Perfectly serviceable. Wasn't great, wasn't awful. Had the gumbo and crawfish étouffée. Gumbo wasn't great étouffée wasn't bad. Im someone who isn't spice adverse but not crazy their spice ratings are on the safe side. The service was very good. People were friendly and helpful. read more

I stopped by JGumbos yesterday. It was a first-time visit. I'm sorry to say but the food was just ok. Nothing special. The jambalaya was just mushed together in a bowl...sort of spicy. Kind if bland in presentation and taste. It also was pricey for what I received...7.50 or so for the bowl and a piece if garlic bread. Not sure if I'll go back. read more

I've been to J. Gumbo's in Clifton three times - the first two were good, the third knocked the place down several pegs. My last visit was around 6pm on a Friday night - a busy time on a busy night of the week. I ordered jambalaya and watched as one employee berated another for not having any ready on the steam table. The first employee prepare my meal from the contents of several pouches and microwaved the whole concoction. While this was going on, the remaining employees had personal conversations among themselves (nothing offensive, just not anything I'd talk about in front of a customer). I finally left and arrived home (one minute away) with flavorful but lukewarm jambalaya. I'd like to think I'm not prissy or naive. J. Gumbo's is not a five-star, white tablecloth place. But I expected better than microwaved food and more information that I cared to know about the employees' love lives. read more

If you like spicy food then this is your place. My favorite is anything with the "Drunken Chicken". This one is just right for the person that wants a little kick! Tuesday is double stamp day so make sure you get a card if you don't have one. It is close to UC and Cincinnati State, for a quick lunch/dinenr that doesn't come out of a vending machine. Also, I love the fact that they located in the old Virginia bakery. It is nice to see another business there that isn't a cell phone or check cashing place. Thank you J. Gumbo's for saving the integrity of a lovely location. See you again soon, Diania read more

Nice enough people in a pretty basic environment. The problem is worth the food. It is bland and the Jambalaya is basically a weak light colored gravy with a couple of tiny bits of crawfish. It is nothing like a true Jambalaya. The bumblebee stew is a bit better but way heavy on the sugar and again no spice at all. read more

After waiting patiently for their opening, I was less than thrilled with my experience at J. Gumbo's. The food was bland, there was too much hot sauce in the two dishes I ordered and there was very little difference in flavor from dish to dish. Overall the food lacked the necessary flavors associated with this style of food and was a let down. read more

The food is good, different flavors than your average place has. I'd give it 3 stars if it was freshly made each day, but I was told its all premade. The sauces that each dish use are tasty, but sometimes I feel like its more sauce and rice, and not as much other stuff. Sometimes I feel like it has more substance. Lack of consistency on that aspect. Good size portions and they allow you to sample different dishes before purchasing which is a pro. But go down the street and check out a local restaurant instead of eating here. Although I'd still recommend trying it out once and giving it your opinion. read more

One of my favorite spots in Clifton. If you love spicy food, this is a place to go check out. I almost always get either the Bourbon Street Chicken or Drunken Chicken. It's open very late on the weekends, which is nice. Expect the college crowd because its literally located near campus. read more

Great spot for a quick lunch - nice flavor to the Voodoo Chicken, slowly building heat. This is a chain place and clearly isn't meant to be serious Cajun/Creole food, but it is a good alternative to the surrounding restaurants and will be in my lunchtime rotation. read more

This is basically a buffet restaurant that is spooned for you but without the refills. Everything comes off of the steam table right behind the cash registers. At least they didn't try to hide their obvious laziness and disrespect for the integrity of the food. The etoufee itself was decent, if it were called jambalaya. I've never seen red etoufee, but I'm also not from NOLA. Having worked in a Cajun restaurant in Springdale, I'm probably a little skewed in my view as to what Cajun food should be, but either way, this was not as good as Pappadeaux. I'd gladly take the 30 minute drive north for some GREAT Cajun food. The atmosphere was awful. I've seen better design in school cafeterias. I'm not sure what the owners of this place were thinking when they settled directly next door to Skyline, but they're no competition and the constant lack of patrons proves that. If I were a betting man, which I am, I'd bet that this place closes within a year. Who wants some action on that? read more

The drunken chicken is my everything. It's the perfect comfort food (especially with the weather getting colder / me getting lazier...) . My meal was an awesome savory blend of Cajun flavor with a kick. I got the drunken chicken over a bed of rice and loved it. If you're looking something quick, satisfying, and full of flavor, definitely stop by. Added bonus that they're open late! read more

Been here a few times. The people that work here are super nice. You can sample any gumbo you are interested in. There are little tobasco-like bottles under each gumbo for spice level. I can't eat spicy so I usually go for milder gumbos. Zydeco Chicken is sweet and savory. Not overpowering. You can mix two gumbos together, like a spicy gumbo and a milder one to tone down the super spicy one. Get some chips, crinkle some in your gumbo to add extra texture and crunch! Cornbread is more cakey and sweet. Delicious! Huge portions :D read more

This place rocks!!!!! I've loved every item I've tried - ESP the voo doo chicken. super spicy, super fabulous

I absolutely fell in love with this place! I love the gumbo! It's definitely worth stopping into if you're in town!

I really like this place! Good food, great people, outstanding customer service. This has become a regular lunch spot for me.

Not a fan of this restaurant. Food is ok. Rice that is used is not tasty. I enjoyed the bread more than the main dish.

Placed my order at 10:19 pm. 6 other people came in after me. All of those customers received thier order before mine. I finally received my order at 10:46 pm. Not to happy about this type if service... read more

It's ridiculous to me that his joint tastes as authentic as it does. We hit it at least every other week. Love it and will be back. Good service too. read more

So this is my second time eating here and I can honestly say the second time was a lot better! I tried three different menu items and they all had actual taste and spice! My bum payed for it later but it was well worth it! read more

This is delicious creole food! My mom is from Louisiana and Jgumbo's entrees came pretty close to moms cooking. Warning: the voodoo chickin is not for the faint of heart. (but if you love spicy food try it today!) read more

You need to know what you're going to get. Ask the server for a sample. My favorite is voodoo chicken and drunken chicken.

If this is "good" I am the Easter Bunny. O-my-God. Worst cajun/creole ever. Every dish the same color, same mushy flavorless paste. Po'Boy was cat-food on a bun. All of New Orleans population should Second Line it up here and burn this place to the ground. The Skyline Chili next door has more creole flare in their oyster crackers than this atrocity. At least they played a little Albert King to make up for the price tag. Nasty read more

Love this place! Pretty much any dishes pair well together. The jambalaya and drinken chicken are two of my favorites. The cornbread is perfectly sweet and well made. Entrees do come with a piece of bread. I want to try every dish they all look so good. read more

Quite literally some of the worst food I've ever had. The "white bean chili" is a lumpy vinegar soup that made me throw up in my mouth. It's ruined my appetite for the rest of the week. Thanks for that waste of $8. The chips were good. read more

The food was plentiful and the staff is very helpful in ordering. I am only disappointed that it is a chain restaurant. I go to Ludlow ave for the mom and pop bohemian feel, so it feels a little weird to be spending money at a place that isn't 'home grown' when I could walk down the street a bit and support a local business. This issue aside, get ready for spicy Cajun food. J gumbos definitely adds variety into your restaurant rotation. The price is reasonable (especially if you get a special) and the proportions are huge. read more

I recently grabbed lunch here with my little brother, having sampled their yummy Bumblebee Stew at the Yelp Halloween event. As a vegetarian, I am always thankful for yummy, hardy food that isn't a substitute (oh, we can take the chicken off the sandwich for you...). Also, my brother clued me in that you can ask for a half sized portion, which is PLENTY of food, for a discounted price. Being adventurous, he asked to get the "nacho" version of the gumbo, ie-gumbo smothered in nacho cheese, with chips on the side. They graciously accommodated this modification, and my brother loved the final product. Good service, taste, and value! read more

Right next to zoo. Excellent find! Amazing cajun!!! Drunken chicken and voodoo nachos taste subtle so you can actually taste the food and all of its glory before the typical cajun spices kick in (like most cajun restaurants you just feel the kick). Wonderful service, we had a complicated order and she was great with multiple trips. Inside is hip and clean. A+ read more

Unfortunately, as I was visiting this establishment today for the first time with my friends I had a bad experience. My friend ordered a mix it up combo. She did not like it and expressed this to the employee immediately. He would not give a refund or exchange the food, stating that she could have asked for a sample that he did not offer. If she had eaten the food and said she did not like it this would be one case. If he would have asked her if she would have liked a sample and she tried it, then I would understand not exchanging the food or refund, but to shrug it off as oh well your bad, I find to be in poor taste and bad customer service. read more

How can you run out of rice at a Cajun restaurant at 7pm when you are open until midnight...and then do not offer any compensation to people who order? I was very disappointed; we have usually had great food and service, but not this time. I am not sure we will be back. read more

I love their food. I've been getting the Jean Lafitte burrito bowl with the bourbon chicken, which is amazingly delicious. It's slightly sweet but very buttery and it tastes so good! They always make everything very quickly too. read more

Great people and great food. I was in town for business and this had a good "home cookin" feel. I love that spice!

Not a typical po boy. It's not fried no lettuce mayo or pickles. Just over seasoned shredded chicken on a bun. It is a huge portion but I couldn't eat it due to the over powering flavor. And don't get me wrong it's Cajun I understand it should be very flavorful. It's just definitely not what I expected when I ordered a Po boy. read more

We were really surprised by the authenticity of the food. It is real Cajun/creole. Having lived in NOLA for a couple of years, we feel we are reliable judges. There is plenty of wonderful tastes to the dishes and everything was fresh. One of us had the chicken salad and the greens were crisp and fresh. The meal was excellent. One of us had a split bowl where you get two dishes in the same bowl over white rice, also excellent - drunken chicken and bumblebee stew. Two different heat levels so we could get a handle on what they thought was hot. Believe the bottles on the menu from just a tad of heat to a little too hot for me. Hot and good bread pudding too. Nice bunch of people who work there. I could see parking being tight on the weekends. read more

As someone who doesn't particularly like rice or meat, I've gotta say, this place is bomb. Had a bite of my friend's drunken chicken and it was so delicious. I wish they could just do the sauce with shredded veggies or zucchini noodles. Yum. read more

Went here late Friday night after a show at Northside Tavern. I was only going to get a half-order, but since ginormous bowls are $5 after 10 p.m., I went big. I got the Bumblebee Gumbo (vegetarian), and although it's spicier than most food I enjoy, I absolutely loved it. I went home with half my bowl, so I'm enjoying the rest of it as I write this. :) A friend told me to be careful and that I'd be addicted after this. He was right! read more

Quick & tasty Cajun food, good portion sizes, and reasonably priced. Definitely try the Bumblebee Stew and Chicken Red Hot. Yum! I also like their frequent customer stamp card thing :) that keeps me coming back. read more

Might be the BEST late night food in ludlow. Or in the city. Really enjoy stopping by to get a jean lafitte burrito bowl and/or voodoo nachos. The cornbread is also clutch. Even leftovers the next day you will look forward to. Open for what seems like 24/7 if you find yourself wanting good creole, they can make it for you. read more

Taken here by a friend. I must say, it was the first time being introduced to this concept. They serve mainly cajun food. Friend had bourbon street chicken and I tried to be a bit more adventurous with the spicier chicken dishes. The plates are large and come with bread so it's not bad value for about $7 to $9. I only managed to finish half and took the rest home. I wasn't in love with the cornbread and the sweet tea was out. Not good. Otherwise clean, fast service, good food. Recommended for daily eat, date night and taking the kids out. read more

a trusty spot for late night food. when you burn out on Skyline, this is a nice alternative. not fancy, not unique. but functional, generally tasty and the folks that work the night shift have always been friendly to me. one major drawback: few veggie options, only one vegan option, zero healthy options. wish there were more. read more

Drunken noodles and voodoo chicken were quite good, but this wasn't outstanding by any means.