J. Gumbo’s

I had the Jean Lafitte bowl. Just the right amount of heat and taste. Can’t believe this place isn’t covered up. Food is excellent. Like fast food but delicious. If you’re ever in town and want something different give this place a chance.

A great place to eat! The étouffée and bumblebee star mixed with the spicy chicken are my favorites!

Every dish that I try is better than the last. I haven’t had anything less than fabulous from this place. The staff is so nice and courteous. You can ask for samples if you are unsure of what you would like. The Crawfish Etouffe has plenty of crawfish in it now and has great flavor. The Voodoo Chicken is spicy, but so good. Be careful if you are sensitive to very spicy food. The Jean Lafitte (new addition to my regular lunch) is the best dish I have had thus far. The Bumblebee Stew and Voodoo Mix with rice, sour cream, and jalapenos is outstanding. This place is getting more busy during lunch, so hopefully more people will come out and try it. It is a precious gem. I wish the location was better, but I love being able to eat here on Lunch and take maybe a 30 – 35 min lunch total. Keep it up J Gumbo’s, I am a loyal fan!

This is a favorite of my family. I’ve tried most of the menu items and I would say that I’ve been satisfied with them all. The restaurant serves standard Cajun flavored food over a bed of rice. These include items such as Bumble Bee stew, Etoufee and Bourbon chicken. My personal favorite is the Jean Lafite bowl, which mixes the spicy Voodoo chicken with the sweeter Bumblebee stew. They also serve sandwiches and Cajun nachos.
All of their dishes are filling and served quickly, although on some occasions I have had food served a little too cool. Of all the dishes, the Gumbo is probably my lease favorite. It’s a bit thin and tastes somewhat like it was not made from scratch. However, having said that, I have to repeat that the quality of the food is good and I enjoy it even though the authenticity may not be dead on.
The menu offers a good range of spicy and non-​spicy food, so don’t let the common belief that all Cajun food is spicy deter you from trying this place. They also sell some delicious brownies. Beer and wine are available, and beer makes a great accompaniment to this kind of food.
For some reason this place is seldom busy. The location is not outstanding because it is located in a narrow alley between another restaurant and a dress shop, so it may be difficult to see from the road. The restaurant is always clean and nicely decorated and there are TV’s that are usually tuned to a sports channel.
Overall I would recommend this place because we don’t have enough Cajun restaurants here. This is a good place in busy part of town that serves good food quickly. It’s a little like a fast food version of a Cajun restaurant.

J. Gumbo’s is one of my favorite places to eat providing casual seating to include big screen TV’s and artistic décor. The Jean Lafitte Bowl (Sweet corn, stewed tomatoes, onions and black beans in a sweet and spicy cream sauce and slow-​cooked chicken in a spicy Cajun tomato sauce with garlic and their secret blend of Voodoo spices topped with cheddar cheese, jalapeños and sour cream) is by far my favorite dish providing the right amount of spice and flavor to satisfy my Cajun craving. The serving size is enough to provide leftovers, but I always find it too hard to put my fork down.

I came to Huntsville Alabama on family business. And I treated my mother here for the best lunch in Huntsville Alabama. The price points are perfect. The staff was excellent and humbling. Being from Louisiana the environment gave me a home feeling. The quality of the food was top notch. Very authentic Creole cuisine. I highly recommend it and I will be coming back for next time I come to Huntsville.

Pretty solid place for new Orleans food. I got some crayfish étouffée was delish. I recommend stopping in it does have heat!

I’d probably rate them 2.5 if that were an option. I’m from Mobile, AL, originally, so I can’t give them a 5 star rating with what I know of real New Orleans flavor and food. That being said, it isn’t that bad. I would call it good, simple, and easy to mix and match their favors, so as not to deter those wanting to try something «different».
My biggest complaint, aside from the stated, and the small portion of actual seafood in the entrees, would be the tiny portion I received for $ 9 with no drink included, no chips, and no desert. The styrofoam box was no heavier with the Étouffée in it than if it had been empty. Given there were no crawfish in the étouffée I received, I believe they could have spooned at least an actual serving. So, let’s just say, I won’t be going there again when I am hungry, or expecting to get my money’s worth.

The place is hard to find. Look near IHOP. They haven’t gotten their act together yet, but they are super friendly and have good food at a good price.
Voodoo chicken was too hot for my date but I was able to swap my drunken chicken and all was good.
Beware the poboy options. If you don’t specifically ask for a sandwich you get a bowl instead. That was fine. We liked the bowl served over rice, but we were a bit surprised at first.

I love the food! I keep coming back but I’ll be honest, the portions could be a little bigger. Maybe it’s just because I got a to go plate but it seemed like I should have gotten more for 8.95!

Up to this point Popeye’s has been the extent of my experience with «creole cuisine». I ate here twice in one week trying both the red beans and rice and the jambalaya. Both were fantastic, my palate may be a bit more sensitive than I thought because the red beans, though they are listed at about the half way mark on the spiciness scale, almost made me break a sweat, still great flavor though. The jambalaya on the other hand was spot on! You could taste both the sausage and chicken, the rice wasn’t overcooked and it was seasoned perfectly. Portions were more than enough and both the brownie and bread pudding were good as well, nothing spectacular, but I think that they work perfectly with dishes with the level of spice that some of these have, rich and sweet! This place is in an odd spot, but it’s so close to work I will definitely be returning frequently!

Good atmosphere. Place is very clean. They let you sample their food before you buy. The portions are huge. During the summer days they open up their big windows and brings in the lovely breeze. My favorite gumbo is voodoo chicken. :) it’s hard to see from the road though.

Had the crawfish étouffée… delicious! I could eat there every day and try everything on the menu! Staff was friendly too… will definitely come back the next time I’m in Huntsville!

This is the best cajun food in Huntsville. Why the three stars? Because Huntsville only has three cajun restaurants (that I know of) and of the three, J. Gumbo’s is the best.
I’m sure there is much debate over my last statement but you know what they say about opinions.
The boyfriend and I have visited several times and the service can be hit or miss. I do love that they give you a sample to try in case you are on the fence about your selection. Over all the food has remained consistent, which IMO is very hard to find in this area.
I fell in love with the Drunken Chicken and have only been disappointed with this selection once. I have also had the non-​spicy Bourbon Street Chicken and enjoyed it as well. As for the really spicy stuff, I have only sampled and the flavor has been excellent, just a little to warm for my taste buds. However, The Boyfriend always enjoys the really spicy stuff with the Voodoo Chicken being his favorite. The jambalaya, the crawfish étouffée, the red beans & rice and the gumbo are all very good. The crawfish cheese dip leave a little to be desired but overall it is not bad.
Overall, J. Gumbo’s is good for what we can get in Huntsville, but it definitely leaves me wanting to hop on down to NOLA.

Here it is… my first five star review.
This is my absolute favorite place for food in Huntsville.
To keep it fair… I have to say I have never visited during lunch hours. I’ve only eaten there in the evenings. The only reason I bring that up is, it seems some of the unfavorable reviews were lunchtime visitors.
The only con I can think of is that the location is a little hidden and not too convenient to get to.
I’ve had bariatric surgery, and I try to avoid heavy carbs (in this instance, it’s rice… they give you a LOT of rice). But I order what I want every time minus rice, and the portions are always still large enough that I can make three or more meals from them. The service has always been well above par. The menu is a little limited, but it’s easy to navigate with a very convenient way to decipher how spicy each dish is, as well as the vegetarian options. I get something different every time, and I’ve yet to be disappointed.
Whenever a friend wants a recommendation for something new, I point them to J. Gumbos, and I’ve never heard anything but good reviews from them. It may not be the most authentic… but it’s damn good.
The place has always been clean. The inside is fun. Highly recommend.

It was w/​trepidation that I tried J. Gumbos’ last Thursday for lunch thru Grub South. Trepidation because of reviews, and that Cajun is typically lame around here.
With Grub South you had to order an «extra scoop of entrée» to make the delivery price minimum order (well, I guess you could get another side or something). Anyway, I tried the Voodoo Chicken.
It was REALLY good! It arrived, super fast, super warm (temperature wise) and was a TON of food, and super spicy. Not «I need a tall cold glass of milk coz I’m on fire,» spicy; but nice, nice heat. Reminiscent of Bourbon Street heat. (I digress).
The chicken was tender, flavorful, there was a lot of the entrée; it was on fresh, white, rice, topped with crunchy fresh chives and was bathed in plenty (but not swimming in) of the tomato broth (roux maybe).
It came with a sizeable piece of French bread.
Really surprised me both in taste and appropriate level of heat.
I would be unlikely to try the «non spicy» options, as my preference, but the Voodoo Chicken delivered a better Cajun flavored experience than I’ve had around HSV (and we’re talking 40-​something years… and it’s what, sort of fast-​food casual? Like I said I used delivery, so can’t comment on the establishment.
Try them. Try this dish, but only if you like heat.

Adorable little spot, although not the best location, and parking can be tricky.
Very simple menu, not a lot of options and having read reviews warning me to avoid the étouffée, we ordered the VooDoo nachos, Drunken Chicken, Jambalaya, and bread pudding.
First off, let me warn you. VooDoo is HOT. It’s delicious, but will remain with you for hours. Asking for extra sour cream helped a lot. I pushed my jambalaya aside and dove into those nachos! My mom was unable to really taste anything after the VooDoo nachos… until they brought out the bread pudding. (I’ll get to that.)
Let me just say, the food was great, but you might want to consider sharing, because we took most of ours home (not the nachos, I devoured those on site) and they don’t really heat up all that well. *shrugs* They aren’t promoting leftovers, so no points deducted there.
The menu warns you that you might find a bay leaf in your food and not to eat it, well, guess how I found the bay leaf in my jambalaya? Yeah, several pieces in my mouth thoughout the meal! I really feel like they should take that out before serving it, if its not going to be obvious. Not the end of the world, but its rather unsettling to bite down on a twig or piece of what feels like bark or plastic.
Now about that bread pudding. It was like heaven in a bowl. I know its traditional to use raisins and rum sauces… blah blah, but growing up my mother never did that. She used left over biscuits and turned them into heavenly pudding. J. Gumbo’s bread pudding is now my 2^nd all time favorite bread pudding on the planet.
I will definitely go back for the VooDoo nachos and the bread pudding.
The staff was awesome, very polite, and helpful. The restaurant is clean and nicely decorated. Prices are fair. I definitely recommend it.

Wow! My taste buds are singing right now. Bottom line: Easy-​to-​navigate menu, good price-​to-​food value, speedy service and excellent quality.
I’ve been meaning to check out the store for awhile (tucked behind IHOP off 72 and Enterprise), and finally made it for lunch. A nice atmosphere, some TVs and good music, with a walk-​up ordering station. The 12 Cajun & Creole bowls are lined up on a 7 foot tall chart, listed by heat category, and contain 6 Gluten-​Free and 3 Vegetarian options.
I opted for Voodoo Nachos (Tortilla Chips, Slow-​cooked Chicken in a spicy tomato Cajun sauce with garlic and red peppers, cheese, jalapeños, sour cream and voodoo spice) — the Voodoo Chicken is the 2^nd hottest bowl on the menu. The flavors were incredible! The heat built through the entire meal (this was an appetizer size, good for a single diner), and I only wish it was after work hours — one of their 20+ beers would be great.
For lunch, it would be easy to take out or dine in, all while getting out in 30 minutes. With a drink, you can get out of here for under $ 10 and fully satisfied. Other menu offerings include Po Boys, Cheese Dips and kids portions. This will definitely be a part of my lunch rotation.

Huntsville is surprisingly packed with great Cajun food but J Gumbo’s takes the cake. I had the Red Hot Buffalo Chicken which is the spiciest on the menu, which I like! The chicken was rich with flavor. The value is phenomenal since you can get in and out for less than $ 10 and you’ll probably need a to go box.

We had a nola nacho appetizer, a voodoo chicken entrée, and a drunken chicken entrée, all of which were great! From previous reviews, I can only assume they responded to the criticism because the rice was perfect (if you’re worried it will be too much, maybe you should ask for it in the side?) and the entrees were substantial. My wife underestimated the spice of the voodoo chicken from the taster she had, but she still enjoyed it. Might mix with another entrée next time to dilute the spice but keep the flavor.
Staff was very friendly and the place was clean. Abita beverages make any cajun place better, but it looked like a no alcohol establishment.