Yats

Yats is one of my favorite locally owned places to eat in Indy area. It’s so nice that there are multiple locations too! This fast food, Cajun/​Creole restaurant has some very tasty food.
The menu varies slightly daily and by location. They always allow you to sample whatever you’d like which is a huge plus because no one wants to order a dish they don’t enjoy. I usually get the B&B with sour cream, cheese, and extra bread. I’m always able to get two meals out of it too! You also have the option to get half of one thing and half of another, it does cost a little extra to do that option though.
The atmosphere is always fun.
I’m giving this location only 4 stars because when I walked in, I heard a ding from the door opening, but no one came to the register. I could see and hear people in the back talking and I stood so they could see me, but still nothing. Another lady came in and after a minute or two someone finally came to take my order.

An Indianapolis original, Yats has been one of our favorite places for filling, cold-​weather food since we first frequented their original location on College Avenue. Now we visit this location for convenience, and there’s no change in quality, quantity, and friendly service.
Favorite menu choices include the slightly spicy Maque Choux, comforting herb-​enhanced Drunken Chicken, and their vegetarian B&B with carmelized corn. Add sour cream, cheese, or diced onions (Carly approved).
The employees here always seem to be smiling and often throw in extra bread as an apology for a longer wait, phone interruption, or line to order. Totally unnecessary but nice!
Parking can be an issue due to other restaurants nearby and residents upstairs. Don’t forget to grab samples of the numerous hot sauce offerings — Cajun Power!

Yats is the place that I take friends and family from out of town to eat when they come visit. When this particular location opened up I was so excited. There was finally one close enough to me that I wouldn’t have to make a longer drive to go eat when I got a craving for the Maque Choux.
All of the experiences I have had at this location have been pleasant. The staff is always incredibly friendly and the service is fantastic. This will always be a personal favorite for me.

Fantastic red beans, sausage, and rice. Peanut butter pie is to die for. Friendly service, excellent pricing and clean restaurant area.

I feel like this is going to be a regular lunch spot on Monday as we drive in to the client from Chicago. It was a find by the guys who started on the project before me, but I wholly approve. They have a decent mix of items, including maque choux, gumbo, jambalaya, etoufee and a few others, some of which have small variations from week to week. So far I’ve had maque choux, étouffée, chicken alexio, and red beans and rice, all of which have been worth ordering again. Others can’t break out of their drunken chicken run — that’ll probably be next for me. The maque choux is pretty sweet, thanks probably to both the sweet corn and a little added sugar, so be warned if that’s not what you’re looking for. Étouffée could use a little hot sauce (as could some other items that coworkers have ordered) but is otherwise very tasty. And a «half and half» order for about $ 8 gets you a massive portion plus bread brushed with some mystery savory butter substance that is super delicious (and pairs nicely with the sweeter maque choux). Honestly, I need to just go half order, double bread, and not roll myself out of the place. I’d call this a pretty strong 3, it’s definitely a great lunchtime option. I wish something like this existed in downtown Chicago, honestly.

If I could marry the B&B, I would. Definitely get extra bread too. I’ve never been to New Orleans, but Yats makes me want to go. From the cute hipster dudes working behind the counter to the funky, chic décor to the incredibly delectable vittles… Yats has it going ON.

Love YATS! Never disappointed having lunch or dinner here. Love the bread and Maux Church (sp?).

Yats, Yats serves tasty vats,
Vats of eats, salty and sweet.
Listen to the staff, and pile on the toppings,
Even when you’re full, you probably won’t be a stopping,
From the BnB to the drunk chicken,
Yats’ offerings are so vast, your heart may start to quicken.
So order up a big plate and start digging in,
Yats is full of all sorts of win.

As a former resident of New Orleans, I was supremely stoked — and surprised — when Yats opened in Indy. Doubled down on that when the Carmel location opened, in addition to the original location, near my work!
Six years after moving out of the area, I found myself back in Indy/​Carmel for the weekend. On my Unilocal app looking for locally owned eats for dinner, I saw Yats! The lightbulb when off! Of course! YATS! How could I have forgotten? The best Cajun food outside of New Orleans. We were in the car within one minute.
Yats is a locally owned fast casual option where you choose from daily offerings posted at the order counter. The charm of the chalk board is part of the vibe. Create your plate and take a seat; your food will be delivered.
You can taste a sample! On this outing, I had a child in tow for her first time at Yats. I told the guy behind the counter that junior does not like spicy food — well seasoned yes, but not hot. He pleasantly served up a sample with a smile. And he even allowed the lil lady a second sample when I thought she should compare and not just take the very first thing.
As a result, she ended up with a half and half of Chili Cheese Etoufee with Crawfish AND Red Beans with Sausage. YATS IS kid friendly if you have kids that behave in a quieter environment. This is a place where you hear people’s conversations and they hear yours, so crabby or loud kids would not be advisable for dine in. Carry out, yes.
I always get Chicken Creole. Still as saucily delicious in 2015 as it was years ago. It’s a tomato based mild winner that I can never turn down! The bread is as crunchy with the weird orange butter as it ever was. Not life changing but worth getting a double order of.
I’d like to thank the gentleman working last Saturday night for getting us on the extra bread, and being very welcoming to someone new to this type of cooking.
For $ 10 per person (with a beverage) you’ll almost teleport to the Crescent City herself! Take your kids, take your coworkers, take anyone you can whether they have had this cuisine before or not. Yats service aims to please. Food made with love. Reasonable prices. Plentiful portions. Plenty of parking. Handicap accessible!
Need one of ya’ll up in my city Yats!

To the friendly chap behind the counter at Yats who told me the Maque Choux was not spicy: YES IT IS SPICY! Not spicy-​spicy, but spicy enough that I was grateful that I had ordered extra bread to cut some of the spice. Someone else tasted my dish and, without prompting, said, «Dang, yours is spicy.» See? Spicy!
Anyway, we also ordered the chili cheese étouffée, but we were not aware that it doesn’t automatically come with cheese, sour cream and onions (you order those separately for 25 cents each). That was kind of a bummer.
Overall, we enjoyed our meal. This was our first time eating Cajun /​creole food, so we didn’t know what to expect, but we will probably be back to try other things on the menu.
I did get a sample of their peanut butter pie, and wooooo — that’s some good stuff! Next time I’ll have to get a slice.

Yats is the kind of establishment that Indy needs for new residents to automatically think they’re gonna be OK in this city they’ve never been to before.
For longtime residents like me, we need it also to thrive, as it has, to inspire other food innovators will step up and take a risk on elevating the once-​bland food preferences here.
I’ll be the millionth person to vote for getting extra bread. But get some to take home, put salami in the middle and bake it for a few minutes in the oven.

It took me awhile to venture over to Yats, considering all the locations in the central Indiana area. Unilocalers rave about the quick, cheap, delicious eats — so much so that it’s a Unilocal top 50 restaurant in Indiana! Hence, I went in with high expectations. It was good, but I wasn’t blown away like I thought I would be.
This Yats is a bit bigger than I was expecting with a spacious entrance /​ordering area. They’ve also got a nice (but small) patio area.
Service was fast and friendly, and the food was ready in under 5 minutes. I opted for the half and half BNB (corn, beans, peppers) and white chili with chicken. Each dish comes on a bed of rice and bread w/​seasoning as a side.
First off — this place, you get bang for your buck! The half and half is $ 6.75 and I couldn’t finish my plate! I liked the chicken chili but it had a tad bit too much of a kick for me (I’m a wimp when it comes to spicy eats) and the BNB was good but not OMG delish.
The bread was good, too, but it wasn’t as life changing as some people make it sound (I’ve heard some call it «crack bread»).
What turned this would-​be 3 star review into 4 was the peanut butter pie. Sinful! Oreo (?) crust, with light and fluffy (but rich) peanut butter filling, topped with whipped cream and a drizzle of chocolate. WOW. What a way to cap off a meal!
Other notes: ample street parking and large lot out back, but they share it w/​many other popular businesses so it can get crowded quick!
Also, Yats food really isn’t the most photogenic (except for the peanut butter pie!) but don’t be turned off by the sloppy-​looking mess!

This place is the bomb.
Made fresh everyday, Yats has unbelievable food. Get there early because I’ve heard once one of the items is gone, it’s done for the day.
My favorite is the Mock Shoe but you really can’t go wrong with any of the mains. A half and half plate is a great way to try a few things. (Samples are also free)
And don’t even get me started on the bread they serve. Amazing!
Love the food, staff and location.

Gosh I FINALLY ate at Yats a few weeks ago and dang that place is delicious. And, I’ll tell you what, unbelievably friendly. I love the the fact that you can sample each stew they have a cookin’ so when it’s your first time you get an all around feel for what they have to offer.
The bread is something to die for… ordering extra is usually a must. I love how it is all about the basics at Yats. Nothing too fancy as the food is everything and speaks for itself. Bring on the plastic cutlery, styrofoam plates, and mardi gras beads.
Wonderful concept, exceptional food, and an all around fantastic experience.

True, authentic Cajun food in the heart of Carmel, Indiana of all places! You order either a full plate, or a half and half plate of whatever is listed on the daily menu. Everything is served on a bed of white rice, and everything is delicious. You have a side array of sauces and seasonings to add to your food, and the entire meal shouldn’t cost you more than $ 10. I ordered the half and half plate of Black Beans and Chorizo plus the Chili-​Cheese Étouffée with Crawfish. The Black Beans were simple with a very meaty taste, while the Chili-​Cheese Étouffée was obviously a lot sweeter. My boyfriend’s half and half plate had the Maque Choux and another option with chicken in it.

It wouldn’t be fair to compare the offerings at Yats to Cajun food in Louisiana or even Texas, but for Cajun /​Creole fare in Indiana, it is pretty good. Set up like a fast food restaurant, you seat yourself, place your order and pay at the counter, and they bring your food out on disposable plates.
The crawfish chili cheese étouffée was tasty and had a nice kick, but there were literally three pieces of crawfish in it. The chicken maque choux was nice and creamy, but was a tad too sweet.
The menu is updated daily on a chalk board, and the service is cordial. A perfectly A-​OK experience that I wouldn’t mind repeating if I were in the area again.

I love Yats. Love love love. I will always come here for Mushroom Étouffée or the B&B, which is black beans and sweet corn in a sweet sauce. Oh my god, my mouth is watering just thinking about it! Garlic bread is delicious. Everyone who works here is sexy. Enough said.

Pretty sure I’ve reviewed other Yats, and the food is consistent across all of them. This one caters a lot to business professionals as it is near the business area of Carmel. Avoid this place directly at Noon or else face having nowhere to sit and waiting in a long line.
That being said, the food is amazing and I love it each time I go. In my opinion, this is the best place to grab some quick Cajun food in Indianapolis (other than Papa Roux which has Po’Boys on lock)

I really love the food here.
As I’ve gotten older, I find my body does not always love the food here.
I indulge a few times a year to keep my brain from obsessing on their Chicken Maque Choux and/​or Chili Cheese Etoufee. I do so with apologies to my stomach beforehand. Why do I choose to put myself into an uncomfortable tummy situation? Because it’s super yummy, that’s why!
It’s good food that is fast, friendly service, and seriously cheap. What’s not to love? If you’re a carboholic like me, get an extra order of the bread and don’t be surprised by the electric orange butter garlic concoction on top. Take a bite — you won’t regret it.

I’ve been hearing about this place ever since I moved here 3 years ago and always thought, ‘What’s the big deal?’ Well, I quickly found out. Came here on a work meeting the other day and met the manager of this location. Nice people! I had the Drunken Chicken and a few bites of their Jambalaya. My favorite part of the meal? THE BREAD! I have no clue what kind of sorcery is spread on that bread that comes with every plate, but I will say that I could have eaten just that bread and given this place 5 stars.
The place is fun with beads strewn about. I probably wouldn’t do lunch here again because afterwards I felt so full, but for me it makes for a better dinner. Definitely trying again!