Jackson Jambalaya

Ridgeland is lost.

I guess the closing of Sombra will leave some somber.

Can't wait to hear how this is Jackson's fault

The loud, non-tipping locusts from Jackson found it. Just like Walk-ons.
It was only a matter of time before it closed.

I liked the ribs. I always smelled like Sombra when I left the restaurant. I'm guessing the rent was steep, and expensive tacos aren't a priority.

https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/meme/images/3/3c/Oh-no-anyway.jpg/revision/latest

I never liked their food enough to be a favorite. Last time I ate there I actually didn't like it. Guess I"m not the only one.

Killed by high rent payments

It will soon be only a shadow of its former self. (Sombra means shadow in Spanish)

2:53 is spot on. There is a history of restaurant closings when the non-tipping, foul mouthed, loud thugs start hanging there. Good wait staff leaves and service goes down the drain. Respectable patrons who are courteous and leave tips quit coming. Food quality deteriorates and it is too late to save the business. Mandatory tips are the only chance of saving restaurants from the invasion of the gangsters and their brethren.
Also, the credit card fees many restaurants now charge totally shaft the wait staff. Customers have in mind how much extra they are willing to add to their bill. They deduct the credit card fee from what would be included in the tip otherwise. The poor waiters and waitresses are subsidizing the credit card fees. It is a greedy practice by the restaurant owner who formerly absorbed the fees as a cost of doing business.. Do not insult your customers calling it a “convenience fee”.
It is a convenience for the restaurant owner!

15 years is an impressive run for over-priced Mexican food

Went there last year. It was ok. Much prefer El Papito's or Karibe. Went to El Charro a few weeks ago. Food was ok but service was pretty bad. Only a couple of tables so not like busy.

Good riddance
It was always just a watering hole for the Club types to mix n mingle

No worries, Madison and Ridgeland. You got Taco Bell!

La Presa is better anyway

I predict most restaurants very soon moving to a system where you pay/make a pending deposit for your food when you order it because of exactly what you're describing.

High end Mexican food is just not a good idea. Surprised it lasted as long as it did. When I think Mexican, I don't think "fine dining."

I think the next one will be Cook Out in Flowood. The parking lot is full of people just hanging out blasting music at night. I bet they either have a big fight or a shooting before the end of the year.

I always thought it was too loud in there. So I quit going. My go to is cinco de mayo

3:57 Your prediction is correct, as I actually had that happen to me at a restaurant this past weekend! We were in the hotel restaurant, and they asked if they could "put my credit card on file" as if I were running a tab at a bar. I just had to ask, so I asked if that was because people were walking out on their tabs and she said, "yes, you wouldn't believe how often that was happening." Just so you'll know, even though this was a VERY nice hotel, the fire alarm went off 4 times during the night and it was otherwise "very noisy" during the times it wasn't going off. Draw your own conclusions about why all that happened.

As long as I have Cinco...

It is sad what happened to El Charo. It was a weekly stop for us when our kids were going through JA. It was filled with families and students. It either changed ownership or owners decided to change manager. It has sucked since that happened about a year ago.

If they don’t put a La Presa in that space they are making a gigantic mistake.

Sombra was NOT ruined by the culture. Sombra was just bad Mexican food that was way, way overpriced.

In Wilmington, NC, every place serving alcohol acts like a private club with a 3-day wait: you pay upfront, they tack on an 18% tip, you can’t send an order back, and there are zero refunds."

3:51pm La Presa is outstanding. Let’s hope the culture doesn’t ruin it. Another Jackson gem and success by Alex Eaton.

@2:53 & 3:57 no the hell they did not. All of the culture goes to Pedro’s at the Renaissance (which was an AWFUL decision by the Renaissance to let open). They weren’t at Sombra. Sombra closed because it sucked and was overpriced. Great concept but terrible execution.

The MCJ reports that a new restaurant is opening this space soon. Hopefully it is a Superior Grill or La Presa or Taco Mama. Great location, but Sombra was not good food.

15 years is a serious run. It wasn’t great but it had its fans for years. Good bar crowd for a long time. That group never seems to miss.

The last few times I went the food and service was rough. The old lady manager told us we couldn’t have a booth for only 2 people even though it was empty. Why is customer service at restaurants so hard come by??

I was told by a former manager it was 25k per month and that was about 20 years ago. So, it more than likely went up

I’m shattered. Ate there every Saturday

Gene McGee is recruiting Juicy Crab for that location.

Back in the 70's El Burrito around Triangle Mart ( a few steps south of the Meadowbrook McRaes) was much better ... and that joint wasn't even authentic.

5:57 mostly because they pay about $13/hour. Nobody decent can survive on that.

Sombra was known for ok food and extremely strong drinks. It was high for what it was. I’m surprised it took 15 years.

On Flowood and the cookout and the chicken strip on 25, Gary Rhodes needs to be strung up by his nuts and torched for allowing that to happen. It’s going to be the next county line road and you can bet your ass all of these aldermen and the mayor will be remembered by this legacy. Spec houses and fast food chicken are not the recipe for success except in the short term. They all sold Flowood down the river and most of us will remeber.

Casadore’s is next. Roach crawling out of my salsa. I didn’t make scene, but I won’t go back.

La Presa for the win!!!! Just wish Masa Mesa was as good. Never found my jam at Sombra but hate to see it close none the less.

2:53: Longhorn and Chili's are next to go. My wife and I had supper there last night (Chili's). The food and service were both great but extremely noisy. Most other patrons were sloppily dressed in their hats on backwards and cutoff tee shirts. I counted the cars in the parking lot and 80% were from Hinds County. It's the same at Longhorn. It beats me how these folks can afford a cocktail, an appetizer, a main course and a desert. Where are they getting the money? I make good money and can't splurge on food as they do. I moved to Madison over 40 years ago to get away from the Jackson crowd. It's about time for us to look for another place to live.

The house-poor people in Madison country can’t afford to eat out. That’s why Bravo, Broadstreet, Walkers etc are thriving and Sombra closed.

Superior Grill would be amazing but I don’t trust Jackson metro to support it. Doubt Barbaree is interested in expanding out of Louisiana. Tried it in Hoover and didn’t work out.

We need to bring back El Chico....
It was over there on the south bound side of frontage road near the Passport Inn...
I don't remember what year that was when it closed..
I know it was a franchise chain, but It was really good!

Went about two weeks ago. Food was not too bad, Service was HORRIBLE (waitress was too busy shuckin' and jivin' with her "people"), was stupid expensive, music was LOUD, and our table was the only "tipping" table in the place pretty much - the cancer had metastasized there obviously.

Food and serviced sucked since the Herrings took over ownership. Only reason to go to was for the drinks and ease of access if you live close. Cazadores food and price + Sombra’s township margarita was what they needed.

9:21 Jackson metro would absolutely support a Superior Grill. El Ranchito and Cazadores are slam packed every night. La Presa is a hit too. People want good Mexican food.

I liked the food and atmosphere, it was just too expensive, especially in a struggling economy. If the wife and I want Mexican, we are probably going to Papitos, though they started passing the credit card fee off to the customer and I hate to say it, but I take it out of the tip. That's a cost of doing business, not my responsibility when no one carries cash anymore. Anyway, sorry to see Sombra go.

Just smarter with their money.

8:48, 2:53 here...and I could not agree more.
Went to Longhorn and Chilis in the last year in Madison and the food was ok (its a chain, that's all I expect) but the staff and the patrons were awful.
The bar tender at Longhorn apologized for the slow service and said nobody is showing up to work. Then when one of the late employees arrived she and the bartender almost got into a fight in front of us. The late employee was so rude and then refused to speak to any of us patron and would just slam our orders down.
My out of state friend was shocked at the repeated awful service we got at multiple establishments and said he was thankful that his city has a much better work force.

8:48 why would you eat at Longhorn or Chili’s when we have so many great local places? You are asking for it if you go to a chain restaurant, anywhere! I hate that Madison has allowed so many chains to open. Applebee’s, Longhorn, Chili’s, Ichiban, you name them and they will attract the no tipping, shower cap, pajama and slides wearing crowd that reek of pot to show up. Eat Local and you can avoid that crowd 90% of the time. Yes, even in Jackson places like Walker’s, Elvie’s, Broad Street, Amerigo, etc. have very pleasant crowds.

7:33, when I started out $13 an hour would have been awesome. I was making way less and had to start somewhere. It’s called investing in your education and skills to build wealth. But yea, the economy or something.

Why do y'all keep saying to put La Presa there? La Presa already has a great space and is doing fine. Oh wait, I know why.

high rent.......the culture rot crowd and I heard the service was really bad there now.......deadly mix if you want to stay in business.

@8:42 You're spot on. I'm through helping the owner out by paying their CC fee. If you can't afford to do business and pay the 3% then I don't know what to tell you. Your servers will suffer, and then you can hire a garbage waitstaff, and then you can close when nobody comes back. Price of tea......

I'd be happy if Gene McGee recruited Juice Crab. I'd be relieved that Gene didn't push for a pawn shop or to squeeze in a few more apartments.

My office once held a get together in a room just for us. We had a dedicated waiter. I asked him for a sparkling water and he said "we don't have that" with a particularly nasty sneer. I went to the bar myself and the bartender got me fixed right up. I tipped the bartender directly.

Never went back.

Sombra started off a as a great concept, but never delivered on high-end Mexican cuisine. Best to just shop at the Valdez Market for ingredients and make it at home, which is less expensive and better anyway..

A restaurant closes--which is something that happens regularly in each and every single metro area in the United States and a good half of you can only talk about where black people eat and why everything is their fault. That's not surprising at all--half of you talk and think just like Klan members. It's quite predictable to anyone who has visited this site more than twice.

Don't ask yourselves why people outside of your close-minded group think they're better than you. It's because they are. God doesn't like racists.

10:33 do you honest to God think you could live off $13/hour today? seriously? You’d have to live in Section 8 housing and drive a 2001 Nissan with 400k miles, if you could even afford a car. You boomers are so out of touch it’s insane. No shit $13/hour in 1970 would have been a lot. You didn’t work any harder than people do today. You are just retarded and over inflate your work ethic and value.

Widow Watson's, Shoney's, Swensen's or Steak and Ale is coming to the old Sombra location (just kidding).