Gus’s Fried Chicken opens first Alabama location

Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken

Fried chicken plate with baked beans and mac and cheese at Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken in Birmingham, Ala.

An iconic Southern fried chicken restaurant opened its first Alabama location earlier this week in downtown Birmingham.

Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken, which began in the small town of Mason, Tenn., opened Monday in The Battery, a retail and office development in the former Birmingham Electric Battery Co. building at the corner of 22nd Street and Second Avenue South.

Now based in Memphis, Gus’s is famous for its hot and spicy fried chicken, which Napoleon “Na” Vanderbilt and his wife, Maggie, began serving out of the back of their tavern in Mason more than 65 years ago. With the help of their community, the couple later built a restaurant they called Maggie’s Short Orders.

After the Vanderbilts’ deaths in the early 1980s, Na’s son, Vernon “Gus” Bonner, inherited their recipe and restaurant, which Gus and his wife reopened under the name of Gus’s World Famous Hot and Spicy Fried Chicken. Later, Wendy McCrory, a fan of Gus’s chicken, opened a Gus’s in downtown Memphis in 2001, and over the years, Gus’s has grown to include about 25 locations nationwide.

The menu at the Birmingham location of Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken includes dark- and white-meat chicken plates, wings and tenders, served with such Southern sides as baked beans, coleslaw, potato salad, fried okra, collard greens and mac and cheese. Desserts include chocolate chess, coconut, pecan and sweet potato pies.

Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken is at 2201 Second Ave. South. Hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

Other tenants in The Battery development include Wasabi Juan's, True40 Fitness Studio and Birmingham District Brewing Co.

For a full menu and more information about Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken, go here.

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.