Gus's Steakhouse — Restaurant in Sonora

So we were seated at 6:46pm and they decided to take our order at 7:20pm and served at 7:56pm. As 2 entire families were seated, order taken and served before we even saw our appetizer salads! We were ignored, and anytime we asked for anything the server would walk away as soon as possible before finding out we needed other items. Meaning we would have to ask two different servers at least twice for the same items before we ever saw it. For example, sugars took two servers 20 mins to get for our drinks. We received our fondue relatively quickly but the server saw our candle was actually dead and useless and set it on the table and walked away, and we had to ask a different serve for a new candle because ours was too burnt to even be relit! We had to ask for silverware after being at the table for 45 mins, hoping we would eat sooner rather than later. My aunt is a diabetic, and requested the order be fairly soon for health reasons and they ignored that fact completely! She had to request 2 bowls of soup over the hour and 15 mins it took for them to serve us in order to keep her blood sugar in check. Four servers walked by approximately 12 times, looking at out table and deciding we weren't worth checking on. As my husband went into the restroom, one of the workers used the bathroom and did NOT wash their hands. I couldn't even eat my dinner because I was disgusted. By the time we were able to leave and asking for our tab, we walked out at 8:45pm. A full 2 hours we were there when we would have been done a lot sooner. My appetizer salad was tiny, my husbands and sons clam chowder was luke warm. My shrimp Alfredo was bland and the shrimp overdone, my husband's burger, requested for medium well done, and while the middle was medium the edges were bloody and rare, explain that one to me! My Aunts food had to be sent back because the meat was such a terrible cut she couldn't eat it as a majority was gristle and fat after the server convinced her to get this cut of meat, after my aunt explained what she did not want or like. This was the most atrocious service I have ever encountered in any restaurant. No one should eat here, not just for the simple sake of indifference to their customers but for...

Honestly, I was not impressed, to put it nicely. I don't like to leave bad reviews, but this place could use some improvements. It was pretty busy for a Tuesday night, so they have business, but I'm not sure why.

First, the little plates they have on the table for bread, and the ones they serve with the side salads are plastic and look dirty, just because of age and wear and tear. It just looks bad. The rim on the salad plates have this aged, ground in staining, which makes it difficult to tell if it's clean or not. Along with that, my bread plate was actually dirty; it had some orange piece of food stuck to it when I sat down.

Next, the side salad was just dismal. There was one odd slice of tomato. It was like someone just sliced the long side off of a roma tomato. And it just had some sad looking lettuce with some croutons. But the waitress was there with the fresh ground pepper, so they make sure to make it seem like a fancy place.

The fish for the fish and chips looks just like slightly longer and thicker frozen fish sticks. They are pathetic. You can go to local sports bars and get big, juicy, full size breaded fish fillets. These looked like they came in a cardboard box that has a picture of a man in a yellow rain coat on it. The salmon is not even a good size fillet, just a small sliver. The rigatoni and marinara sauce is $16! You get about 2 cups of noodles in a little bowl, with some ok marinara sauce, for Six...Teen...Dollars! Crazy. I don't need large portions, but I don't need to pay $16 for $1.00 worth of food. The atmosphere isn't anything special, so they aren't making it up there.

I suppose their steak must be unbelievable, because these other items were ridiculous. Something has to be keeping them in business. They've been open here for a long time, so maybe they have loyal local clientele? It was bad, and way over priced for what you get. I gave it two stars rather than one, because the wait staff was very nice, and the service was quick, but it should be, considering the food they serve.

I feel bad outing a local restaurant like this, but I think they need it. This...

2nd time I've been here, but my first time was back in 2011. I regret not coming more often!! The food is absolutely amazing, there's a darn good reason why it's the best steakhouse in the area, by a long shot! I had the sirloin special, and it was literally melt in your mouth. I've had filets that required more chew, this was perfect! The mushrooms and special seasoning is a perfect topper. The veggies were perfectly cooked and seasoned. My wife had their fish and chips, and yall, this is no joke, better than fish and chips we've gotten in San Francisco! Fish was nice and juicy, cooked perfectly and not soggy or fall-apart when you go to pick it up. The fries are nice and thick, have a great crispy outer, but fluffy inside. The tartar sauce was magnificent, a great balance of flavors, combine that with some malt vinegar and you find that fish and chips can be gourmet! And to top it all, the cheese fondue and Sourdough bread is a perfect start to the meal! The bread has a nice sourdough tang, a great crispy crust, and a very soft and fluffy insides. Definitely not some store bought, I'd wager they have a deal with a local baker. The restaurant was very clean, well set up, and not over the top at all. The staff super friendly, Gus greeted us and showed us to our seats, which was neat, you don't see that very often. The ONLY downside, the table in the booths can be a touch big, I had to squeeze a little to get in, but I'm also not a bean pole, and it was a very very minor inconvenience. I highly recommend Gus's if your looking for a GREAT meal, a great place to take a date, and don't mind leaving...