Gus’s SIR Beef Restaurant

I’m a little biased on this one being raised in a southern family who cooks food like this routinely. However, the food was good. I had beef tips which are served with peppers, onions, and rice. Lots of flavor. I got mac and cheese as my side and it was mediocre, typical southern baked mac and cheese. The cornbread was a little dry but the flavor was good. Apparently this place is owned by local farmers and most of the food served here is their produce. I will continue to eat here to support their cause and perhaps increase their number of stars depending on how my next meal goes there.

Good southern home style cooking with an «at home» feel. The service is excellent and this place has been around for a very long time. My favorite is the vegetable plate with a side of corn bread it’s very filling and priced very reasonable! The fried squash is an absolute must to try. This place isn’t super fancy but worth a lunch visit!

I was staying over night in Charlotte about 2005. I was overwhelmed by how good the fried chicken was. Also love the fresh veggies. The sweet old lady asked me if it was OK that the greens were picked the day before. Lol are you kidding me. That was so fresh. Also had another fried veggie that was amazing. Watching the panthers made me think of the only time I was in Charlotte, and thanks to great food I did remember.

Got take out here recently and it was not very good. Bland and tasteless. Not worth it.

A friend of mine and I meet every week or two for lunch, and this is where we always go. If you like good home-​style southern food at very reasonable prices, this is the place. If they served nothing else but the fried squash, I would come just for that. All the veggies are great!

I’m really surprised at the poor reviews for this place. A few of them are so far off base it makes me question the reviewers motivations. I work in Charlotte and when I’m in the area I always try to grab lunch here. If you like country cooking you’ll love this place and the food is consistently good. When I commented to my waitress about the consistency she informed me then owner is the cook. That explains it. I’ve never been impressed with beef tips and thus rarely order them. With the overall quality of their food being so good I ventured out and tried the tips, the house special. Now it’s my favorite! Not sure where reviewer karby is coming from but her cherished «13, 6 and 11» is not only on par with but exceeds any other restaurant I’ve ever eaten at, specifically the tips and the fried squash. Their portions are large and the staff has always been friendly and efficient. On the lighter side the chef salad was very good and almost more than I could finish. Keep in mind I’m a big guy with an equally big appetite. As another reviewer mentioned, the owner comes out of the kitchen and talks to his patrons. I like that he puts forth the effort and found him an interesting and intelligent fellow. This review may sound too good to be legitimate but it is. I rarely review any establishment. My experience has to be extreme, good or bad, for me to put forth the effort. Judging from the number of regulars that frequent this place I know my experience is not the exception but rather the norm.

I would have done a review earlier except the wifi connection in my restroom is not too good! I was in the area and it was convenient to have something quick and good to eat, I was nervous about going here considering the small number of reviews and they are not exactly convincing. This establishment from the outside does not look very good but I said I would give it a try order something simple and I thought it cant be that bad! It was the second worst restaurant I have been to in 4 years living in America, the worst was one which is not too far away called Liberty East that was the worst but this was not far behind. I could not compliment this place in any way except the lemon in my water was nice thats as good as it got! I am relieved I was on my own I would be embarrassed if I had of brought anybody else to eat here. It was not just the food which was poor, the service was average, the interior is just horrible when you come in the door it is just shameful what the entrance area is like. The guy who seems to be the owner comes out to check if anything is ok, I didnt want to tell him what I really thought he would of pinched me. He should get a new white hat too it was almost black with dirt, as for the old lady walking around with a dirty shirt and looks like she homeless dont even ask me what she is doing!
This review is not good but it is simply the truth I really have to wonder how a place like this can stay in business considering the rubbish food and disgusting interior. I will never return here I did not feel good leaving here one bit, if they offered free food 365 days a year you would not see me near the place one day! Its not just the food either its the whole combination of everything just not good trust me!
I would rate the food alone ⁴⁄₁₀ and everything else I would say 2/10,I will not be back! So no I dont recommend it ;)

Used to be a regular for years, recently revisited after a 5 year absence. Glad to report that nothing had changed. The food is still outstanding, good old southern cooking, large portions, accompanied by good service and a large helping of Southern Hospitality, all at a reasonable price. If you want big screen tv’s and sports bar atmosphere then go to Appleby’s. if you want good food at a reasonable price then this is your place.

Started going here about two months ago and absolutely loved it! Its been good quality southern food, staff is very friendly. The owner even comes out of the kitchen to chat with yah. I hope everyone that left unhappy tries it again.

I love going here as I know each and every time what it is I like and want. They do not use pork in there vegetables nor lard in the making of the cornbread so that is a big plus for us. We usually get the ground sirloin steak with the pinto beans and collard greens. The steak comes smothered in mushroom gravy and I usually get diced onions in the pintos. They also offer dinner roll’s but we always say «nothing but cornbread» as we love to crumble the hot fresh cornbread up in our pintos as well as the collard greens. We also like the idea that they have soft butter on the tables so it spreads easily and melts quickly in the cornbread which is also a great treat. The collard greens are fresh and cooked to perfection. I like mine with a little vinegar as well. Hope others will go and try this as well as other items. We like their fish, fried chicken and their Greek stuffed chicken is also a winner.

I can remember being in Gus’s when I was too young to go to the restroom by myself. It was a regular in my life as we lived on Commonwealth, so we’d eat at Gus’s all the time and I’d get 13, 6 and 11 as those numbers meant beef tips, mashed potatoes and AMAZING fried squash.
I’m now 38 and still live very close by, but Gus’s is SO not the same place that it once was. The building is filthy, outside and inside. The servers are sub-​par and the food simply isn’t worth eating… I ride by twice a day and miss my beloved 13, 6 & 11.
HEY! — OWNER OF GUS’S!!! PLEASE CALL GORDON RAMSEY TO COME GET GUS’S BACK ON IT’S FEET!!! even if you don’t give a damn about it anymore– we local’s out here do still care and want to give you our money! Please ask for the help you so clearly need.

I personally know the owner’s of Gus’… I recently visited after hearing good thing about it. What I realized was that once Gus passed away and stopped growing and serving all of his own vegetables including the famous fried squash, it probably hasn’t been the same. VERY SWEET people, genuine, and there is a desire to keep the family thing going. But in all reality the food was just not what it probably once was. If this was a local place in my city I would only go because I know and love the owners. Not for the food. I could see this place being a local legend while Gus was running the show. But for those looking for that legend, they will be pretty disappointed after visiting. Love the people, not so much the food.

Since Gus passed away, his son (or sons?) took over running this Charlotte landmark. It’s the kind of place with regulars who have been going there for decades.
Other reviews mention old menus, but those were replaced some time in fall 2011. It’s your basic, unpretentious diner with inexpensive food.
They’ve had a few problems with poor service, but the food has always been solid. It’s home-​style cooking with Greek and Italian dishes as well as classic American dishes. I particularly love the chicken tips, fried squash, field peas, sweet potatoes, Northern beans, collard greens, and the biscuits and cornbread.

Gus… oh, Gus. I’ve driven by you for years and always wondered…“what-if”? What-​if I had extra time for lunch; what-​if I drove by and it was actually open? Well, all these «ifs» were answered in a recent visit. Some places, the outside can be deceiving. Hmm… not this place, the outside matches the inside unfortunately. Sticky menu’s, dirty tables, salty blah food, EEK! The waitress was REALLY NICE though and looked like a veteran of the place. The food (beef & rice w/​potato side) was not worth finishing, and the initial order almost didn’t occur.

It breaks my little heart to rate Gus’s Sir Beef two stars — especially since the staff are very sweet and down to earth. But alas, my meal and overall impression of the place was sub par at best.
The place: It’s an establishment. Gus’s has been around for some time and it shows. It’s an old school Southern diner esque, classic meat & three, etc. And that’s completely fine by me, but the building is showing some major wear and the menus are a bit crusty and food laden. You only get one chance to make a first impression…
The staff: As mentioned, everyone here is kind and sweet. The kind of place where the server calls you «hun» and probably has for 30 years.
The food: Just not bueno for me. On Gus’s menu, he purports that he uses only farm fresh veggies from his actual farm. Well, it didn’t look like it in my «crisp» salad. My bowl of greens looked, and tasted, straight out of a mixed greens bag. And the lettuce was swimming in cool water with a touch of dressing. For my main lunch course I chose the cheese ravioli which came out crusted and baked with oodles of plastic-​y cheese. The sauce tasted canned and the ravioli were essentially tasteless.
Needless to say, I left Gus’s Sir Beef hungry and disappointed. I really wanted to like this classic lunch spot, but it fell very short of a winner for me.

It was so long ago, but I vividly remember how delicious their steak tips were. Fried squash and fried okra are also my favorite. And most of all, very reasonable price.