J Gumbos

Thank you Unilocal!Best review in town for a value price. The jambalaya is top notch. There was a miscommunication on my order and the waitress put the bumble bee soup on top of the Jambalaya. Not what I thought I ordered but I took it anyway as the lunch portion was under $ 6. I AM SO GLAD the order was messed up because it was AWESOME! I liked it so much I got a dinner portion of half drunken chicken and half voodoo chicken. I really liked the drunken chicken and ate that and loved the voodoo chicken, it was a flavorful heat. Couldn’t eat all of it so I took 80% of the Voodoo chicken home. In total I ate the equivalent of the dinner portion with two pieces of bread and I am full. I was really hungry and can put the great food away. Couldn’t do it and should not have eaten all of it. I was so impressed, I got a jambalaya to go to take home to my family. We will be back. Super nice wait staff and I think the owner/​manager was there. Very good place take the time to find it in Delaware.

Awesome food. I was kinda shocked when I seen how much they put in the bowl! I had the Voodoo Chicken with cheese and sour cream. No question, when I am back in the area, this will be my first stop!

Great favors — great customer service! We had the Voodoo Chicken and Drunken Chicken. Both outstanding! We’ll be back.

Fantastic food. Fantastic people. Family friendly. Richard, the owner, is a great guy with a great mission. Ask him about it!

Been here a few times now. Never disappointed and very consistent. Staff is always fantastic. The Voodoo chicken is wonderful… get extra bread.

Great food here! I stopped in for lunch during my break and got the drunken chicken which was moist and spicy and full of flavor! It is served over rice and you get a side of toasted bread, which in y opinion could have been slathered with some butter and salt and toasted…
I think it’s a little expensive compared to some other places… about 8 bucks with tax, but considering you are supporting a local small business I guess that’s okay :) great service too btw… don’t forget to ask for samples!

Excellent food and great service. Love the voodoo chicken. Son had jambalaya which was very good. Prices are reasonable.

I really like this place. Huge portions. Great price. It’s something different, So I strongly recommend.

Always great food, always great environment! I love how J Gumbos is very concerned about the community and helps out in any way they can. Many fundraisers for different events and causes are hosted at the restaurant. Great portion size, great variety, and a clean location to enjoy it in! I love me some J Gumbos! My fraternity uses J Gumbos twice a year to cater an event for us, and we are always pleased with the service, price, and of course the amazing food!

Been here more than a few times and it is always a pleasure! Good is great and always friendly staff too. Usually the owner is there and he is always upbeat and happy to greet you. Food is always delicious and I love how they offer cornbread too. I would recommend this to all my friends and whoever took the time to read this. From sweet to spicy this place has it all

The owner and staff are always nice and helpful. My kids and I eat here every week and have never been disappointed. Absolutely love the voodoo chicken.

Meal (*****) I’ve had this on my to-​do list for MONTHS. I expected the typical cubed chicken you find at street festivals. This looked like pulled pork… I’m guessing pulled chicken is called jerked chicken?
Why am I concerned with what it is called… It is called DELICIOUS.
Oh yeah, and it tasted even better because a line formed quickly behind me as I got the last of the bourbon street chicken.
Ambiance (***) The ambiance was something to be desired. I wish music had been playing or something. I didn’t really want to hear the annoying college drama. I think the guy sitting behind me was PO’d because I took the last of the bourbon chicken: he sat with his obnoxious girlfriend directly behind me and kept rocking and pushing the back of the seat.
Service (****) The service was very helpful, but I felt like they were trying to dissuade me from eating the last of the bourbon street chicken… And for that I deduct a star!

My wife and I ate here for the first time this evening. The food was really good. It’s fast food, but very high quality fast food. It was a clean, pleasant atmosphere. The staff were very friendly.
I’ll be honest, as I’m writing this, it’s really hard to come up with talking points as to why we enjoyed it some much. I think it really came down to that sort of intangible feeling you get when the owner is working behind the counter. As the costumer you can feel that this isn’t just some restaurant, it’s this guy’s passion and joy. And at the same time you know that, to him, you’re not the next person in line, you’re someone who’s supporting his dream. I realize it sounds really corny, but I guess that’s why I like eating at mom & pop type places. Even if, like this one, it’s technically a franchise.

This J Gumbos has the same typical Cajun/​creole food you would find at any other franchise but it is the people and business philosophy that puts them above the rest.
Every worker including the owner have only been friendly and accommodating. All proceeds from tips is given directly to people in need in the Delaware community! How awesome is that? Also the owner makes a point to hire people with unique needs to work in the kitchen or cleaning tables, giving these employees job training and marketable skills. Again, amazing! This quick serve restaurant is not only yummy it is a great addition to the Delaware community.

Thoroughly enjoying my lunch from JGumbos. This is the first time I have tried their food and I thought it was very good! First off, they were able to deliver to my job which was definitely a plus! They arrived in about 10 – 15 minutes! I decided to get the Jean Lafitte Bowl. It is the right combination of sweet and spicy. I think I should have taken the ladies advice and got an icy cold coke with it cuz its got some kick for sure. I really like the sauce a lot though. Good new place to try in downtown Delaware.

I confess. I really am not an expert on Creole cooking. After all, I’m from Ohio where «cajun» most typically seems to mean «char something and cover it with spicy stuff» …which I’m pretty sure isn’t really authentic.
But while I might not know what really makes a good gumbo, I do know what I like.
…and I really like the bumble bee stew.
Like seriously, it’s addictive.
Of course, it helps that the people at this branch of J. Gumbos are great.
The place itself is tucked away just south of the main part of downtown Delaware, and despite being part of a multi-​state chain, has something of a local, homey vibe with the simple and sparse mardi-​gras and jazz themed décor. The people working there are great too. Always polite and friendly, they can make you feel right at home. This is especially true with one of the women who works there (Jasmine I assume?) whose cheerful demeanor combined with the tasty food can put a person in a good mood no matter the state they entered the establishment.
As to the food…
The menu has a range of creole stew dishes, served with a slab of french bread and atop rice. Prices range between about $ 6.75 and 9 for most. There are also po’ boys available though I’ve not tried those yet. I like to do a half-​and-​half combo where-​in two of the stew dishes are combined in one bowl. It is possible to get three different flavors in one too, though.
So far, my favorite is the delicious bumble bee stew. Warm and creamy, the slightly tangy flavor and sticky texture is offset with bits of sweet corn, tomato and black bean. It’s great on a cold day. Or a hot day. Or a nice 70 degree day. …or any time really.
While this stew is fast becoming a favorite meal, I’m not as fond of some of the other things I have tried. Etouffe with shrimp and the red beans and rice are… well, they don’t do it for me. I found them to be a bit bland honestly and the flavors monotonous after a bit. But of course, I was silly and didn’t sample before hand. I will definitely remember to do so next time. Maybe see just how spicy the voodoo chicken is???
J. Gumbos also has ice cream for a dollar a scoop, though I’m always too full to indulge after an entire bowl of stew. Portions are very large, especially for the relatively low prices. Also, as someone trying to monitor calories, I really appreciate that Gumbos posts this info right under the name of the items on the menu. Like a lot of «fast food» places, the menu is on the wall though a ways from the counter and not right over the employees heads, which is nice.
Overall, definitely worth a visit when you’re in the mood for food and interaction that is good on the soul but not hard on the wallet.

Top Notch!
Here’s the story:
It’s 8:50 and they close in 10 minutes. (It took me 10 minutes to find a parking spot)
Because it was so close to closing time I expected to be rushed on my carry out order.
As soon as the three of us walked in we were happily greeted by the owner…(good sign).
He quickly tells me that that had a super busy night and they were out of rice, But he offered me great alternatives.

The owner was very friendly and let me try three different samples of dishes.
The food was amazing! So I got all three.
Best of all Because he was out of rice he doubled my portions!
Drunken Chicken — A first for me, perfection!
Bumble Bee and Bourbon Chicken. Was also very very good!
I also got a bowl of Gumbo
Bonus — He gave us free cornbread and Corn Chips.
He really went out his way to serve us and again the food was amazing!

When it is time for a great casual meal with some kick head to J.Gumbos. The food is good and meets a great need in Delaware. Is it authentic or what you’d get in New Orleans? I don’t know but in Delaware, Ohio it is darn good!

J Gumbos is fabulous!!! Awesome food, awesome service, awesome deals!
Great prices and tons of food for the price. I’ve never been so impressed with this style of restaurant. MUST GO!!!

Having had actual Cajun/​Creole food in places like Breaux Bridge (home of the Crawfish Festival), this review has to be taken with a grain of salt.
Staff is very attentive and wonderful and this includes the managing part of the ownership. Great people all around. For those that missed it, this is a franchise.
Most franchises absolutely suck. Look at the big 3. Their food is tolerable at best. This one though goes beyond.
The food is ok. Certainly better than one would get at the big 3. But it is not above the realm of franchise food.
The crawfish etoufee was ok. If I had to guess, I would say that the crawfish were from Vietnam (who supplies many chains). Which means the lovely mudbugs had little flavor other than freezer. Roux is advertised as golden, but was white and barely beyond flour taste realm. Heat level was indicated as spicy but was vanilla ice cream at best.
Why in the name of all things holy, are there zero beef/​pork dishes?
I want so much to love this place (especially after meeting the owners), but I just can’t. This is not the problem of the owner/​staff but of the franchise group itself. They have sacrificed authenticity for mass production.