Yats — Restaurant in Carmel

Overall 7️⃣ / 1️⃣0️⃣ !!!

Trying to write my reviews in best to less than ideal format.

I got the chili and cheese etouffee with crawdad ($10), a fountain drink (TWO DOLLARS! 💀), and a cheesecake ($5.25) with whipped cream and fruit drizzle.

Note: That's an increase of one 🦅AMERI🇺🇸CAN🦅 dollar for entrees and dessert, and a ¢.50 increase for drinks.

I went in around 4 and it was slow. THE FOOD CAME OUT BEFORE I COULD FINISH SIGNING MY RECEIPT! Not saying YATS is fast food, but that food does come out fast. 😃

The etouffee is as good as usual and is fairly uniform in look and taste regardless of the location, as it seems. (KEEP IT UP 🤩)

The fountain drink! Ahem... Unless you're dining in, I'd advise just getting a drink elsewhere. Two doll-hairs woo!

The cheesecake... Ehhh... It's rich and creamy, and tastes great! HOWEVER COMMA looking back at how big the pieces used to be, at this location, from last year alone, is just a case of shrink-flation and is a do not buy in my book.

The price paid for what I got could have gone to a Meijer cheesecake, which happens to offer both soda and cheesecake but a distinct lack of Cajun styled food. Just a thought.

The artwork for purchase at this location makes it unique to me. I thought about featuring some photos of them and realized that I might have been harming the artist in the process. You'll just have to swing on by...

These people either work for this place or its just real midwest know nothing about real cajun or creole food. This is bland, bad stuff. Get to a House of Blues for something approaching real gumbo or this horrid stuff they call maque choux. Tiny scoop of both dumped on a small pile of so so rice. Rice is an important part of the cooking and cuisine but not here. Miniscule pieces of chicken lost in the bland "sauce" of both dishes, a couple wafer thin slices of sausage in the non-gumbo, and a meager, sad attempt at decorations meant to evoke N'arlins, Loosiana... Give this a pass. You can make better with Zatarans at home. Styrafoam cups n dishes with cheap TINY forks n spoons... A menu as limited as the clueless kids dishing this crap up... Oh and the bread "to die for"? Try the tiny sub bun you find in the average gas station sandwich display smeared with a meager stain of what appears to be the yellow grease drippings from the exhaust hood. So midwest... Exotic food to the...

Been here 4-5 times. The food has always been fantastic and the staff has been incredibly nice and helpful. (They were especially great with my fiance since she has troubles with even low levels of spiciness and helping make sure she was happy with whatever she ordered.)

Definitely going to be repeat customers here!

Edit: So I've been here a lot now. Still 5 stars, but figured it might be helpful to add an edit on some recommendations. Of their staple items (always on the menu), the Drunken Chicken and Red Beans & Smoked Sausage are my 2 favorite. Of their rotating items, the Chicken & Mushroom Curry, Voodoo Black Chili, and Chipotle Alexio are my favorite. That's not to say anything else is bad, by any means, but I find these 5 distinctly good due to their rich and deep flavor profiles compared to some of the sweeter or more aromatic options. Hope this...