Gumbo's Deli — Restaurant in McAllen

Okay, it's rare that I give a restaurant a five star review, especially when on a first visit. I'm going to go ahead with this, with caveats. The restaurant is well-situated, located at the back of a pleasant atrium, inside a strip mall. There's plenty of parking, and having the restaurant inside the atrium and not just an outdoor store front gives it added security, better environment control and more of an upscale feel.

The inside of the restaurant is comfortable, clean and minimalist, with a large window into the kitchen area affording customers the opportunity to see the entire prep area of the kitchen. I really like it when a restaurateur is so confident in his/her kitchen staff that s/he is willing to show everyone exactly how the kitchen is operating, at all times. Very cool...

The person who took my order was welcoming and quite helpful to me as a first-time visitor with no clue what to order. I was pleasantly surprised that a full lunch (takeout) for two, with tip, was less than $20.00... even though there were other customers, from order to exit was less than 15 minutes.

I've just completed eating my chicken salad sandwich, which was delicious! The salmon salad I ordered for my colleague looked and smelled wonderful and was incredibly ample for a meal that cost less than $8.00!

Add to the above how well-prepared the restaurant is to address the current pandemic, and I am obliged to proffer a five star review. Let's see how Gumbo's Deli stands up to a second visit....

Awesome food and good prices. I had a Creolle with a cucumber-lemon aid drink, both of which were delicious. My wife asked for vegetable soup, which I don't think is on the menu, but that didn't stop the cashier from entering in a vegetarian ciabatta. She enjoyed the ciabatta, but still would have preferred a soup. The cashier was rather uninspired, and didn't help us at all when we said it was our first time there. Considering we didn't know what most of the menu is, he didn't do anything but wait for us to pick something, which he interpreted wrong. First impressions are very important, and this didn't leave a good one. The aesthetics were okay. There's nothing negative to say about it, but nothing positive either. Overall, the food is good and affordable; I just had a bothersome first time and didn't enjoy...

I LOVE coming here, the salad/combo croissant sandwich is delicious! 😋 But the service, is BAD. I went the other day around 1:30 I was the only one there when I noticed everybody coming and going except me! 😳 I get up and ask for my order and she says “hold on”and I tell her “again”, if that’s all she knows what to say, it’s already 2:00 and still nothing. It’s 2:30 still nothing and I asked and she’s like telling the other person she’s been waiting for her order! 😡🤬 Well he comes out and sees a bag next to the register and sees my name on it. 🙄 Go frkn figure, all soggy sandwich, right!! Sitting for what, almost an hour and guess what she asks me “ DID YOU PAY” omg, instead of saying “I’m sorry” or at least offer to change my order, since it’s been sitting there...