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    Howard Gumbo

    4.0 (55 reviews)
    Closed 12:00 pm - 9:00 PM
    Updated a few days ago

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    Recommended Reviews - Howard Gumbo

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    Cat fish and Gumbo Fries with Catfish on Top
    Leilani S.

    I am not sure about some of the previous negative reviews but my food was good and they gave us extra food without charging. The catfish was so tender and flavorful. I ordered the $12 gumbo and I thought it was very good. I do think the base could have been a little thicker but still really good. The reason I can't give a 5 star because they are a little slow when taking orders. Also this food truck is a house located on a main street just as a heads up. The ambiance is nothing special it's a food truck. I would definitely be back. Also their fries were yummy and tasted homemade!

    Joey Y.

    Always love a good gumbo with a dark roux. And howard's definitely has it. I like my gumbo thick, this isn't thick but it does the job. Andoille sausage has a light kick, shrimp was delicious. I honestly did not care for the crab. I love crab, but I prefer to just eat the foot, not have to work for the crab meat. and I don't think the 3 tiny crab clusters (probably equal to 1 snow crab cluster) make's it worth paying an extra $10. I would have liked more veggies. There was close to no veggies. I am thankful they put the rice on the side. Also. parking is extremely cramped. I walked from the autoshop. All in all. Gumbo is delicious, but it needs more veggies. Worth a shot? yes.

    Cajun style catfish and fries
    Lucy M.

    Howard's Gumbo serves up some of the most legit authentic Cajun food that I've experienced outside LA. The catfish is scrumptious as it's shaken in a cornmeal seasoned batter then fried to perfection. And the red beans and rice are on point. Howard's gumbo is made fresh and slow cooked from the moment they open up every day. I've returned to Howard's gumbo at least 2 more times as this little local's only hotspot is the perfect place for me to drive over to order grab and go after a long work week. As a final note, I would like to say thank you very much to Miss Rachel sacto's most noteworthy CM for setting up the YEE drive-through event which introduced Howard's Gumbo into my culinary world.

    Rhonda R.

    Came on a Saturday around 5 and there was no wait. I walked up, ordered and left within 15 minutes. Parking would have been a disaster if it was busy as they only have a small parking lot. When I ordered the lady was very nice. I ordered the famous $5 gumbo of course (2 orders). It was a decent size and it came with a couple shrimp and plenty sausages. The flavor was on point!!! The shrimp was over cooked, but it didn't even maker cause the flavor was exactly what I wanted!!! Especially for $5!!! I only regret not getting the corn bread... I forgot and I love cornbread! Definitely will be back when I'm in the area!

    Menu
    Steven C.

    Stopped by with my dad to try some authentic southern cooking. We were pleasantly surprised by all the deep flavors achieved in each dish. The cook knows what she's doing here. Ordered the 2 piece catfish with fries, gumbo, mac and cheese, cornbread and a peach cobbler. The $5 gumbo comes with shrimp, sausage and rice. It's a great deal. It is what Howard Gumbo is known for and does not disappoint. A little spicy but delicious. Mac and cheese was bomb! Creamy, gooey and super cheesy flavor. I loved it! My dad ordered the peach cobbler and although the portion was smaller than expected he said it was a delicious cobbler. The lady working here was super sweet and thankful for our business. I told her we'd be back. Brought some back for my mom and she loved every bite. She's already planning on sending me back for more gumbo :)

    Mac n cheese and peach cobbler $5 each
    Douglas Y.

    Pro tip when your navigation says you are close look for the small neon "OPEN" sign on the fence. We tried the gumbo/catfish combo, 4pc snapper, mac n cheese and peach cobbler. The Gumbo is what Howard's is all about with a rich savory flavor. The catfish was good but the snapper was dry. Mac n cheese and peach cobbler are tasty but small in size for $5 each. Good spot for gumbo and open late night as well.

    Catfish and fries
    Jen-Ann L.

    A great little hidden gem in northeast Sacramento. It's a converted food truck on the side of a busy thoroughfare. The one woman working was very patient as we navigated the menu. There is a green tent popup attached to the food truck. A couple of cocktail tables litter the inside of the tent if you need a surface to organize (for your Yelp photos or) your food. Offerings: - Fried Catfish: perfectly fried, great flavorful batter, not oily at all - Fried Snapper: same as above, if slightly drier of a fish - Mac and Cheese: a very small portion for $5 and didn't have the depth of flavor I was expecting. Macaroni noodles and paprika sprinkled on top. - Gumbo: 10/10 delicious. No notes. But I'm still going to wax on about it. Someone really knows how to make gumbo here. The broth is complex and flavorful. We ordered two and one of ours had several pieces of real crab! The sausage is a bit on the spicier side but the dish overall has a mild/medium heat. The are also generous portions of shrimp. - Peach Cobbler: Yum! The perfect end to the meal. The peaches may be canned but I still loved it. - Fries: Very basic. Could use more salt in my opinion.

    2 Piece Fried Catfish with Fries
    Atija R.

    So. . .let me start by saying their catfish is FIRE!! Ok so, I don't know if it's because I went at night but I had a bit of a hard time finding it. It's not a traditional restaurant so the signage wasn't lit up except for a small "open" neon sign. Also, parking is extremely limited so I initially parked at the gas station a little bit down the street and walked over. The signage for the menu on the chalk board wasn't clear and didn't provide all of what was offered and the menu that's on paper in the window was a bit hard to read. Other than that, the food was extremely good. I wasn't a fan of the Mac & cheese and the fries but that was it. The catfish and red beans are my favorite, the fried okra was bomb, the cornbread was good, the gumbo was flavorful and the peach and berry cobblers were hittin'!! I think that was it. I wanted to try their kool-aid but my meal came with a soda so I said I'll try it when I come back because I'm DEFINITELY going back for the fish and the beans. The customer service was great, both chefs took good care of us and were even open to feedback which I think is amazing!! If I could give any advice, it would be to make sure the menu is readable, maybe even provide a QR code so those of us that are semi-visually impaired can read it. Other than that, I was thoroughly satisfied!! Great job on the food and the hospitality. You have definitely gained a patron. I will be back I recommend others to check them out.

    Gumbo with Rice
    Anastasia C.

    Creole girl approved Best gumbo I've tried outside of my family! The roux was perfection, you can tell they know what they're doing here. Flavorfullll like the recipe been passed down 10 generations! lol The fried catfish was IMO perfect! Cornmeal batter was seasoned so well, a little salty but just how I like it. Crispppy on the outside and they still managed to keep the fish moist on the inside. Fries were def overshadowed by everything else, for me. But my hubby and son enjoyed them. Gumbo for $5 is worth the trek!! We live about 25 mins away so definelty ate it right away in the car. Even got another cup of gumbo to take home for later Located at 2120 Marconi Ave - it's really easy to miss! Recommend looking it up on maps before getting there. It's a Food truck w/ green canopy and few standing-only tables. Would love to see this family-owned business open a brick & mortar soon! They are the real deal

    Mostly sausage
    Jermeka W.

    Would have gave this place zero stars if given the option . I ordered a $25 gumbo & was highly disappointed. First off the restaurant had my Uber Eats driver waiting over 30 mins for my food , so it came to me 30 mins later than the time it was supposed to . Just for them to give me a bowl full of gumbo roux , 2 measly crab legs , 2 shrimp , 1 shrimp tail , a handful of sausage and ABSOLUTELY NO CHICKEN . Everything in the description was MISSING . I will never spend my money here or support this lazy STINGY business ever again . I used to sell gumbo bowls & never would I ever had sent this disgraceful mess to someone's house .

    Menu
    Tiffany K.

    Found this place courtesy of Too Good to Go. It's not that easy to find as it is a food truck in the front of a house on busy Marconi. Parking can be challenging as well if there are more than two cars. My order consisted of a bowl of gumbo, a piece of fried catfish and some fries. Was really pleasantly surprised by the flavoring of the gumbo. Had just the right amount of kick to it with shrimp and sausage throughout. Would totally come back for that! The catfish was flaky and flavorful. You do have to wait a bit to get your food however because this is just a one-man show. I hope Howard does well, it's nice to have options out in this area!

    Nazanin T.

    This food l truck in the neighborhood is a hidden gem! so delicious and they offer family recipe gumbo and fried catfish with fries and much more. Chef was kind, attentive, and patient. I look forward to my next visit with my friends and family! Thank you Howard Gumbo!

    Catfish with fries

    I came here with high hopes seeing that it was a small, local business with seemingly great reviews. However the conversation started with a "What do you want?" and I was cut off a couple times while trying to communicate and ask questions since it was my first time here, but also, I've never had Gumbo before. I ended getting a gumbo and the catfish with fries, but was disappointed for the very small portions for the catfish and fries (I included a photo). Also, Mind you, I saw the same person that was handling the money, throwing the fries in the fryer with their bare hands. Definitely not the most sanitary, but at least the oil kills the germs (?) Furthermore, moving on to how the food actually was, the fries were thick and mushy (I was never a fan of crinkle cut fries anyways though), and the gumbo almost tasted dirty like the rice wasn't washed, but maybe that's what it's supposed to taste like? I heard it was supposed to be Earthy tasting. It's just difficult to tell based off of the other things I saw. There were a lot of sausages in the gumbo which I did like, but the shrimps were powdery and not cleaned properly (there was a black line on the spine for all of them), the catfish was good, it had great seasoning, and the thickness of the fish was okay, it was a rather small piece though in my opinion. Overall, I was going into this was a positive mindset, but just came out of it extremely disappointed. Not just because of the service and the food, but I was pretty upset about the cost for what I got. Especially because the amount of food in other reviews look like enough to at least cover the bottom of the paper tray!

    Greens, gumbo, cobbler

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    Ask the Community - Howard Gumbo

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    Hook & Reel Cajun Seafood & Bar

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    Creole Soul Restaurant & Bar - Window Seat

    Creole Soul Restaurant & Bar

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    Recently tried creole soul and it was overhyped. Fried fish was soggy and separating from batter,…read moreMac n cheese was the star of the show.

    I feel like ever since the pandemic, the dining-in experience hasn't been the same. Meal costs have…read moreincreased (obviously due to inflation), while customer service and food quality (sometimes) seems to be an afterthought. However, after my recent experience at Creole Sole, I have a more positive outlook on dining in. When a friend of mine and I arrived, we took a moment to observe the many murals on the walls that pay respect to prominent figures in black culture. An employee working behind the counter warmly greeted us and proceeded to take our orders. I opted for the catfish meal with two sides - fries & red beans and rice. Since my friend and I were busy chatting, I cannot speak to how long it took for our food to arrive. However, when I saw the employee bringing our plates, I knew that we were in for a treat. The catfish was fried to perfection and very flavorful, while the fries and red beans + rice complimented the fish perfectly. My only beef (I'm using this word lightly) is that the portion of fries that I received were fairly small (I can't recall if there was a size option for the sides). I love good food; however, I feel that the vibes of an environment truly influence how much one enjoys their meal. I knew that I was in the right place when we started hearing deep cuts from 90's & early 2000's R&B groups like Next and 112! Since it was during the work week, I did not partake in one of their cocktails. However, when I make a return visit in the near future, I will definitely try the Blacker the Berry Lushie and the Sluuriricane!

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    Creole Soul Restaurant & Bar - Deliciously seasoned fried catfish, tasty collards and  oh so good ppotato salad.

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    Louisiana Heaven - Red snapper dinner

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    I had the Catfish and Cabbage. I Absolutely Love their…read moreCabbage and really Only go there to get some. This Night the Catfish was Very Fresh Tasting and DELICIOUS!!! For whatever reason I'm sure is probably because I went there late at night, the Cabbage wasn't tasting like I normally like it to be. It was really soggy, not crisp and very salty. Yet this is just one night of tasting It. Whenever I eat It is VERY, VERY, VERY DELICIOUS. So my suggestion would be don't go there to eat cabbage an hour before closing. Go during the day and you will be very satisfied. THE SERVICE WAS AWESOME. THE YOUNG LADY WAS VERY FRIENDLY, PERSONABLE WITH THE WONDERFUL SMILE ON HER FACE AND HAPPY TO HELP ME. My visit was Friday May 8, 2026 about an hour before closing.

    Trip one: The service on the phone was terrible. And the service once we came to pick up the order…read morewasn't much better, IDK who answered the phone 4/8 around 12:30 but boy was she rude. We called to check about the lunch special and if we didn't really want this place we would have said hang up and tried another place. Once we received our food, the lady didn't add any bbq sauce and the potato salad was warm. Trip two and Three: 4/25 and 4/28 the lady with the locs is amazing and I wish I interacted with her from the beginning. After the initial interaction two weeks ago I probably would have never returned however after randomly seeing the offering on Too Good To Go App the nice lady at the store was phenomenal with her service. We had ribs each time and while I was irked the first order didn't include any I'm definitely not a drench my meat gal either. Hoping next time I get something other than BBQ but who knows what I will try next. I'm sure I'll return and the next time I will get her name

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    The Boiling Crab

    The Boiling Crab

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    Better quality and service this time around! Tried the crabber fries and they were delicious!…read more Still a must go to with the shabang sauce. Lime, salt and pepper make it all the better. My shrimp were actually cooked to perfection this time around and the server kept checking up on us. Still very lively and busy inside. Come early or be prepared to wait a while.

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    Howard Gumbo - cajun - Updated May 2026

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