Rusty’s Southern

So I came back and had brunch. The pig grits are hearty and stick to your ribs. Incredibly filling and well done but the star of brunch?
Rusty’s biscuits and gravy ARE EVERYTHING. Make sure you get the gravy on the side because the biscuit top is crispy while the middle is soft and fluffy. It is PERFECTION. Unless of course, you prefer soggy biscuits then by all means get it smothered all over.
Rusty’s has definitely been one of my best brunches so far.

We were searching for a place for dinner near the Van Ness AMC, so I made reservations here after reading the overwhelmingly positive reviews on Unilocal.In short, I would not come back for dinner again but someday may try their brunch because that’s what so many of the 5 star reviews talk about. I’m from FL, where Southern cuisine is abundant, so perhaps my standards are set a bit higher. However, there are a few other Southern restaurants in this city (ambiance aside) that are in a completely different league.
We walked in to a mostly empty restaurant, and the warm, friendly owner took us to our table. We ordered some beers, the mac & cheese with bacon, and biscuits to start. The 8 beers on tap were varied and interesting in both region and style — well-​planned! As we settled in, I noticed how inviting the décor was, and it took me back to family vacations as a child in the Carolinas. Lots of beautiful wood used in smart ways balanced by the serene blue walls and concrete floors. Oh, and that hutch being used as a server station is so perfect. I quickly decided on the fried chicken entrée, partly because chicken thighs are a weakness of mine and partly because I was super excited to see that it came with greens and a perlou that used the Carolina Gold rice made famous by Chef Sean Brock. The husband ordered the chicken fried steak.
The complimentary boiled peanuts were a nice surprise. They had great flavor and we enjoyed them, but they were really undercooked compared to what we’re used to getting on the side of the road out of a guy’s pickup in the South.
The mac and cheese looked delicious, but it had so much garlic that my taste buds were ruined for the rest of the meal. I am not hard to please with mac and cheese, and I still get down with the Kraft blue box on occasion. I could only eat 2 bites before giving up on it, which is a first for me for any pasta dish. Also, the texture was off and my husband said it’s because the sauce «broke.»
The biscuits arrived hot and were a perfect golden brown. We loved loved loved the pepper jelly! We asked for some sausage gravy, and our server was nice enough to bring it complimentary. Thank you! This was easily the highlight for both of us, and I recommend the biscuits without hesitation — 5 out of 5 here.
My chicken entrée was a miss, unfortunately. The portion was too skimpy for the $ 19.50 price. While the breading was delicious in flavor and the meat was tender, it was too greasy for my taste. The perlou was on the bland side, but maybe I was still recovering from the garlic from earlier. The collard greens were pretty good, but the vinegar overpowered the other flavors. I am not as familiar with Low Country style as I am with Creole and Appalachian, so that could explain why the flavor was off to me.
Overall, Rusty’s is using the right ingredients, but the execution is lacking. I hope that we just came on an off night.

I had a great dinner here on a Thursday night! Tasty food, excellent service, and lovely décor.
My friend and I shared the fry basket (flavorful, though heavy), fried chicken (delicious!), and catfish (the fish itself lacked flavor, unfortunately, though the vegetables served with it were quite good).
The service was excellent! Rusty and his wife Cody were the ones waiting on us, and they were very friendly, attentive, patient, and helpful. We didn’t realize until late in our meal that the owners were the ones taking care of us!
The setting itself is also lovely. The restaurant is reasonably spacious and has a nice décor — light blue walls with elegant white wainscoting.
Overall, a very good spot — I look forward to coming back!

My (now) husband and I brought our friends and family here after our civil ceremony at SF city hall. What a great brunch! Rusty was so nice and accommodating over the phone and let us make a reservation for 11 on a weekday. When we got there, we were warmly greeted, congratulated, and treated to such a great experience to cap off an amazing morning.
I had the grits — others at our table had waffles, chicken and biscuits, and probably one of everything else on the menu. Everything was delicious! We also had mimosas for toasting, which were a perfect ratio of champ to fresh squeezed OJ.
If you’re getting married at city hall (or not) and are looking for a boozy brunch (Thursday — Sunday) nearby, definitely come here.
We will absolutely be back again.
Thanks Rusty!

First of all: what are those peanuts they give you as an appetizer? I thought they put crack on them, until I asked. It’s just water, salt and heat. Neat. Ha.
I wanted the burger, but they ran out of it (just 12 per night, I think). So I had a chicken country fried steak (which is actually beef, and I got confused by that, but I’m Brazilian, so bare with me if I’m embarrassing myself). What was that sausage gravy? Awesome. Flavorful, rich, oh man. Really, you should try it. The pieces of steak (two) were nicely deep-​fried. Mashed taters could have made a better impression. Broccoli, well, it’s broccoli. They were a bit hard, not well-​cooked. Not bad, not awesome, but they could have also impressed with that in some way. I wouldn’t dare they can.
OK. I came back for a second visit. They had the burger. I added bacon. It’s huge. A lot of fries too, which are good, but no more than that. I had the bacon as a side, as I don’t like to mix meat. Good bacon, not crispy, but good. Probably it’s a southern style thing, I wouldn’t know. The burger itself was good, lot’s of meat. I ordered it medium rare and I think they overcooked it a bit. I can’t really describe the taste of it, but it wasn’t your usual thick, half pound burger. Something with the seasoning, probably. I liked it, but in the end it came off as a bit overwhelming. There’s this thing about this Rusty’s Southern, too: I think the portions are pretty big, so that’s probably why I felt that way. I won’t complain, though. Better to eat more than you should than to stay hungry.
I really like the clean looks of this place. And the service as well. Friendly, but in no way exaggerated.

Came to this place on a Saturday around 10ish for brunch with a friend. Reservations were pretty easy to get, and the place was still pretty empty so we probably could have walked in too. For a southern place, the vibe of the store itself is actually not so Southern — definitely more on the bougie side, but that’s SF I guess.
I got the chicken biscuit. The fried chicken on that and the gravy were spectacular — I was a huge fan. Super tender while flavorful … I mean what’s not to like about a plate of fried chicken? Don’t know if it was particularly memorable, but it was good.
Service was a bit slow despite the lack of customers — I think my water was empty most of my meal, but not a huge deal.
tldr; overall, good fried chicken, another respectable brunch option

Updating my review! A solid 4-​star place. With some small adjustments, they could be my favorite place in the neighborhood!
The Service: Lovely! No complaints here. Non-​fussy but appropriately interested and non-​pretentious. Both times I’ve come (first at brunch and then for dinner), the service was great!
The Food: Better at dinner than brunch. I’m still not a huge fan of the BBQ style here but that’s a personal preference. We shared biscuits, fried chicken and shrimp and grits.
*Biscuits– Great! I’m pretty tough on biscuits at places that claim to be «southern» and they delivered! The pepper jelly was also delicious. Two biscuits in an order and oh so worth it!
*Fried Chicken– Let me preface this critique by saying that I ate at the Fremont Diner in Sonoma last week. The Nashville fried chicken at the Fremont Diner is in a category of its own. I would literally drive an hour each way to get it. That being said, I thought the fried chicken here missed the mark. The breading was too hard. My bf described it as «a shell» and it just sort of fell off the meat in hard sections. The flavors were definitely there though so if they could tweak the breading/​frying method, it would be great!
Sides: Collards and rice that came with the fried chicken were great accompaniments. I particularly enjoyed the collards – pretty much perfectly cooked and seasoned.
Shrimp and Grits: So close to perfect! Flavors were really great in the tomato gravy and shrimp was cooked well. I wish the consistency of the grits was smoother. The entrée also just came with too much grits. Maybe ²⁄₃ of the amount given would be better since there wasn’t really enough gravy to eat all of it with.
Overall, a good option for dinner in the nabe. Similar in style and quality to Brenda’s and the bar looks like a good place for happy hour and lite bites.

Overall: Come to Rusty’s for amaze food, service and a fun atmosphere. Dined at Rusty’s for dinner on a nice Saturday evening. Our party was lucky grabbing a last minute cancellation table.
Food: 5 stars The shrimp and grits was delicious. I loved the grits. Cheesy and done just right.
Ambiance: 5 stars. Rusty the owner is super friendly and hospitable. We all had a great time.
Price: 5 stars: affordable with generous portions.
Definitely an SF must-​do

Excellent spot for southern food.
Fried Chicken (⁵⁄₅) — generous size. Chicken was perfectly crispy — sort of a corn mill batter. The collard greens were perfect and the Carolina rice was also spot on.
Burger (⁴⁄₅) — nice that it was grass-​fed and perfectly cooked medium rare. The ratio felt off though. Maybe too much bread relative to meat or little pickle. The onion was a tad stringy. Wasn’t the best burger but it was a better than average restaurant burger
Service was friendly. I wouldn’t go out of my way to come here but I’d be happy to come here for southern food if I was nearby.

Cool little spot. The bartender immediately greeted us and was very friendly. The menu is fairly simple which made ordering easy. I tried the fried chicken, Mac and cheese and biscuits and pepper jelly. They also bring out boiled peanuts for you to snack on while you wait anxiously for the food.
My favorite was the mouth watering biscuits. The waiter kept encouraging us to try them so we gave in and added them to our order and I’m so glad we did. Light and fluffy and the pepper jelly had just the right amount of kick. Next the fried chicken plate. The plate comes with three large pieces. The chicken was moist and the batter was crispy and good but not the best I’ve had. Especially since I had some REALLY good fried chicken the day before. The Mac and cheese was really disappointing. It was undercooked to the point where we were going to send it back but I hate doing that and figured there was plenty of food in front of me.
The décor was cute and I liked that we could see the chefs working hard in the kitchen. All of the staff that helped us were very friendly and provided excellent service. Overall, I would rate this place somewhere between 3 – 4 stars. I just wasn’t wow’ed but I’d be willing to give it another shot, even if it’s just for drinks and those biscuits.

Nice little spot on the other side of Great American Music Hall. Came with the lady for a pre-​show dinner.
I feel like I’ve said this a few times, but I think I came here on an off-​day because things just weren’t very dialed.
Upon arrival, had a great friendly welcoming by the bartender who seated us. Then mediocre/​awkward service from our waiter. He just didn’t seem to want to be there that day.
After 5 – 10 minutes looking at the menu i ordered the chicken fried steak — which I was told was not available today. So I was now under pressure to get a new order while the server stared at me following his weak apology for not having told me earlier.
I got the shrimp grits, and the lady got the fried chicken. The taste of the grits was great — but the texture was definitely undercooked. Calling it al-​dente would be too generous. The fried chicken, we were told, would be about 30 minutes because they had to cook a new batch — but we were served our food in under 10 minutes… which means I think we got some old chicken. The batter was super crusty and separated from the chicken. And the chicken itself was ok, nothing spectacular — and they forgot to bring the sauces out for us until the end. I think the chicken was prefried, then cooked again for 5 minutes to ‘warm it up’ before it was served.
It was a nice attempt, but it will take some serious convincing for me to return.

Ah may zing fried chiggen.
Let’s be real — if you’re considering Rusty’s for dinner, you’re craving some soul-​quenching fried chicken, not necessarily all the other fluff on the menu. So my review is predominantly based on the fried chicken.
The pieces of chicken are crispy and flaky while still remaining juicy and fatty, and are fresh, tender, and plump, exactly how fried chicken ought to be!
I actually wasn’t a huge fan of the BBQ plate (if I hadn’t tried the fried chicken, this would have definitely altered my rating) — it was a bit dry and bland. However, the rice that accompanied the fried chicken, the mac & cheese, and above all, the chicken fried steak, more than made up for the disappointing BBQ plate. Couple these items with the aforementioned fried chicken plate and you’ve got yourself a soulfully yummy Southern dinner. I paired all of this deliciousness with a glass of rose and was very pleased.
Our waiter was extremely friendly and easy to talk to, and the entire vibe of the restaurant was casual with a dash of class. It’s the perfect spot for a cute date night or a night out with a few friends and/​or coworkers. So definitely check out Rusty’s when you’re having one of those urges for some chiggen — you won’t regret it!
Happy Eating, Unilocalers!

Someone said ‘finger lickin good fried chicken’ so I did not let the colorful neighborhood deter me from my mission. I literally hopped over a flowing stream of pee. All I am saying is, be prepared. The neighborhood is not pretty, but the décor and layout inside Rusty’s is very thoughtful.
The restaurant has a wonderful and friendly staff that kept conversation with me as I ate alone at the bar. I had two pieces of fried chicken, breast and thigh, greens, and rice with okra. The menu had a much more intriguing name for the dish. The chicken was perfect, but I prefer my greens without ham bone seasoning which can be accomplished but I imagine they are staying true to what is southern tradition. I also enjoyed a glass of bourbon barrel aged beer. A fantastic meal all together and I will return, when next visiting San Fransisco. This meal is exactly what I needed for what lie ahead in the evening, it was St Patrick’s Day, after all.

I hadn’t heard of this place until my friend mentioned it. Overall the service was good but I was a little disappointed despite the Unilocal reviews — sorry guys!
biscuits and mac & cheese were just ok
hush puppies — they were the most interesting to me, yet they weren’t really. they have hot sauce that can also pack on the flavor with these delicious deep fried bites
fried chicken — the breading was good and the chx was juicy (saving grace)
chicken fried steak — was a little boring. who doesn’t loved fried goodness and gravy? it needed more flavor or something

Here’s another quest to try out new food with my boys. We are going south today with Southern food. Apparently this is the happening place and we lucked out walking in without reservations. The boys ordered the Country breakfast, which they immediately regret after seeing what came for us.
I ordered the pork chop sandwich and Mr. Piggy chose the fried chicken sandwich. Since we don’t eat much southern food, we have not much to compare. I thought the pork chop was excellent as they were tender and juicy. Mr. Piggy’s fried chicken sandwich was perfectly cooked as well. The restaurant is spacious and gives everyone plenty of personal space. Our waiter was super nice and attentive.
When we are in this neighborhood, we always always come for Vietnamese food. Rusty’s gave us another option.

great food and hospitality from the couple who owns this place
FRIED CHICKEN
— omg just get it! no sauces or extras needed! juicy, tender, crispy, just absolute perfection!
jalapeño mac and cheese
— super clean tasting, makes you not feel guilty for eating mac and cheese, a great dish!
Biscuits and pepper jelly
— YUM! you just gotta have these! the jelly was like jalapeño and went well with the butter and the biscuit! i wish they had a heaping serving of this, totally ran out eating the last half biscuit
BBQ plate
— not gonna lie, it was on the dry side and kinda looked like leftover shavings too… i wouldn’t order this again
— hush puppies were pretty good however
a very chic-​trendy atmosphere and friendly people
i definitely want to come back to try their other dishes because most of the food was pretty darn good

Y’all, do you know how hard it is to find good fried chicken in San Francisco? It’s damn hard! Somehow I hadn’t seen this place in our neighborhood, but this past Sunday it showed up while I was trying to find a good place for my boyfriend and I to get brunch. This place is tucked in on Ellis St., and man is it good!
There are a bunch of tables in the back, a communal table at the front, and a bar where you can eat full meals. We were in the mood for our own table and had shown up at a busy hour, so we sat at the bar and got drinks while we waited. The staff was very nice and attentive, and got a table for us as soon as they good given their rush. It was so worth the wait!!! I got the the chicken sandwich, and my boyfriend got the country breakfast plate.
Both dishes were so good. The chicken was so fresh and the batter that make the fried skin was delicious! I would say that I wish they didn’t toast the brioche bread cause it completely falls apart in your hands, but who cares cause the fried chicken is what you are there for anyway and it was so dang good.
My boyfriend got coffee and it came with it’s only personal press? That was pretty cool. Overall I really loved the vibe and décor of the restaurant. I cannot wait to go back.

I have been disappointed so many times in San Francisco (and elsewhere) by Southern food in general and fried chicken in specific. Not this time. Holy crap, this place is legit. First of all, the biscuits are amazing. Could you put butter or pepper jelly on them? Sure. Do they need it? No.
Pork chop — the best I’ve ever had. Ever ever ever. Soft, tender, perfectly cooked and perfectly flavored. Amazing.
Fried chicken — sweet tea brined and hands-​down one of the best I’ve ever had. Certainly #1 in SF. (Yeah, I’m talking to you Brenda’s, Brown Sugar…)
Catfish — delicious.
All the veggie accompaniments were home runs too. The major bummer? I was there with three friends and we divided each entrée equally amongst the three of us. I. Did. Not. Want. To. Share.
I can’t wait to get back there. I might have to go alone and make a total pig of myself.

Was going to get brunch at Brenda’s Meat and Three only to discover most of San Francisco had the same plan and were already in line. So instead, I drove over to Rusty’s to give them a try and was glad I did.
I had the pig grits, which consisted of diced BBQ pork that could have been smokier but was still pretty decent on top of some great cheese grits that had a good bite to them, and topped off with a perfectly poached egg. This really hit the spot and I’d be happy to order it again anytime. My girlfriend had the chicken biscuit which was massive and she raved about it the entire meal. As someone who grew up in East Texas, I can vouch for their sausage gravy being the real deal (something shockingly hard to come by in this town). As for the other details, their coffee is great, the server was attentive and very friendly, and most importantly there was no wait at 11:30am on a Saturday which is amazing in this town.

5 stars for the décor, 3.5 stars for the food.
When I learned that a Southern comfort food restaurant had opened up in the TL, I was not picturing a brightly lit and fully updated space with rustic charm. Rusty’s front room is honestly gorgeous, adorned with antique plates and an animal skull and a huge bar with nostalgically retro signage. The back room is a little different — dark and better equipped for dinner.
I came for brunch and shared a sweet tea, fried chicken sandwich and biscuits ‘n gravy with my dining companion — the perfect amount of food.
The fried chicken sandwich was insanely delicious. I thought it could have used a sharper, more vinegary brine, but the skin was so crispy and stuck to the meat (unlike Rove Kitchen’s rendition which fell off almost immediately) and, more importantly, it wasn’t overly oily or greasy at all. It came with a side of hush puppies which were ok (but then again hush puppies aren’t my favorite). I would’ve preferred fries.
The biscuits ‘n gravy was also good, only… the gravy was cold. Pretty disappointing. Ordinarily I’d send the food back but the staff was so darn nice that i just sucked it up and ate it.
I think I’ll skip the gravy and hush puppies so I can leave more room for fried chicken and mac ‘n cheese with kale chips in the future instead!