The Drunken Chicken

My dad and I came here for lunch one day. I went in with low expectations but I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised. We arrived at 11:45 — their sign said that they open at 11:30 but the waitress was hurrying to open the doors 15 minutes late. That was strange and it seems they may need a bit of fine tuning however, I digress. The food was actually pretty good. The chicken fingers are huge and delightfully spicy. The fries are a bit too thick cut for my taste but the greens were very tasty. On a side note: the lunch menu is smaller than the dinner menu and offers only chicken dishes — at least on this particular day. The service was OK and the atmosphere would be fun to watch a game in. All in all, this place is A-​OK!

A bowl of half-​and-​half Bourbon Street Chicken and Bumblebee Stew was my need-​dinner-​in-​a-​jiffy go-​to.
So I was sad to see the J. Gumbo’s downtown and near UofL stop service. That crazy sweet yet spicy stew was my jam!
Happily, I have a new source to satisfy my cravings. The J. Gumbo’s near UofL has been transformed into a new concept called The Drunken Chicken!
I got to try it out last week, and if you are a fan of J. Gumbo’s, then you’ll likely be a fan of this.
Many of J. Gumbo’s better-​known dishes, like my favorites as well as this new spot’s namesake, are on the menu.
But instead of your rice bowl being served with a side of garlic bread, you get a jalapeño Johnny Cake (a pancake). I miss dipping the garlic bread in my rice bowl, but this provided a little extra heat.
The menu also has several new dishes. Some items that stood out to me include:
* Redneck Ravioli, deep-​fried wontons stuffed with smoked pork BBQ;
* Best Part Of The Chicken, deep fried and seasoned chicken skins;
* Southern Style Hot Chicken;
* Chicken and Waffles (served with hot chicken);
* BBQ Quesadilla.
I admit, on my first visit I had to get my ol’ fave, but the idea of hot chicken and chicken and waffles had my mouth watering as well. I’ll have to branch out and try something new.

We decided to give this place a try. The whole situation was sad but kind of comical. We walked in the restaurant at about 12:15 and there was only one other table being served. We placed our order and waited. and waited.and waited. After 30 minutes and no appetizers they finally brought out complimentary nachos because we had to wait so long. Finally after a 45 minute wait we got our appetizers. No plates though. After asking we found out we got the four last plates in the place… four dinner (not appetizer sized) plates for five people. Our chicken finally came after an hour and 15 minutes. Our napkin request yielded a pile of cocktail napkins. which doesn’t go well with fried chicken. The food was ok, the only reason they got any stars at all. When we were done we got a couple small boxes and had to put the rest of our leftovers in a plastic bag. To go drinks? Well they had the cups but no lids. If this place stays open another month it will be a miracle. Who has time for an hour and 45 minute lunch? If they get their act together they may stand a chance. but that’s highly unlikely.

I promise, don’t waste your time. they never have bread pudding, they changed their fries and they will skimp!!! Old recipe wasn’t bad but whatever they are doing to the chicken fingers now makes them wayyyy too spicy! It’s like they don’t want u to come back? Well I won’t be going bank

A buddy and I went to check this place out of curiosity. We did not enjoy what they had to offer. We were given sheets of paper with 6 items to choose from and no prices listed. Then, we waited 30 – 40 minutes for our food to come out. In that time, the server refilled our half filled drinks 4 times. I got the chicken and waffle. The chicken was okay but the Waffle was so dry I couldn’t even finish it. I know they are new but the lack of preparation was too bad for me to consider coming back.

This rating would have been 5 stars if the service had been better. Food was amazing. I dream about the fried chicken. It was hot, spicey and cooked when you order it. Fries were fresh cut and delicious. Quesadilla and nachos were excellent. Johnny cakes were great with the added jalapeño kick. Red beans and rice were good but would have been better if they actually contained rice. When we brought this to the attention of our server he laughed and said «oh well you got more of the good stuff «. But we didn’t the bowl wasn’t full and he didn’t offer to correct the problem. Service was slow but we weren’t in a hurry. We were there with two other couples and they were unable to give us separate checks. Oddly enough they could divide the check in half. That made it even more complicated. Why couldn’t they have treated us as 3 separate tables? There were only about 10 people in the place. There were other glitches with the service but the server admitted he had never waited tables before so we give him a break. Hope they work out the service issues because the food is awesome.

I’m not even sure how to start this review, but here we go… First, I am giving the place a 3-​star review solely on atmosphere. I didn’t stay long enough to order food, which did look and smell delicious. However, the atmosphere created was too awkward and uncomfortable for me to stay. I was there on a Friday afternoon, looking to grab a bite to eat while studying for a few minutes, the location is after all on a college campus. The place was busy when I walked in, a nice lunch crowd, but there were still a number of open tables. When I walked in a man in the kitchen let me know someone would be with me in a moment. Then a gentleman, who identified himself as the owner, asked me if I would be willing to sit with two younger men drinking beer at the bar. This struck me as odd considering there were open tables, I’m 6 months pregnant (and obviously so according to my family, friends, and random strangers) and carrying my backpack. I nevertheless sat down when the owner then asked me if I drank beer, which again struck me as odd being pregnant. The owner then made a comment about being glad I was there as they «needed more women in here,» which was when the entire situation switched from being odd to uncomfortable. I awkwardly sat there studying from my iPad with these two strangers for a couple of moments and when no one came to take my drink order, I decided to leave. I might try again sometime with my husband or group of friends since the food did look and smell good, but I won’t be back by myself.

My husband and I stopped in to place an order to go. We made the wrong assumption that being the only customers would mean faster service. We ordered a couple of beers while we waited and let it go that they gave us the wrong ones, no big deal. 40 minutes into our wait while we watched people walk and and be ignored rather than seated, we overheard that they were ‘out of rice and it would be 15 – 20 minutes.’ An hour into our wait when still nothing have been conveyed to us about our wait and we continued to watch multiple workers waking around doing nothing, we asked how much longer. The same ‘no rice it will be 15 – 20 minutes’ excuse was the answer. We respectfully asked to have the check reversed so we could head out, it took the manager at least 20 minutes to figure out how to even make this happen. Upon leaving, without being offered anything, he said ‘come back it might be less bad the next time.’ Good luck drunken chicken, not even your manager has faith.

Dave, this is YOUR chicken joint! (My friend Dave loves anything HOT)
EVERYTHING Fried to perfection. The chicken, so juicy on the inside, twice fried thick cut French fries and a short cake cornbread-​ish pancake with jalapeño all put in a paper bag, seasoned with Nawlins style secret hot seasonings and shaken to hella heaven before served with your favorite ale, beer, PA, or whatev. It was HOT! And I mean spicy. That big happy hot that hits you late but you can’t help hittin the beer and goin back for more. The fries are equally spiced, drowning them in ketchup is heaven.
HOT food, sports, chicks n’ dudes (UofL campus) and cold, cold suds. Big flat screens with every sport and college girls (and guys) by the handfuls. Dave’s Utopian Paradise. Did I mention the entire front of the restaurant is open garage doors? With campus outside? Cars cruising by?

Tasty, juicy chicken with nice, spicy breading. Great service, very friendly atmosphere. Prices are ok, but well worth it. Right next to campus with a variety of craft beers on tap.

The beer buckets are the best deal! Chicken falls off the bone. Crispy hot sweet deliciousness. The cause is in house, tangy, citrus, hot, sweet all at once. The owner stops by table to make sure you’re happy. Servers knowledgeable and helpfull. This will sound crazy, but the restrooms have chalkboard and chalk to leave your mark on the wall so to say. I was there on a monday. Can’t wait to see what a Friday nite will bring!