted more water so glasses set on the table empty. Will we go back , without a doubt. Every where has a day now and then. Previous visits were great.

We go for the atmosphere more than anything, unless oysters are in season and good, then we go for the oysters! Staff are friendly, and we were able to introduce our newest family from Ukraine to some staff at Sonny's.

We were told to go here for the nachos by recommendation, and they were okay, but I wouldn't recommend to the next person. We added the muffaletta since it was featured in the menu; it wasn't our jam. Quaint place and service was good. I'm sure it's a great neighborhood spot!

They had shrimp gumbo today, and it was thick and good. The fries are cut from real potatoes and they were fried perfectly! Service is friendly and good. This is a nice local place to eat!

Great place to go, food is cheap, and decent. Hours are fairly sporadic, so have a backup in place.

+2

My family was happy. It feels good supporting a local business like this instead of the big, greedy corporations. Will definitely be back.

The muffuletta was off the charts fantastic. They oysters were huge. The cheese fries were ok. If I were just reviewing the food it would be 4.75 stars out of 5. The service was lacking at best. I’m pretty sure our waitress was having a really really bad day. Over all though we would definitely eat there again.

Diana A

This place has a lot of character... and a bit of a funny smell. It's in what looks like a really old, run-down house, but... that didn't stop us from enjoying the food. The half muffuletta was delicious and large enough for four people! It's served on parmesan crusted bread and filled with the traditional meats, cheese, and olive spread. The cheese fries were pretty good. The menu states that it may take a while to get your food since it is made to order, but it wasn't crowded when we went at lunchtime on a weekday, so it didn't take very long at all. Service was good. What it lacks in ambiance it makes up for in flavor. We would like to go back and try some of the other dishes.

Interesting place. A bar really, but lots of food options. I had the raw oysters, was served in tall beer mug half full with cocktails sauce, horseradish on top and the oysters swimming in it. They were good, different presentation. I also had the gumbo, only served on fridays, sometimes Saturday. It was good. My daughter for the frito pie, it was great! My wife and son got a burger, I asked when ordering, they said it was homemade, but it obviously was not, was a small thin use to be frozen patty. They had pool, shuffle board, and a pinball machine. The games and meeting the owner were the best part. Probably won't go back but glad I went once.

I hated to disturb the girl from her phone but we wanted food and drinks. The drink order came wrong. The food was disappointing. All the hype about the grilled Muffuletta and it really wasn't that good. I've had better from a gas station. The burger was really nothing great other than it was big but the flavor and quality suffered. The fries were decent and hot. I definitely won't go back.

Went to dinner with friends. Food & drinks are cheap. Food is just okay. I had a chili dog & got a second because it was smaller than I thought & I did bunless so you definitely need two. They were fine with my diet restrictions which was nice.Our daughter's chicken was raw so we had to send it back. They fixed it promptly, but glad I checked it before giving it to her. Our server was friendly & they were very accommodating. Just nothing to write home about overall.

We all had a cheeseburger 🍔 😋 it was okay but very greasy and the fries were okay but were not hot just warm and if you order the cheese fries you'll get sliced cheese microwaved and partly melted on top, not so great. My wife had a cup of gumbo but she wasn't impressed and said it tasted like burnt spicy water. Overall we weren't impressed but we will give it another try sometime because "we all have off days" and I'm not going to knock it on just one visit. The Ukrainian lady/waitress was very nice and pretty 😊

I hate to say this because I wanted to find a Diamond in the rough. The truth is, if you want cheap food, this is your place but keep in mind, you get what you pay for. Average at best. Press box in Galveston has better food with a similar environment. The grilled Muffuletta was so much bread and ridiculously misproportioned

It was more of a mehffuletta. The inside out bun was unexpected and there was way more bread than necessary. Ultimately the person who recommended this place for a muffuletta will no longer be trusted for food advice.

Service was good, just didn't care for the food. Would have rather had fries and a burger from sonic. Would be a good place for just a drink. They charged us $1.50 for a cup of tap water. Restroom had no soap.

AJ Chong

My review is based off delivery. I did not experience the place in person. My review is on the spaghetti. Very pricey for cafeteria quality. I question the bread as it has a weird smell to it. I am not a foodie by any means and being a veteran, I pretty much will eat anything. But this fell short. Be a different story if the plate was half priced. I’m sure the other food is better but I would not recommend the spaghetti.

Ronnie Pearson

The atmosphere is exactly what I expected with an old school diner feel, even with the old school smell. Cool looking old school cash register up at the counter. The service was great. The gumbo was not to my liking at all, with maybe 3 dry shrimp and sausage that had tasted like it was warming for days. Very fishy taste and alot of tomatoes. Not my style at all. The muffaletta was was decent and heavy on the olive. I like that but the wife didn't. Over all feel is cool to dine in a place that old but the gumbo needs serious help. Kinda disappointed 😞 Response to I guess the owner. I don't know what your talking about in reference to friends. Just giving a honest review. You can see I rate many places also and I don't care who knows who. I have traveled the world and this is something that I like doing it trying different places. To be honest I had high expectations of this place. Just not much cup of tea. Im sorry you are upset with this review, but if you fix this gumbo I will come by and give you a better review if it's better.

+1

Lisa Diaz

First time here and heard that the gumbo was good here.The waitress was very nice.I ordered a bowl chili and my husband a bowl a gumbo. We were so excited to try out this place. The chili was good but the only bad vibe was when we got our gumbo the waitress had said it was left overs from Friday night. Apparently they have gumbo special on Friday and we went in to eat on Saturday and we got left overs. We didn’t appreciate that we were getting leftovers on gumbo. I’m pretty sure some restaurant do use leftovers but we rather not know that.

+5

This place smells, its old & dated inside. The food that is raved about was aweful. They slapped sliced cheese on French fries. No cheese sauce like one would expect. Can't pay at the table. You have to wait at the bar for the bartender/waitress to decide if she sees you to pay. Not many customers and still waited about 8 mins at the bar. Smh. We won't be back.

Very friendly staff. Nice old fashioned atmosphere. You don't find many restaurants like this anymore. However, the food was not good. Maybe I'm just a food snob, but i would never eat here again. Nachos had cheap American cheese microwaved on top of terrible chips that were either to hard and chewy to eat, or completely soggy from the canned chili that was on top. The cheese was also hardened on some spots from over-microwaving. Cheese fries were also cheap American cheese. Hot dogs were an off putting color and my kids could not swallow a bite. Burger was decent except bad quality cheese. Muffeletta was decent.

This place has def gone down hill over the years and lost its charm. Wait staff didn’t speak English (I didn’t go to a Chinese buffet). Iced Tea was anything but Iced and could t understand why we kept asking for Ice… The old school charm has been lost and it’s Sad, even the food was a disappointment, burger thrown together with some of the veggies we asked for. Asked for Mayo when it came out we asked if Mayo or Miracle Whip and they said sorry we ran out of Mayo we only had MW. Let me know that before you put it on my Burger. Will not be back sadly… Grew up going here and now my kids just had their once and last experience there. Oh… Party of 5 you can sit back in the Pool Table/Storage room! 👎

Lee Hankins

The atmosphere is exactly as one would expect with an old school diner feel. The service was very good and polite. The food was another matter. The gumbo was unpalatable with dusty dry shrimp and sausage that had been in a soup warmer all day. Maybe more than one day. My dining partners muffaletta was rubbery and barely palatable. What a disappointment.

Food was horrible got the nachos for appetizer they just had some old stale chips and put slices of cheese and melted it in the microwave and it wasn't even all the way melted then they brought out the sandwiches and a burger and they both were cold. I always eat places like this they usually have good food this place is bad all around

I am a Gen X, BOI, lived in Galveston County 54 years. I love dive bars, hole in the wall restaurants and the like. Sonny's is a joke. Their food is horrible. Patty melt? Um, yes, two pieces of white sandwich bread with questionable meat in the middle. Cheese fries? Um, yes, the cheapest frozen fries with microwaved Velveeta slices on top. The RULES!?! OMG!!! Your food is not good enough to warrant the attitude. Sonny's? Nope.