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Bubba Gump Shrimp Co
Categories: Restaurants Seafood Restaurants Southern Restaurants Cajun/Creole Seafood, Southern, Cajun/Creole [Edit]
Mall of America396 South Ave
Bloomington, MN 55425
(952) 853-6600
- Hours:
Mon-Thu, Sun 11 am - 10 pm
Fri-Sat 11 am - 11 pm
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Garage
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
26 reviews for Bubba Gump Shrimp Co
26 reviews in English
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Review from Julie M.
Osseo, MN
5/15/2012
Went to Mall of America today to see the Princess Diana exhibit. I was in the mood for some good shrimp and decided on Bubba Gump. I had never been before but it was convenient to escalator up to 4th floor (where exhibit was) and I'd heard good things about the restaurant. They were not busy as it was early at 11am. I was greeted by a host and directed to an escort to take me to a table. Both were very friendly. I was alone and my experience has been that a woman alone is taken to mean lousy tip and therefore not great service. This was NOT the case. I can't say enough good about my waitress, Charlene. She was very friendly and helpful. Admittedly they were not very busy at the time but she took the time to chat with a older lady that was alone and helped pass the time till the food arrived. She explained the "license plate" deal to me but I never had to use it. I was checked on an appropriate number of times to make sure all was well. I give this place top rating for service. I ordered crab stuffed shrimp and mashed potatoes that were fabulous! Would definitely stop again at Bubba Gumps to dine. Good food, good service. What more can you ask for?
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Review from Marie P.
Saint Paul, MN
4/24/2012
Dined there for lunch with my friend. Ordered coconut shrimp. Wrong choice. It was literally SOAKED in grease. Yikes. Mentioned to the waitress, she was not to concerned.
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Review from Sarah S.
Nashville, TN
10/18/2011
We went to the largest mall in America (Mall of America) and wanted seafood. Well, all the places in the mall are still mall type food places.
We had a 5-10 minute wait but the place was not full, saw atleast 15 empty tables. The food was ok, we had shimp, gumbo, clam chowder, kids meal and key lime pie.
It's good for kids but it's not amazing food. -
Review from Jean P.
7/12/2011
We stopped in for a late-evening appetizer tray & some beers after having gone out downtown (the bar downtown was too busy to serve us). We grabbed one of the tall tables in the bar area and got served instantly, and they explained their brilliant policy of flipping over a little sign on the table if you need service. We tried that a few times with crazy fast results! We expected that our regular waitress would notice the sign on her next trip by, but it was like someone dropped out of the ceiling the instant we flipped it over!
The appetizer tray was pretty standard stuff, good but not really amazing. The beers were nice and cold. The most impressive part was really the service.
While riding the shuttle back to our hotel, we realized that we left a bag with some of our purchases sitting on our table. It was the last shuttle back of the night, so we couldn't go back. My husband called and even though they were on the verge of closing up, they were nice enough to locate our package and set it aside for us. We promised to go back the next morning and pick it up, but we something came up and we weren't able to get there until the following day. But when we stopped by, the host asked the manager and was able to find our package for us!
I don't know if all their franchises demand this level of service from their staff, but we were very happy. The food was decent, and while I might not recommend it to a seafood connoisseur, I think it's a great place to bring a family for a really fun meal. And, you can get your photo taken with a guy in a creepy giant shrimp costume. -
Review from Steven H.
West Bend, WI
3/15/2011
Took my wife an 6-yo son to Bubba Gump at the Mall of America. The atmosphere is pretty cool (obviously all related to the movie). The staff was friendly and fun. My son's meal came in a cardboard ship which he loved. When he accidentally spilled tartar sauce on it, we asked for another one for him to take home which they brought us without questioning.
The food might be some of the best I have ever had. We had the New Oleans shrimp and the crab-stuffed shrimp. Absolutely delicious. Before we left, the waiter played a little game of Forrest Gump trivia with us and Spongebob trivia with our son.
I do believe that BGSC is now my new favorite franchised restaurant (previous winner was Chilis). -
Review from Nick C.
Hennepin, MN
1/8/2011
I apply the Patton Oswalt logic of steakhouses towards seafood restaurants as well. The shitball places may not be as good as the high end places, but you'll still leave satisfied. I've been to Oceanaire and what not, and overall I cant really say that the food itself was astronomically better than say, Red Lobster...although the dining experience is far classier.
I've had a pretty powerful lust for seafood for the past few weeks, and I felt the need to satisfy it tonight. Granted, that timing fell around 6 PM on a Saturday which meant a decent amount of trying to find a place that didnt have a 45 minute wait for a table. Somehow, Bubba Gump Shrimp Company came up.
First off, The Forrest Gump theme is stupid, and the atmosphere is tacky as hell. You're supposed to flip license plates at your table that say RUN FORREST RUN or STOP FORREST STOP to indicate if you are a-ok (run) or need service (stop). Beyond that, you're eating overlooking mall shoppers walking by.
The food itself was pretty good. The portions were large and all the shrimp varieties were tasty. I left full and satisfied, and it was reasonably priced. Its a casual dining experience, almost to the point of obnoxiousness. You'd never want to bring a date here or anything.
The tradeoff for themed restaurant cheese vs a bill matching my student loan payments was a good one. I'd go back, probably. -
Review from Jason K.
Edina, MN
2/23/2011
My best friend and I had a free preview to see Hall Pass (Awesome movie) and we decided to hit Bubba Gump's before the movie.
We sat on the side facing the mall so we saw a lot of gawkers as they passed by, but they looked more envious than goofy.
We both ordered a Diet Coke and pondered if this theme will be outdated after another 20 years, because it is already getting a little old after 20 years. Case in point, they still come by and ask the mandatory Forrest Gump questions, we answered them all correct, but it seems really forced and uncomfortable all around. Just going through the motions.
I have been to multiple Bubba Gump's, the best being in Maui, right on the ocean and one of the only reasonably priced restaurants on Maui. (I love the Ma-hi Ma-hi sandwich)
I ordered the Cobb salad with shrimp instead of chicken and my friend got a shrimp sampler entree.
We got our food pretty quickly and the salad was huge, but a perfect dinner size. They had avocado sliced on it and bacon bits. I ordered blue cheese on the side and the chunks were there, so it was a perfect dressing for it. I really loved the salad, nice fresh lettuce with crispy bacon chunks. It was really good. The shrimp on the salad were perfect. Large and perfectly spiced.
Our server refilled our drinks quickly and she was pretty nice. She seemed to be going through the motions, but she wasn't bad at all.
My buddy's shrimp sampler looked awesome, for the price it better be. I think there was coconut shrimp, grilled, butterfly, and some other shrimp.
Overall, the service was okay, the food was great, and we got out of there in 60 minutes. Lots of laughs and an overall good time.
It was a little steep on the price and I could see a dinner going over $30 with booze, but at $16 for my salad and pop, I had a great time. -
Review from Jackie R.
6/2/2009
Gosh I really hated this place.
The trivia was actually annoying to me, because the waitress seemed to be almost condescending. "Do you know who played Forest Gump in the movie??" "Life is like a box of what??" I mean seriously, you didn't even have to have seen this movie to get these lame-o questions right.
On to the food. I ordered something which was called "Bucket of Boat Trash" at the time. While the name should have told me something, the description sounded great, like a hodge-podge of the different kinds of seafood that they serve there. What I got was literally a bucket, filled with mostly fried breading scraps and a few pieces of seafood. I see they have now changed the name to just Boat Trash and it's described as this:
Deep fried shrimp, slipper lobster, and mahi mahi dusted with cajun spices and served with golden fries. What's in a name?
I WISH! I guess I got the bottom of the boat trash or something.
I will never go back to Bubba Gump. My mom and I joke about this place and ask each other in an idiotic tone 'do you know who played Forest Gump?' every time we happen to walk past it at the MOA. At least it's good for a laugh. ;) -
Review from Ryan B.
St Paul, MN
10/24/2011
Father and daughter lunch.... I liked the atmosphere. I thought the food was decent but a little on the expensive side. I don't mind paying for really good food but did not think this was really good food. Just average. I would go back to give it another shot maybe dinner instead of lunch this time.
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Review from Anya S.
5/11/2009
One word: Eww.
Service sucked, so did the shrimp. Its not fancy good shrimp, its the same kind you get in a frozen bag at Cub.
They screwed up every dish we ordered.
They only fixed two out of the five dishes we ordered.
They made us pay the full price, i.e. over 90 dollars for some fishy fish and rice.
Avoid this place and save your $$.
Oh, and the aquarium is gross. -
Review from Ms. D.
Garland, TX
2/21/2009
As another reviewer pointed out, it is difficult to get great seafood in a landlocked location. Bubba Gump has a good theme and being seated on the "patio" so you can watch the mall folks was, in my opinion, a plus.
We had the Net Catch appetizer (garlic) which was tasty but not garlicky enough for my taste. Having to peel shrimp in a butter sauce didn't help me feel any more love for the dish, but there were 4 of us and I think we all got a good taste of the dish.
My companions all had the fish n' chips and all said it was tasty. The fish was done nicely, the chips had a good flavor, there was malt vinegar at the table which got the "thumbs up" from my companions and they all enjoyed the cole slaw saying it is rare to find restaurant cole slaw that is not overly mayo'd or way too sweet.
I had the dynamite shrimp which is listed as an appetizer but was fine for an entree if you are someone with a smaller appetite. The shrimp were spicy in a very pleasant way and I enjoyed it.
We all had strawberry lemonade and it was very good... a very nice balance of tart and sweet.
I had the key lime pie for dessert. I was disappointed. It did not have a LIME taste to it at all and tasted more like a very dull custard pie on a graham cracker crust. My dining companions had bread pudding (which was very nice with a delicious sauce), Alabama Mudpie (which was HUGE... seriously, this is a 2-4 person dessert) and ice cream with strawberries (which was a "special order" as it is not something on the menu). In spite of the fact that they were busy, they weren't at all pushy when we sat and talked after the meal.
Overall a good experience and I'd go back. Points off for not peeling the appetizer shrimp and the complete lack of LIME in the key lime pie. -
Review from Harry W.
Fairfax, VA
2/18/2009
I was expecting to be WOW'd by this place. Instead, I ordered the Shrimp New Orleans and was disappointed. While the shrimp was pretty fresh, I expected the shrimp to be bigger (at least twice as big!).
They do have good service. Their red and blue signs to indicate when you need service are a nice feature. However, at the end of the day, I paid 16.95 for 10 pieces of medium shrimp and a bowl of rice. -
Review from Christina M.
Rogers, AR
6/2/2011
I was disappointed in this place. I appreciate the kitschy Gump decor that ties in the movie, but the food was just average. Our server was horrible, even with those little signs that let them know we needed something. I feel like this was kind of a cross between Red Lobster and Planet Hollywood. I don't think we'll ever go back.
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Review from Allyson C.
Virginia Beach, VA
5/11/2011
So good! Amazing shrimp, which is crazy seeing as how we're in the middle of the country and I am used to seafood fresh out of the Atlantic! I liked the kitschy atmosphere and got some cute souvenirs in the gift shop. Good service, good food? Yes please
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Review from Emily S.
Minneapolis, MN
2/18/2009
Bubba Gump is alright.. I'll give them that. I like the whole ambiance of the place.. its a fun little theme, but the food doesn't really live up to the name. I've been here many times, and I probably will return many more times. Its good, but not great. The whole aquarium taste is what ruins it for me. Its really not fresh at all, you can tell its cheap, farm raised shrimp. Its a bit over priced for the quality of food. I feel that $15-20 a plate is a little much for cheap, farm raised shrimp.
My boyfriend said he went to the one in Louisiana, and said it was phenomenal course it is! Its actually wild caught, delightful, straight from the gulf shrimp! Now that to me sounds delicious. I hate the fact that Minnesota is so land locked sometimes. It really limits us to amazing sea food!!! -
Review from Kendra P.
Minneapolis, MN
7/26/2009
We went to the MOA for the mini-golf but wanted to stop and eat first. We never made it to mini-golf because we ran out of time and were soooo full.
My biggest problem with the restaurant was how expensive it was. AND they treated us like tourists, which was weird....and it was so busy.
I ordered the "I'm Stuffed" Shrimp. They tasted okay, but my tummy hurt afterward because there was so much butter.
The only redeeming factor was the delicious drink I had, "Lava Flow" which was a pina colada with strawberry swirls. Yummy. -
Review from Thomas M.
Flower Mound, TX
2/6/2011 1 Check-in Here
Been a long time since I have been in a BGSC. I think 1996 or 1997 while in CA. We visited the Mall of America BGSC while my son and I were in town visiting colleges. Not crowed but to be expected as the MN was getting 6 inches of snow that night. Staff was attentive. Food as expected. Good overall atmosphere. Would visit again.
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Review from Ashley S.
Indianapolis, IN
4/2/2011
Great, speedy service. Located inside the Mall of America. Order the mahi mahi and the key lime pie!!! It's great, trust me.
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Review from Morgan W.
Bozeman, MT
6/27/2010
I love the atmosphere! The food is really great too. But my favorite thing is the cocktails. The lemonades and teas are the best.
Listed in: Good Eats!
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Review from Olya K.
Batavia, IL
10/24/2007
As much as I try to stay away from casual dining restaurant CHAINS, I leave impressed with Bubba Gump's every time I have visited one (and it may have been 4 or 5).
This time our choice was limited to whatever dining selections Mall of America had to offer, and with a party of 5 its not easy to get seated quickly. Bubba Gump choice after all was based on speed of seating, despite the fact that they seemed busy. The waiter was fine, although while he tried to entertain us with movie trivia during the wait, his wittiness was a little on the slow side.
I ordered Bourbon Tilapia (while their website menu says its Mahi Mahi, I am convinced it was a different type of fish on the menu, at least in Minnesota). ??? Anyway. it was really good - it was a perfect blend of cajun homemade, and very yummy, probably just the way Forest's Mama would have made it.
I also got to try a bite or two of Shrimp New Orleans, from my earintg companion's plate - and I realized I had that there before... It has to be my favorite dish on their menu, and something that does remind me of the French Quarter dining so much!!!! Its a ball of rice floating in a little bit of gumbo and topped with shrimp! So delicious! -
Review from Amy J.
Minneapolis, MN
12/8/2009
Overpriced fried food. Doesn't even have a separate lunch menu.
Listed in: Mall of America
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Review from Eric S.
5/9/2009
After eating at the Bubba Gumps in Maui and really enjoying it, thought I'd try the one here. I was bummed, the one here wasn't as good food wise (not even close really, but I guess that was to be expected) the atmosphere is cool. I had the shrimp po boy sandwich and it was OK, needs more seasoning, there wasn't much flavor. My son had breaded shrimp and he enjoyed it but you can get better at any local Red Lobster. Our waitress was great, she even sat down and talked to us for awhile which was nice. At one point in the meal I flipped up the little sign to get a waitress to stop since I needed a refill on the soda, one stopped right away and I told her I needed a refill, before I even had time to flip the sign back over there was a waiter at our table rudely telling us to flip the sign back. I don't know how he missed the fact that the waitress was just there a split second before he was and there is no way I had time to flip it back yet. That was a little annoying. Foods just OK but it's worth going there once just to experience it. (if you're already at the mall).
PS - I already caught my limit of Walleye this morning, time to eat! What a great opener! -
Review from Gabriel S.
Minneapolis, MN
3/11/2010
Great food, this was my first time there. I was there with a bunch of dancers from Dance Your Heart Out. later they came down to the main rotunda with he big fish. They were all really nice, the food was good and it was a great experience. I do like the one in Daytona Beach FL better but that's just because it open air on the ocean.
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Review from J C.
Coronado, CA
5/20/2010
Ok, but not so amazing since I just ate my way in seafood up the east coast from FL to Maine. Cute decor, great location, food was nothing incredible, but definitely edible.
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Review from Carlos B.
Fort Leonard Wood, MO
4/24/2010
A fun place to visit if every in the Mall of America. The drinks, ohhh my god were off the chain. So nice I had to order the drink twice. All I can remember one was a strawberry something or other and the second was a mango something or other. The food was just as great. Just remember Run Forest Run!!!
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Review from Jen B.
Minneapolis, MN
4/20/2009
I am not a huge fan of the MOA, but when I found myself STARVING after a trip to IKEA, I thought, screw it, we can run into the mall for a quick bite. I was kinda in the mood for seafood, so we hit up Bubba Gump. I had only been there once before, a really long time ago, but remembered liking it well enough. The wait for a table was only about 10 minutes. The food came out quick, and was pretty good. Not as good as I remembered, but good. Our server was decent, friendly enough, but I could tell that the little license plate STOP and GO signs must get on her nerves. We flipped it so she would come over a few times, and each time, she annoyingly told us to flip our sign back over. We sat right next to a server station, and heard and saw some pretty interesting things. I think they need to realize that they are not invisible, and people can hear them as they talk shit. It both shocked me and gave me a good laugh a few times through out our meal.
