My trip to the South wasn't complete until I had tried real fried chicken. I have to admit, Kentucky Fried Chicken was the only fried chicken I had ever tasted, and I made the mistake of comparing that to real Southern fried chicken. I kept telling CK and his cousins that I didn't like fried chicken, but they just kept telling me to give Gus's a chance.
His cousins were right. I had no clue what fried chicken really was until I had tried Gus's. The chicken is deep fried until golden brown & crispy on the outside, and the inside is moist and sweet. The batter is perfectly spiced with a blend of salt and cayenne pepper.
Gus's is a small little joint that serves the one thing they are good at: fried chicken. Your choices are white meat or dark meat. Breast, thigh, leg, or wing. Plain and simple. There is a small selection of sides and desserts, but nothing substantial enough to keep you full.
The interior is dimly lit, and it is decorated with local art and sports memorabilia. There is usually a line up to get a table, and service is not the quickest. In recognition of that, they put a sign up saying that "there will be a $5 charge for whining". It's hard to see in the picture, but there is another sign on the left that says "unattended children will be given a free puppy and chocolate covered espresso beans". That cracked me up.
We were a large group that day, so while you can't call ahead to make a reservation, you can call ahead to let them know that a large group is coming, like we did.
For appetizers, I ordered the
fried green tomatoes. They were super crispy on the outside, and gooey on the inside. This was served with a side of ranch dressing. I mixed the dressing with some Louisiana hot sauce, and downed my tomatoes. I really enjoyed them.
Fried Green Tomatoes
CK and I were somewhat health conscious (I use that sentence loosely), so we split the
3 piece white meat plate. This came with two breasts, and one wing. For our sides, we had coleslaw and substituted our beans with fried rice. The fried rice here is awesome! It is stir fried with soy sauce, hoisin sauce, and Louisiana hot sauce..a surprisingly good combination. We also ordered a jalapeno pepper on the side, but it was WAY too spicy for me. All chicken plates come with white bread.
Three Piece White Meat Plate with Fried Rice and Slaw
This is a
2 piece white meat plate with slaw and fries. CK's cousin said that this was the best coleslaw he had ever had! I found it a tad too sweet for my taste buds. The 2 piece white meat plate came with one breast and one wing.
Two Piece White Meat Plate with Fries and Slaw
Here is the
2 piece dark meat plate with the traditional sides: baked beans and slaw. The 2 piece dark meat plate came with a thigh and a leg.
Two Piece Dark Meat Plate with Baked Beans and Slaw
The original Gus's where it all started is in Mason, TN, 45 miles North East of Memphis at 505 Highway 70. Check it out if you get the chance.
When I googled Gus's to find their address, I stumbled upon
this article written by Ed Levine attesting to how good Gus's Fried Chicken is.
A really cool thing to do while in Memphis is to check out
Al Green's Sunday morning gospel church service. I am a HUGE fan of
Al Green, and just being able to see him was an honor for me. His church services are long, but lively and fun. I was dancing, singing, and clapping the whole time, and it reminded me somewhat of a concert. He is not always there, but if you are lucky enough to see him, you will be wowed by his voice. I loved the shrilling and singing in between his preaching. The service was 3 hours in total, and Al Green didn't show up until the second half of the service.
Here are videos that people have posted of the experience. I wasn't sure if it was rude to take photos/videos, so I decided to play it safe. Honestly, watching it doesn't even compare to the real experience.
Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken
310 S Front St
Memphis, Tennessee, USA
Telephone: 901-527-4877
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