Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken

I had been looking forward to Gus’s opening for about a year. I had gone to the original one in Memphis and really enjoyed the experience there.
The one in Maplewood doesn’t disappoint. There is plenty of parking. I also like what they did to the interior. This place is definitely not fancy nor is for people who don’t like fried foods, chicken in particular. Fried chicken is the star of this menu.
Some of the reviews mention the fried chicken being really spicy. I would disagree. I really didn’t notice that much of a kick so don’t let the heat of the chicken scare you off.
My favorites, of what I have tried so far, are the fried pickles, fried chicken, and chicken tenders.
The only thing that keeps this place from a fifth star is the price. This location seems to be more expensive that the Memphis restaurants. Porter’s Chicken just down the street is about as good and significantly cheaper. One tip to pay less is to inquire about the daily special which is usually a better bargain.

I have been waiting for Gus to make its way to St. Louis and it finally did! I already been here 4 times since it has been open and I tell you it’s absolutely delicious!
It is exactly the way I remember it when I first had this in Memphis! The chicken is perfect here the way it’s breaded and with all the flavors and steaming hot when it’s served!
The service is we get is very pleasant and attentive good customer service with best chicken in St. Louis is what your looking for!
The price are very fair even though it’s 50 cent charge for changing your sides which are served with slaw and beans but beside that it’s good price! The chicken breast are huge and very tasty! The chicken is never dry and burns your hands and mouth that is how steaming hot it is served I love it! I can talk about this place all day long! Always looking forward to coming to Gus! This place definitely gets 5 stars from me! Would recommend this to anyone looking for great tasting chicken!

Great chicken. Crispy, juicy and with a bit of spice behind it. Serving sides of the sides is a little on the small side and I’m a little disappointed they don’t have mashed potatoes.
If you call in an order you WILL have to wait, and you may give up. If you go in and place a carryout order you will ALSO have to wait, but you can drink some beer (including a couple 40 oz options) while you wait.
It’s good, but if you get there and the line is out the door you might as well go somewhere else and save it for another day.

I finally made it in for lunch! Glad I waited for them to smooth out some of their issues that other reviewers noted previously. I was able to park in the lot, I was able to get a table without waiting plus our server was prompt and attentive. The food all arrived in a reasonable amount of time, at proper temperature, etc.
We started with fried pickle spears. I won’t claim to be a pickle connoisseur nor a fried pickle examiner but I will say that I found the breading: pickle ratio far more enjoyable with their preparation than with fried pickle slices. Also, there was more pickle flavor present than in most presentations. In short, I liked their fried pickles.
The yardbird was just as good as I remember it being at their original location in Memphis. It was served piping hot, so hot that if you don’t let it rest you’re going to burn yourself. That’s about as fresh and hot as can be imagined. I had a 2-​piece dark combo which included a thigh and a leg. Both were tender and juicy with great flavor. There was a bit of spice to the breading but I wouldn’t go so far as to call it «hot» in that respect. The combo came with baked beans and slaw, both of which were pretty pedestrian and something of a missed opportunity for Gus’s to excel.

It’s Fried Chicken. Fried Chicken only. Served on styrofoam plates. Sorry, I don’t get it.
The sides we ordered were for the most part– terrible. The baked beans were lower in quality that a can of pork and beans from Aldi. The Mac and Cheese was squishy. Coleslaw straight out of an industrial tub. The collard greens were the only side anyone finished.
For all the people doing amazing things with Fried Chicken in STL this is does not compare. Many places are able to serve their chicken piping Hot. There is no reason for me to return to Gus’s.

YES, PLEASE! I’m so happy Gus’s is in St. Louis! Excellent chicken! (Chicken is spicy.). Chicken is made to order, so it takes about 20 minutes. Worth it!

Um Yes, Yes and Yes!!! This place is so good, if you can handle spicy. Gus’s was highly recommend by a friend… well come to find out it’s right down the street from all of my other favorites in Maplewood :)!
We my kids got strips and grilled cheese, the strips are a little spicy for my kids. I got the half chicken so I could have left overs but my kids ended up eating the breast. The great thing about this spicy chicken is that it’s only spicy on the outside! It was crispy and perfectly juicy. These people know how to cook their chicken! I got slaw, beans and the greens all were good!!! I got fried pickles to try as well and they were really good too, they’re spears and not huge so you don’t get all that pickle juice taste! if you’re in the neighborhood, you need to try this place out… Even if your not in the neighborhood, if your craving fried chicken. Go to Gus’s

Gus’ s Famous,
Had my anus,
Burning out fire,
Wasn’t my desire!
Bird cost a lot.
Ain’t going back,
Not going near,
Post Traumatic Stress
In the depths of my rear.
Try if you may,
Try if you ‘mus,
Can’t f@#! with a bird like Gus!

Best fried chicken spot in STL hands down!!! Always fresh and cooked to order!!! Be prepared to wait for a table during the dinner rush hour. But the wait is well worth it!

This place has been busy every time I’ve been here. Definitely a good sign but challenging to park sometimes.
Unlike one of the Memphis locations I’ve been to, they take your order at the table instead of the counter. Service is very friendly and helpful here.
The standard fried chicken is spicier than other places, but it was spicy flavorful, not spicy hot-​as-​hell hard to eat… for me anyway. I thought it was really tasty. I ordered the chicken tenders at another time, and they aren’t spicy, so if you want mild, the tenders are a good choice; they’re huge for chicken tenders.

Just like the location in Memphis, this new location offers super fresh and well prepared spicy fried chicken. The side dishes are Southern standards decently prepared. Although, none of the side dishes I would say are that spectacular.
All said, this is well worth a try for anyone who craves fried chicken.

Not bad — I like the chicken — crispy and had some heat.
The greens were the best thing, though. I went the back the week after and ordered a large greens to go and had it as a side with my home cooked dinner (I didn’t feel like cooking greens myself).
There is a lot of competition in the chicken game in STL, and a couple places are better — it’s all about how you like your chicken though… Service was fast and friendly.

We walked in and sat down. No wait. No lines. We were there for lunch. March 1.
And there’s a parking lot. YIPPEE!
Linda, Garrick and I had a great server. She was absolutely delightful.
Garrick and I got our diet colas. Linda got her iced tea.
Linda ordered us a fried green tomatoes to share. The tomatoes were sliced so thinly, and the breading was waaay too thick. It was good. It was just too much. And the tomatoes separated from the breading.
Not a good deal. It was like when you eat an onion ring, and the onion comes out of the breading.
I think we all got the same thing but with different sides: 2-​piece white.
I got collard greens, and macaroni and cheese.
Dang good chicken. I believe the chicken was too spicy for both Linda and Garrick.
Yeah, it put a little bit of heat on the back of your palate and tingled your lips, but I can accommodate that. And the chicken was juicy.
The macaroni and cheese was creamy and good-​tasting. The collard greens were pretty darned fantastic.
I ate the wing, a couple bites of collard greens, and macaroni and cheese. And took the rest home. .. along with Linda’s breast (It was just too spicy for her.).
P. S. Who thought I was the wimp on spicy?

Today’s experience was pretty bad –
After we waited 50 minutes for the food we asked for the manager. He came immediately and served us a plate of lukewarm everything — chicken, fries and okra. Then the server showed up and replaced the cold chicken with freshly cooked piping hot meat. The fries and okra were not replaced.
The chicken was way too salty to enjoy.
Next time it’ll just be the original location in Memphis where the wait is always 15 – 20 minutes and the food consistently perfect.

The much anticipated Memphis born, Gus’ Fried Chicken, does not disappoint! The hype was true and the food is a must.
Rustic interior with a hipster vibe, Gus’ has friendly wait staff and delicious homemade food. This place is no frills dining at its best.
The fried chicken is moist, juicy, tender inside with a somewhat spicy, crunchy crust. So good! Baked Mac n Cheese was gooey, cheesy goodness with a crunchy top. Coke slaw was creamy with a bit of tang.
They served it up with a traditional southern sweet tea that was the perfect way to quench my thirst.
Gus’ is the perfect addition to accentuate the Maplewood vibe!

It’s just like the original Gus’s in Memphis! It’s been a long-​standing tradition for us to hit up Gus’s at least twice each year while we are competing at Memphis in May BBQ. To finally have it at home is GREAT! Love the Memphis-​style breading and all the fixin’s: fried tomatoes are probably my favorite, the greens are close second. It’s also fun to be able to order a 40oz Budweiser!
The food is always delivered fresh and hot! I was browsing through the reviews and saw someone actually complained how their food was delivered freshly cooked (about 15 minute wait) and too hot to eat right a way and they had to let it cool down. That’s just a ridiculous statement — who doesn’t want a hot and fresh meal?!? The breasts are one of the hardest cooks because white meat can dry out more quickly than dark, but at Gus’s the breasts are still juicy tender.
Love Gus’s and glad they’re in The Lou now!

This is the real deal. According to my Instagram feed, it had been 70 weeks since I last tasted Gus’s fried chicken in Memphis so it has been much too long. My brother-​in-​laws along with the hubby and baby ventured to Maplewood to try this delicious chicken.
First I have to say that service here is amazing. They were very nice and accommodating. I ordered three drumsticks which came with bread and beans. I also got fried okra in place of coleslaw. Yum, yum and yum.
Spicy, crispy and moist. The chicken was fried to perfection. Welcome to STL Gus’s!

The first time I tried Gus’s was when we were in Memphis while my mother was visiting. I have not had fried chicken for maybe a year when I decided to try some from Gus’s but I was glad I did because it was superb! When I heard about Gus’s opening a location in Missouri, I was beyond ecstatic but was also afraid that I will want to eat there every single meal. Of course, the one thing that is going against this whole theory is the fact that I don’t like crowded places and since Gus’s soft opening, the restaurant has had constant lines outside that made me think, «well, maybe next time» as I drive by. That next time I kept thinking about finally came and luckily, the place wasn’t as packed. It was on a late Sunday afternoon but it seemed as though everybody had the same idea of ordering to-​go instead of dining in.
I ordered the 3-​piece white because I love breasts. Wow, they were huge! I am pretty sure I ordered the same meal while in Memphis and don’t think I got as big a breast as the ones they gave me in the Maplewood location. What I love about their chicken is the fact that they are crunchy on the outside while tender and flavorful on the inside. I love the spicy flavor of their chicken! Honestly, the pieces were so large that I ended up taking some leftovers that I ended up eating twice.
Another menu item I love from Gus’s is their fried green tomatoes. I love fried green tomatoes in general but theirs are perfectly breaded and so delicious! With my most recent visit, I also discovered my new love for chocolate chess pie. Pardon my expression but it was to die for! I am not a fan of pies but if you serve me Gus’s chocolate chess pie, I will definitely not refuse. I am highly considering going over and picking up a whole pie while I write this review.
The service was nice and friendly and of course, this is a new restaurant so everything is still looking great!

They had me with Fried Green Tomatoes.
It’s an a casual open eating area with a comfortable atmosphere. Even though it was full it wasn’t overly loud.
The staff was super friendly and our drinks were never left empty.
We had fried green tomatoes for our app and they were super tasty. Not the best ever but pretty darn good.
The Hubs ordered a tea and a 2 piece white meat plate which came with slaw, baked beans, and white bread. He subbed fries for the beans for I think an extra 50 cents.
I ordered a sweet tea and 2 chicken tenders and a small side of mac n’ cheese. *one of the staff decided one of my tenders was too small and brought out another which was so kind and observant.
Both of our meals were fantastic. The chicken is nicely seasoned, juicy, crispy, and not too greasy. The slaw was slightly sweet and even though I don’t usually like creamy slaw I thought it was pretty good. The fries were lightly seasoned and not too salty. The mac was full of creamy cheesy goodness. I doused my stuff in hot sauce and chowed down. The Hubs followed suit.
We will most def be back as I am already planning on trying the fried pickles, fried okra, greens, and pecan pie.

Sorry Porters, you lose. Gus’s fried chicken is the place to be.
They take basic fried chicken to the next level with their spicy seasonings and juicy meat. Their fried pickles are also bomb. I pass on their sides, but I’m not a fair reviewer for that considering I’m not really a fan of side dishes anyway, just give me that chicken!
Only problem is their price point. Not sure why they feel the need to charge so much, but they seem to get away with it.

I didn’t know what to exactly expect when I came to Gus’s but I had heard the coming soon hype through local foodie magazines.
I dropped by today and split a meal with my sister. The chicken was outstanding. Juicy, crunchy, mouthwatering and spicy. I expected it to be much spicier but then again it may be to some people. For me it was just the right amount.
The slaw and beans were fantastic as well. I’m very picky about my slaw and it was super good. Sweet, creamy and tangy. Beans were well flavored and sweet with a little green pepper kick.
Atmosphere was great. A little noisy but not enough to matter. It was clean, tables were well kept and we were seated right away although there was quite a crowd.
Menu was simple and clear. Service was great, Pete was excellent. He kept my sweet tea full and was enthusiastic and helpful. He told us about the chess pie and I was so excited! Don’t see it much outside of the south. My sister picked the winner with heated, chocolate chess pie. It tasted like a warm, ooey, gooey chocolate chip cookie. Mine, regular chess pie, was adequate. Tasted good but not something I’d have to have again. A wee bit different than I’m used too.
We split a meal to cut costs and were plenty full. Two pieces is plenty and I’m not sure how people eat a full half. I had to give Gus’s 5 stars. I don’t do it often but this place was great and I’m so happy to have it added to an already great restaurant scene. Gus’s has earned it’s place quite easily.

Hooray, for Gus’s! I attended their soft opening and have been back a couple of times so I can honestly say, «I am a fan.»
Gus’s fried chicken may be world famous, but it may take awhile before it is St. Louis famous. After all we are in the Show-​Me-​State and the people of STL love their Hodak’s and Porter’s. I personally think Gus’s is far beyond those two in quality of fried chicken. They out shine them in seasoning and flavor. Gus’s pieces are juicy on the inside and crispy on the outside, the way Southern fried chicken is suppose to be. Also, the size of the pieces will not disappoint you. When referring to pieces of fried chicken, size does matter.
For some taste buds, Gus’s may be to spicy. I’ll admit, as I enjoyed my chicken I did have to blot little beads of sweat on my forehead. To me, that is a sign of a good spicy chicken. My friend who dined with me once, said it was too spicy for her and that she’d most likely not return. Me on the other hand, Gus’s will most likely be my go to for fast fried chicken.
On two different visits, I tried a couple of their appetizers and both of them did not disappoint.
I am a huge fan of Fried Pickles and was impressed with the thick breading that they used on the dill spears. I am so use to seeing fried pickle chips, that it was a pleasant surprise to see spears. The breading was crisp and when you bite into the pickle, it was extremely warm inside… again, nice touch.
The second app I tried was a true Southern delight; Fried Green Tomatoes. The slices were thick and they had the same bread coating as the Fried Pickles. I know that makes it easier in the kitchen, but a difference in coatings would have set these two apart. However, they were still an excellent choice and I am glad Fannie Flagg wasn’t with me, because she probably would not have shared.
Each time I’ve gone, I’ve had the same sides. I know, I need to try the others, but the Mac-​n-​Cheese is so good. It reminded me of some of the mac-​n-​cheese I enjoyed as a child at family picnics. The cole slaw is good, but being a pepper man, I had to add a few shakes of my favorite spice.
In closing I’ll give a quick shout out to their sweet tea. Usually a Southern restaurant makes the sweet tea overly sweet, but Gus has tweaked it just right. Also, what is a Southern dinner without a slice of pie? It’s a dinner that is not complete, so order up and enjoy a slice of Pe-​can pie, because u-​can.
When: Multiple Times
Why: Fried Chicken

It lived up to the hype. We started with the fried pickles, which I believe are cooked in the center of lava. Be careful! I got the roof of my mouth pretty bad.
Fantastic 2 piece white chicken meal, added a side of mac and cheese to it as well. Again a warning about the temperature, it’s HOT when you bite into it, I’d suggest a knife and fork approach to start. The chicken itself is just utterly fantastic. The crunch/​skin on it has the perfect amount of spices, and the chicken is hot and juicy inside. If I had to pick ‘perfect’ fried chicken, this would probably be it.
Only complaint I have is the price. It’s a little high for fried chicken and a couple bites of sides. Nice treat once in awhile though.
Place is small, and always packed. It’s worth the wait though! Give it a shot.

Even with a 25 minute wait to sit down/order…and THEN another 30 minute wait for our chicken dinner, it earns FIVE STARS!
Everyone has their own opinion but wow, I was seriously impressed by the tasty fried chicken. Quite frankly, the best I’ve ever had so I’m gonna be back (after a 20 mile run, haha).
Service was friendly. Sides (I got the beans and slaw) were yummy! Can’t wait to go back.

Wow the 1^st Unilocal review for the 1^st location in STL
I would give it ⁴⁄₅ if the sides were larger and it wasn’t so expensive. I made it for the soft opening.
Chicken 2 piece white: 3.5÷5 Kind of reminds me of old Charlie’s Chicken that was on West Florissant (for my North side and North County ppl) juicy good and fresh not overly spicy like Poeyes
Mac and cheese: 2.5÷5 ok not overly cheesey it looked like it would have that olé grandmother feel to it… but it just didn’t
Coleslaw: ⁴⁄₅ some of the best tasting coleslaw ever tasted not too sweet just right
Overall it’s not a place I would just have to go because it’s expensive and the size of the sides. However it is a place I would take people from out of town who want good chicken