Gem Creole Saloon

We moved to Mac about a year ago and have been frequent diners at, Nicks, LaRambla and the Barberry. We were aware of Gem Creole but stayed clear of it because we were concerned that the food might be too spicy. After looking at the menu again we decided to try last Saturday night. I wish we would have tried its sooner! The food (jalapeño hush puppies, fried chicken and waffles, seafood gumbo) was excellent. A little heat in the hushpuppies and the gumbo not too spicy at all.
I’m big on service. With the exception of a slight delay in getting our drinks, service, including delivery of appetizer and entrée were spot on.

Great food for the most part. The biscuits and hush puppies were fantastic. The sauce for my shrimp was southern goodness. The fried pickles were possibly the best I ever had and Jennifer our server was super accommodating. The only issues were with how the menu was set up and the drinks. If you’re going to be a creole/​Cajun joint you need to know how to do a decent Sazerac.

I don’t know why we waited so long to try this place. The jambalaya was excellent and also the fresh oysters and biscuits. Food aside, what this restaurant has is an outstanding waiter who made the dining a real pleasure. I think his name was Oly. He is why I’d give the Gem a sixth star if I could.

I don’t give many 5 stars, but there really is nothing bad to say about Gem. My wife and I have been there four times now and have been disappointed by anything we’ve ordered, food or drinks. My particular favorites ate the Bayou Fries, which are a meal in themselves, and the 3^rd Street Hot Link. I traditionally thought of Cajun food as spicy or burnt, but on the contrary, I love everything here. Although I don’t do a lot of sea food, I have no doubt if you order it, it will be great.

Traveling through McMinnville around lunch time we found Gem by accident but are so glad we did! We started with a sausage and some fried pickles. Both were prepared well and the breading on the pickles was firm and not falling off.
Next, we had a bourbon flight with amazing local distilleries featured. Nice size pours and overall good bourbon selection.
For our main course, we had the brisket Reuben — amazingly juicy with the perfect amount of seasoning, the fried catfish with the most perfect batter– it was crispy and dark with fish that was super fresh, and finally the fried chicken and biscuit with gravy– the chicken was crispy and juicy, the biscuit was fresh and tender, and the gravy had so many layers of flavor. Perfection all around!
Finally, we topped this off with excellent homemade pecan pie with ice cream drizzled with caramel. The crispy bits were amazing and pie was fantastic.
The lunch crowd was tame but you can definitely see where this could be a hot spot here at night. Service was spot on and fun adding to the greatness that is Gem!
We loved food and will definitely be back to try more of the amazing eats and drinks here!

Gem is a great place for drinks and appetizers, or lighter, inexpensive meals. (Drinks especially!) Their wings, fries, and jambalaya are fantastic, as well as mac and cheese if you can handle gluten and dairy. They also have plenty of gluten free, vegan and vegetarian options, which are marked on their menus. The unique atmosphere is like that of a dark pub and sports bar, so also a nice place to watch a game.

I went in here for lunch with a friend from out of town and ooooohhhh man… it was GOOD! After living in Mississippi and visiting New Orleans all the time, I’ve missed creole food and this place hits the spot. While it’s still not exactly the same, it’s close. We got so much food it was insane. We got the fries, hush puppies, an oyster, gumbo, pasta, and biscuits. Wow, wow, wow… it was all delicious. Our server even made us sweet tea so we could really feel like we were back in the south. It’s a little pricey so it’s not a weekly place to visit but if you want a nicer place to eat with great food and wonderful service, this is it!

Great little Gem of a place (pun intended) There were 7 of us for a birthday dinner on Saturday night and they were super accommodating. I did an online reservation for 6 of us and when we got there I had to try to change it to 7 and they were totally fine with it. Mind you the place is not very big but they did great. Most of us ordered some type of sandwich, we were all happy, but not sure why we went out for creole and had sandwiches… I know why I did, I am a sandwich freak but I don’t know what everyone else’s excuse was! Hubby had the brisket and you can pick your bbq sauce. He tried the bourbon one but it was just a bit too sweet so if you do not like your sauce sweet try another :) I had the shaved rib eye. it was wonderful. We all ordered some of the voo doo fries… all I can say is… OHH MY GODDDD… what a flavor explosion! OH and bacon mac n cheese… HELOOO! We have always had good drinks there too :)

My second visit in one month, so worth it! Don’t like fried pickles, ate a bunch! Had an amazing burger and frys this place truly is a gem. The favorite, fried chicken! I defiantly won’t be getting chicken anywhere else.

I came here while visiting my friend, phaleasha, and I have to say, I had the most amazing hushpuppies. I don’t normally like them, but these were great! And the fried pickles. best I’ve ever had… and I luv fried pickles… the chicken and bisquits. amazing. if you’re a local or just passing through, you must stop by. the food is amazing.

Any place that hands me their dinner menu, and then hands me an «oyster menu» gets a couple free stars right off the bat.
The service in this place was excellent, friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable.
We ordered a couple of oyster appetizers that were good and fresh.
I had the ½ fried chicken and waffles. The portion was plenty! The chicken was fried very dark brown, on the razor’s edge of being burnt. The butter and syrup served with the waffles complimented the dish perfectly.
My wife had the reuben sandwich which was excellent, and the habanero slaw, which also was very good and perfectly sweat-​inducing. We also tried the jalepeno hushpuppies which were delicately fried to absolute perfection.
Great selection of Oregon microbrews to flush it all down and we were happy campers!
Only reason for not giving that 5^th star was the fry job on the chicken. Having never had fried chicken in the south before I hate to knock it if it’s supposed to be fried that dark, but it was too dark for my liking.
We will certainly return as we work our way through their awesome menu!

Fantastic lunch! Service, atmosphere, cocktail and food were all awesome! I had the willapa oysters (fried perfectly), collard greens, pimento cheese appetizer and the sweet tea smash. Unbelievably delicious at a great price. My boy had the fried chicken biscuit and I almost wanted to trade, almost. We will be back! Loved the Cajun music too!

August 18^th: The food was awesome and so was the the waitress that served us. We had such a good time. Cant get any better than that!

Our meal was amazing… Service, not so much. Fried Chicken Biscuit and the Mac & Cheese add bacon and jalapeño… I start drooling every time I think about it.
The atmosphere is good, mostly due to the music.
If this review was based solely on the food I would give it a 5star, then again, service was a 2… But worth the long… wait.

We were passing thru and found this hidden GEM. Sorry, had to say it.
Anyway, the food was amazing (and come hungry, the servings are big). My daughter had the fried chicken and waffles. I stole a piece. It was the BEST fried chicken we’ve ever had.
My chicken and gravy was perfect and my wife’s gumbo was an excellent spice level. The fresh brewed iced tea and lemonade were very refreshing.
A must visit and come hungry.

I came into town feeling lonely and hungry, and I left with a couple new friends and a lifted spirit. Steven, the manager, is super wonderful. My advice is to skip the dining room and just go straight to the bar to eat. They serve a full menu and there’s no wait. Otherwise, the entire place is packed — as it should be.
The entrée with 16 large shrimp served in a Creole sauce was the first thing I tried and it’s still my favorite. The jambalaya is the best I’ve ever had and worth the wait. It takes 45 minutes because it’s prepared from scratch. Tonight I had the halibut sandwich and fried okra, which was also exceptional.
My favorite thing about this restaurant has been the people. All of the staff have been remarkably kind to me. Phil and Jess deserve a notable mention. I look forward to returning as many times as possible before my kids come back from their grandma’s place and I have to go back to cooking my own dinners!

This place was a great find. The food and service was outstanding. We will be back again.
We found ourselves in McMinnville helping our daughter relocate to this area. While trying to decide where to eat I pulled out my phone and began looking at Unilocal.This place looked pretty interesting and with the positive reviews we decided to give it a try. Boy I am so glad we did.
The interesting décor with all the mirrors and other things made for a relaxing and wonderful evening. The bar was also cool looking and it was apparent that some thought went into the interior design.
The service was outstanding and it is hard to find service this good anywhere. When we had questions on drinks or menu items we had everything explained and our server made recommendations.
Good selection of beers on tap and a full bar.
Don’t come here if you are in a hurry. The food is cooked to order and not one of them microwave places. It does take a little bit of time. The taste of the food is very good. Our daughter had the BBQ bacon burger and she was very pleased with it. The other three of us had the traditional creole dishes and were equally pleased.
Dinner for four, drinks, and a small plate was a little over $ 100 including tip. This is a pretty good value for what we got. If we are in the area again we would return in a minute.

I have been to New Orleans a half dozen times, so I am not be an expert on the regional cuisine, but, I have dined at Commanders Palace, and several other very famous restaurants in the crescent city. Never have I had a better prepared jambalaya — Wow — great depth of flavor, spicy, balanced and rich. Other foods I thought were way above average and maybe even inspired were all of the baked oysters varieties as well as the sweet potato fries.
The place had a very cool vibe, plays great tunes and maybe best of all, their whisky and bourbon selection is fantastic.

GEM is really more like cut GLASS. Shiny and pretty, but no value.
Was visiting MacMVile as part of a road trip to/​from Crater Lake. Spend two days in town and was very motivate to try this place. Was told by a colleague who work in this town that this is a new place and worth a try. Looked good from the outside during a morning walk around town. The posted menu looked very interesting.
We arrived later that evening and found the place mostly empty. The woman staffing the bar told us to sit anywhere. We sat at a table near the middle and noticed the table was cleared, but was still dirty. The woman noticed that and came and cleaned it for us. I followed her to the bar to check out what beer they had on tap. Couple of local brews. I ordered one.
The waiter showed a bit later with menus. We had previously checked the menu and asked him about some of the items featured. He did not seem to be familiar with the menu. He was unable to explain how some of the menu items were prepared. Many of the items did not resembled what we had when in NOLA or at other Cajun restaurants. He told us the menu was recently changed. I decided on the shrimps and grits as he had told me that was one of the items they kept. Thinking if it stayed on the menu it must be OK. At least the kitchen staff is not experimenting with something new and will have it down pat.
My wife ordered the crawfish rice dish… forgot what they called it. The entrees came with choices of sides and we select greens, sweet potato, and okra.
The meal was a real disappointment. The crawfish dish had no seasoning. Just bland! This is not Cajun cooking! Justin Wilson is rolling in his grave. My shrimps and grits had only 4 shrimps. I got more than twice the amount at haft the price earlier that day at the Mexican restaurant across the street for a mid-​day snack. The plate was filled with onions and pepper… in an oily red colored sauce… not well prepared at all. The sides were the only edible/​appetizing part of this meal and they were not that great. My beer was OK.
We left most of our meal untouched. The waiter came later and asked if we want a box to take the leftovers. We had to tell him the meal was really bad and we don’t normally leave that much on our plates. My wife kicked me in the shin to remind me to be polite about it.
This restaurant needs to do a review of its menu, train the wait staff on it, and train the kitchen staff in preparing it. Lots of maturing on all front is needed. Not likely to visit this place again until I see reports from knowledgable Unilocalers that there is a turn in performance.
We ate pizza and tramisu at a place down the street and got a happy tummy.

On a Tuesday at 4pm… We liked the atmosphere as soon as we walked in. We went to the back of the restaurant to check it all out. Dan, bartender/​Server, was very friendly and helpful. Offered my husband a beer sample and made my drink to my request.
We felt the prices of food and drinks were very good for such a restaurant
Being so early in the evening, there was one couple sitting close to the window. We also chose to sit by the window. The atmosphere at GEM could of been a nice romantic experience with dim lights and pretty mellow music…
I just have to mention the 30 year old gentleman next to us ‚…well…not sure if he was trying to be cool to impress the girl, but he was extremely loud and every fifth word was the ‘F’ word. I don’t think it would of mattered if we would of sat at the back of the restaurant… he was that loud. We are grownups here, but that was not the place. Hope she dumped him !!
We shared the mac n cheese and a homemade biscuit. Read great reviews about the mac n cheese so I am not sure if ours was the same recipe. There was the pasta but not sure about the cheese. No creamy cheesy sauce, no sauce what so ever. What we had was pasta with parmesan cheese sprinkled on top. I should of asked if that was correct. If so, we give the mac n cheese one star.
My husband had the Fried Chicken. He doesn’t care for white meat because it is usually dry. I will say that half chicken didn’t have a chance to run. I almost had to roll my husband out of there because he ate it all.
There was quite a bit of the homemade crusty batter on it which my husband didn’t eat much of because he wanted to get to the tender and moist meat… so I ate most of it. I thought the spices were excellent and just the right amount of salt. I’m drooling as I write this review.
When it came to my Jambalaya. I was so full already I didn’t eat much. It was a huge portion and comes out on a hot case iron skillet. My husband, who doesn’t care for rice, took it to work the next day and said it was delicious.
We will be back.
PS if you are in a hurry for dinner it is not a place to go. Everything is homemade and that takes time. It does say 45 minutes on the menu for the Jambalaya.