Next Stop, Gumbo Shop
History in Every Spoonful
To come to New Orleans and not order gumbo is like forgetting to see the Mississippi River or hear a little jazz while you're in town. But just trying the gumbo isn't enough. In our opinion, one of the best places to experience is in the French Quarter, as our ancestors did, just around the corner from St. Louis Cathedral, the heartbeat of the city. Come grab a spoon and dig in at the Gumbo shop at 630 St. Peter. St.
Located in a Louisiana colonial townhouse built in 1795, this structure has housed a restaurant since the 1920s, and the Gumbo Shop since 1948. John Watkins, who was mayor of New Orleans in 1805, once lived upstairs. Fun fact: Tennessee Williams finished his 1947 Pulitzer Prize-winning A Streetcar Named Desire while living in an apartment on the top floor of the building next door at 632 St. Peter.
The inside dining rooms at the Gumbo Shop are lined with murals of the Presbytere and the Cabildo, where the Louisiana Purchase was signed. They were painted in 1925 by local artist Mark Antony. The carriageway entry to the Gumbo Shop leads to a tropical courtyard.
We started our evening at the Gumbo Shop with a fresh fruit daiquiri. In a town famous for walk-up and drive-through daiquiri shops that start with a powdered mix, we wanted to taste the difference. It was huge. So sweet and fresh - nothing fake. We loved the strawberry and the honey dew. The St. Peter's Punch is a knockout, too!
Because we wanted to experience as much of the menu as we could, we ordered the three- gumbo sampler which gave us a taste of their famous Chicken Andouille Gumbo, their Seafood Okra Gumbo, and their Duck Gumbo. We also tried a cup of the Gumbo Z'Herbes, a vegan option. All were delicious but, if this were the parish fair, we would've awarded the Chicken Andouille Gumbo the blue ribbon.
We also sampled the Barbecued Shrimp. Long after the shrimp were gone, we insisted on keeping it at our table. The sauce was delicious, the perfect dunking sauce for French bread.
And the Alligator Sausage had a delicious orangey dipping sauce. There was nothing oily or gamey about this gator. Best we've ever had.
For entrées, we tried the Creole Combination Platter - one scoop of Red Beans and Rice, another of Jambalaya, and a third of Shrimp Creole. If you're not from around here, this is where you go to check these Louisiana classics off your bucket list. Everything was perfect, the real Creole thing.
Then we tried the Sauteed Shrimp Po-boy. Make sure you put a napkin in your lap first. This is Creole comfort food of the highest order. We just loved it.
Next, they brought out a special dish called Catfish St. Peter. It was blackened catfish topped in a cream sauce loaded with crawfish. It was so good they ought to put it on the menu permanently.
We also dived into a few sides. The Corn Macque Choux is heavenly here. One of our party said it was her favorite thing on the menu. The Smothered Turnip Greens were also awesome. It's like they had our grandma back in the kitchen with them.
And even though we were bursting at the seams, for the sake of you, dear reader, we sampled their Warm Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce, stuffed with raisins and little bits of pineapple - just so we could tell you how it was. It wasn't surprising that we loved it - by this time we knew the Gumbo Shop was the real deal. It was the perfect evening to a day in the French Quarter.
For lunch or dinner, make it the Gumbo Shop. It's restaurants like this one that make New Orleans one of the nation's top food destinations, year after year after year.
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