Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken

5-star fried chicken in a 3-star restaurant.

After reading Troutqueen’s earlier review, and having heard good things about Gus’s through the grapevine, I opted to pay them a visit. Today was that day.

Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken actually starts with a little folklore. The original owner, the one who got the “world famous” title for the chicken, supposedly sold it to the people now running it. She sold everything to them EXCEPT the recipe for the frying batter, which is batched off-site and shipped to each of the various Gus’s chickens. Is it a true story? I don’t know, but it’s certainly interesting—and believable because the batter was the best I’d ever had. Crispy, spicy, and not overly greasy. In a word: PERFECTION. Do yourself a favor and order something that’s been battered and fried if you go to Gus’s.

The downtown location might prove a little challenging for (on-street) parking, so expect to walk 1/4 to 1/2 a block. Though it’s in the southern downtown area, it’s still advisable to lock your doors and stow valuables out of sight before leaving your vehicle.

I went at lunch time just before noon and Gus’s was busy but not completely packed. That changed after noon passed: the place hit 100% capacity and several people were just getting things to go. The wait time wasn’t bad for our group, but it did (despite our just-before-the-lunch-rush arrival time) seem to take a little longer than most other sit-down restaurants.

The wait staff was efficient but not particularly friendly—potentially because they were so busy and simply focused on getting food to people. The restaurant was clean but the interior was spartan. Gus’s could use an interior makeover: the painted cinder block walls with an occasional bit of Elvis or Memphis nostalgia made for an uninspired and dull atmosphere—which is bad if service as there’s nothing to do or look at. They could use some additional Memphis-themed conversation pieces to liven the place up a bit.

When I want good, spicy fried chicken, I go to Gus’s downtown. Perfectly crispy, seasoned to a good level of spiciness. Don’t expect to get much of anything other than fried chicken here with the usual accompaniments. Fries are good, but the slaw and beans are forgettable. They serve the friend chicken with sliced bread as well.

A tip: If you’re with a group, order family style with large sides, or you’ll wait much longer (according to the wait staff when we asked).

Expect to wait awhile, even if you’re one of the first ones there. During lunch, we know to slate 2 hours to eating there. Sometimes we’re lucky to get out of there after only an hour, but 1 1/2 hours is pretty normal. The wait is not inattentiveness of the staff, but rather frying everything fresh and my best guess is that they don’t have a lot of fryers, or have small fyers back there. They also have a number of take-out orders called ahead that morning that they’re preparing.

But if you want good fried chicken, it’s worth the wait!