Bar Gumbo

Good place to drink or have an informal meal.
Offers sandwiches, burgers, pizza and other English dishes.
During the weekend they have also musicians playing.
The staff was really nice and the place good also!

Been here quite a few times for food and drinks and have always had a good experience. Gumbo is split into 2 areas, the bar area and restaurant area, which you can walk between. The décor is a sort of half way between Louisiana style bar and tiki bar.
I’ll start with the food area. Table wise, there’s not a large number of seats and it can get quite busy at weekends, but turnaround isn’t too bad and you can wait in the bar beforehand. The menu has quite a lot of tasty options. I’d reccomend the gumbo or the pulled pork po boy, which is great value for the size. All the food is deep south style, and is very tasty. Price wise, it’s very reasonable for the portions on offer.
The bar area is also great for a drink, with the bar offering quite a wide range of drinks. At the weekend, there’s often live music on at the weekends too which is pretty decent. Service is always good here too, quick and attentive.

This is a place I’ve never even noticed from driving past
God knows why as it takes up quite a lot of the building
Must have a spell on it that makes it invisible to the eyes of the unworthy
I get a space for the car luckily directly across and I go in, few folk eating and the bar man zipping between them all
He comes up and I ask for a table just for me, gives me some options and I choose the window … In hindsight that’s a bad decision on my part as the cold wind from outside was draughting in through the crack in the surround, also the table was rather sticky to the touch, not that it was dirty just over cleaning making the varnish old and needing sanded and redone
I ordered a beef brisket po boy and something they call hush puppies
The hush puppy is a pakora like corn flour deep fried food substance. Comes with bbq dip, was ok quite flavoursome however after few it became quite boring to eat and I longed for a variety of dips to change up the flavour
The po boy… Oh my god the po boy… I don’t think I’ve said that enough OMG … This was so delicious, the flavour of the sauce with the meat, all packaged together in a soft bread that allowed the juices to soak in and dribble out, the tenderness of the meat and with zero fatty bits… I left very satisfied and longing for another
It’s high praise indeed when you can’t stop thinking about a meal for over 2 hours after and it is still fresh on my mind
The team I came in to contact with were friendly and informative, it’s a great place for a quick bite to eat

I really feel uncomfortable with giving Gumbo three stars, but I’d feel worse to give it four. Based on my location, and the preferences and requirements of who I usually go to lunch with, I end up here a lot but I’d never say I really strongly crave it.
Despite all of the complaints I’ll end up listing, I should start with the good. I do like the shrimp po’ boys. I’m not as in love with them now that the lunch deal is £1 more to get the same deal as it used to be due to the fries no longer being included, but it’s still a good sandwich. The fried shrimp are decently sized, the cajun mayo is nice, and the bread works well with it. Cindy (my usual co-​diner) always enjoys the cajun chicken po’ boy and her craving it is the reason we end up usually going.
My problem is that most of the rest of the menu seriously underwhelms me. Despite being a cajun themed restaurant, I’m so ultimately disappointed whenever I have anything else I’d consider cajun. The gumbo? Meh. Jambalaya? Lacking. Muffaletta? Not bad as an overall sandwich but designed by someone who seems to have vaguely only know what a muffuletta is. To make it worse, it’s served on the same rolls as a the po’ boys. Étouffée? At this point I can’t remember if I tried it and was sad or learned my lesson after suffering through the others. At some point whenever I consider branching out from my usual, Cindy looks at me and reminds me of all of the other failed attempts to be excited by any of the cajun items I like.
I can tell you that the way that the lunch menu handles drinks only allows the most limited selection of draft drinks before you’re effectively paying dinner prices. I only tend to go pretty early into my day, so I’ve not really looked into the booze selection and so can’t comment on that. I’ve honestly never had a strong desire to pay the higher prices during the evening to then get a drink. It’s still such a shame because I love cajun food. I just can’t get it at Gumbo, despite the labelling otherwise.
I should add at the last moment that the macaroni cheese is pretty decent but there’s enough of that in Glasgow in general to not be worth visiting just for it.

Bar Gumbo is a delight to have in Glasgow, a truly one of a kind in the city. The deco is invitingly Bohemian with splashes of islander spirit. Cocktails on menu are well done, I myself enjoyed a refreshing Scottish maid. Theatrics were involved in the crushing of the big block of ice which aroused several curiosities about the drink. Later on, I had a go with the spicy shrimp gumbo. It melted away my insides with its steamy concoction of spices and veggies. I haven’t had okra in a while, and there were plenty to make up for it. The shrimps were plump and impeccably cooked to an almost crunch to the bite. The dish came with some jalapeño cornbread, however it was dry & pretty stale so I would say this was the low point of the visit. Pizza was not so glamorous either. But for drinks with p-​zazz and good cajun/​creole flavours, its the closest place to live it up in Glasgow! Points for the deco & extra love for the live music!

The last time I was in Glasgow, this place was a fairly forgettable gastropub in need of a serious revamp. Well, it has now been revamped into a New Orleans-​themed gastropub and very little has changed.
Literally the only differences are the signs outside and the menus. The interior is the same dreary, tired, dark and poorly laid-​out affair that doesn’t exactly shout «Cajun!».
Our waiter was nice enough, but decided not to write down our order and seemingly commit it to memory instead. «I bet you anything he gets the order wrong», I said to the wife and received a pair of rolling eyes in return. But sure enough, he managed to screw it up.
The food itself was pretty disappointing. I had a «Po Boy», which is essentially a sandwich full of cooked ingredients. It was served on a tiny, dirty looking bit of wood that had the appearance of something they found in the alley way out the back and decided to plonk a sandwich on. The menu said the «Po Boy» sandwiches were served on focaccia, but mine was served on a very soft subway roll.
The sandwich contained so much mayo and the bread had such little substance that the whole thing was about as soggy as a sandwich can get. Being served on this tiny, edgeless scrap of wood meant that there was no way to eat it that wouldn’t result in its entire contents ending up on the table, the floor and my lap. So I had to put my head down to the ‘plate’ and eat it like a bloody dog.
It was also served with a ‘salad’ that was just some shredded iceberg lettuce and a couple of jalapenos from a jar. I’ve seen the pictures from some other reviewers here on Unilocal that look much better, so perhaps I just caught them on a bad day.
The wife had the Gumbo, which tasted ok but was super salty and vaguely reminiscent of the Pot Noodle flavour sachets. Also her drink cost a frankly outrageous £7, which is an ok price for a fancy cocktail bar to charge but not a shabby «watering hole», as Bar Gumbo bills itself.

Gumbo does po boy sandwiches with a soft drink for £5−6 at lunchtimes through the week. For this reason, if no other, I have visited far too many times, playing the role of the very hungry student. Being very hungry is necessary, as the portions are generous and come with really great chunky chips which are hard to leave behind.
They also have a few other cheap deals on the lunch menu. Drinks aren’t included but the prices are pretty fair and I can recommend the macaroni cheese, catfish bites (only for the really seriously hungry), and the jambalaya. I’ve also ordered off their main menu in the evening a few times and have yet to be disappointed.
I like that they rotate their drinks offers regularly and usually have a beer, spirit and cocktail of the moment. It keeps things fresh and it always feels like there’s something else to try. Also, on Byres Road, where outdoor seating is sadly limited, they do manage a few seats in the sunshine just in front of the bar area. If you’re lucky enough to encounter a sunny day in Glasgow, sitting outside can be a treat.

A friend and I got caught in the rain on Saturday and took shelter in Gumbo. We went in through the bar entrance, and my first reaction was that it looked like a clean dive bar! My kinda place :) On closer inspection it seems to have kept the New Orleans, swamp chic theme running throughout the place, which is really wonderful.
The staff were helpful and we settled in for the many hours it was going to take for the rain to subside!
I ordered the Muffuletta Sandwich which was exactly what I wanted and just sublime! A good amount of olives, meat and cheese :)
I’ll definitely be heading back soon to try the rest of their menu!

Wings to start. Pure decent. Little bit spicy. Not too much. Bit smoked. Plenty of them too. Enough to share between too. Perfect wings.
Cajun chick burger for the main. Quality chips. Hand cut. Thrice cooked. Not from no packet. Burger was also quality with two onion rings lobbed on top for good measure.
Reasonably priced. You’d pay a lot more for terrible food around.
Staff were well sound. Didn’t annoy us like other places. Well impressive.

A meal at Gumbo, regardless of the time of day, is fantastic. I find the staff to be friendly (frequently humouring the «music enthusiast» of our party regarding who was playing over the sound system on one visit) and knowledgeably regarding the beers and spirits.
The Po Boys are a much-​welcome addition to Glasgow’s West End food offering, with Gumbos menu claiming many other delicious and less-​than-​common treats.
As if the service and selection isn’t enough, the décor is authentic and lively. The atmosphere is perfect for both pre-​night drinks or a chilled-​out evening simultaneously.
A must-​try for anyone in Glasgow looking for an establishment who knows what they are about and how to do it well.

My first ever review update and oh how it pains me to do this.
Bar Gumbo has become seriously poor in terms of the quality of its food and service over the past while. I used to look forward to Gumbo visits and get really excited about going, but now I’m always apprehensive because you actually don’t know what you’re going to get!
So let’s start with the food. A lot of it clearly isn’t made in house and is just frozen stuff that’s been fried/​reheated. Not that I’m surprised and I really do like their onion rings, but this would be fine if the prices matched what you get. The desserts definitely aren’t worth £4 a pop (except maybe the deep fried cheesecake, that’s still mostly a winner) and last time we were in, the bf got their chicken tenders as he’d had them before and loved them — but what he got was 4 teeny bits of chicken, about half the size they were in the past! At £6 for such tiny morsels of food, this really isn’t on.
I’ve ordered the brisket po’boy numerous times before and decided to get it the other month cause I used to love it. However, this has seriously changed. The brisket used to be done in a delicious BBQ marinade that was seriously tasty! But last time, the beef was just smothered in the same sauce they give you with wedges and other sides. The sauce itself is fine… but that’s it. It’s fine. It just feels like there’s not a lot of effort being put into the food any more and it genuinely makes me really sad.
Now for the service. The place has been almost completely empty the last few occasions we’ve been (I wouldn’t bother going back at all but the bf is still clinging on to it because it used to be his fave place. Oh and cause of the deep fried cheesecake. Did I mention that? It’s worth trying at least once!) but it’s taken us ages to leave once we’ve had our food because nobody bothers to take plates away/​come and give you the bill for a good while. The staff are friendly, yes, but it’s almost like they just don’t really care either. It’s such a shame because the place used to be pretty busy most nights and why shouldn’t it be? It’s in a great location and does offer something a bit different. It’s just that nobody seems to want to put the effort in!
It’s only managing to get 3 stars this time round cause I’d probably still quite like to come for a drink — the music is usually good and they still have great live acts on sometimes. But if I was reviewing it purely as a restaurant it would be a definite 2. I don’t understand how they expect to continue on like this when there are tons of other places nearby doing much better food, with much better service!!!
Please give yourselves a kick up the bum and get Gumbo back to what it was when it opened 2 years ago!

This has to be one of best (if not THE best) casual «eats» place in the West End. Everything about this place is great. Amazing food, that really captures the taste and atmosphere of the U.S. Southern states. The beer and cocktail selection is awesome and the pricing for both food and drink are great.
Best of all, it feels like the food arrives as soon as it is ordered! Either the kitchen are super fast or the great vibes have my internal clocked tricked. Either way I’m a happy customer!

This place was pretty good. It felt like being back home in florida. Good cornbread, even better hush puppies and great mac n’ cheese (although the mac was slightly under seasoned).
The wings are not great. They are too small and the sauce is just Texas pete’s. It feels a bit lazy to just dump plain hot sauce on them. Weird though as the blue cheese was really good. I wouldn’t order them again unless the come up with some decent buffalo sauce or jerk. The po boys are decent although a bit too much bread to meat ratio.
I have been told the burgers are good and to be fair they looked decent but i never had one. It’s the sides that made the meal and the ribs. If you just ordered the sides and the ribs (except for the onion rings which were frozen) then you are onto a winner. Worth a visit for drinks an nibbles.
The atmosphere was great and that alone is enough to come here. I wish you could give half stars. Food is 3.5 but the service and atmosphere was 5 star. I will come back in future.

Not the most inviting looking place from the outside, it’s hard to see inside through the high windows, so that might explain why this was my first visit.
Inside the décor is pretty standard for a bar, some ‘Americana’ touches speak to the general vibe of the place which is pretty laid back and easy going.
We ordered drinks — there are some interesting looking cocktails on the menu which I’ll try on my next visit — and perused the menu. I already had half a mind on what I would have but there were quite a few tasty options that caught my eye, but given that we were all starving we were happy to get our order taken pretty promptly after the drinks arrived.
We shared a starter of shrimp (question: why doesn’t America call them prawns?) and I plumped for the Beef Brisket Po’Boy, with a side of sweetcorn and a shared side of Hush Puppies.
Kirsty B ordered Jambalaya, and Clare S ordered the catfish and chips (you can read her review for what she thought of that). There was a slight moment of confusion around what drinks are available as part of one of the offers, even though they’d run out of one of the options apparently you can not replace it for anything other than… one of the other options listed. Not very flexible and the slightly dour faced guy that was serving us didn’t even offer any kind of explanation. Oh well.
After that the starters arrived quickly, and just as soon disappeared! The cajun mayo had a nice heat to it but wasn’t mind-​blowingly hot (take note other places that do Cajun-​style food, it’s not about the Scoville scale!), and the shri… prawns were nice and big and deliciously deep fried.
Main courses arrived after we’d refreshed our drinks and it was only then that we realised that we had maybe over-​ordered. Well, to be fair, that’s only because of the portion size of the catfish dish, my po’boy was about as expected, and the Jambalaya was generous but not massive, however for a side order I really wasn’t expecting 4 mini corn on the cobs, and the plate of hush puppies could probably have been served as a main!
The Po’Boy was delicious! Tender, succulent, beef brisket, with a drizzle of a tangy burger style sauce, served on a large, soft, submarine style roll. I managed 3 corn on the cobs, and a couple of Hush Puppies (which weren’t anything special tbh but I hadn’t tried them before), and scored some chips from Clare S as she was stuffed from the massive portion of fish!
Actually I’m not sure chips is the right description, I’m pretty sure any other place would call them wedges and a couple of the big delicious hunks of potato were obviously a quarter of a potato! That’s no chip…
Unfortunately I didn’t get to try the deep fried cheesecake, but that particular heart attack can wait for another time!
So, we had a good meal, the food was pretty tasty, and the three of us ate, plus a couple of drinks each, for just shy of £20 a head. The service was dull but efficient and the décor is just a bit nothing much.
Will I go back? Yeah, it’s something a little different, and I would happily eat another Po’Boy!
Will I rush back? Probably not, the service was lacklustre, and it was a little like eating in a fast food restaurant. The staff are nice enough but don’t really seem to care about your experience.

When I think of Bar Gumbo, my main thought is, to be perfectly honest, «meh.» I’ve been twice now as I used to live right down the street from it, and neither times did it particularly wow me.
The first time I went, I had the Chicken Gumbo because, well, it seemed wrong not to. When it arrived, it was very grey looking and not particularly appealing, and I can’t say it tasted that much better either. For dessert we shared the deep fried cheesecake, which was just fat on a plate! It had also clearly been deep fried from frozen as the middle was still a bit solid.
The second time I went was for lunch with my flat mates, where I got the beef Po’Boy. For starters, it’s good value for money because it is HUGE — what human eats that in one sitting? It was nice enough but again it didn’t blow me away and I thought there was a bit too much mayo on the sandwich.
I have heard very positive things from other people, particularly about the cocktails and the general friendliness of the staff and the good service. I don’t know if maybe my first visit put me off, I just don’t feel like it’s somewhere I would rush back to or rave about to friends and family.
I guess it’s just not my pot of gumbo!

Dsiclaimer: My exact memories of my time in Gumbo are slighty fuzzy, because at this point along our pub crawl, I was a little drunk… OOOOPS!
I do remember, however, being distinctly impressed by their wide selection of top shelf booze and the quality of the cocktails versus the prices. I started off with an Aviation Gin, tonic and peach juice. Refreshingly fruity, slipped down easily and it was only £3.50. Nice!
Next up was some sort of Aviation gin martini, and here’s where it gets fuzzy. I can remember loving it, and I can also remember it tasted a little like Parma Violets! Needless to say, it tasted lovely and I enjoyed it thoroughly (My «sair heid» the next day? Not so much…)
Will need to pop back for a Po Boy though!

Now, this should have been my very first Unilocal review, since I’d fallen in love with Gumbo a few years before joining. However, a combination of App failure, and loss of signal/​patience, after the 3^rd attempt at composing my Ode, and it disappearing, the proverbial rag was lost, and I gave up.
Situated on Byres Rd, close enough that I can smell their kitchen from my back window, Bar Gumbo offers soul food at prices that you don’t have to sell it to the devil to afford. I’ve tried nearly everything on the menu, from Po-​Boys (shrimp is my favourite) to Jambalaya, BBQ ribs and wings, catfish, Hush Puppies (little dough balls with jalapeño through it), BBQ beans and home made slaw, and their namesake, Gumbo, and the only thing that ever let me down was the Gumbo, more so because of my expectation of it rather than their delivery. I wasn’t expecting something so… soupy. Portion sizes are good sized, and there’s a variety of tasty, inexpensive sides if you’re looking for a good munch.
Their lovely libations won’t leave you feeling light in the pocket, with delicious, premium cocktails starting at just £3.50. My personal favourite, though no longer on their standard menu, is the Tomatillo, a smokey tequila based short drink, but the friendly and knowledgable staff will happily make one up for you. Their Bunny Daiquiris also come highly recommended.
The atmosphere is akin to walking in to a dark, Southern, forest bar, with vines and dark wood the décor of choice. The music is always great (no dance/​chart/​rubbish) and comprises an eclectic mix of swing, mellow rock, jazz, and soul. There’s live music on regularly, including a Sunday night slot by Glasgow’s own Shivern’ Sheiks. There’s also outdoor seating for when the weather allows.
Dress is pretty casual, though you wouldn’t look out of place in a nice wiggle dress, or braces and spats. Ye know, unless you were cross dressing, which, power to you, might attract a wee sideways glance.
All in all, I’ve been there that many times that half the staff know me by sight and are always as pleasant and helpful as the day they opened.

Many moons ago, this building was inhabited by Russel’s — a strange little place that seemed to be totally unsure of it’s image or target market. Bar Gumbo doesn’t have that problem. It has a defined image and is pretty good at hitting it.
The interior is like something out of a swamp, all dark greens and browns, and I dig it, It really works. I couldn’t comment on the music, as there were a couple of seats outside and I was lucky enough to nab one of them.
I opted to eat here as the menu looked pretty good. I took a Monterey Jack burger — a burger topped with bacon, cheese and jalapenos — served with onion rings and hand cut fries.
Now, I may just be weird but I’m not digging the current obsession that Glasgow has for fries with the skin left on. I much prefer either plain fries, or the glorious beast that is Cajun flavour fries — something I would have presumed would have been on the menu here, but sadly not.
The burger, though, was lovely. Just cooked right, seasoned beautifully and the toppings added a bit of bite and crunch to it. The onion rings were popped on top of the bun with a skewer and were gorgeous when dipped in the two provided sauces, one BBQ and spicy mayo.
I’d maybe try and opt for a side of the mac and cheese to go with the burger in future rather than the skin on fries, but again, that’s just me.
The service was quick, friendly and helpful and definitely would inspire me to return, as would the impressive range of beers on tap — I took an Innis & Gunn Lager Beer and got in the proper glass, something that pleases the geek in me.
Well worth checking out if you’re down this way. This end of Byres Road is becoming a hotspot for good food and bars — no bad thing at all!

Visited here on the bank holiday with a couple of friends as I’d been wanting to try it since it opened. I hadn’t been to the previous venue but I’m not sure it’s been changed on the inside as it is a very timber-​clad like the external decoration of the last business.
I was expecting it to be really busy, but I think the weather made everyone stay at home. There were a few tables occupied when I arrived but it was mostly quiet. Good for us, as we were able to get a booth.
Both staff members on that day were super friendly and helpful. The menu is pretty appetising and I really struggled to decide what to have. I ended up asking the waitress what the best thing on the menu was (contentious question, I know!). After some discussion, she recommended the pulled pork po boy. How could I resist? It also comes with cheese, and I ordered a side of fries.
Our food arrived pretty quickly and I was impressed with the presentation, everything was well assembled, hot and drool-​worthy. The po boy roll was soft and fresh, a little floury perhaps. The pork was tasty and I got cheese added to mine, the pork could have maybe had more gravy on it to boost the flavour.
I tried a bit of the chicken gumbo and the mac n cheese — I liked both these dishes and would order them again, for sure. The bill came to just over £30 which was pretty reasonable for lunch for three people (with three sides) plus about 2 drinks each.
There was free wifi as well, which is always a plus but it was some weird wifi that wanted you to login through facebook. Big no-​no for me, so I had to go through a sign up procedure. It seems that Bar Gumbo is in a reception blackspot as I couldn’t get 3G.

After ending up at the bottom end of Byres Road I needed feeding and needed it now.
We tried other places but unfortunately there was a waiting time and this was only at 3.30pm. Eep! We saw staring at us from a far the Gumbo sign, so we looked at each other and we said, ok. Rawk!
It wasn’t too busy, we were greeted by a friendly staff member and we said we were here for your food. We got a seat at a booth and he brought us over the menu. I felt there was so much to choose from, to be honest I was a bit overwhelmed. You know when you’re at a restaurant and there’s a few things you don’t like so that helps in elimination for your final decision. Well, this had nearly everything I like on it. Oh bums!
We had a few questions, one being. Kind sir, what are these Hush Puppies you sell? Well, there are made from corn bread and are filled with sweetcorn and jalapeños. My man said oh yes to them and a plate of their finest chicken gumbo please. I settled for a rack of ribs, man they were huge. They were so big they were bigger than my hands. I had a cheeky wee side of onion rings, which I’m glad I ordered.
I felt the ribs were a bit undercooked for me as they were still pink in the middle. They tastied lovely but I found them hard to eat. I had to ask for a steak knife because I couldn’t bite the meat off the bones. I need that meat just to slide off my bones. Oo er!
Overall it was a lovely experience. The staff were really nice and the décor has certainly improved from the Common Rooms days. I would definitely go back and try something else from their menu. I fancy a Po’ Boy sub next time. The pulled pork one is certainly pulling me in. Noms!