Filé Gumbo Bar
Creole restaurant · Tribeca ·
Cajun & Creole dishes like gumbo, oysters, & jambalaya
Cajun & Creole dishes like gumbo, oysters, & jambalaya
"A tiny restaurant with a terrific New Orleans playlist, File Gumbo Bar concentrates on gumbo, with any combination of shrimp, andouille, chicken, and crab; as well as po’ boys of shrimp and fried oysters. A few other classics are also available, and don’t miss the freshly fried potato chips with a remoulade dip." - Robert Sietsema
"A Cajun and Creole gumbo bar in Tribeca, New York, offering customizable gumbo bowls based on personal preferences." - Nadia Chaudhury
"In Tribeca at 275 Church Street, Eric McCree’s place is pure fun—there’s a contraption on the bar where Tiny’s gumbo is made to order (choose chicken, crab, shrimp, or sausage and your spice level) while you watch; the lively soundtrack and menu items like crawfish bread, collards and black-eyed peas, jambalaya, and barbecue shrimp make it feel like Mid-City, New Orleans." - Melissa McCart
"At 275 Church Street near White Street, Filé Gumbo Bar has felt like a righteous home for Cajun-Creole for nearly two years; helmed by chef Eric McCree, who was schooled in New Orleans cooking by his grandfather 'Tiny', the narrow dining room—with tables pressed against one wall opposite a very long bar ending in a glassed-in kitchen—has a slight fin-de-siècle glitz (mustard-yellow upholstery, stamped tin ceilings, whitewashed brick and neatly displayed bottles). The menu concentrates on gumbo: the highlight is Tiny’s gumbo ($29), based on grandad’s recipes, finished at the bar in gleaming metal contraptions, built on a very dark roux made with duck and chicken fat and finished with filé powder; it comes in nine permutations (chicken, andouille, shrimp, crab or combinations) and I recommend the “all-in.” For Lenten fare try the gumbo z’herbs ($24), a year-round vegetarian version with leafy greens and fresh herbs that’s every bit as enthralling as the meat options. The crispy okra and crawfish étouffée ($25) comes close to an okra-thickened gumbo though frying dispels okra’s mucilaginous quality and the roux there is milder, sweet and tomatoey. Other mains I’d check are the jambalaya (a pleasing reddish rice studded with shrimp and andouille) and the fried chicken smothered in red beans, each served with long-grained Louisiana rice; entrees are full-plate meals so you could easily order a gumbo, jambalaya, or étouffée and skip apps. Quirky offerings include barbecued shrimp ($25)—a Sicilian-influenced dish that tastes like shrimp poached in a cross between marinara and barbecue—and a muffuletta that a friend called a bit heavy on cheese but still quite good; the spice-dusted potato chips are amazing (they can be ordered for $10 or come free with the fried oyster po’ boy $25, which contains four cornmeal-encrusted bivalves). For dessert skip the overboozy bananas foster and share the supremely wonderful brown butter bourbon bread pudding ($18): dense, lightly glazed and too rich for one person after a meal like this." - Robert Sietsema
"Pecking House @ Filé Gumbo Bar / January 26-27; 4-10pm Fried chicken and gumbo—but spicy as hell. This collab between Pecking House and Filé Gumbo Bar promises to emphasize spice on their fully original Southern-inspired collaboration. They’ll be serving a special “Meat and Three" menu with Pecking House’s famous chili fried chicken, Filé’s crawfish mac & cheese, and more. The event is happening at Filé; make your reservations here. " - Neha Talreja
