Gumbo's

As far as the food-very good and the portion is fair for the price. As far as the service--SLOW. Stay home or eat elsewhere-you have a better chance of getting served. It was pretty obvious my waitress was new. As she sat me and placed down the menu she asked what I wanted. Well considering I haven't even pulled in my chair yet I am not sure. I asked for a minute and that was my fatal mistake. I was to never see her again unless I was lucky enough to make direct eye contact with her. I waited what seemed for be forever before I was able to have her get my drink/dinner order. Figured I should get them both at once and I am glad I did. The funny part is that when I was able to get her attention to get my order she had this look of surprise as if she forgot I was there which was surprising since there were only 4 tables occupied and a waitress was helping her with the other three. I guess I didn't make the cut for good service. My glass sat completely empty almost my entire meal until she came over to see if my meal was good and then I was able to point out my empty glass as she was getting ready to walk away. I was drinking alcohol which makes me wonder why she wouldn't offer me a new drink. I have always thought that a higher bill was a better tip. Heck at this point I would take something more then poor service for a better tip. I sat with no more attention paid to me until I stacked my empty dishes up to signal her again that I was done. Heaven knows she would not just have stopped by again. I got a half spirited ""do you want a dessert menu?"" and a check. During this entire time I watched the other waitress help Elsa with her other three tables. Topping off drinks, stopping by to check in and bringing over a dessert menu with a smile and a suggestion of her favorite. I love food from this region and was excited when they moved closer to my home. After this experience though...tonight is my first and last. There are so many other great places to eat on 17th--spend you money where you are wanted.\r more

Hostess was extremely annoyed that anyone would show up without a reservation. Gav ethem name and it was to be 30 minutes. Ok so we went to bar and ordered some wine. But wait, bar tender said they were out and trie dot convince us to get something else. Huh! A bar out of Cab? Turns out they had to wait for restaurant manager to get some from storage but he was too busy doing shots with his buddies at the end of bar. Finally did get our wine then watched as wait staff pulled bread with bare hands after handling dirty dishes and picking baskets off floor. Ok so we started to decide thsi was nota place to eat. Finishe dour drinks went to front after waiting 40 minutes and the snooty hostess could remember us even coming in and said our name wa snot on list. Oh and by the way ""I don't have to be nice to anyone because you want us and we do not need you or any other customers!"" Needless to say, we ended up taking our business else where and will never return nor will we ever recomend this restaurant or any other restaurant this group is involved with. Overall opinion -10.\r \r more

first impression wasn't good, the hostess was snooty, eyeballing us like we had no business being there in jeans. This is Denver, not LA: You cannot tell by looking whether someone is ""worthy"" of good treatment. The head chef was walking around the dining room sneering for some reason, it made me very uncomfortable. On the plus side, our server (never mentioned his name) was very good and we did receive excellent service from him. The food was okay, though my fiance said he could tell that the seafood wasn't fresh. Long story short, if you feel like playing dress-up, going somewhere snooty, and overpaying for food that just doesn't suck, have fun. I personally will not be going there again. more

Tried to make reservations, they said they were full but can do walk-ins. When we walked in, we said the wait was about 30 minutes, and we had to wait for almost 70 minutes ! After we were seated, they never told us that they were out of bread until after we asked for it after about 30 minutes !! The waitress then gave us some chips instead. The food arrived after another 40 minutes, and that is when she tells us they are out of mashed potatoes !!! We then ask for some Pasta for the kids, and they bring it with the wrong sauce !!!! The absolute worst part of the night was the terrible attitude of the Manager one Mr.aaron, who couls care less. After almost 3 hours, we left the restaurant with a bad taste in our mouth, both - literally and figuratively !!!! NEVER will we revisit this place!!! GRRR !!! more

A friend and I went to Gumbo's last night for their 'Happy Hour' special; a limited menu, but very inexpensive and very good. One complaint however. The 'hostess' was on the phone in what seemed to be a personal call. A waiter had to go tell her people were people waiting to be seated. We told her we were there for the 'Happy Hour' special and she gave a very loud and audible sigh of disapproval. It seems the waiter picked up on that as his service from then on was superb. My friend had the Jambalaya and I had Cajun BBQ Shrimp. We ordered a side of Red Beans and Rice as well. While the serving size was small, so is the price. The food was excellent. I've had dinner or lunch a few times a year since Gumbo's opened and it's always been great. The ill-tempered hostess aside the service was very good. We had a friend join us later and all she wanted was a cranberry juice and the server handled it as if she was eating a full meal. By the time we left, about 7PM, the place was getting busy. I'm thinking I'll be back sometime soon. more

I am from Baton Rouge, so I would like to think I know a thing or two about Cajun food. Not only is Gumbo's my favorite restaurant in Denver; I would compare it to many of my favorite restaurants in Louisiana. \r I had friends from ""home"" in town this week, and I was looking for a restaurant to impress them on their first trip to Denver. I initially dismissed Gumbo's because taking a Coonass to a cajun restaurant is like taking sand to a beach. After weighing my various experiences at the many options in Denver, I eventually decided on Gumbo's because of the consistency of service and food. I have never had a bad experience there, and this week was no different. The ambiance and service would indicate a much more high-end bill to go along with the high-end experience, but for 8 people with appetizers, entrees, (many) cocktails and a couple of shared desserts, our tab was $420. Sure there are less expensive alternatives, but there are few that live up to the value you get at Gumbo's.\r Though the atmosphere is romantic and memorable, the food is the real reason to go. The portions are stuff-you-to-the-gills generous, and every dish I've tried has been remarkable. The Barbeque Shrimp appetizer is as delicious as a treasured family recipe; if you use the bread to ""sop the sauce"" you'll find a little piece of heaven. The gumbo is divine, with the right amount of spice and veggies with three different options of seafood, chicken and andouille. The seafood is fresh and impeccibly spiced and never over-sauced. We even had a special diet to accommodate, and at Gumbo's not only could we ""find something"" for her, but she was overjoyed with her meal. \r Since we Tigers pride ourselves on our drinking, it's a good thing Gumbo's serves a variety of specialty cocktails too. The Strawberry Lemonade sounds innocent enough, and goes down quite smoothly, so you don't entirely expect the punch it packs. And the John Daly lives up to it's namesake.\r This was probably our 15th or so visit to Gumbos, on a variety of occasions, from 2 people to 40. They've hosted business events as well as birthday celebrations for us. I always consider other dining options in LoDo, but when it boils down to it, I just want Gumbo's. Pros: Everything more

I was with a group of 4. We arrived close by from browsing book at ""Tattered Cover"" nearby. The service was somewhat slow to seat us. They had plenty of tables not sure why it took them 10 minutes to seat us. I ordered ""the special"" flounder or salmon don't remember which with 3 or 4 bacon wrapped shrimp and vegetable medley. The price of the meal was pretty high but we weren't in the mood for much more waiting or walking around. The waiter was spread a little thin with the number of tables he was serving. If you have more time to look around I would suggest finding something more economical. Pros: Food presentation was excellent Cons: Slow service, Parking dunno?Price high more

Well, as I said in the tagline....I'm a Louisiana boy, so I know my Cajun food. Let me just say that I loved Gumbo's. It's the only place that I've found in Denver that really ""gets"" it! \r \r My date and I went there one evening just after returning from a long trip. The ambiance was incredibly relaxing and comfortable. The wine list was certainly serviceable and the food made me feel like I had really come ""home."" \r \r If you're looking for good Cajun food, go to Gumbo's. And may I just say, the Louisiana folks ""across the eastern border"" have never been all that impressed with anyone we've met from Houston. \r \r Try them out....I know you'll like 'em. more

I visited Denver last week. The fare here is an average representation of what good comes from Louisiana. The dirty rice was too spicy and flavorless, the etoufee was not spicy enough, yet still flavorless. \r \r Having lived in Houston and frequently ventured across the eastern border, we have have a good idea of what constitutes good Cajun cuisine. Gumbo's doesn't compare. The Pappadeaux chain does it better, and that isn't saying much. Pros: Nice location, nice ambiance Cons: The food! more

Very nice atmosphere, with white table cloths and great locale on the 16th street corridor, service was prompt with the water after delving into very spicey gumbo, the shrimp was very fresh and everyone in your party will enjoy Pros: food, parking, service was top notch, very quiet Cons: some food too spicey for personal reasons more

I came here for lunch on a weekday. I ordered the crawfish etouffee and it was GREAT. I like it much better than at Bayou Bob's, and Gumbo's ranks slightly better than the crawfish etouffee at Pappadeaux. The seasoned butter that they serve with their bread is fantastic too. The waitress was on top of things and kept my drink filled. All in all, a great experience. Pros: Crawfish etouffee Cons: pricey for a lunch outing more

How can you not love a place that has a $2.00 wine / beer happy hour with free gumbo ? And.... the gumbos great. Food snob says eat the whole menu here. Its hard to pick one the thing thats better than another. We love the apps and the cheese/butter they serve with the bread is a stand alone reason to go. Dont go to early to happy..... I dont want you to get my table. Pros: Happy hour Cons: Not enough seating in the bar. more

this is the best happy hour in denver. it starts at 2pm-6pm. the gumbo is free (with a drink order) they have a featured wine a 2.50 / glass (red and white). my personal favorite, kettle one drinks for 4$. the apple goat cheese salad is a nice way to fill up on food for minimal budget. (cocktal, bowl of gumbo and salad for 15.00 including tip). the chicken and sausage gumbo is FANTASTIC (but i always have to order more rice). for dinner, try the pork tenderloin or the pistachio encrusted mahi..absolutely delicious. more

Gumbo's is excellent! And Cajun food is NOT what the poor people in Louisiana grew up on. Cajun food is part of the southern culture and everyone loves it. That's ridiculous and ignorant. Obviuosly that person has no clue what good food is and has probably never had a good southern home cooked meal. Cajun food has so much flavor and people live for it. Know what your talking about before you make an IGNORANT comment about someone's cooking and lifestyle. I highly recommend Gumbo's! more

I had a disappointing meal with my brother one night at Gumbo's. With a name like that, I figured it had to have good Gumbo but it wasn't. I have never had my entree smothered in gumbo, but I tried it and I realized why. It was horrible. I also wqas not pleased with the bill. Cajun food is what the poor people in Louisiana were raised on. Pros: service was good Cons: everything else lacked more

We went to this venue for the first time last week. I have to say, we were very, very surprised at the quality of the food as well as the unbelievable service. The owner (Gary) visited our table no less than three times to check on our meal, the level of service and offered a bit of history of the restaurant.\r \r This is LoDo spot is truly a rare find! You will not regret ordering the blackend catfish or pork tenderloin! more

This is hands down the best meal that I have had in Denver. The wait staff was informative, attentive and friendly. The food was absolutely amazing. Everything we ordered had a fantastic presentation and tasted amazing. I loved the atmosphere too. The food here is very unique and true to Cajun cooking. Pros: food service atmosphere Cons: parking more

My sister and I shared an excellent dinner and wine when waiting for the Hockey game to start in May. Dinner and service/feel of welcome, was so good that we went back the next day for a desert and bottle of the same excellent wine. Maso Canali Pinot Grigio and chocolate. YUM Pros: Excellent ambiance, staff, food Cons: There are no cons more

I visited Gumbos last week for the 1st time on a friends suggestion. This place was fantastic. Great food quality and service. Try the Hurricane. Nice wine list. Have some Gumbo or Etouffee. Very tasty seafood. Beautiful steaks. Don't forget dessert at this place. I'll be back often. Pros: Value, Great bar, Staff Cons: Parking more

The food here was outstanding. The portions of the side dishes could be a little bigger, or the addition of another side would be great, but the food was outstanding. I had Gruper, and it was out of this world. There is a chocolate dessert that was one of the greatest things I have eaten in my life. Our server was spectacular, and made our evening very enjoyable. This is a must try spot for Denver diners. Pros: Variety, Deserts, Staff Cons: Additional side dish more