Willie Sue’s

A wonderful meal and great atmosphere! Highly recommend! The meal was wonderful, I had a ribeye that was cooked to perfection.

OMG! Great place! Had the Crabby Patties as an app, then the bacon wrapped filet. Both were excellent.
Arrived to find that the wait was 45 mins, but was quickly offered outside seating which was definitely not an issue. The outside area had ac and giant flat screens.
The staff were awesome as well, including the GM, Javier.
*** Will definitely go back soon.

Wow! Stopped in on our way back from another absolutely amazing BBQ place with the intention of just having a quick drink. The bartender was extremely helpful, very friendly, and excellent at mixing Rum Runners and southern peach cocktails! We ended up ordering the salmon BLT and the Shrimp Po Boy. The po-​boy lasted about 45 seconds before Drew inhaled it and the salmon had this gorgeous bacon flavored blackening on it that made it both stand up to the Heat and melt in your mouth! Their Sabi sauce was fantastic as well! I would recommend this place to anyone even though it’s a little out-​of-​the-​way currently

Willie Sue’s is a fairly average place to eat. The food I had was good, but not at the caliber that I expected from a place that is rated so highly here. The service at the restaurant was great though, so I will give them that. I think there are better options around the Sumter area. If you are here for only one night, there are better options and no need to come here. Considering I was here for two weeks, I went here twice. No significant complaints here.

Haven’t gotten anything from here I didn’t like! Really enjoy their salads. They are served with a sweet croissant which is amazing! I really enjoy their steak and sweet potatoes. My mother raves about the crawfish succotash.

Have been a few times hoping it got better — there aren’t a ton of options around Sumter — but always disappointing. The bar is always out of the craft or draught beer we order from the menu, and drinks are always so slow to come out of the bar. The dining room was full last Friday and the wait service was overwhelmed and a little out of it, as usual. They ran out of silverware (!) but brought salads and appetizers out anyway, for us to look at I guess while we waited for the dishwasher to finish. We’ve ordered medium-​cooked burgers and steaks a few times and they always come out well-​done.
Still hoping this place improves, as it is one of only a few restaurants nearby that offers a lot of non-​fried options, but we won’t be going back for a while.

Lunch special soo good, venue really nice, food have to say possibly the best in town

We had lunch at Willie Sue’s on a Friday: potato soup, hamburger with fixings, shrimp po’ boy and 2 glasses of iced tea. Fries were served with both the hamburger and the po’ boy. The potatoes in the soup and the fries were a bit underdone for our taste. The hamburger was stacked so tall that no human could eat it without a fork. Onions on the burger were too thick for a burger, too. The po’ boy was five overdone shrimp on a large roll with mayo, 2 pale tomato slices, and two leaves of Bibb lettuce. There are better places to eat in Sumter for $ 38 + tip. The server was pleasant, polite and on top of things, however.

Have been there several (3) times, every time it’s a different experience. Food is so, so. Nachos we terrible, have had Ceasars Salads w/​grilled chicken Last 2 times, 1^st time was hood, 2^nd time chicken was very dry, lettuce soggy and not much of it…
Wait staff was good first 2 times, last time I think she was new, but then I’m not sure. She was a bit spacey. Forgot drinks. (Tea?), didn’t know about Gluten items on menu… slow.
Very clean, innovative décor.

Absolutely no complaints on anything we ordered. Food was amazing! It was our first time to dine here and it had a very nice atmosphere inside. I must add their croissants are the best I’ve ever had! It comes with the side ceasar salad but we ordered extra on the side because it was so good.
I’m rating it ⁴⁄₅ stars because our drinks took long to come out. We also had to keep flagging down servers multiple times for refills. Overall, service is a little slow but the workers are friendly.

Wow, where do I start or finish? As you can see from the number of photos I gave this place a LOT of chances. I just couldn’t myself… I keep coming back. But let’s face it, there aren’t so many choices in Sumter for a nicer place. It’s painful to find yourself in a small town with seriously limited choices and a 5 star palate.
First visit I tried a bunch of the appetizer plates and a lunch nacho… Fried green tomatoes (see pic) are something people tend to love, these are just horrible. Look, if you are going to do them, do them during the tomato season with fresh ingredients and make them a special. Otherwise you end up with these… And that’s not good. Don’t put shrimp on top, or that bad sauce… A proper fried green tomato is amazing all by itself when done properly.
The nachos… We love our nachos? How’s about I can find a chip? Usually you never get enough cheese… Here you get to much (See pic). You usually want to actually pick up that chip and use it? Nope… Not here, you need a fork and you are still sifting through the origami nacho Jenga puzzle. The crab cakes are ok… Interesting addition of the avocado?
The fried mushrooms are the best… Hand battered, but eat them fast for the best flavor and the horseradish sauce is awesome sauce… Love that tang. This was the highlight folks… Pay attention… (See pic)
On a lunch visit I tried a patty melt that left my fingers to greasy I couldn’t touch anything… Another try were some ribs with a salad first. WOW… I prefer my salad with more lettuce than sauce, but hey… (See pic) If that’s your thing you are in the right spot. I sent it back, and 1 bite in, the ribs show up. I say to the waitress «now is when I have he discussion about food spacing» can I finish my salad please? No point… The ribs were nasty. I started eating them and all I could taste was fat… Like oily flavorless fat? I pull back the ribs and low and behold… NONE of the fat has been rendered and there wasn’t enough meat to fill that flavor profile (see pic).
Last night in town, I pic this place for me and 3 friends to do it up. After all, they have DogFishhead IPA… I order that filet I’ve been eyeing on the menu for a while… Medium well. She says «they will butterfly that» and I said «um, ok»… Thinking she can’t be right about that. Well, it came butterfly, but that wasn’t my biggest issue here. I’m slicing and I find the toothpick… They use a toothpick to hold the bacon on (which wasn’t even good or crispy)… But it was hidden… Had no idea it was there. NOT GOOD… When I show it to the waitress she was appropriately shocked. When the floor manager shows up, he says «oh we do it like that» and then a «oh it’s her first night»… To which my table makes say «NO ITS NOT»… A bold faced lie.
Since I’d had many a not perfect meal I knew the other managers and asked for one. Javier came out and I explain the situation… That a lack of integrity bothered me more than another other sorry item about it. He did us right and invited us back… I asked why on earth you need to butterfly a medium well filet? Why would I get a hidden toothpick? WHY would a floor manager lie to my face?
I gave it my best, I gave it my all and many a chance… I’m sorry, but they have a long way to go to actually find constancy in any way. Wait staff are great, the kitchen manger is great and so is the female I came in contact with… But Michael?
3 stars… Truth be told? I’d give it 1 if it weren’t for the serving staff and 2 of the 3 managers I dealt with during my visits. They are trying hard… But we are talking a swing and a miss like 5 visits? When you don’t like something they do take it back, they do try again… But how many times do you want to experience a bad meal?

Very good food. We have had better but, not too bad. The steak tips were different doneness. Wine was very tasty. The waitstaff can be a little slow, took a while to get our check.

I. LOVE. THIS. PLACE. The food is always incredible and the staff super friendly and attentive. I always start with the gator tail appetizer. Awesome. Ive tried rhe chop, tuna, salmon, and flounder. I cant pick a favorite. And do not get me started on their croissant honey butter things. I swear they are made with crack. We always take our out of town guests here and they never dissapoint. Going there tonight as a matter of fact.

We were here our first night in Sumter, food was fabulous the only thing dd was the had run out of sliced mushroom so we had button mushrooms instead that were totally delicious. Our waitress was new she had only been serving a week but was fantastic ! Whenever she didn’t have an answer she came back with one instead of b s she was completely honest about it! The steaks were cooked perfectly and the sweet potato mash was delicious! We tried the alligator bites for an appetizer… Highly recommend them. We also tried the fried green tomatoes which are served with shrimp on top. I’ve never experienced them that way but I would order it again … Fabulous … And had a kick!

My second visit here was a little different from my first. This time we sat in a booth, rather than at the bar. We went during the middle of the week, and it was a little busier than expected. There were several birthday parties going on, so it was a little loud as well.
Our server was incredibly polite and very friendly. Exceptional service.
The food was delicious– I had a house salad and a pasta chicken dish, and it was incredibly filling. The portion size was a lot bigger than (almost twice the size) I had expected. It was just as delicious for lunch the next day– always a plus in my book.
Willie Sue’s does not disappoint!

I’ve been to this place several times in my visits to Sumter and it is one of the best places in town. Their steaks are excellent. Burgers are hand pattied and great. You’ll have to try their french fries, they are cooked in duck fat and are amazing. If you get a salad, try their hot honey bacon dressing, it’s killer. All of this with a great beer and liquor selection.

Tried Willie Sues for the first time yesterday. In short: average food with higher than expected prices and a confusing atmosphere. Read on for the longer version.
I made a 7:00 reservation, so when we showed up at 7:00 we were immediately taken to our table, so that’s a plus. Unfortunately the hostess took us to a table that still had cups on it, so she pointed to another table 15 feet away and told us to take that one. Another employee was leaving the table as we approached and told us we couldn’t sit there and proceeded to explain to the hostess that it was for another party (who hadn’t arrived yet), but the hostess told her it was fine and to clear the other table. That little argument in front of us was inappropriate, in my opinion.
The atmosphere was interesting. The place was like a Chili’s restaurant: quite loud and people everywhere at the tables that were placed fairly close together. The music was enjoyable (70s, 80s, 90s rock), but very much out of place in my opinion. Also, the air conditioning was blowing hard and set low which made the restaurant very cold.
I had the Blackened Chicken and chose the Rosemary & Thyme Red Potatoes as my side. My wife had Fried Shrimp with the same side and we ordered the Crab Cake appetizer. The food wasn’t anything spectacular, although the crabs cakes were delicious.
The potatoes were no better than something you’d find in a buffet line. I expected perhaps small red potatoes cut in half or quarters maybe, but these were just diced red potatoes that had been fried in a pan with seasonings.
The blackened chicken was smothered in cheese and sour cream, which I didn’t particularly care for, nor did my wife. I could have asked them to leave that off, I suppose, and it would have been tastier. The chicken breast itself was tough and didn’t cut very easily with the the steak knife either. It reminded me of the cheap frozen chicken you can get at the store that never has a good texture when cooked.
The fried shrimp were good and very large, but you can’t really mess up fried shrimp, can you?
The side salads were quite nice, and the croissants accompanying them were delicious.
Once our waitress knew we weren’t ordering cocktails she didn’t seem overly friendly. In fact I had to repeat my order for her because she apparently wasn’t paying attention to what I said.
The whole experience was quite weird for me and my wife because it was a restaurant with a menu and prices approaching fine-​dining in some respects, but the actual food and atmosphere was that of a Chili’s. In my opinion the owners would benefit from deciding what exactly they are trying to do (fine dining, family style, sports bar) and then sticking to that model.

The food really was amazing. The rolls were fantastic and my salad was on point. I really did enjoy it.
But there was a roach near our table however
I will say that they took care of the problem swiftly and they’re great people. The place is super clean.

Reminds me of a typical American sit down restaurant, similar to chains such as Ruby Tuesday or Applebee’s, but with one big difference — the food is amazing. Been there many times and everything has been delicious, from the salads and croissants, main course, and dessert.

Would have given 5 stars if wasn’t for the always busy crowd/​wait and the weird policy on their yummy crescent rolls that they serve with salads. Your only allowed to have one and can not order more. However, the menu has a good selection and everything everyone ordered tasted great. We would have gone back by now if not for the long wait.