LOS ANGELES AREA: The Second Coming of Gus's Barbecue
The recently reopened Gus’s Barbecue (now owned by scions of the family that owns Tops) has hit the ground running and is good enough to erase memories of the previous incarnation.
Brisket and pulled pork are excellent, says justanotherpenguin, while benoswald vouches for the chicken, both barbecued and fried. Sides are good, including collard greens and sweet potato fries.
The atmosphere is tasteful and upscale; the bar boasts about nine good bourbons and Southern-style drinks like Mint Juleps and Hurricanes.
Word is that the owners are trying to get city permission to close off the parking lot on weekends, set up a smoker, and get a band for a Sunday brunch.
Gus’s Barbecue [San Gabriel Valley]
808 Fair Oaks Avenue, South Pasadena
626-799-3251
Location
Board Link: Gus’s BBQ, South Pasadena
Posted by
| Tuesday, April 22, 2008 at 2:54pm
| 3 comments
Tagged with: los angeles area
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My honest opinion (having lived in South Pasadena since the early 70's and having frequented just about every restaurant/joint that serves bbq and having experienced the original, redone and now "new" Gus's):
Impressed with the facelift/facilities
Not impressed with the food
Too expensive for the quality of what you're getting
Cole slaw is absolutely pathetic...I'm guessing it's being spooned out of a container purchased from Smart & Final
Baby rack ribs were dry and tasteless...I had to soak them in sauce just to make them palatable
Mashed potatoes were dull and lifeless...what, no gravy available?!
Pulled pork was good, Ciabatta bread has got to go
Pecan rice...again, you have to get yourselves to spoon a little more on peoples plates with the sides
BBQ baked beans were the worst I ever had...dry and just bad
As much as I dislike the Barn Burner...they're food and sides have you beat. Zeke's in Montrose is much better overall on every scale. The Swinging Door in North Hollywood is miles above everyone else and only Lucille's comes close to them. Even Tony Roma's has Gus's beat. Very disappointing. Drink prices are a rip-off also. If I'm paying $9 to $11 for a "house" drink...I'll go to Tiki-Ti's!
Won't be back even if someone else was paying the bill.
Not sure what happen with asoklov, but that is not the experience my friend and I had.
First, the bar was great, Damien the bartender was friendly, even threw out a few high fives to me and a couple other guests. We were all laughing and having a good time. They have the best selection of Bourbons by the way.
While at the bar we had the onion strings as an appetizer and they were awesome. At dinner, I had the brisket platter, it was huge, tasty and worth the trip. My friend had the brick chicken and he raved about how tasty it was. Tried it with the "just added" red beans and rice and coleslaw. The side dishes were srcumptious.
The decor is great, the lighting was perfect, the biggest drawback was it was hard to hear the music.
As for the Barn Burner, I tried their food, let's just say my dog wouldn't eat the left overs!
Give Gus's a try!
I second Susieq...asokolov's comments seem like they pertain to a completely different restaurant.
Gus's (the NEW Gus's, of course) was amazing! They completely transformed the place- it's younger, more vibrant & definitely caters to a range of age groups (not just the old timers...). The bar was beautiful- and the bartenders were super friendly & quite competent (I just had a lemonade, but my sister had the Mint Julip- she loved it). Our food was excellent- we started with the sliders, which were amazing. I had the BBQ shrimp salad- I think I'm going to have a hard time ordering anything else again. It was a great salad. My sister tried the pulled pork sandwich and she LOVED it (she was a big fan of Zeke's but she said this one was far superior...). We wanted to get the cobbler dessert but we were stuffed- next time...
And, again I have to disagree with asokolov....I felt the prices were right on. Not overpriced in the least bit...maybe compared to what Gus's WAS- but I'd pay for better quality any day!