Wasn't looking for creole good but saw this place and had to go in. It's pretty inside and has a nice comfortable feel. We ordered the Jambalaya and the creamy pasta with chicken. We also had a couple oysters on the half shell. They came with the best horseradish sauce. Ordered a local IPA and it was delicious. Derick was our server and did a fantastic job. Very friendly and had good suggestions when ordering. Everything about our visit was great. Would love to come have some more delicious food next time we're in town. read more

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"Gem has reopened!!!!" That alone is music to our ears! The owner and her loyal fans demanded that Gem come back, and we are so glad they did. The atmosphere is the same gorgeous, New Orleans-style groovy vibe but spruced up, shiny, and ready for action. We were excited to stop in and immediately sat at our favorite spot at the bar--man, it felt good to be back! The menu looks great and perfectly curated; the owner and chef really nailed putting it together while keeping the dishes authentic. We chose the DRAPER FARMS FRIED CHICKEN SANDWICH (with Mardi Gras slaw, house pickles, rémoulade, and a brioche bun), plus Cajun fries and a side of pimento dip. It was absolutely delicious and so huge we were glad we shared! We loved our visit so much we came back two days later to try their Deviled Eggs and the PIMENTO BURGER. If you love a huge, quality burger, this one's for you! The half-pound Cascade Farm beef was cooked medium-rare (you might clarify how you like it with your server next time, as we weren't asked, but decided the chef must have intended that rare preparation to let the quality meat shine through). We were seriously impressed when the chef came out of the kitchen himself to check how we liked the burger--how often does that happen? Rarely! We are so, so glad our favorite Gem is back open! read more

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Attended a wedding rehearsal dinner last night! The food was simply delicious! Also, the servers were very gracious and helpful.

Food was authentic and delish. Jambalaya was very good. Service was great. Ambience is lovely. Will be back!

Oh my goodness! What a wonderful place! My mom was from Louisiana so I was excited to try this place. We went with our daughter and her wife and ordered everything to share. Everything was delicious with my favorite being the okra and shrimp and grits and least favorite being the greens. We all had such a great meal and BTW, the biscuit was unbelievable! read more

Gem Saloon is a rare find! Terrific cocktails, delicious food (try the beignets), and a super friendly staff that greets you with the warmth of a Louisiana sunset. Lyndsi is great. Ask for the French 75! read more

GEM is a FANTASTIC restaurant! Right next door to LaRambla is GEM, their sister restaurant. Their menu, food, beverages and service is all beyond impressive. They stay very true to the authentic recipes of the food they serve. Our waiter Kevin was most attentive and fun to visit with. 5/5 stars! read more

I loved The Gem before, and I love that it's open again! The food is solid, the staff is amazing, and the environment beautifully curated. Best Sazarac in town. read more

Jambalaya I ordered was super undercooked and had no flavour whatsoever, do not recommend. Service was good but we wanted an hour for our food read more

Great atmosphere! Good food. And spectacular service. Our bartender, Patience, was the best! It will be a regular stop for us!

Was really excited to hear the Gem reopened. Made a reservation online. When we arrived, there was no reservation. After waiting for 15 minutes to get a table, we ordered cocktails, which took about 20 minutes to arrive -- one at a time every five minutes! We had to ask for a wine bucket and wine glasses for our wine. Three of the entrees arrived, but the fourth somehow fell threw the cracks and took an extra 25 minutes to arrive. We told the waiter that we didn't think we should pay for the late entree'. The manager then came over and essentially never apologized, was combative, and said she would give us one free dessert item. Her tone was not friendly and all she had ro do was comp the meal and we would have been ok. The food ws sort of bland and the rice in the gumbo wasn't cooked through -- surprising since it took 25 minutes to get it. All in all, a disappointing experience. Not sure we'll go back. read more

Lives up to the name...a gem of a place. Good seasoning and dice that creeps up on you. Fried chicken is an excellent portion, boneless thighs and a big biscuit with honey butter. The mac and cheese is creamy and made with cavatappi pasta. The etouffe portion looked small but I am stuffed! It was loaded with crawfish in a tomato cream sauce. Wish they were in Salem. read more

Gem Creole Saloon - The kids meals...ours was already gone. - Cajun/Creole Near Me - McMinnville, Oregon

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A new place for me and they lived to their positive reviews. Had the gumbo with crawfish added. Very delicious although I would have liked more andouille sausage. The beet and spinach Dallas was excellent. The cornbread was quite good,too For dessert: the "biscuit" pudding (that's right, not bread). Different- a little more sauce but perhaps the biscuits would have been too soggy. Made a reservation for two at 6pm and was glad I did. But, by 7 the place was half full. Service was spot on by Madelain. Great smile, too. I want to try the jambalaya on my next visit. (It takes 45 minutes to prepare!) Charming interior but very noisy when crowded. read more

First time and just loved it. Crawfish gumbo was delicious. Hubby and I also shared the crawfish jambalaya. Pretty spicy but really good. Jason was our waiter and bar keep. The hurricanes were Yummy. Great service and food. Loved the Dr. JOHN playing in the background. read more

Gem Creole Saloon - Hurricanes and crawfish gumbo - Cajun/Creole Near Me - McMinnville, Oregon

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Not only is this place fantastic...but it was worth driving to from Beaverton (over an hour) to get there! We had a party of 6 for a birthday gathering and we couldn't have all been more happy with the service and the fantastic food! In our group we got the fried chicken, kids burger/cajun fries (he's a picky eater and not very adventurous), the gumbo with shrimp, shrimp and grits and the etoufee' with shrimp. We also ordered the fried okra, biscuits, oysters on the 1/2 shell, drinks and biscuit pudding (their version of bread pudding)....absolutely UNREAL! Prices were reasonable, portions were large and the flavor....outstanding! Even with a much larger party being served (about 15) the waiter we had served us without appearing stressed and in a very timely manner. Drinks were always topped off and we received exactly the right amount of attention throughout the evening. The place isn't too large so I would suggest making a reservation. Even in the small town of McMinnville it was packed on a Sunday evening. If you are in Salem, Hillsboro, Beaverton, Newberg, Sherwood, Wilsonville, Tigard, Tualatin or even Portland....make the trip! You won't be sorry!!! read more

We come here to eat everytime we visit McMinnville and it's always high-quality and delicious. This time around, I was feeling adventurous and I ordered a Bloody Mary with an undisclosed house topping, Voodoo fries, and Oysters on the half shell. The bloody Mary was absolutely stunning visually, with a whole crawfish and other treats on top. The flavor was also very good, nice and spicy! The Voodoo fries were so yummy and I kind of wish we had ordered a large! Now I know for next time. :) Lastly, the oysters were very fresh and I enjoyed them a lot. I also snagged a few bites of my hubby's shrimp gumbo and that was super yummy too. Thank you for continuing to be the best dining spot in McMinnville! read more

Gem Creole Saloon - Oysters on the half shell - Cajun/Creole Near Me - McMinnville, Oregon

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Made reservations for 7 pm and asked if I could preorder jambalaya so we didn't need to wait 45 minutes. We received a call about 1 hour before asking if we wanted to add anything to our order. I appreciated their call and only had a short wait once we were seated. Great food and a lot of it. This is our 3rd time and we will definitely be back on our next trip. read more

Awesome place great manager and service and food plus amazing drinks and old fashioned read more

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Just like the name, this place is a "gem" in the small town of McMinnville. We only ate the beignets, and they were hot and delicious. The Bloody Mary was a fun surprise (very spicy and not vegetarian!). Fun vibe with unique decor. Great service that was fast and friendly. Reasonable price point as well (at least compared to my home - the Bay Area). read more

Gem Creole Saloon - Delicious fresh hot beignets with thick raspberry jam. So good! - Cajun/Creole Near Me - McMinnville, Oregon

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Fantastic Place! It's been great every time I've been there. The last time it was staffed with one waitress and when we left she had 7 tables. She was doing a great job of managing it all. My hats off to her. This is no place to be if you are trying to be low calorie but worth the splurge. I usually try to save room at the end of the meal for the beignets. They are oh so good. They make several delicious sandwiches and their cajun fries are not to be missed. On this day we stopped in to catch the Oregon State baseball game. Unfortunately, it didn't go our way but we had some delightful eats. This and that: Two televisions in this establishment. One on the wall and one in the bar. They have great music from the south playing throughout the establishment You can enter via the back door from the (2 hr free parking city lot). This takes you through the kitchen area but they do not mind. I will definitely be back! read more

Gotta love the taste of the South in Oregon Wine country. The calamari and shrimp Po Boy was delicious. The Gumbo is also tasty. I will be back to explore the rest of the menu next time hopefully. read more

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This is a hard review for me to write. This is one of my favorite places to eat. Best jambalaya I have ever had. Great fried chicken, great sides. Still has the best creole food I've ever tasted. So what's the catch? Well, the service has always been poor. I've been here since the first week it opened. Many servers, still same problem. They are slow, which in itself is forgivable. But 3/4 of the time they flat out get the order wrong. They will bring the salad out after the entree, appetizers out at the same time as entree, bring you catfish if you order cod etc... This happens every time. Something wrong every time. When I have brought anything up to the server they'll often state "oh sorry the kitchen for it wrong..." and that's that. They will never apologize, offer anything to rectify the situation. So knowing that this is owned by the same owners who run La Rambla, who's service has always been excellent, I can't help but feel Gem gets the "second string" of servers. It's a bummer because I can't in good conscience take friends or family here any more knowing something will go wrong, and it will also take about 40 minutes to get your food. So - please do us a favor and get good servers that at least don't detract from the amazing food, ambiance and setting. Pretty please ? read more

Last night "Date Night" with my Husband. Going to the Gem is such a treat for us, the food, staff & ambience is always a perfect 10. We started with oysters on the half shell & hush puppies both were amazing! He went for the Fried Oyster Po Boy & for the 1st Time ever I ordered the Shrimp & Grits neither disappointed. You can taste the love from the chef with every bite taken. I was so full after I forgot to ask what the chefs flavor of ice cream was, next Time I think I'll order dessert first read more

Gem Creole Saloon - Shrimp & Grits - Cajun/Creole Near Me - McMinnville, Oregon

My sisters and I found this lovely little Creole bar and grill in McMinnville, OR. One of them had never tried Creole food. She had the shrimp gumbo and my other sister ordered the shrimp and grits. I had to try the crawfish etouffee. I had it once in Louisiana and it's tough to find etouffee that good. I have to say Gem gave them a run for their money. We each sampled the others dishes and ordered appetizers beforehand. The maple glazed pork belly with greens was delicious. We also tried the chicken liver pate, very good. We shared an order of beignets with raspberry sauce. Needless to say we all had leftovers. Although I'm no expert on Creole food they definitely have my vote. Last but not least our server Justin was top-notch. He was even kind enough to laugh at a couple of my jokes. read more

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The Gem Creole Saloon. I have so many warm feelings inside when I think of my frequent visits here. When you walk in the door your nostrils will be embraced by the spice of a Cajun eatery. The flat iron grilled steak, covered in what I can only assume is a sauce from heavens kitchen, is crowned by several large prawns. The whole thing nestled in a bed of crunchy fries. Pair it with a delicious glass of Buffalo Trace, and you will think the sweet nectar of an angel's sweat is dancing across your tounge. At 28 dollars this is not only an orgasmic experience, its a great deal. The Crawfish Beignets are a slightly creamy, but very meaty, and herb filled balls like hush puppies, fried in the oil of unicorn tears methinks. Squirt some lemon juice all over the crunchy exterior and smother them in the creamy sauce provided. These will not disappoint. And if Lady Luck casts her loving gaze your way you may even be able to get the lobster beignets if they are in season. Pairs well with an Oregon Pinot Noir. Fried chicken, wings, crawfish, and shrimp dishes are all on the menu. If you visit McMinnville this place should be on your list. Dont forget to order some oysters with a lover. It's sure to make for a passionate night! read more

What a great place! All the food that we ordered was great and fairly priced, and service was quick and attentive without being overbearing. It's basically a hybrid between an elegant sports bar and a cajun restaurant. We had collard greens kimchi, chicken liver paté (with molasses, pickled onions, dijon mustard and croutons), crayfish gumbo and the chèvre mac&cheese. Everything was absolutely delicious and we had leftovers for lunch! Absolutely a must-try if you're in town. read more

My partner and I stumbled upon this place 8 months ago when we were staying in McMinnville for a couple days and loved it! We've been reminiscing about it ever since and went back over the weekend. We ordered a TON of food (eyes clearly bigger than our stomachs, covid life has left us way too excited to sit in a restaurant) and took most of it home in boxes. Everything kept extremely well, even several days after. They gave us beignets on the house! Server was very prompt and generous even though they were clearly busy. We love the shrimp and grits, steak and mushroom po boy, Mac and cheese, fried chicken (we made it into a biscuit sandwich when we got home and omg), fried oysters, and jambalaya -- basically everything. Tip: go ahead and order your jambalaya first since it takes 45 mins. Great atmosphere, service, and food. We love you, Gem! read more

Gem Creole Saloon - Cajun/Creole Near Me - McMinnville, Oregon

We had the most wonderful meal with the best service at Gem. We had never tried the grilled octopus and now it is our new favorite. The kale salad with spring vegetables was absolutely fabulous. They have a great wine and cocktail list which further enhanced our experience. Our server, Lexie, was attentive and helped us with recommendations. We will be asking for her by name in the future as she was that great! This restaurant is not to be missed when you are in McMinnville! read more

Apparently their HH times are not available on special days. I lost it when I thought they changed the times. #miscommunicationdisaster. read more

Gem Creole Saloon - Excited to see the regulars back and new items on HH - Cajun/Creole Near Me - McMinnville, Oregon

I have celebrated Fat Tuesday many times...I have to say for McMinnville, Gem did it right. So far I haven't jumped on the bar to dance but that is not to say that some one won't. The Hurricanes are stupendous, authentic, sweet and tart. An amazing list of signature cocktails to offer. Food was spicy where it needed to be and subdued where appropriate. I was greeted at the door and although they were "slammed", service was friendly and prompt. ...an exciting new addition to 3rd Street. read more

Gem Creole Saloon - Fat Tuesday 2014 at Gem - Cajun/Creole Near Me - McMinnville, Oregon

A great dining option in town. The Grand Saleau burger was huge and amazing with a half-pound grilled burger, pulled pork, fried Swiss, grilled onions, bacon, tomato, and a house-made toasted bun. Be very hungry for this one. The side of Mac and cheese with jalapeño was excellent too. I had a shrimp and rice dinner entree previously which left me still hungry after dinner with only four little shrimp on the plate...with lots of starch on the side it was certainly a money maker for them. $$$. I almost didn't go back. The burger today made up for it. The service was great too. read more

Gem Creole Saloon - The Grand Saleau: be very hungry for this amazing char grilled half-pound burger, with bacon, fried Swiss, pulled pork, etc.! - Cajun/Creole Near Me - McMinnville, Oregon

GEM is really more like cut GLASS. Shiny and pretty, but no value. Was visiting MacMVile as part of a road trip to/from Crater Lake. Spend two days in town and was very motivate to try this place. Was told by a colleague who work in this town that this is a new place and worth a try. Looked good from the outside during a morning walk around town. The posted menu looked very interesting. We arrived later that evening and found the place mostly empty. The woman staffing the bar told us to sit anywhere. We sat at a table near the middle and noticed the table was cleared, but was still dirty. The woman noticed that and came and cleaned it for us. I followed her to the bar to check out what beer they had on tap. Couple of local brews. I ordered one. The waiter showed a bit later with menus. We had previously checked the menu and asked him about some of the items featured. He did not seem to be familiar with the menu. He was unable to explain how some of the menu items were prepared. Many of the items did not resembled what we had when in NOLA or at other Cajun restaurants. He told us the menu was recently changed. I decided on the shrimps and grits as he had told me that was one of the items they kept. Thinking if it stayed on the menu it must be OK. At least the kitchen staff is not experimenting with something new and will have it down pat. My wife ordered the crawfish rice dish...forgot what they called it. The entrees came with choices of sides and we select greens, sweet potato, and okra. The meal was a real disappointment. The crawfish dish had no seasoning. Just bland! This is not Cajun cooking! Justin Wilson is rolling in his grave. My shrimps and grits had only 4 shrimps. I got more than twice the amount at haft the price earlier that day at the Mexican restaurant across the street for a mid-day snack. The plate was filled with onions and pepper...in an oily red colored sauce...not well prepared at all. The sides were the only edible/appetizing part of this meal and they were not that great. My beer was OK. We left most of our meal untouched. The waiter came later and asked if we want a box to take the leftovers. We had to tell him the meal was really bad and we don't normally leave that much on our plates. My wife kicked me in the shin to remind me to be polite about it. This restaurant needs to do a review of its menu, train the wait staff on it, and train the kitchen staff in preparing it. Lots of maturing on all front is needed. Not likely to visit this place again until I see reports from knowledgable Yelpers that there is a turn in performance. We ate pizza and tramisu at a place down the street and got a happy tummy. read more

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This place is a real gem! They have a great drink menu as well as a real creole cuisine. Everything we ordered was just as expected and we felt like we were sitting in a restaurant in the heart of New Orleans! We will definitely be back! read more

I dropped in with my husband for a quick drink and snack while in downtown Mac. The decor is fun and festive, all gold and purple, loved that. The menu looked great, but we were not super hungry. We split the stuffed sweet potatoes with chorizo, they were fantastic. I enjoyed my very first Pimms cup cocktail. We will be back. read more

Gem Creole Saloon - Cajun/Creole Near Me - McMinnville, Oregon

Came with high expectation after reading others rating on Yelp, but left with biggest disappointment. Kitchen somehow messed up the order, waited 45mins to get the appetizer (restaurant was not that busy after 8pm). I asked waitress three to four times where is our appetizer, and she kept saying it is coming. After 45 mins of waiting, I started to get upset, and she finally told me that kitchen forgot the order. They are willing to remove the cost of this dish, which is a $6 discount. When the appetizer finally come, all the fries were burned on the top (from melting the cheese). Our jambalaya came about 20-25 mins later, and again the whole plan were burned badly. I was so hungry, didn't bother to send the dish back at that point. Almost one hour of waiting on two burned dishes, totally not worthy the expectation and great rating from the others. Sorry, won't go back ever read more

I've been to the Gem before. It's been pretty good. However tonight it was packed and the service was overtaxed. We waited 40 minutes to be served, and then they brought the salad and entrees out nearly simultaneously. We ordered the New York steak and the Black and Blue pasta. The chicken was dry and overcooked, the pasta however was very good. The steak was mediocre but the sweet potato fries were delicious. The Gem can do better. Updated 5/19 - been back many time since I posted the previous review. I can say that experience was a one off. All subsequent visits have been very good. read more

We are local & were so excited for the Gem to re-open after the remodel and Covid. However, I don't think we will ever be back... * I had to send the cocktail back, definitely missing a couple ingredients (Gin being one of them)! * the appetizer arrived cold * 2 hours later, we received our entrees, the rice was completely burnt, only two prawns on the jambalaya, meanwhile still waiting for our cocktails and water. * after asking for the check we were able to pay and then had to request our dessert that had already been boxed multiple times. I felt bad for the waitress as she was trying but did not have any assistance. Too bad because this place USED to be good but will not revisit! :( read more

I came into town feeling lonely and hungry, and I left with a couple new friends and a lifted spirit. Steven, the manager, is super wonderful. My advice is to skip the dining room and just go straight to the bar to eat. They serve a full menu and there's no wait. Otherwise, the entire place is packed -- as it should be. The entree with 16 large shrimp served in a Creole sauce was the first thing I tried and it's still my favorite. The jambalaya is the best I've ever had and worth the wait. It takes 45 minutes because it's prepared from scratch. Tonight I had the halibut sandwich and fried okra, which was also exceptional. My favorite thing about this restaurant has been the people. All of the staff have been remarkably kind to me. Phil and Jess deserve a notable mention. I look forward to returning as many times as possible before my kids come back from their grandma's place and I have to go back to cooking my own dinners! read more

Gem Creole Saloon - Gumbo with crawfish - Cajun/Creole Near Me - McMinnville, Oregon

Surprising little gem (see what I did there?) in McMinnville. New Orleans is my favorite city I the world, & while this place isn't quite that awesome, it is wonderful, & I will certainly be back. My wife & I split the friend chicken (good) and the Mac & cheese with andouille sausage (very good!) and well drinks for $50, which felt like a bargain for the quality enjoyed. The only thing missing to make it a more authentic New Orleans experience would be live music. Their tag line is "Creole Eats, Blues, Sports" so maybe they have live music sometimes? Not on this Sunday evening, so I guess I'll have to return. read more

Completely stumbled on this literal "gem" as we were walking downtown after a Naked Winery Club event. We have been searching for a great creole restaurant since moving to the Portland area and being in McMinniville for the day, warranted a great find at this restaurant. We sat at the bar and our server was Phil. He was extremely friendly, knowledgeable on his whiskeys and drinks and made EXCELLENT food suggestions. We ended up ordering some fries with lots of goodness on them, a big pot of the jambalaya with crawfish, which was insanely delicious, and then took home an order of the fried chicken, which we ended up eating for breakfast the next morning. IT was amazing! We sat at the bar and had a couple of oyster shooters, a great whacky flight, that introduced us to a new awesome whiskey, Emerald by Ransom. YUMMY. The decor is inviting and warm and you feel cozy and welcome right away. The bathrooms were clean and the bar stools comfortable. Service was a bit slow, but they make everything to order and it is SO SO SO worth the wait. Don't be in a hurry. Sit and enjoy your drinks, your company, and the ambience of relaxation and you will be rewarded with great food! We cannot wait to get back! read more

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