Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken

On occasion, we come across an Orange County restaurant that’s so fantastic at what it does that we’re willing to make a big exception to our health goals just to experience their food. Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken is one of those places. Although the name is aspirational – we hadn’t heard of the chain until fairly recently – the Mason, Tennessee-founded restaurant is now available in 14 states, with four California locations including its sole Orange County outpost in Santa Ana.

The simple menu lets you choose from chicken breasts and wings (white plates), thighs and legs (dark plates), all-wing plates, tender plates, half chickens, and fried chicken sandwiches. All of the chicken is served “Southern-style spicy,” which is to say the batter includes some chili pepper, though nowhere near Nashville Hot levels. Fried green tomatoes – a must – are offered as starters alongside fried pickles and fried okra. Gus’s sides include slaw, baked beans, collard greens, mac & cheese, potato salad, and fries with spectacular pies (including sweet potato, pecan, and three chess variants) for dessert.

This is the type of menu that makes us want to try everything – heart risk be damned – and from what we’ve tasted, everything’s great. Critically, Gus’s signature fried chicken is packed with juicy meat on the inside and super crispy, pepper-spiced batter on the outside, served piping hot from the kitchen. If you’re looking for a more basic, oily version, choose KFC; this is punchier and fresher. And the sweet potato pie cannot be missed: Naturally radiant on delivery, it tastes every bit as perfect as it looks. The pecan pie’s good, too.

We’ve found the service to be fantastic, and the overall quality consistently worthy of their prices. As a chain, Gus’s stays in and dominates its lane; it’s a must-try if you appreciate high-quality fried chicken, and can handle a little spice.