DATS on Grant

Just got some Dat’s for the guys at work and they loved it. Good food, great portions, and great prices. We got the Jambalaya, Gumbo, Red beans, Chili Cheese and Crawfish etoufee, and Buffalo chicken. Even the pickiest eater out of our bunch liked it!

I believe DATS was my second to last meal in Bloomington. I don’t know why my boyfriend didn’t take me here sooner. If you want some good southern comfort food, COME HEREEEE!!! I went with whatever the bf ordered which was red beans and sausage. We were both able to share this dish because it’s pretty big. The rice was just perfect & so much flavors in the sausages as well as the beans. A dish so simple yet so satisfying. To make it even better, their variety of sauces made it 10x better! Try mixing a couple of the sauces together. It’s really good. TRUST. I cannot wait to come back here when I visit again.
Staff is super friendly & street parking is not too hard to find.

Mmm. I really enjoy Dats. They always have deals on Hooked! Such a good lunch. I got the bourbon chicken this afternoon for lunch, and the first time I went I tried the gumbo. Both were delicious and cause for excitement! My boyfriend also tried the Thai spice chicken, I think it was called. It was also great! Everyone is comparing it to Yats… which I have not tried, but with few expectations, it is a great casual lunch option.

I hate giving such low reviews, but this place really just wasn’t good in my opinion. I live in Indianapolis and when I saw this place it reminded me of Yats. I LOVE Yats and so I thought I’d give this place a try.
The menu looked extremely similar. I ordered the caramelized corn and black beans with extra bread. The bread had some time of spread on it, but not that much. My dish mainly consisted of corn and rice — barely any black beans at all. I honestly think I counted 3. So disappointing.

You know that feeling you get when you’re so hungry that you’ll eat just about anything? That’s how my friend and I were after rallying with Bernie Sanders and waiting in line all day with little to eat the entire day. We were planning to grab some nearby pizza but drove passed this place and thought it would be quicker and cheaper and we were familiar with the branding (YATS in Indy). So we thought we’d give it a try.
Wrong decision. It didn’t satisfy either of our hangry cravings. Don’t get me wrong, the service and atmosphere were great! The food is where it’s lacking. I got the B&B and the succotash with a chocolate chip cookie. I opened up my to-​go container, expecting it to be filled with juicy, buttery goodness, and instead, it was mostly dry with hardly any black beans. I was confused as to why it just didn’t have that appeal that YATS does, considering the similar branding, etc. There was no flavor either.
Luckily, they had the hot sauce bar cause I needed to add an insane amount to make it less dried out and more tasty.
Sorry DATS, you just don’t have the same YATS appeal. Come on up to Indy and take some notes!

This is one of my favorite places to go for dinner. Their chicken dishes are really good! It’s not a fancy place and the food is served on styrofoam plates, so maybe not the best place to go to fancy dinner with your parents– but I think the food is good and you get a good sized portion of it.

Love their large selection of hot sauces. Hate that they use styrofoam to serve everything.

B & B was delicious. The people are nice, and it’s really quick. A+

So I decided I wanted something different, so I checked out DATS. Now I’m no expert on Creole food, but I recently took a trip to New Orleans and had some great Creole Cuisine, so I know a little bit about it. The food was extremely mediocre. I went with a half and half Jambalaya and Chili Cheese Crawfish Etouffe. The Etoufee was lacking in crawfish like some of the other reviews stated. It didn’t taste that bad tho. It could have had a little more flavor to it, and actually had a decent portion of crawfish. The Jambalaya was reheated or old, and was not even hot when I got it. It would have probably been really good if it wasn’t reheated or old, whatever was the cause. The décor could use an update. The guy behind the counter was friendly and the price of the food was good. Would I go back again? If I wanted a cheap meal probably but I would not come back if I had better options and I certainly would not recommend others to come here.

I am so, so sorry to have to say this, but no. I didn’t like the food at all. After reading all comments and having contemplated for a long time, I finally made it to DATS. I really want to love it, especially since the old man behind the counter was so nice and friendly. (I have a soft spot for men over 60 it seems).
Went at 1:30 and there was no lunch crowd at all. you could hear crickets in there. not a good sign. Whatevs. Opted for half gumbo, half chili cheese and crawfish etouffe. I had 2.5 tiny pieces of crawfish in what tasted like cheesy dip for cheese fries. Gumbo was soggy, mushy, and tasted like old rice in tomato paste. I tossed it.
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but this place is a no-​go in my opinion. I can only hope the nice old owner-​man will read this and consider improving the food. I mean, upland bar and restaurant has a better gumbo than this creole restaurant for crying out loud!

Well, I don’t like giving less than three starts but I wasn’t impressed. In fact I was a little disappointed. I am visiting Bloomington and when I saw Dats on Google, I immediately thought of Yats! (A creole restaurant up north, where I believe Dats got their idea from) I made this correlation due to the menu items and the advertising sign being exactly the same. However, the taste is not. The service is great and the atmosphere too but if you are use to Yats, do not expect the same quality. The food is much heavier and spicier. Which in most cases I like, in this case I don’t.

Food is good but last two times I got no crawfish in my dish. The meal is suppose to have crawfish and their was not a single piece either time. Probably won’t be going back, not going to pay $ 7 for rice with sauce.

Close to where I work, Dats on Grant is convenient. But so are twenty other places not much further away. I love Dats because the price is reasonable, the portions generous and the food consistent. Low key and easy rather than fancy, it fits the Cajun food. This is a keeper for your list whether you are student or enthusiastic diner.

Pretty good food– great prices. Their jambalaya was a tad under seasoned and the gumbo could have had more of a kick, but this is def the place for Cajun in bloomington. Their datwhich is also pretty good as well, but again lacking somehow. I would eat here again in a heartbeat, no matter.

Great great great
Excellent jambalaya and red beans with sausage!
The Cajun place in Bloomington IN.

I love the spice in the food! The étouffée is the best. I tried them first at the Taste of Bloomington and promised to return since then. Chicken isn’t my favorite, but I will absolutely eat it here. They dress it well! The chili cheese étoufée is also to die for and I love it so much. So affordable and delicious.

Deliciousness. Never had anything bad from here which is pretty awesome for me. Makes me hungry just writing about it.

Dats is the shit. Great food. Good prices. Owner is a very nice guy. Located in a cool old house that was transformed into a restaurant.
I usually go with the chili cheese etoufe (sp?) with crawfish and the spinach artichoke etoufe. Comes with two pieces of bread and you can add two more pieces for like 25 cents which i suggest to mop up all the tasty juices. You can also supersize the order (significantly larger) for a few bucks or half and half your order (I always do).
They also have an ever rotating menu with the offerings of the day as well as a sandwich option. The voodoo-​wich is always a winner in my book.
Make sure to take advantage of the hot sauce/​seasoning bar which boasts a large selection of home make Louisiana style hot sauces, chili garlic sauce, sriracha, cajun seasoning, etc.
Also, a little known secret is their parking out back (yes, they also have parking on side). Both are free. If you under the alley that runs behind the restaurant at the side of the block which runs along fourth street and drive up the alley a bit they have four or five free spots that are always open.

Days is awesome, especially for the price. I’ll admit that he atmosphere is a bit run down. But I love it in there. Any where I can tell has a local character and mom and pop feel makes me happy.
The hot sauce bar has good options. I’d love to see some more exotic varieties… but I’m an enthusiast. Most will think it more than necessary and be happy. I mean, they have over 10 options
The price is the best part. For $ 6, you can totally get two solid meals out of the order. I always get the vegan succotash. It has hominy. Tell me another restaurant that has hominy!
I have heard killer reviews of the bourbon chicken but never tried it. I know that their etoufees (sp?) are amazing from my days as a vegetarian.
Its not the number one stop in BLM… not the best Cajun ever… but in town for a minute and like cheap with quality, head to Days.
From mild to wild spice, they got you covered.

I liked what I had because it was hot and spicy at the same time. That is something that really seems to be lacking in this area. The staff seemed fine when I was there, quite friendly in fact.
If you’ve been to Yat’s in Indy, this is pretty much the same thing. Wonder if they’re related somehow?