EatingOxford: More than Just Great Fried Chicken at Gus’s

You know that Gus’s has great fried chicken—its World Famous status is printed right on the sign, after all.

Adam Richman from Travel Channel’s Man vs. Food announced his love for Gus’s a few years back, and last year, the crispy, spicy chicken even earned the No.1 slot on MSN.com’s list of America’s 50 Best Fried Chicken Spots, according to Gus’s general manager Brad Whiteside.

Brad Whiteside

“We strive to serve the same quality fried chicken as the original Gus’s in Mason, Tennessee,” said Whiteside. “We get the original batter mixture from them, so it’s as close as you can get to the original, which has a really crisp skin that doesn’t tear off when you bite into it, and has a little spice, which gives it a nice flavor but doesn’t make it hot.”

With all of the accolades for its fried chicken, you may be surprised to discover that one of Gus’s best-selling menu items in Oxford is actually its chicken tenders, according to Whiteside. “We use the same batter mixture for our chicken tenders, but use a little less of the spice blend since a lot of kids order the tenders,” said Whiteside. “Also popular is our white meat chicken and our wings.”

Oxford Exclusives
The Oxford location is currently the only Gus’s offering a chicken tender salad, according to Whiteside. “We’re also offering a chicken tender wrap, which is relatively new,” said Whiteside. “And we were the first Gus’s to open a full bar; the other locations only offered beer until recently. In addition to beer, we feature a cocktail list and wines.”

Daily Menu Specials and Happy Hours
Monday through Friday you’ll find daily specials ranging from Monday’s chicken tender salad for $5.99 to Thursday’s $4 appetizers. Gus’s happy hour runs from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. during the week with a new drink special that just debuted on Thursday night, which offers $3 Jack and Cokes, $2 Fireballs and $1 domestics from 5 p.m. to close.

Catfish Friday
Fish has always been a popular choice on Fridays, so it was no surprise when Whiteside said the Friday catfish platter ($7.50) has been a big hit at Gus’s. “We go through a whole case of catfish every Friday,” he said. “The catfish is battered the same way as the fried chicken and we make our own homemade tartar sauce to pair with it.”

Brunch
If Gus’s wasn’t previously on your radar for brunch, they have a special chicken and waffles entrée that’s only found on the menu during the restaurant’s brunch hours from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday. “The chicken and waffles features two of our tenders on top of a waffle with syrup for $6.99,” said Whiteside.

If you’re looking for top-ranking fried chicken, chicken tenders, salads or just a cold beer, Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken has you covered at 306 South Lamar Boulevard from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. For more information or for catering inquiries, call 662-638-3420 or visit gusfriedchicken.com. Delivery is available through Landshark Delivery. Look for the Gus’s booth at this year’s Double Decker Festival in April, too.

Liz Barrett Foster is the EatingOxford editor for HottyToddy.com, an award-winning business journalist, and author of the recently published Pizza: A Slice of American History. Liz has run the popular restaurant information site Eating Oxford since 2009. Liz can be reached at liz.foster@hottytoddy.com.

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