Jim & Nick's may be a mini chain out of Birmingham.
The "hometown Sonny's" is actually one of probably the largest chain in the nation and a spinoff from Fatboy's and Woody's chains.
This is a list from the Fl bbq assoc,not necessarily recommendations.
Orlando:
Smokey Bones near the Fashion Square Mall has pulled pork and ribs that are almost as good as they make in competition.
Smokey Bones, one of the newest in Orlando's lineup of Q spots is another of the Darden Restaurant Chain. They do their Q the way it should be done, low and slow. Their competition team is one to be reckoned with and many of the same methods are used in the restaurant that is used on the competition circuit. The ribs are smoky and sweet and the pulled pork melts in your mouth. With three locations around Orlando It's definitely the place to try for good barbecue.
Cecil's Texas Style Barbecue is another great place for Q. Their pork sandwiches are made with slow smoked pork loin and are plenty for a healthy appetite. They claim they smoke their briskets 18-22 hours and believe me they are tender and tasty. Along with smoked sausage and smoked turkey is a hot line of vegetables to load up on. Free soft serve ice cream when you finish if you can hold it.
Uncle Jones BBQ located on SR 436 just west of 17-92 about 500 yards on the south side of 436. They have a full menu butt most have the buffet rib's, pork, chicken and ALL the trimins tater's, green's, string bean's butter beans the list goes on. NO GAS here the Q is cooked slow with oak, not a fancy place just a real good BBQ joint.
One of the newcomers is Blackwater Bar-b-q, which recently set up its smokers in a small strip mall next door to Le Coq au Vin. Blackwater opens with the bragging rights that its ribs placed fifth out of 107 contestants at Memphis in May, a barbecue competition held in Memphis. In May. I liked most everything I sampled at Blackwater. The pulled pork was especially good, moist and tender with a taste of smoke that made extra sauce superfluous. And the baby back and St. Louis-style ribs were pretty tasty too. I especially liked the spiciness of the dry rub on the ribs. Blackwater Bar-b-q is at 4718 S. Orange Ave., Orlando. The hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Beer and wine are available, and you can use credit cards. The phone number is 407-888-2033.
I stopped by O'Boys Real Smoked Bar-b-q's newest location. The boys moved down Colonial Drive to the corner of Edgewater Drive and took over a former Steak and Ale restaurant. The new space gives them a lot more room, and the bar now serves full liquor. When I went in for 'cue recently, I was shown to a rustic booth (think woodshed) in the bar area. We're basically talking about planks of wood slapped together, and not very thoughtfully. The bench was so high and uncomfortable to sit on that I got up and moved to the bar so I could sit on a stool. My feet still didn't touch the floor, but at least I was able to regain circulation in my legs. There's another O'Boys in Winter Park at 610 Morse Blvd.
There's a new Cecil's Texas Style BBQ in town. You may be familiar with the one at 2800 S. Orange Ave., Orlando, which has been there for a number of years. Now there's one at 5320 Alloway St., just north of Lee Road and west of Interstate 4. But this new place is a franchise -- the first, so the owners tell the Hound. For those of you unfamiliar with Texas-style barbecue, the thing to have here is brisket. Sausages are also popular with Texas 'cue, although you'll still find ribs and chicken too. But brisket is a must if you're doing that Texas thing.
Wildsides: 700 E. Washington St., Orlando; 407-872-8665. The winner of the 2002 Critic's Foodie Award. The ribs are big, fat and fatty -- just the way I like them. But the pulled pork is pretty tasty too.
Concha Me Crazy: 191 E. Pine St., Orlando; 407-246-0011. Although he no longer serves diners at his West Colonial Drive Smokehouse, Johnny Rivers provides his barbecue to a number of area restaurants, including his own Concha Me Crazy in the Embassy Suites hotel in downtown. The pulled pork is his forte, and the sweet sauce is what makes it so special. You can also get some of this great 'cue at one of the Johnny Rivers Smokehouse stands at Orlando International Airport to take on your next flight. Beats a bag of peanuts.
Smokey Bones BBQ and Sports Bar: 303 N. Alafaya Trail, Orlando; 407-248-2009. The ribs at this fast-growing chain don't do much for me, but during a recent visit to the Waterford Lakes location, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the pulled pork. Good stuff.
Bubbalou's Bodacious BBQ: 12100 Alafaya Trail, Orlando; 407-423-1212. As I've reported in the past -- most recently when a new location opened in Altamonte Springs -- things have slipped at Bubbalou's over the years. But a recent visit to the east Orlando restaurant showed that there may be a renewed concentration on producing good 'cue. The ribs weren't as tender as I'd like, but the pulled pork and chicken were nice.
Conway's BBQ: 3418 S. Conway Road, Orlando; 407-382-7172. This little shop has been growing quite a bit the last few years. I like the setting of this location, and I prefer their barbecue served as a sandwich.
Winter Park:
Bubba Lou's Bodacious BBQ on Lee Road (With a name like that no comment needed)
Bubba Lou's Bodacious BBQ with two locations in Winter Park and Orlando is one of the old favorites around O'Town. They serve pork, pork ribs, beef brisket, lamb, chicken and probably a couple more things I haven't mentioned. Standing in line to order doesn't seem to deter the diehard fans that keep on coming back.
O-Boys is on Morse Blvd in Winter Park, South side of the street about 3 blocks east of the Amtrak station. Go up 17-92 until you hit Morse, turn East (cool idea since it dead-ends into 17-92) and look for it on your right.
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I have a couple of cousins in GA/FL and an old high school buddy. What I'm really looking for if the fuel isn't totally out of price in two years.. is to visit the south, my son, friends.. and just tour. I've never been to south Florida.. nothing below Orlando. Guess Tom lives down there someplace too.. I want to visit the Cape to see their space stuff too.