Sonja's Restaurant - Browns Mills, NJ

Well I remember seeing this post on Chowhound about Sonja's a couple of months ago, and also heard about it again from one of my instructors on Monday.  So today, I figured I would give Sonja's a try. That said, one of my co-workers and I made out way over there. I had heard from "Coach Dan" that Sonja's had an awesome rueben, so I had to give it a try as I have had a rueben craving since Sunday night for whatever reason.

Pulled in, and the place isn't much to look at. It's an old building reminiscent of an old VFW post with parking in the back. You walk in the double doors on the side into the dining room to see some dated pink walls, and German decor. Sure, the place could use some updating, but what do you expect in Pemberton, NJ? The first thing you notice walking into the restaurant is the special board, where I saw a rueben and chips for $6.00, as well as a meatball parm sandwich! YUM! My decision was almost made!

We were the first ones in the restaurant around 11:30 this morning, and sat at a table in the window facing the street and the church across the street. Our server immediately came over and took our drink order as we thought about lunch. Although the meatball parm sounded fantastic, I had to go with the rueben since that is what I came for.

Needless to say, Holly ordered the meatball parm sandwich special with fries, and I went for the rueben and chips. Couldn't have been more than 10 minutes and our food came out. My sandwich was piping hot and gorgeous, with melted cheese and sauerkraut oozing out the sides of the perfectly grilled bread. This is definitely in the top 3 rueben's I have had of all time, and I have eaten a lot. The flavors of the corned beef were awesome, and the cheese, sauerkraut, and thousand island dressing couldn't have been any better. I am 99.9% sure the dressing is made fresh in house, as it was very tasty, with nice big chunks of fresh pickle or relish in it. The chips were chips, but I was all about the sammy, not the chips! Absolutely delish, and I couldn't have been any happier with the sandwich.

Holly's meatball parm sandwich looked killer! Nice looking meatballs, and a ton of melted cheese on a nice torpedo type roll. The sauce looked great and flavorful, and next time I go back, I am giving this bad boy a whirl!

All in all, a heck of a great lunch, with very good, very friendly service. If you are looking for ambiance, this isn’t the place to go, but if you are looking for a good affordable lunch, I wouldn’t hesitate in the least! Being so close to my office, I think it will be hard not to visit Sonja’s at least a few times a month! Great call Coach Dan!  Readers:  be sure to follow his basketball team from Doane Academy in the papers next season!  They just might be your state champs next season in basketball!  You heard it from me first!  Cheers! -F. Scott

Sonja's Restaurant
41 Trenton Road
Browns Mills, NJ 08015
Phone: (609) 893-3629