Our first time eating here, we had a great meal, our server Jessica was very attentive and efficient. Our only complaint, we asked for one roll and was told we had to buy 5 rolls, really?? Never heard of that before and that is why I did not give 5 stars. Need to change that! read more

Awesome place... love the food there... the staff is great... a true gem to the local area... I will miss this place when we move.

Try the candied "bacon", which is actually pork belly and it is AWESOME! Great selection of bourbons from the bar. Try the Ultimate Burger, topped with a variety of choices so you can customize it. read more

Overall a great family dining establishment. Shrimp and grits were fantastic, along with the gator bites and seafood pasta.

Great service. Great food (I had ribs w/specialty sauce on the side, a salad & mashed potatoes and fried pickles for an app). Cheap beer. And good atmosphere. If I was local I would definitely come back! read more

Fried pickles are the best I've ever had. Not too greasy and perfect amount of kick. Buffalo Chicken sandwich is great too.

Willie Sues has great Filet Migion and Aligator bites. The atmosphere is inviting and the management is good.

This was actually my 3rd visit. We drive 45 minutes just to eat here. The atmosphere is cozy and the wait staff is right on the money. The food is absolutely awesome! The portion size is plenty...the salads, to me, are the best part. Best salad ever! The crescent rolls are to die for! I went tonight with a group of 11 people. With that being said, there were a lot different entrées in the table. Every plate was cooked as ordered. I can't say enough about it! Simply amazing! read more

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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. read more

Very great place nice bathrooms very friendly waiters food is amazing desert is amazing also very cheap to i highly recommend this place

The food and service are always good but more than once it has smelled like dirty (soured) sponges. Maybe rinse the mop and use fresh soap. It's hard to get excited about the food when it smells dirty. read more

Excellent restaurant! Cheeseburger is fabulous! They have fine menu with something to please any and all of their guests. The beer, wine list & spirits list is also a real winner! We received outstanding service and professional courtesy during our entire visit. We even had the pleasure of meeting Willie Sue's Grandson, one of the Owners & Executive Managers! Great fellow!!! Willie Sue's is a superb restaurant! Highly recommended!! read more

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

Decent southern food. Sometimes heavy on the oil with some dishes (salmon). Alcohol selection is excellent. Customer service is usually decent too. read more

Went there with my wife. First impressions were decent decor but the music was much to loud. The next small issue was the glare from the exposed bulb above our heads. We were seated near the bar and there was a cold draft that kept coming over the booth, I ordered the prime rib medium rare with mashed potatoes and a bowl of loaded baked potato soup. The soup was very bland lacking salt and not very creamy as one would expect. My prime rib came out completely cold. My guess is it was cut and sat on the plate while my wifes entree was prepared. I sent it back and the replacement was warm. The aus jus was overly sweet. The mashed potatoes were hot and served in a small cup size bowl. The had the consistency of a reheated left over baked potato mushed up. They really needed to add some butter or cream. My wife ordered the Ezra Pan Seared Scallops and sauteed mushrooms. The entree came with 3 scallops. The mushrooms were forgotten and delivered when my 2nd prime rib was brought out. My wife was still hungry after finishing her dinner. So she ordered the red velvet cake. The size of the slice was adequate but they failed to get the color correct. My wife took 2 bites and said she was done. I took a bite and the cake was cold from the refrigerator, dried out, and crumbly. Our server was adequate with a level of service I'd expect from ihop / dennys etc. There was no enthusiasm and the level of attention was subpar. There was no lack of servers. When we arrived there was at least 1 server for every table. While we waited for refills no less than a dozen servers walked by ignoring us and half a dozen servers stood around chatting by the bar. Overall it was quite disappointing. It seems that they aren't ready for prime time and the staff is lacking training and discipline. read more

Very good food love the staff very friendly really enjoy my self and would go back very soon

Always have a great time when we go to Willie Sue's! Great food and great service! Love their salads and rolls! We will be going back again as always! read more

Steaks tend to come in fatty. The salads are good and the rolls are some of the best in the world. Pricey place though. I go with the wife and never get out of there for under $50 which is expensive for Sumter. Also, had a problem once with a steak that was just inedible. Manager said "we'll do better next time" and that was it. No credit or new steak. Good place but just be careful. read more

This place was kind of weird, but the food was good. We were over-served. Let me explain what I mean by that: when we pulled up for an early dinner, there were almost no cars in the parking lot. However, there was a gravel lot next to the main lot that was FULL of cars. My co-workers and I started questioning what that gravel lot might be used for, since there are pretty much no other businesses around. I made a joke that maybe the cars belonged to the staff of the restaurant, but that seemed impossible. Once we came in to Willie Sue's and got a table, we all agreed that I must have been right, because you could not walk 2 feet in this restaurant without running into a server, bartender, manager, hostess... you name it. The staff here is huge. We were at our table for an hour tops and had a minimum of 9 different people come to our table to bring us napkins, water, check on us, see if we wanted dessert... Other than the over-service, we did like the food and the prices weren't bad. I was impressed with the portions, it seemed like a real southern menu, so far too rich for me to eat at more than once. The salad that came out first was delicious, I loved the house dressing, although I prefer not to have cheese on my salads. However, the little croissant that comes with the salad is EPIC. It is like a dessert to die for. It is drizzled in some kind of frosting/honey that you might dream about forever. It is weird to serve it with the salad, but who cares, because it's going to be the best thing you eat all night, maybe even all week. Unfortunately, the rest of my meal was so overshadowed by that croissant, that I was a bit underwhelmed by my entree; half a rack of ribs. I felt that the rib meat was too soft on the inside but too dry and charred on the outside, making for a poor texture combination. I don't typically order ribs, in fact I've only had ribs about 20 times in my life, and I would rank these lower on the scale of ribs I have tried. However, my side of seafood succotash was brilliant. I'm a northerner so I've never had succotash, and I would absolutely want this again, if I could find it anywhere. Overall, a good southern food experience, and if I return to Sumter, I will hit up Willie Sue's, even if they have to roll me out the door afterward. read more

My hubby and I finally went and tried Willie Sue's for our anniversary dinner, and we were beyond satisfied. They take your phone number at the hostess both so they can send a text when your table is ready. We sat at the bar until the phone buzzed. The bar is a large 3 sided and nicely done in warm colored wood, with a metal pole for rest attached. They have 12 taps with a variety of beers, and the tap poles are coated in ice (always a fun feature). We got our table in about 15 minutes, we remarked on the lovely rustic wood beams and embellishments. It really is an attractive Restaurant. Looking at the menus you can smell the newness of the plastic coated pages, and the food descriptions all sound delightful. We got the gator tail appetizer, which was good, but all the fried battered was a bit heavy, we will definitely be going back soon for beers and a plate of nachos. Choosing an entree was a process, since I wanted to try more than I could. I chose the seafood pasta, which was beyond fantastic, I was full but wanted to keep eating it, I refrained so I could take half of it home for lunch. Hubby got the tuna fillet, which he was equally impressed with, it was perfectly cooked and seasoned. I can't forget this one detail, the salads are served in chilled plates, which I absolutely love! Overall, we have deemed Willie Sue's as what we feel is the nicest, best Restaurant in Sumter. We will return. read more

Very disappointing. My husband and I recently moved here and were excited to bring out of town family here for dinner (since I had talked it up so much from when we initially visited in August). We went around 6 pm on Sunday and it was surprisingly not busy. There were a total of 6 in our party, 4 adults, a 2 year old and a 7 month old. My husband arrived a few minutes before us and they were seated at a large booth next to kitchen and the hostess brought a high chair over for our little one. The booth was so tight I could not hold my baby to nurse him, so since there was no one around, I pulled up a chair next to booth to nurse him before I put him in high chair. The manager quickly came over and told us that we were not allowed to "cap" a booth and that we were blocking the other tables from being seated around us. She said since they weren't busy it wasn't a big deal, but if we decided to come back we couldn't do that. She was abrupt, and could have handled the situation differently. She might have offered to seat us at a different table so that we would not have been in the way. I do not necessarily feel it was our fault that the hostess seated us at a booth next to the kitchen when we asked for a high chair. Our server was great, as was some of the other wait staff. My salmon was overcooked (I ordered medium), dry, and very fishy. I didn't eat it, and frankly, after the way the manager treated me, I really did not want anything else. For as slow as they were, the restrooms could have been better attended to- I trash can was overflowing with paper towels. There was no follow up from the manager, who was going around to all of the tables to see how their meals were. We also had to ask to have the salmon taken off the bill. The rest of our dinner party seemed to enjoy their food, but sadly we will not be returning, and would not recommend visiting, and they do not seem kid-friendly. read more

We've been wanting to try this place since seeing it in the guide to Sumter. Finally got the chance tonight. We took our chances on a Saturday night & didn't make reservations. No problem. We thought we'd have a long wait based on the cars in the parking lot. Only about 10 minutes, maybe less. You've got to be kidding me! I've waited 10 minutes to place my order at fast food joints! My husband had their prime rib (rare) & baked potato with a dinner salad, while I had the marinated ribeye (medium) with roasted red potatoes. Both cooked perfectly. Excellent, friendly service. Delicious food. Nice atmosphere. Bar area a bit noisy, but no more than others. While we didn't have anything fancy/difficult, it was VERY well prepared. We liked much of what we saw throughout the menu. Plenty of variety. Note: some of the dishes "are as described", no substitutions (Steak tips served with rice). There is plenty to choose from though. Made the mistake of having dessert - good thing our server brought two spoons - Brownie Sunday was way more than a single serving. While not the best brownie I've ever had (I make a mean brownie myself) it was plentiful & good, plus the chocolate sauce was fabulous. prices were very appropriate for the quality food and portion sizes. I have to agree with another yelper on those crescents served on the side of the salad - amazing. I haven't had one so fluffy & fresh in a very long time & it was drizzled with warm honey butter! This is a very nice place and we will certainly be coming back - probably often! read more

Good locally own restaurant. I love their chicken and steak soup. Eat here and you will be serve with a friendly waitress on top of their excellent food. read more

Shrimp Po Boy was a huge let down. Very bland no spice what so ever. The nachos and Willie Sue's salad however were good. The second time I was there with a large party the wait staff was not experienced enough to handle it. One of the servers bit my head off when I asked her if I could order a drink bc she was not waiting on my side of the table and proceeded to be rude in explaining where her responsibilities were and were not. Also they sat us on the patio in June with no AC. I don't know if that is their only designated space for large parties but if so I would not recommend it in the summer months especially with the drainage pond right next to it. read more

Had the Ash's bacon cheese chicken grill and fried pickles very delicious. Would definitely go back again.

Some people I work with love this place. Me, not so much. Food is OK, prices are a little on the high side for what you get. Been there a couple times in large groups. Service gets really slow then. Overall, it's a place I'll go back to, just not frequently. read more

12/27/2015. Atmosphere is nice. Staff is friendly. This was our second visit and I have to say the sandwiches are pretty skimpy for the price. I had the prime rib meat on Texas toast $12 (subbed salad for fries +$2). There were two thin slices of beef, probably less than 1/4 pound. Hubby had burger - that was way better than mine. Fries with the burger were hot and plentiful. On our first visit, hubby got the succotash with crawdad. That was the worst side dish ever and should be avoided. Dagwood sandwich was also skimpy. read more

Two times was enough for us. The food the first time was meh. The second time was not good either. I think the restaurant is gorgeous and the service was decent. I wish they would've taken as much time with their menu and food presentation, as they did with the interior. I'd recommend they keep it simple, southern food and step away from the duck and alligator. They should look at breakfast...a good southern breakfast in such a pretty restaurant would be a winner. Just my thoughts. read more

This place was a pleasant surprise. Great variety to choose from. Service was on point and all the servers were polite and friendly. The food came quickly and the portions were generous. I ordered the full burger and it was great. Fries were slightly undercooked, but everything else was delish. My friends ordered both the shrimp and the salmon, and they really enjoyed it. I will certainly be back to this restaurant as I avoid the chains in Sumter. read more

I love this place... Moved to Sumter in April and have been here twice for lunch and once for dinner. Excellent service every time, quality and yummy food, big portions. They obviously put a lot of time and money into building the place and decorating -- they did the same for the menu and service. read more

I can only write this review from the customer service I received about purchasing a gift card over the phone. The manager was so helpful, very quick, and very nice on the phone. I had asked to purchase a gift card and have them mail it to me to send to a relative for a Christmas present. He exceeded my expectations and the gift card arrived very promptly. Thanks again!! read more

The food was pretty good. The service on the other hand was horrible and completely unacceptable. On 1/5/19, my family and I had reservations at 4 p.m. for a party of 14. We had 1 waitress that was also responsible for a huge party that was beside us. We ordered our food around 4:20. Some food came out at 5:00 and the rest came out at 5:20. At exactly 5:30, the manage peeps her head in the door and tells us that she has another big party coming in at 6:00 and that we had to be out by then, whether we were done eating or not. That gave us, including children 30 minutes to eat. Our drinks haven't even been refilled. After we expressed our concerns to the manager, she offered us 10% off of our bill and said there was nothing else she could do. A minute later, she comes back out and says that her manager will not allow her to do that because 15% gratuity was not automatically added to our bill. Again, we expressed concern and she became extremely rude. She did not try to rectify the situation at all. Our waiter became frustrated and became rude as well. We also expressed that it wasn't fair to her that she was given such a huge party with no help. Some of my family members frequent Willie Sues and they were extremely disappointed with the service. We understand things happen, but the manager's delivery was horrible. We will not be dining there again. read more

We had a group of 15 and the staff couldn't have been more accommodating to us. They went out of their way to move us to a more convenient table during the lunch rush. Our server was also fantastic and did a great job making sure everyone's drinks were always filled and that our orders came out correctly. We will absolutely be back!! read more

I've heard good things about this spot but the first thing I ever had from them was their Cheesecake with strawberry topping (take out), it gave me food poisoning. I'm not posting to bring the Restaurant down, just in case it happens again it can be fixed. As for the cheesecake, it was huge, but it definitely tasted very bland and maybe outdated? Cheesecake is my favorite but I would recommend something different from them. read more

I was eager to try Willie Sue's. The restaurant is really nice, everything is clean and well decorated. The bar area is huge and the booths are comfortable. The staff, except for the hostesses which need work on smiling and being polite, were very nice and helpful. The waitress was hospitable, and was around a lot. My friend had the teriyaki chicken with a baked potato and a salad. The salad did come out first without dressing, but that's not an issue. The issue I had was the croissants. My son is very picky and normally eats just a few things, but of course he loved the croissant that came with the salad. For those of you who have been to California Dreaming, the croissants are very similar. The issue I had was I asked for another and the waitress said that she couldn't give us another because they don't sell them individually, but I could buy an appetizer of them for $6. Sell them individually??? Please!!!! It's fine if you don't want to give them away, but when I pay $3 for a small side of fruit...give me a break!! I had the Thai shrimp appetizer, which was just okay. I think I was expecting restaurant style fried shrimp, instead I got shrimp like you would see in a frozen food box except the shrimp were a little bigger. More Thai sauce needed on the plate too please. For lunch time, it was a hour all in all which was fine. The hostesses, who were at the hostess stand, never said bye or anything. read more

Hello I was there this past Friday, July 15, 2016, and had a great meal. However, the waitress who served me was pretty unprofessional as the evening came to a close. Somehow we got on the subject of age when she asked me mine and I replied she then asked me what I thought her age was. So I responded with 35. She then became highly incensed with my response and stated it was a good thing I already had my to go tea because she would have done something to it. Then stated she was going to go see what she could add to my bill as well. I apologized for upsetting her but she would not let it go and came back to the table several times arguing with me about her age. Turns out she's 32 so I wasn't far off and apparently being close wasn't good enough. We paid out bill and left. I will return to the restaurant because the food is delicious. However, I will make sure I don't forget her name and will not sit in her section again and will speak to a manager upon my return. She shouldn't be allowed near anyone's food in my opinion. Moral of the story, if she's reading, play stupid games win a stupid prize. And if you ask the question be prepared for an answer you don't like. That being said enjoy the food because it's great and their alligator is one of the best you can find locally in a restaurant. Happy eating people. read more

Went there a little over a week ago with a large group from the base for lunch and we waited over an HOUR for our food. We'd made the reservation a few days prior so they should have been expecting a large group (about 20). One guy in our group ended up getting his food just as everybody else was finishing theirs. I asked for the dressing for my salad on the side and the waitress kept forgetting to bring it. I finally got tired of waiting and ate my salad without the dressing since I was so hungry by that point. Dressing finally arrived after I'd already finished eating. It was one of the only times in my life that I did not tip my waitress and I hated doing that but I felt it was warranted (full disclosure; they added a 10% tip already because it was a group). I'm sorry to say that they've probably lost a portion of lunch business from the base now which is a shame because the food here is pretty good. read more