J Gumbo’s

I had been looking forward to trying this, and I’m not sure what I expected, but I was disappointed.
Cajun food is soupy stuff over white rice?
On the plus side, the server was very friendly, and gave good suggestions based on my husband’s likes. He and my daughter were pleased; my son and I, not so much.

For a restaurant that’s named after gumbo, I couldn’t believe how bland and poorly executed their namesake dish was. The gumbo was little more than 4 small pieces of sausage and a few onion pieces in a flavorless roux (brown stew base). Not a single other element you expect to find/​taste in gumbo was detectable, no peppers, celery, garlic, okra, chicken, nothing. I had to sprinkle it with Creole seasoning at home just to make it palatable. The peach cobbler tasted like canned peaches straight out of said can, wrapped in an undercooked, massive, doughy biscuit. It was not like any cobbler I’ve ever had, nor worth a 2^nd bite.
If these are accurate representations of the owner’s family recipes, then I’m shocked he ever thought they were tasty enough to base a restaurant on. Perhaps I experienced an off day for the cook, but between my two items and my husband’s supremely disappointing red beans and rice, I will not be tempted to ever waste my money here again. I’ve had better Cajun food out of a box, and better cobbler out of the frozen food aisle. It was just truly bad cooking.

Apparently the one in Clifton is better, or so I’m told.
This was my first time here — and I have to say I like this place because it’s different. There aren’t a lot of reasonably priced fast-​food-​y style places that offer diverse food in these here parts, so I was excited to learn that J Gumbo’s existed. Now, it’s not authentic cajun food and it’s not made to order, but it hits the spot and it’s good food to money ratio. I got the Nola Nachos and decided that when I come back again, I want that only on rice — no chips. The voodoo chicken is good, too.

The husband has brought home J. Gumbo’s take-​out at my request several times, although I have yet to step foot inside the restaurant. i first tried the Black & Bleu Dip, which is the Bumblebee Stew sprinkled with bleu cheese & served with tortilla chips. Very yummy. I had been informed that their cornbread was amazing, so I had to give this a try as well. I don’t think I’ll ever be a cornbread lover, but this is probably the best cornbread I’ve ever had — very moist. Since then I’ve tried the White Chili, which I wasn’t a huge fan of. A little spicy but not very flavorful. And most recently I had the Bumble Bee Queso Dip. It’s a toss-​up between the Black & Bleu and the Queso for me — the Bumble Bee Stew is a perfect blend of sweet, savory, and spicy.
The husband reports that the staff are helpful and polite and the location was clean. The menu was clear as far as level of spiciness, vegetarian options, and prices. T’would be nice to see some more vegetarian options pop up, but I think I can be satisfied with the Bumble Bee Stew regardless.

At the behest of several coworkers, I finally made it out to J Gumbo’s and it was an overall enjoyable experience. We went on a Wednesday at lunch time, so it was bustling, but not terribly busy.
Not being familiar with the menu, I stood back and let the others order first. The guy working at the counter immediately started taking orders and was asking the third person in line their order before he’d finished plating the first person’s. The rushing was a little unneccesary, but I guess he felt a sense of urgency. There was another gentleman that came from the back and let me try a couple of samples before I settled on my order of Voodoo Chicken (which is the spiciest thing on the menu, but delicious!), and it was also the daily special.
So the service left a little to be desired, but the food was very tasty. The Voodoo chicken was very spicy, and served over the jambalaya because they’d run out of white rice. The flavors were on point. The jambalaya was a little soggy, as if the rice had been a little overcooked, but I was able to overlook that because it still tasted pretty good.
It’s worth a return visit, but at a less busy time. The daily specials are $ 5 for a giant bowl and a slice of soft french bread.

My office mates have raved about this place, and I decided to give it a try. The décor is nice, reminds me of several smaller places I’ve been in New Orleans. I had the Voodoo Chicken, it was a good portion, and was fairly tasty. Not as good as some down home Cajun, but for Cincy, it’s the best I’ve had.

I’ve been meaning to visit one of these restaurants since I first saw one pop up in Clifton. The place isn’t too bad. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it’s similar to Chipotle, in that the food is all right in front of you to see, and they’re pretty quick to put it together for you. They have alcohol too, but I wouldn’t say that it’s the highlight of the place.
I’ll admit that I’ve had better Cajun food, but it was good all things considered. There was only one guy working since it was a slow day, but he suggested the Jambalaya with a little bit of Gumbo to top it off — I wasn’t sure why, but as I looked at the Jambalaya, I’d say it was a good call because it looked a little dry. It made for a nice combination. The hotness levels are a little misleading — I can handle some pretty hot food, but I usually steer away from the hottest on the menu. I found my combination to be less than what I expected and wanted.
Overall, good place, and I imagine I will return!

J Gumbos Finneytown is a great change of pace if you’re looking for something different to eat. Great music and a great environment, not to mention awesome food. The people who work here are helpful and friendly. And now you can even enjoy a cold beer to wash down the food. It may not be «authentic» Cajun food but it does a great job and it’s spices are just right and available for anyone’s taste buds. Take a minute to come in and try anything with their availability of free samples and I suggest getting the Drunken Chicken! Great food, great music, great people.

Probably 3.5 stars, realistically. As a resident of Finneytown for over four years, I can say that J Gumbo’s is a welcome addition to the neighborhood. Yes, it’s another chain, but its offerings/​flavors are very different from the rest of our dining options. Maybe the food isn’t authentically Cajun, but it tastes good, and there’s a lot of variety, all at a great price. (Especially since the portions are so large!) I’m not sure what more you could ask for.
The menu is organized into 4 different spice levels. As a spice wuss, I really can’t go past the first level, but the Bourbon Chicken is so good, I don’t need to. The Red Beans and Rice has a *tiny* kick to it, thanks to the (black) pepper in it, but the sausage and beans themselves are not spicy. My boyfriend has had the Drunken Chicken and the Voodoo Chicken. I think the former is his favorite of the two. The latter was *almost* too spicy for him.
All flavors are served on rice with a side of soft French bread. Some flavors can be put on a sandwich. Also, for a small up-​charge, you can get half portions and thus mix 2 flavors.
Unless you have a big appetite, you’ll probably need a to-​go box. I always do.
The dining room itself is nothing special. Bright and colorful, with hand-​painted tables, it’s friendly and casual. There are only about 7 or so tables, but a lot of people take their food to go anyway. We usually eat there.
The servers might *look* a little rough around the edges, but I’m always impressed by how friendly and respectful they are. They greet you as soon as you walk in, and offer free samples of anything you want to try.
In short, we’re very happy to have J Gumbo’s as an option in our neighborhood. Now if only we could get a BBQ place too…

All I can say is very disappointed. I am a 30 + yr Louisiana resident and have been in cincy for 5 yrs. I saw this new restaurant open and thought why not try it. It has to be some of the worse «down home cajun cookin» I have ever tried to eat. Trust me there is nothing about this restaurant that is cajun, but if you like skyline chille you might like this place.