Kalamazoo Food Scene Gets New Options at Former J. Gumbo’s

Have you heard the news? Maybe you’ve even driven past the signs on Westnedge. New dining options are coming to the former J. Gumbo’s building in Kalamazoo!

Not one, but two new businesses are set to fill the empty restaurant space at 3205 S. Westnedge.

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One eatery is a Farmington Hills-based chain set to make their debut in the Kalamazoo/Portage area, and the other is a Detroit-area pizza chain that's returning to the market:

Savvy Sliders and Happy's Pizza

By the time I returned from Michigan after living out-of-state for seven years, seafood and Cajun joint J. Gumbo's had already come and gone. After almost 6 years the restaurant closed in 2021 and the building has sat empty since; a taunting reminder of all the shrimp etouffee I never got to eat.

While we said goodbye to some of our favorite establishments last year (Harvey's on the Mall, Schultz's Treat Street, Buddy's Pizza) it's also encouraging to see all the new businesses filling existing retail spaces, such as PickleRage coming to the former Romence Rd. D&W or Freddy's filling the empty Fazoli's on West Main.

I, for one, will be curious to see what comes of this restaurant concept: pizza, seafood, bbq, and sliders, all in one place?  Perhaps I'll make the drive over to Battle Creek to check out their Savvy Sliders location to get a sneak peek at things to come.

There's currently not much information out there regarding the new restaurant space. Find a list of business openings around Kalamazoo here.