DeJaVu

They’ve been at a few Unilocal events and I tried everything I was able to each time. And everything was amazing!!! I desperately want to come here.
Loved:
— Bread Pudding
— Chicken and Sausage Jumbalaya
— Portabella Mushroom Sundried Tomato Pasta
— Praline Pecan Bread Pudding

Had a wonderful 1^st anniversary dinner with my hubby last night. Greeted and seated immediately, our server Tiffany was friendly and informative and served us with style. Beer choices were vast and served in ice cold glasses. Dinners were excellent. Jambalaya and greens for him, crawfish étouffée for me. And bread pudding to go to have with champagne later as we couldn’t eat another bite! Chef Gary was in the dining room as always making sure everyone was happy. One of our very favorite downtown restaurants that never disappoints.

Wow! Big Keith’s Bayou Classic… Nuff said. I literally wiped the plate clean with my fingers to get the last of it — I thought about licking it but somehow managed to hold off. Etoufee also delicious. But really, you need to get the Big Keith’s with fried catfish — comes with an amazing sauce that has crawfish and shrimp — to die for.

This place was great. The staff was friendly and prompt and the food was awesome.
I had the boudin appetizer, étouffée, and red beans. The boudin is probably the best I’ve ever had. The étouffée was darn good. Also try the sweet pepper sauce. I bought a few bottles it was so good.
Finally, Chef Gary (the owner) was there and was great to talk to. I love it when the owner takes such an interest in the customers. I hope this place does well for a long time.

Great, Hot and fresh!!! The place was clean and the service was extremely nice and helpful describing the menu. I had the pasta with shrimp and all I can say is I will be back tomorrow. Great job and highly recommended.

Ok so I came from Texas for my wife’s best friend wedding and there catering was amazing the food was great I go eat at places all the time just to make reviews but this is one of the places that landed in my lap and they where completely amazing I’m mean I was 10 000% amazed I don’t eat peas but there vegetable rice was amazing the chicken omg the sweet sauce they had on it I have never had any thing like it it was completely great and I even had the pleasure with talking to CHEF GARY and he was a great person to get to know and very friendly every time I visit Memphis I will eat hear with out a doubt

Very average. Got veggie plate. Yams were delicious. Okra was solid, first time I’ve had okra that wasn’t breaded and fried and enjoyed it. Greens were decent, certainly not special. Veggies were soaked in butter, much to my displeasure. Water tasted very offputting. Service was fine. Value was underwhelming.

Good food! Seasoned well and fresh ingredients. Nice portion sizes. Friendly staff.
Had the Mardi Pasta and New Orleans Bread Pudding for dessert. When in Memphis, definitely checkout this restaurant.

I really, really want to give 5 stars.but. my food is always so hit or miss! Some days my food is piping hot and really fresh, and some days it seems like it was moderately heated up in the microwave. The salmon, okra stew, and sweet potato fries are my favorite. I just can’t get over how well the food is seasoned, and thank goodness its not super salty!!! Yes there are some inconsistencies, but I’m sure they would have fixed them had I eaten in and said something. I always take my food to go. Everyone is always really nice and welcoming, food is good, so i’ll be back.

Visiting Memphis and was happy to see a place by the hotel with vegan options. I tried the barbecue tofu with a side of grilled cabbage. Because I have zero willpower, I got an order of the red beans and rice as well.
The tofu was amazing, very firm with lots of delicious sauce. The sides were also really good. I was too full for dessert, but the waiter told me they had vegan bread pudding with bourbon sauce. Thinking that I’ll go back for that tomorrow night, along with some other sides that looked good.
To top it off, Chef Gary entertained everyone by making bananas foster in the dining room.
Great food and wonderful staff = 5 stars

My sister worked with Chef Gary to host my husband’s graduation dinner at this restaurant. It was my first visit to the restaurant. IT WAS FANTASTIC. The best New Orleans style food I’ve had in ages.
My favorite was the gumbo. It had just the right amount of seasonings. It was hot but not too hot and a great blend of seasonings. Another reviewer mentioned there wasn’t a lot of meat but that wasn’t true for me! There were generous amounts of shrimp sausage and chicken in the gumbo. Delish.
But boy oh boy the BEST item on the menu was the bread pudding. Melt in your mouth perfection! A must have. I highly recommend DejaVu

The food is amazing just the right amount of flavor, nice street view, comfortable than most spots definitely a must try!

Aweful. Had a table of five on a slow night. One order came out cold, another seafood gumbo contained ZERO seafood. When the dish was sent back to the kitchen, it came back with 2 shrimp and half of a crab in the shell.
I don’t know what’s going on with the kitchen but they have truly lost their way.
Oh and two side orders were forgotten entirely.

One of the best in Memphis. The staff is absolutely sweet. They are so polite and caring. Always there if you need anything. They don’t keep u hanging. Food is exceptional… good ol soul food. Try out the vegan chocolate cake and spinach quesadilla, very good.

Y’all this is some good heart warming food here! My fish was fried to golden perfection with a delightful gravy like crawfish and shrimp topping. The flavors came together nicely without overpowering the other. I do wish this dish came with a simple side of rice. You are allowed one side however and I chose the red beans and rice and they were absolutely delicious. Similar to what you would find in Louisiana. I order beignets to go. They had a wonderful flavor but unfortunately too crispy.

The vegan/​vegetarian dishes are absolutely delicious! You can tell that someone is actually cooking this food and that it’s not some frozen concoction. Customer service was great in addition to the atmosphere. I will definitely be back!

After a bittersweet long day. we all needed some very serious comfort food and immediately my brother recommended DeJaVu because we were staying nearby @ The Sheraton. The closest you will get to creole and Cajun foods without having to drive to the bayou state. Portions are large, flavorful and served Southern Style – with a smile. The gumbo –which I might add – had the perfect shade of darkened roux and YES. the roux coated the back of the spoon… and didn’t taste burnt or cornstarch based or floured. now that’s some good roux. Another great add… the rice is served on the side. so yea… you get a whole bowl of gumbo. There were 5 of us and we all enjoyed the atmosphere. Chef Gary is simply a hoot… And he KNOWS the restaurant industry too. We invited him to establish in NorCal – and he specifically mentioned Walnut Creek, but of course being an on the bay gal suggested Uptown Oakland.
Yes-​Sir-​Ree. DeJaVu will fit right in with all the new eateries in Up-​Town-​OakTown. OAKLAND, CA is on a huge restoration rebound… mark my words it’s happening now! Thank You for an AWESOME MEAL and GREAT Conversation Chef Gary~. I want to see you in Oakland, CA in the near future.

Great little place. Creole atmosphere. Chef Gary came by its his birthday but still was going strong with a smile on his face.

I’m giving this place 4 stars instead of 3 bc they accommodated our HUGE group. And our waiters were truly awesome. The food is 3 stars, though. I got an appetizer portion of gumbo and it was yummy, but TINY. Like 3 spoonfuls of food. And overpriced. I paid $ 20 for 1 beer and 1 appetizer. But, the waitstaff were incredible and really went out of their way to be gracious and fun.

DeJaVu afforded me the most enjoyable dining experience I’ve ever had in Memphis. Hell, it may have afforded me one of the most enjoyable dining experiences I’ve ever had in New Orleans (where I’ve lived for over 4 years), while we’re at it!
Owner/​chef Gary is from New Orleans. I can’t think of a restaurant this uniquely awesome in New Orleans. Readers may be thinking «blasphemy,» but hey, like I said, the guy is a New Orleanian and operated restaurants pre-​Katrina. This is the real deal here, in downtown Memphis.
«Cajun/​Creole» food (btw, New Orleanians hate that the two are grouped together, as they are two separate types of cuisine) is never ever vegan by default. It’s just not. Yet Chef Gary has an entire vegan section of the menu. Unheard of in New Orleans. So, there’s that. But before I get to that, I want to go on a bit about the hospitality going on in here from the moment you walk in the door. Everyone is so nice and welcoming. They could be great actors, but it felt sincere. My waitress was as sweet as pie and made several recommendations once I told her I was vegan. I took her recommendation for the pasta and I feel like I may owe her my life. Or at least my tastebuds. She also informed me that all sides are vegan. WHAT? No ham in the greens? Red beans and rice w/​o sausage?! Music to my ears! They are all on my list to try for next time. Promise.
The cool thing is that I got to be privy to Creole flavors and ingredients. Finally. I mean, besides my lame attempts at cooking. As recommended by my darling waitress, I ordered the pasta primavera (and couldn’t resist a vegan spinach quesadilla to start). I almost cried real tears when the pasta arrived. Look at my photo, will you? It’s just fucking gorgeous. And just as delicious as it is gorgeous. It’s loaded with all kinds of fresh, beautiful vegetables. There’s a light creamy sauce that makes it decadently healthy. Plenty of garlic. Perfection! I did feel the need to pour some Louisiana hot sauce on top because hot sauce makes just about everything better, doesn’t it?
I took about half of everything back to my hotel room for later. And I have deep regret for not adding a vegan dessert, but I was so full, I couldn’t even think about dessert.
Deja Vu, I’m coming back for seconds, thirds and more. It’s what’s meant to be.

10s across the board! The food was incredible as was the service. I’m from New Orleans and I can’t remember the last time I ate this good. I had the honey tofu, and it’s seriously the best I have ever had. I won’t even drive past Memphis without stopping here in the future.

Yum! I’m vegan and my husband eats everything! What a nice surprise to find this gem in Memphis! I had curry tofu with a side of steamed spinach, soooo yummy! My husband had lemony pork chips and a side of roasted potatoes. He said it was excellent as well. I had called from Jerry Lee Lewis’ club at 8:00 pm and the server told me the owner doesn’t like to disappoint anybody, that they normally close the kitchen at 8:20, but stayed open just for us!

I love their vegan options! Thank you for being here in the community. Food was delicious!

This was my first time here. The food was awesome and so was the staff. The waitress was really attentive and friendly. The owner came out and introduced himself and we really appreciated that. I definitely will be back.

First of all, the service in this place is fantastic. Such friendly servers and the owner, Gary is around checking on everything and everybody. My husband picked this place because of its vegetarian leanings (as the only vegetarian in the family, I have to be pleased foodwise at least on occasion) and also because all of us like spicy food. So glad we went here.
I had the vegan tacos which I wish I hadn’t after eating their wonderful smothered okra. I am sure some other creole style vegetarian dish would have been far superior. You live and learn. My husband and son shared an order of the gator bites (which my son rates at 2.5 to 3 out of 5). For my son, it was the novelty factor than his preference for gators. As far as the entres go, my son was a little disappointed. He ordered the fried chicken, which was perfectly cooked but he felt that it was not spicy or flavorful like the other dishes we all had ordered. My husband, the ever-​intelligent foodie ordered a hot sausage po-​boy which he absolutely loved and shared with my son who loved it too.
Moral of the story: order cajun/​creole here and you will be very happy. Do not order tacos or fried chicken. They are okay but not what you would expect here. If you are in Memphis, go here. Wonderful, tasty, healthy food. Terrific service. Reasonable prices. A perfect meal all in all.

The customer service was excellent. I love the vegetarian options. I tried the veggie rolls. I will get them every time I go.

Ate here last night for the first time, and the food was amazing! I ordered the Mardi Gras pasta and would definitely recommend it. Friend ordered the bread pudding and that was delicious as well. All of our food came out in a timely manner and was nice and hot. We also tried the plantains, but I don’t think I would try it again.
The owner was walking around and talking to customers which was very nice to see. The only reason I can’t give it 5 stars is because our service was a little slow. Our empty plates sat in front of us for 10 – 15 minutes and we had to wait to receive our bill. I would definitely come back again though.

I’m very impressed with this restaurant! I’m usually very critical of New Orleans style establishments since I’m very fond of New Orleans & I’m often let down. Not here!!! They have amazing food & a great selection. The spices are incredible, everything was fresh & cooked perfectly!
I would recommend the fried catfish with crawfish étouffée… the catfish was cooked perfectly, not too greasy & the spices matched perfectly with the étouffée.
Everyone in my luncheon party loved their food & were impressed so much some visited several times before they left town.
I would recommend for any type of occasion!

We’ve been wanting to come here and try this place for a while now and we finally got the chance on Friday.
I got the Mardi Gras Pasta and it was great. Pastas at restaurants can turn out pretty bland but this was perfect — lots of flavor. And the portion was HUGE.
My husband got the Big Keith Bayou Blackened Tilapia. His portion was a lot smaller and he actually wasn’t too fond of it. He said it was just «okay».
Service was great and they repeatedly checked to make sure we didn’t need anything else. The chef came around and made sure everything was good, as well.
Not a super fancy place and the décor/​seating is pretty average/​minimal but the food makes up for it.

This place is a must try in Memphis! Perfect for a casual date or friends night out and located in a good spot downtown.
I’ve been here twice and both times I’ve left with a great taste in my mouth. The platter is a great place to see what this place is about, and the stews are simply amazing. The alligator stew is, without a doubt, the best plate this restaurant has. It is unique to it too, a recipe created by chef Gary. I know this because I looked it up like crazy and couldn’t find it. The gumbo and gator bites are worth trying. The pastas are pretty good. The bread cake is an otherworldly experience.
The staff is very friendly, and both the manager and the chef will make usual rounds to see how everyone/​everything is. The service is mostly good, but it can get spotty when is busy.
Now, anyone coming here must understand something: this place is pricey, and the portions are fairly small, but they usually make up for it with great quality and unique plates. If you come here with the mindset of getting a lot of food for your buck, you will NOT have a good time.

Blackened catfish– excellent, chicken and sausage jambalaya pasta very good, seafood gumbo good maybe slightly salty but very tasty, chicken sausage rice jambalaya.
Bananas foster cheesecake definite 5stars!
Service excellent, chef gary made the rounds great experience and decent price.

My husband and I visited this restaurant right after it opened. Our food lacked taste. I loved the concept and environment, but I hope they improve on the flavor.

The Bananas Foster. The Bananas Foster. Did I say the Bananas Foster. I’ve been craving a good Bananas Foster since the Melting Pot left Memphis. This surpasses my expectation of taste. I had the bbq shrimp which was really good. I also ordered a veggie plate. My favorite was the collards and grilled cabbage. The citrus spinach and red beans and rice had good flavor but were bland. The candied yams were ok. But the Bananas Foster will bring me back!

This is a review for DejaVu Catering Services. If you’d like to read my review for DeJaVu restaurant, please click on the listing for their other location on Florida. A summary of the restaurant review: It is SO goo. You should go. Now.
I spoke with Chef Gary concerning catering my husband’s birthday party. We came up with the menu and he gave me a quote. It was reasonable, so I agreed without taking out any menu items/​services or haggling.
The night of the party, Chef Gary and Slim arrived early to complete the professional setup. I was so surprised to learn that Chef Gary himself would be serving my guests his delicious food. He never said who would be there, and I just assumed that he would send someone else. It was such a treat to have him in person. For those that haven’t had the opportunity to meet him, Chef Gary is really nice and down-​to-​earth.
My guests enjoyed everything that was prepared. We had Steak Po Boys, Chicken Po Boys, and even Veggie Po Boys, and Zapp’s chips. The amount of food, presentation, flavors, and setup was just perfect. I would not hesitate to hire Chef Gary of DeJaVu again to cater an event.

This was our first time dining at De Javu and the service was TOP OF THE LINE!!! For our appetizers, we ordered the gator bites and BBQ shrimp. The gator bites, although very tasty, were extremely small and to get a regular bite size, I had to put 3 – 4 on my fork. The remoulade sauce was great! I have ordered gator bites at many restaurants and love the dish, but these shouldn’t be so small. I would suggest that this change be considered. My husband ordered the BBQ shrimp, a dish he often makes at home, and said the sauce was the best he has ever had, but the shrimp were too small and bread should have been served with it. My main meal was the Seafood Gumbo. I LOVE A GOOD GUMBO!!! There wasn’t hardly any seafood in the dish, but there was a good portion of sausage. The roux was not as good as I had hoped for especially since the chef is from New Orleans. My husband ordered the Catfish with crawfish roux on top. IT WAS SOOO DELICIOUS!!!
Next time we visit, we both will probably go for the catfish plate again or try one of the red sauces, not the typical roux.
As I said in the beginning, the service was GREAT, perhaps the best we have ever experienced! The owner/​chef even visited us just after we were seated.

You don’t even have to know DeJa Vu is up ahead. Just follow your nose. Smell New Orleans? Follow it!!!
The place doesn’t look like anything special but just trust me and go in. Heck, trust all the awards this little place has gotten over the years. These guys know what’s up. They know how to transport a gal back to New Orleans when she’s feeling a bit blue.
I bet every staff member made sure I was taken care of. Such sweet people. The owner is a star. I mean he is everywhere.
RED BEANS AND RICE! If you go for nothing else, go for this.

While I had never been in the restaurant until today, I was already a fan of DeJavu. They have catered events at my church and other events I’ve attended.
I decided to have a quick birthday dinner here when it finally stopped raining. The Main Street location is small but cozy in a New Orleans kind of way. We started upstairs but decided to eat at the bar. The boyfriend was a little disappointed at first that he could only get beer and no liquor but he got over that quickly.
I ordered the Big Keith with fried catfish with a creamy sauce with shrimp, crawfish, & crab. I ordered grilled cabbage as a side. The boyfriend ordered the seafood platter with catfish, shrimp, and oysters with mixed veggies as a side. The meals were amazing. Special note: best fried oysters I’ve had in Memphis– done exactly right, they aren’t just flash fried– they are cooked but not overdone.
AND the service, some of the best customer service I’ve received in Memphis. Everyone is attentive, friendly, & super caring– you feel like you are dining with close family.
They sent me home with bananas foster cheesecake for my birthday, too. I will definitely be going back.

Visiting this restaurant was the highlight of my last visit to Memphis. I just had to take my boyfriend to the little hole in the wall in a sketchy area of town. I reviewed the old Florida Street location on Unilocal.When we arrived at the restaurant. everything looked the same, but the restaurant was closed. There was no sign indicating that they had moved.
I recalled seeing two different DeJaVu listings on Unilocal,but I thought they were separated business. I did a Unilocal search and discovered that the menu hadn’t changed, so they must have relocated. The new restaurant is a few miles from the old restaurant in a hot area of downtown Memphis.
I was so happy that this restaurant was still in business. The atmosphere is totally opposite of the old location. The new location is in a trendy area with two levels and a patio and the restaurant is just so cool. The old location was in a sketchy area and was quaint and maybe seated 30 people at the most.
The food is still the same. OMG AWESOME!!! I had the fried catfish with crawfish etoufee sauce and a side of collard greens. My boyfriend had the plain etoufee. My catfish was even better than it was the time I had it at the other location. The portion was so huge that I knew I was going to need a takeout container. I was wrong. My boyfriend was so crazy about my catfish that he ate the remaining piece and a half (there were three pieces) during and after finishing his meal. He loved everything. The collards were as delicious as I remembered.
On a side note, we were seated near the front door (the place was slammed). We were facing the windows. Out of nowhere, a storm appeared and a couple of people were forced inside. They were holding their plates of food, but there was no immediately available table inside. We motioned to them to let them know that they could join us. We had a wonderful evening with some beautiful strangers. They were so grateful and it seemed the waiters were too. It was my boyfriend’s idea to have them join us and that makes me love him even more.
Long review, I know, but one more thing. The service is VERY friendly, but all over the place. Many waiters appeared at our table and everyone was confused. No one knew who had taken our orders and the ones who had taken our orders forgot to bring them. We had to keep reminding every random waiter that we were waiting on coffee or water or beer.
I think that the owners haven’t figured out how to adjust to the new and bigger hip location, since they went from a small cozy restaurant to a big hip restaurant To the owners, waiters should have stations. One server should serve a station in a restaurant this large. Still, the food is what is about and this food is to die for.

I had high hopes for my veg plate :
Candied yams– good taste nothing over the top with the spices
Smothered okra– should have asked if spicy — too hot for me.
Grilled cabbage– interesting doesn’t seem to be grilled — more like boiled. Okay — not much flavor
Citrus spinach– good flavor — just spinach with hint of citrus.
Overall decent but at $ 3.00 per veg for what I think is a small portion– I would not go again but glad I checked it out.
The staff — the hostess and bartender that took my to go order were VERY friendly and represent this establishment well! 5 stars there.

I had a decent experience when I visited here with my bestie. She is vegan, and with that being said — I let her pick where we had dinner since I’ve lived out of Memphis for awhile. It doesn’t help that I am also a carnivore… I could find vegetarian… but vegan is in Memphis is still gaining momentum for such a BBQ heavy town.
She had been here a few times before. It’s right off of Main Street in downtown with an all year long Mardi Gras color theme; which only makes sense since this is a NOLA style restaurant. I think this was a fairly decent pick.
Me: honey roasted chicken, tried the corn bread, sampled alligator stew, and split fried plantains with Stacy.
Stacy: honest roasted mushroom hoagie and vegan sweet potato fries
The corn bread was a bust. It was extremely dry. Luckily they took it away and offered me another option. That’s when we decided on splitting the plantains which were delightful.
Stacy enjoyed her mushroom hoagie and fries. I can vouch the fries were good since I tried a couple.
The alligator stew was offered complimentary to me to try since this is one of their top selling items. I’ve had alligator before so I wasn’t intimidated to try it. It was tasty, but too spicy for me to endure during a whole meal. I opted for the chicken since it was a safe bet for my stomach, and overall it looked really good since we noticed the table beside us had it too.
The service was great! His name escapes me, but he had a great personality and a great server being as young as he was… he had to be in his late teens at most if not only 16.
It should be noted they do not serve liquor here.

Every time I walk into the downtown location, it feels like I’m walking into a friend’s house. The staff is so friendly.
It’s amazing that the restaurant can cook in bulk and still have such amazing flavor every time.
I cannot go to DeJaVu without eating the gumbo. It’s flavorful, full of shrimp, sausage and chicken. The rue is what makes the gumbo out of this world. It comes with rice.
They also have unusually delicious sweet tea.
#Yelp901