JJ’s Bistro Restaurant & Catering

I am giving this place two stars based on their hours of operation. It is nearly impossible to have a meal here because they are frequently closed or are closing early. I arrived at 6:35PM and the door was locked. I looked at the sign posted on the which displays a closes at 7PM close time. Five minutes later, I see the staff walking out and locking up. This is the third time this has happened. In my opinion, the work ethic is just plain sorry. No evident passion to serve; Just a means to pass time.

Vegetarian Pizza is delicious. The owner is a certified nutritionist as has reduced several symptoms to curing many illnesses with her healthy recipes.

Very good turkey taco, excellent mix green salad and the pound cake and ginge, r cucumber, peach lemonade was very good. The owner Loretta, very personable, she gave my friends and I excellent information regarding cooking and classes that we can attend; taught by her. We were very impressed with her hospitality. Will love to dine here again.

JJ’s Bistro is the best hands down! Food was flavorful! Service was exceptional. The turkey tacos, omgggg. The ice tea is a must have!

The taco’s are sooo good, also had the burrito it was good, came back got the crab salad the salad dressing was so damn good… Another visit mexican pizza it was good… I love this bristo everything is fresh and tasty, the cook is good looking with a great personality, and the owner has a beautiful spirit and beautiful personality… Check it out you won’t go wrong. ONLY THING NOT OPEN ON MONDAY. …I every one gas to have a day off… Peace

So I really wanted to order food today but the number posted here (and on all other websites) was disconnected. This is extremely bad business, how hard is it to forward a telephone number? #StillStarving

I live walking distance and drive by the restaurant everyday so finally I went in and ordered the Swamp Soup… OMGOSH it was so good especially on a cold day… the people were extremely nice… thank you!

I heard so much about them damn shrimp & grits on the show that I just had to try them. Omg!!! Every time I go I order shrimp & grits. Ms. Loretta doesn’t even have to ask because she knows what I’m there for. The restaurant is very intimate, and the staff are friendly. She likes to switch up her beverage menu a lot. However, she never disappoints with a refreshing glass of whatever it is. Wanna try something new? This is the place for you.

I had wanted to visit this restaurant for a long time. The jambalaya meal I had was really bad and over priced. While the shrimp was perfectly cooked, the meal was like eating hot spices directly out of the bottle. The salad was also too spicy. While I love hot and spicy food, this meal was really bad.

Probbaly the best service in La. Very friendly and the tacos are pure fire. They have a HUGE crab salad that looks like a hot dog that is so good. The environment is very clean and up to date. I will be coming back fursure

Great friendly service. Best turkey tacos! Best cucumber peach lemon aide! Family feel, cool AC. Humble attentive staff!

We happened to be in the area around the time the bistro was opening today at 11 am. Being that we were so close, we decided it was the perfect opportunity to finally try JJ’s. As soon as we walked in, we were greeted by a hostess/​staff and Chef LJ herself which was a pleasant plus.
She was warm and inviting as was the décor and ambiance of the bistro. The wait staff was also very friendly and accommodating.
We both ordered the shrimp and grits which comes with a side salad. The salad came out first which the ingredients were fresh with flavors that blended well. The shrimp and grits were not «over done» with a lot of «extra» ingredients. The grits were smooth and savory. The shrimp: fresh. The gravy over the grits was a bit spicy with nice, subtle flavors that complimented the shrimp and grits perfectly.
I also ordered a turkey taco (which comes with a soft shell) which was delicious. The fresh cilantro was a great touch, allowing all the flavors to merge in the most delightful way.
We split a crab salad po’ boy which, in my opinion, was the best tasting item we ordered this trip. The po’ boy came out opened faced, light, airy… Amazing.
Every item we ordered was prepared with beautiful presentation. It seems the recipes of each dish have been thoroughly thought out and prepared with love and specific detail.
My compliments to the chef as it shows she’s taken her time to create healthy, flavorful dishes, using the freshest ingredients.
Nothing on the menu is fried. All salad dressings are made in house, not pre-​purchased. The bistro also offers several vegan options. I can’t wait to return to try the kale salad.

The lemonade was great. The salad was amazing with spinach, cranberries and a very light oil vinaigrette. The turkey meat was seasoned nicely in the turkey soft taco which I thought was delicious. The shrimp and grits were good and that gravy was nice and spicy. Great Louisiana creole flavor. The restaurant is nicely decorated. There are tables as well as counter seating with rotating seats to watch the mounted TVs. The staff was very nice. I can’t wait to go back.

I had lunch here. The Turkey Tacos were delicious. I could not get the Strawberry Lemonade that day.(sad) I also tried the Veggie Tacos, nicely spiced but I liked the Turkey better.
LJ was warm and friendly, as was her waitstaff. I like the décor but, I think the Catering supplies should not be inside the Restaurant sitting in plain view.
I will come back though to try the Shrimp and Grits!

Very nice atmosphere, kind and friendly staff, delicious food. What more are you looking for in a restaurant? They prepare your food when you place your order. I love it! Everything is fresh and hot when it comes out. The drinks are unique and all delightfully pleasing to the eye and taste buds. The Cranberry and Almond Salad is amazing! It comes as a side with the daily specials. Your tummy will «thank you». This was my second visit and I for sure will be back and tell others to visit this fine establishment. Blessings to the chef/​owner and her crew!

I’m from New Orleans, and I know that I can be a harsh critic of Southern cooking. Today I tried this restaurant in the hopes of supporting a neighborhood business. They have advertisements that the shrimp and grits are really good. It was awful. The shrimp were the size of bait. They were smaller than a cashew, some of them were dark and not fresh. It also took them a while to give me my food, even though the restaurant was completely empty. I guess it takes a long time to peel those tiny tiny shrimp.

LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS PLACE! My best friend and I started off our Saturday morning with a workout and decided to have lunch at JJ’s Bistro. We talked about visiting this restaurant for weeks because we watch Preacher’s of LA every week and wanted to support Loretta’s restaurant. Anyway, my girlfriend and I pull up to the restaurant and who do we see? That’s right, Loretta! Her son and her daughter were working that day and made us feel like a part of the family! Loretta’s son and daughter were in the kitchen chopping, dicing and making fresh Peach Lemonade with fresh peaches. Not only is the food delicious but you can also see that the food is prepared with love. It’s comforting seeing a family work together doing something that they love. The restaurant has such a warm and comforting atmosphere. Loretta is so down to earth. I felt like we had been friends for years! She whipped up some Shrimp and Grits and my friend had the Jambalaya. I felt like I was in Louisiana for a second because the food was so good and flavorful. The Ingredients were Fresh and wholesome and both dishes were seasoned to perfection. The Shrimp and Grits are made with this savory gravy. It was delicious! My friend ordered a side of the Shrimp & Grits Gravy and added some of the gravy to her Jambalaya! Writing my review is making me want to go back to JJ’s Bistro tonight and get another order of Shrimp & Grits! I’ve never had Shrimp & Grits like this before. The grits were hearty, smooth and flavorful with no lumps. Everybody can’t cook grits but Chef Loretta can. My friend and I will definitely be regulars at JJ’s and can’t wait to try the rest of the menu. I definitely recommend this restaurant to everyone. It is a great addition to the neighborhood and deserves positive recognition.
Blessings,
Tammy

Love JJ’s Bistro. It is definitely first class all the way!!!
My best friend and I went there today after working out, because we had heard how great the food was and wanted to support Loretta (owner) from watching her on Preachers of LA. We gotta support people who are trying to make a difference in this world. Let me just say the customer service is first class. When we walked in we were greeted with great hospitality and seated immediately. We were first offered water that was so refreshing with lemon/​cucumber that was sooo good.
Then we were offered to try the Peach Lemonade with fresh peaches that was really delicious. Then we ordered shrimp/​grits and jambalaya. It was so delicious. Loretta’s son and daughter treated us like we were family and were so nice. I’m telling you it was like we all knew each other for years. I haven’t been to a restaurant in a long time where I felt like a PRINCESS!!!
The food is seasoned just right and if you like it spicy, Chef Loretta can make that it happen. The food was cooked fresh to order and was served quickly. You would have thought you were eating gumbo with the shrimp and grits, because it has this well-​seasoned gravy in it and it’s like nothing I have tasted before. I have never liked grits, but these are nothing compared to any I have had.
I even added the gravy from the shrimp/​grits on my jambalaya and it was delicious. I love seasoned food and Chef Loretta did not leave out any ingredients in this dish.
The décor and window dressings are so classy, it makes you feel like you’re by the beach or in another city. It’s definitely a great addition to the Inglewood community. With the new Forum, this place is going to be packed.
Chef Loretta does catering for any type of events and offers cooking classes. We will definitely patronage this business and I would recommend it to everyone.
I generally do not take the time to write reviews, but I was so excited about this restaurant, I want everyone to visit and support this family business:-)
Wishing JJ’s Bistro many blessings and much success!
Monica C.

I love a good neighborhood joint and I want them to succeed. I gave this restaurant 2 stars because despite the fact that I did not enjoy my food, I think this place has potential. The menu concept is interesting and I only tried 4 items off of their menu. But they were supposed to be signature dishes. That usually means your best. The people that work there are very friendly also.
I ordered the shrimp and grits, which I typically love, the crab salad sandwich with potato salad, banana pudding and fruit punch/​lemonade.
The shrimp and grits was the best tasting item. But it was mediocre. It had grits, shrimp and gravy. It lacked seasoning and any type of interesting flavor. For the record, I do not cook with salt. Usually restaurant food is salty to me because of that. It was ok. It just wasn’t offensive except for the little tiny baby shrimp mixed in. They could really save their money on this item. It adds nothing to the dish. There are some med/​large shrimp in the dish as well. Just leave it at that. Also, for what you get it was over priced. I would pay 14.99 for 4 or 5 well seasoned shrimp, a flavorful sauce or gravy, and delicious creamy and seasoned grits.
The crab salad sandwich. Aaahhhh the crab salad sandwich. Seriously, does ANYBODY eat imitation crab any more? You can’t make something taste good that starts off bad. I mean for $ 15 or so, I expected a smallish sandwich with real crab meat and an interesting take on crab salad that was flavorful. It was a very big sandwich FULL of imitation crab meat. It was for my husband who will eat almost anything. He ended up taking the imitation crab off and putting on some fried catfish we got from big fish. But I thought grilling the bread the way they did was a nice touch. If they can work out their flavor profile and change the sandwich meat altogether, it has the potential to be a nice sandwich. Oh but I didn’t get the potato salad in my bag;(
The banana pudding makes me sad. It was really expensive. But it tasted like imitation pudding in those little cups. Banana pudding at a bakery usually costs no more than $ 4 or so. Granted people come from near and far to get my mothers banana pudding who makes her custard from scratch, it may be a little unfair for me to judge this item.
The fruit punch/​lemonade. If you still drink kool-​aid or Hawaiian punch, you may be able to drink this cloyingly sweet beverage with no discernible hint of lemon. It tasted very artificial.
I wrote this lengthy review because this could be a neighborhood gem. Maybe I ordered the wrong thing. But there’s a couple neighborhood joints not far from here who serve really fresh/​made to order food that is nicely seasoned and has good flavor. If this place can execute better, they have the potential to grow like these other places. The people there are really friendly and it will be nice if they succeed. I wonder how much repeat business they get. If its not a high volume, I would encourage them to revamp their flavor profile, but they thought I would enjoy it. That is a little worrisome.

Very delicious, flavorful food. Presentation and execution is always great. Kind of laid back very polite and welcoming people here. I would love to try everything on this menu but unfortunately I don’t live or work anywhere close to it. The food has a little spicy kick to it so just be mindful. I really liked the tea that they make here with fresh cucumbers and peaches in it. Goes great with a bowl of shrimp and grits… MMMmmm!