Dats

Been going to Dats for over a decade, since the days of the hot sauce bar in the yellow building. Portions are smaller than they used to be, prices are still fine. The jambalaya yesterday was cold, bitter, with no sausage. This is the fourth or fifth time we've tried the menu since it moved into the 4th st market and we can't afford to keep spending money on cold food we have to gulp down.

Gumbo was excellent great flavor. I went back the next day tried the jambalaya. Unfortunately I found it to be dry and lacking in flavor also the rice lacked structure. I’m still giving this place 5 stars because I think they are under rated. I have tried most of the top rated places in Bloomington and this is in my top 3 for sure. The price extremely reasonable given the quality of most of their food.

This is quite literally the worst restaurant that I have tried since moving to Bloomington. I ordered the gumbo, voodoo chicken, jambalaya, and chili cheese étouffée. It was all disgusting! The gumbo was burned, the étouffée tasted sour, the voodoo chicken somehow managed to be spicy and bland, and the jambalaya tastes like soggy tomatoes with rice. If you know anything about real Cajun food, you will be highly disappointed.

I just moved to Bloomington from Louisiana, born and raised there for 22 years of my life! I was excited to visit here and maybe chat with the workers or owner about Louisiana. The worker wasn’t very welcoming but he did his job, and I knew there wasn’t going to be any chit chat. The food reminds me nothing of home. The bread didn’t seem toasted which I think would’ve helped with the Datwich. You’d need to eat quick or split with a friend the Datwich so the bread doesn’t get soggy. My boyfriend got the white chicken chili which he ate just fine but still reminded me nothing of LA. On its own without assuming its Creole/Cajun food, it is unique and a change of pace from regular fast food and the prices were good. I’m not picky about food at all. However I’m still inclined to try the gumbo and see how that goes.

I used to really like this restaurant. However, I ordered the jambalaya and carrot cake today, and the jambalaya was tasteless, and the rice was clearly old. The bread was completely stale and had obviously been reheated to disguise it, and the carrot cake was days, if not a week old. The restaurant is now refusing a refund, even though I've provided proof that I obviously didn't eat anything except the bread. I would recommend staying away. I pulled the container out of the garbage to take a picture to prove I hadn't eaten anything, and they still insist there was nothing wrong with it. **Update to respond to owner: I'm sorry, exactly how long does a piece of carrot cake or toasted bread need to remain in a driver's vehicle before it becomes stale? I'm deeply sorry for the other people you fed this mess to, if that is the case. However, I suspect what actually happened was that you saw that I ordered delivery, and figured you could get rid of some old food and I wouldn't have any way to complain to you. Your response just makes it that much worse. Since bars and restaurants are now closed in Bloomington to any but carry out or delivery service, I sincerely hope other people see this review. There are a LOT of local restaurants that need business, and a restaurant that deliberately tries to pass off bad food to delivery customers should not be considered by anyone at this time.

The jambalaya was authentic and delicious with real crawfish in it. I prefer less rice and more jambalaya but for the price, it was fair. The bourbon chicken was good but no taste of bourbon was present. Comfortable atmosphere, cheap prices, authentic Cajun food... Another great restaurant choice on Kirkwood.