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Yats' New Orleans Original Po Boys
Categories: Restaurants Cajun/Creole Restaurants Sandwiches Cajun/Creole, Sandwiches [Edit]
The Boardroom1609 Powell St
San Francisco, CA 94133
Neighborhood: North Beach/Telegraph Hill
(415) 982-8898
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Garage, Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- No
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
210 reviews for Yats' New Orleans Original Po Boys
Review Highlights
"Corn Maque Choux was interesting."
(in 10 reviews)
"My friend's red beans and rice was stellar fare."
(in 15 reviews)
"yummmo, and the gumbo also great."
(in 57 reviews)
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210 reviews in English
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Review from Andreane R.
Pittsburg, CA
5/1/2011 1 Check-in Here
Yum, thisplace was really good to me. it is in a bar but the guy has table on the side set up, i brouight my son so that where we sat. the food was good i had he gumbo and the fried okra. yumm emossi had the pull pork which he ate up so fast. Jutin had the fish and chips that he didnt like cus it was fishy but i thought is was good crispy.
I would deff come back to this bar -
Review from Blanca S.
Yuba City, CA
1/29/2012
They are closed. It's a bar called the boardroom now. Nice little place for some drinks and some nice people, but no new orleans po' boys. Bummer!
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Review from jessica b.
San Francisco, CA
3/1/2011 1 Check-in Here
Bacon wrapped tater tots.
Bacon wrapped shrimp po boy.
The bartender is a really cool jolly dude.
How did I not know this was 2 blocks from my house sooner!! -
Review from Renee B.
San Francisco, CA
7/14/2010
Yatz is no longer at this location. Don't go to Jacks bar if you're looking for Yatz. It's now called Tasty's and it sucks. The service SUCKS!! Food was definetly not like Yatz. Yatz where did you go?
No one can do what you do. We need you! -
Review from Nicole G.
San Francisco, CA
6/7/2009
Feeling po? Pssst.... I'm about to let you in on one of the best deals in town, the deliciously messy, $6.99 po-boy sandwiches at Yats. A small counter tucked inside of a bar called Jack's Club in the Mission, you'd barely notice it unless you were looking for it, but day in and day out, they serve up authentic New Orleans grub, from gumbo to sweet potato pie.
The special sandwich on the chalkboard is the way to go. Let me tell you, po-boy is pretty darn big, and mine was brimming with soft shell crab, bacon and tartar sauce. One crunchy bite and that sauce was dribbling down my chin and onto the table, but whoa, was I relishing it. We pretty much attacked the pecan pie as well, leaving a sad styrofoam plate and some crumbs.
Mmm mmm mmm. I only wish I had discovered it sooner. Get yo self to Yats! -
Review from Christine L.
San Francisco, CA
A walk-up-to-order window inside a kind of dive-y bar. That's what Yat's is. And they serve up some goodness.
We went for lunch on a Monday; 4 out of 5 of the tables were filled and a couple of people were at the bar. Had a bit of a hard time finding the place considering it's kind of in the middle of nowhere, inside a bar no less (Jack's, the name of the bar, sign is much easier to spot than Yat's!). The two of us ordered 1/2 a Derby (roast beef with gravy) and 1/2 a shrimp po' boy, a side of mac n cheese and a side of corn masque choux (a sort of creamed corn). 20 bucks. Finished everything and was happily stuffed! Would def recommend the seafood po' boys over the derby...maybe I'd like the derby more if it had more gravy (I found it a little boring), but even the way it was, it got pretty soggy at the end of it. The shrimp on the other hand was crispy and delightfully tasty!
Next time, I gotta try the oyster po' boy! If it's half as good as the shrimp, it'd still be amazing. And the original Po Boy (fries and gravy) sounds intriguing.
note -- this ain't some fine dining joint! -
Review from kevo m.
East Bay, CA
6/13/2009
Ohhhhh Emmmm Effffff Geeeeee!!!!!!
New Orleans BBQ Shrimp Po'Boys, Abita (I hear this is the only place that has it on tap), Blue Moon, NOLA fries, fried oysters, hawt cook....
I'm in rove... (sigh)Listed in: My Best of the Bay Area List
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Review from Tom R.
San Francisco, CA
Updated - 10/28/2008
I tried their debris sandwich this time. A debris po boy is chopped roast beef with a horseradish mayonnaise. It's a very full and meaty sandwich I ordered the full size with french-fry's on the side and couldn't eat it all, an unusual thing for me.
The two times I've been in there the lady that runs the kitchen has been busy helping customers or preparing food so I haven't had the chance to talk to her as much as I have the bartender and I don't know her name. I've been assuming that her name may be Yat but I'll make a point of asking her next time. She seems very nice and when I mentioned that I wanted to try the oyster po boy sometime she let me taste a couple of the fried oysters and they were good.
This is the kind of place that you actively try to get your friends to try.
.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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10/18/2008
Today I tried a sandwich place inside a bar I'd never been to. Trying two new places at the same… Read more »
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Review from Patra B.
1/13/2009 3 photos
I saw this place on the Yelp homepage and had to try it for myself. Lester W. and I headed over with our hungry stomachs. We were pleasantly surprised to find out that Yats' was located inside a bar. Sandwiches AND beer for lunch!!! What more could you ask for??
Seating is limited....there are only about 6 tables and then seating at the bar. We ended up at the bar, but it was fine because that put us closer to the drinks. =) You order your food from this little doorway that leads to the kitchen, and then they bring your food to you when its ready.
We decided to share a whole Shrimp PoBoy( http://static.px.yelp.... ) and the Seafood Gumbo( http://static.px.yelp.... ). The Shrimp PoBoy was really good! Crispy fried shrimp inside a warm, fluffy French roll. The gumbo was just ok. I expected more seafood, but all I saw was one oyster, and the crab sticking out mixed with a few slices of sausage. The roux was flavorful, but I was looking for more substance. I could've just eaten a whole PoBoy and skipped the gumbo.
It seemed a bit pricey for lunch, but I think I'd still go back to tried some other items on the menu. I think I'll try the Jambalaya and corn bread next time.Listed in: SF Good Eats
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Review from Nish N.
7/1/2008
Not many people know this but I have a big thing for New Orleans. When I road-tripped out to San Francisco from NYC some years back, my friends and I had to go in a big U to get across the country, just because I insisted we spend some time in the Big Easy (I also made us stop at Graceland, but that's another story).
I also spent a good year listening to Robbie Robertson's Storyville album, and still put it on when the mood suits (man, if only these walls could talk). Again, another day, another tale.
So I was a bit sad to find out about Yats' just the other night, only because it had taken me this long. Yats' is located within Jack's Club (see my review) and they sort of co-operate together. You order at the counter -- paying separately -- and then can hang at Jack's bar or one of the tables while you wait for your heap o' food.
While the joint is semi-famous (so I hear) for Po-Boys, I went with a big bowl of their Rustic Gumbo. Mmmhmmmmm: 6 jumbo shrimp, mixed with chicken, smoked sausage and veggies in a dark roux, and served over rice.
Next time I'm in, and yes I'll be there soon, the Sausage and Chicken Jambalaya has my name on it. Then again, so does the Fried Catfish Plate...
Well, that's about all I have to say on this. As they say down South, 'Nuff said. -
Review from Natasha R.
San Francisco, CA
2/25/2009
I love spicy food, but holy hell their gumbo was on FIRE!! The shrimp salad was good too, but could have used a little something besides shrimp and baby spinach.
I haven't tried their poboys, but I will probably be back for that or to check out their jambalaya, which I can cook up a mean pot of, so I am curious to see if this place can hold a candle to my specialty dish. ;-)
This place is in a bar, so its really nice to pair with a big glass of Blue Moon on draft.....mmmm -
Review from Clifford L.
San Francisco, CA
Updated - 12/1/2008
OGODDD: What better place to have your AUTHENTIC,[ yes we can say that because we went to Mardi Gras 300 and had the bounty of the Mississippi for an whole week,] brought to you HOT from the fryer!?
I barely dented the menu last Saturday afternoon; bitterly disappointed that there was not one drop of Gumbo, NOR S. Fried Chicken: So, I plan to go there after practice for the rest of the month. Need we go on?
Pls. stay tuned./// WELLAN, F.CHICKEN ON MONDAYS ONLY WHAT KINE DA KINE? OYSTERS'
STILL THE #1 CHOICE 4 ME. . .
UNTIL THEN. . .1 Previous Review: Show all »
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11/26/2008
well, f.t.s: Y?'s not open at dinner???
/// . . . considering all the 5-stars below,
OK DEN, we… Read more »
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Review from Dorothy S.
San Francisco, CA
12/30/2008
Totally enjoyed my Jambalaya over rice and huge slice of cornbread! My friend's red beans and rice was stellar fare. Goodness! The food totally hit the spot and we got hooked up with a slice of sweet potato pie - on the house! How awesome was that?!
This will probably not surprise anyone but I found out about Yat's via Yelp and after reading some of the reviews, I decided to give it a go and try it out. I've been looking for a Creole-Cajun place for some time and realized Yat's was, literally, a cartwheel away from the Mission. It's a bar, for sure, so you'll get some people talking at high decibel levels but it won't take away from how delicious the food is. It's a great place with an incredible wait staff. Be warned though, it's cash only so you'll have to be prepared to bring the ducketts or waddle over to the Walgreen's to get some green! Enjoy, I certainly did!Listed in: I love a good meal...
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Review from Suzanne A.
San Francisco, CA
Updated - 12/16/2009
I heard they were closing on 12/16 so they could move into a new place in March 2010 on 3rd street (woohoo! congrats, Yat's!) so we went one last time on the 14th, and it did not disappoint. they were winding down for the close so they were out of a lot of stuff (their mac'n'cheese is amazing and sadly was out...as was their bread pudding), but i got a 1/2 crawfish po'boy w/ a small gumbo w/ that yummy dark roux and was just fine!
can't wait to go back for their grand opening in March...maybe w/ a move to a larger space this means a more expansive menu? (read: HUSH PUPPIES PLEASE!)1 Previous Review: Show all »
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6/10/2008
i've been looking for a place in SF that reminds me of my eating experiences in New Orleans...and i… Read more »
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Review from Luis C.
1/7/2010 1 photo
I was just discussing with Christine L. who got the ROTD (woohoo!!) that the Yats pop-up location at Jack's Club closed last year. There's another pop-up Thu-Sat at Annie's Bistro (Update: now closed), while they work on a permanent place of their own at 4800 Third Street, SF, CA 94124. Plans to open in March 2010 (Update: opening delayed multiple times, future unknown).
All I have to say about Yats is - good food, not low calorie, not low fat.
In the meantime other alternatives around the city for cajun food & po-boys are: Little Skillet and Brenda's Soul Food, both in downtown; Hard Knox Cafe (2 locations); an old cajun place in the sunset area named Cajun Pacific (Thu-Sat, dinner only - expensive); and a new place on San Bruno avenue - Queen's Louisiana Po-boy Cafe. -
Review from Vicky L.
3/12/2009
Coming off of the Mardi Gras southern food high, we stopped by Yat's prior to a friend's housewarming. The area is super sketchy at night... We got lucky and found a parking spot a few feet away from the entrance. Walked in and sat down. The place is a total dive bar - dark, dingy, and slightly sticky.
Didn't know that we had to go to the window area to order. We ended up with the fries, the shredded beef and gravy po boy, and a bowl of gumbo. The gumbo was watery, and the bowl was small for the price. Po boy was okay, nothing home to write about. The fries were piping hot and delicious, not the least bit mushy. Solid standard food. Oh yeah cash only establishment. -
Review from David G.
San Francisco, CA
12/6/2008 4 photos
The guy behind the counter said that the 3 below are their best sandwiches. I liked them in the following order:
OYSTER PO BOY (pic: http://www.yelp.com/bi...) - Strong oyster flavor, crispy too, simple ingredients, and tastes even better with the accompanying hot sauce.
DEBRIS PO BOY (pic: http://www.yelp.com/bi...) - Meat drenched in gravy?!? When has that ever failed? Good stuff.
ORIGINAL PO BOY (pic: http://www.yelp.com/bi...) - Fries drenched in gravy. The fries have the same consistency as the YAM SANDWICH over at Bi-Rate, but wet. Good stuff and CHEAP! -
Review from Earl G.
3/12/2009
Cajun food so good, it even makes Master P say, ..."Ugghhhhhhh, na na, na-na!!" http://www.youtube.com...
I super dig the fact that this place is in the back of a dive. I've never been to New Orleans but this is what I'd expect a dive to be like there. Blue's playing, old school pinball machines being played from a guy who looks like he's been there since the night before, and old timers at the bar living the high life with a MGD. It's classic how the atmosphere and the food go so well together.
Ordered up their gumbo with some of the homemade cornbread. Wow, so much flavor that I was actually jealous that some of my gumbo was soaked up by the paper bowl they serve it in. Now I know why the base of gumbo is called the holy trinity. Also tried some of the fried shrimp they used in their shrimp po' boy and I can say that the flavor was divine as well.
Yeah, it might not be the fanciest place on earth but it's a 5 star joint in my book. Saves me a 7 hour plane ride to the dirty south, yah hearddddd... -
Review from Bianca L.
San Francisco, CA
Updated - 1/26/2009
.....so a week later, I had to come back.....the shrimp po' boy was yummy, and overflowing with shrimp....oyster is still my fav, but shrimp is a close second.
*Still no red velvet cake...sniffle....I'll be back next week in hope of tasting it1 Previous Review: Show all »
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1/14/2009
Before food coma sets in, let me see if I can describe the heavenly experience I just had.....
The… Read more »
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Review from Wendi W.
Houston, TX
5/15/2010
Ok y'all. Two stars only because you took the trouble to fly in live crawdads from Louisiana.
Next time you attempt such an endeavor, make sure you have the capacity to cook the things, in a timely fashion. Especially if you're charging $25 a head for "all you can eat". I get it that it just ain't southern to be totally organized and on time and shit, but please. You didn't even give yourselves time to purge the things. Mais la, chere! The seasoning was just OK, maybe spiced down for the Californians.
Honestly, I could have flown in 5 lbs of the mudbugs for less money, and that's all I had time to wait for today. 3 hours. 5lbs. yep. next time I will. Me and my coon-ass friends.
Everything else y'all do is great. Just hire an organizer. -
Review from rosanna c.
Berkeley, CA
6/14/2010
For $25, I stuffed myself with all-I-could-eat crawfish for five hours. For $10, I imbibed all-I-could-drink Trumer and Sam Adams. Overall, May's crawfish boil was a great event. Sure, it could have been a little more organized, but to Yats's credit, a burner went out and they were cooking for about 200 hungry people with one pot. I was worried an all-u-can-eat boil would quickly turn into a scene from a zombie movie, but organizers capped tickets and only allowed 20 or so walk-ins.
The boils are fun and actually draw a lot of Southerners who can give you tips on how to pick and peel the best crawfish. The crawfish were great for me, as I like to taste more of the fish than seasoning. I was also impressed that the crawfish were overnighted from Louisiana.
I would go again, and advise those who want their fill to arrive early. And, bring wet-naps. -
Review from Janet H.
San Francisco, CA
3/6/2009
I went into Yats' New Orleans Original Po Boys for lunch. Immediately stepping inside, it had the feel of New Orleans with its older chairs & tables and great hospitality.
Their special was the crawfish po'boy and I order a half sandwich. This is by far my favorite type of po'boy. I've had shrimp and catfish at other places, but from now on I will lean towards crawfish - super highly recommended. When I was done, I regretted not ordering the full sandwich. Next time.
For sides, we get the NOLA Fries, Mama's Corn Bread and Corn Maque Choux. Although the NOLA Fries are soft, they are with salt, pepper & parmesan and still eaten. The Mama's Corn Bread is soft and doesn't need butter. Probably the best of the three was the Corn Maque Choux. I could probably eat this stuff by the gallon.
Aww Yats, with your awesome food and great service, I reminisce of my days in New Orleans. Thanks! -
Review from Ernie H.
San Francisco, CA
12/7/2008
I'm not from New Orleans. I've never been to New Orleans, either, so I don't know anything about authenticity. That said, I had half an Oyster Po'Boy and Mac n Cheese here, and oh damn, it was AWESOME.
This place is only open for lunch; as a result, half a sandwich is sufficient enough for me, lest you want to go home and sleep off your post-lunch food coma. It's also on the border of the Mission and Potrero Hill so you could probably park close-by without any major difficulties. -
Review from Raymond P.
San Francisco, CA
12/31/2008
Talk about a hidden gem. I went in search of Yats after reading the reviews of Yelp* and got confused when I arrived at the location. Where I was expecting a restaurant, there was a bar, and not the friendliest-looking one either. Walking in I still thought I was in the wrong place when I noticed the small counter with an "Order Here" sign hung above. This tiny kitchen was Yats. The lady who helped me was extremely friendly. At first I thought $10.99 for a shrimp po' boy was a bit much...then it arrived at my table. The thing could choke an elephant, it was so big. But size alone does not a good sandwich make and this one delivered on flavor. Perfectly battered shrimp and wonderfully dressed bread. I ordered a side of their fries as well and it was heavenly with the hot sauce.
Eat here. Get your money's worth. Be happy. -
Review from LaSha G.
Oakland, CA
1/19/2009
So I guess the power of subliminal advertising finally caught up with me. Well I guess it's not so sublimal, as this place has been on Yelp's Hot List (i.e. Yelp's home page) for quite awhile now. It's far away from me in Potrero Hill, so I drove out there on my day off.
I really liked the owner lady. She was very friendly, and gave us time to look at the menu (which usually takes awhile for me), and even let me try a little of the roux from the gumbo, to see if I liked it. The other things I liked, were the the parmesan tossed potato wedges (although they were a bit oily) and the catfish po-boy. The catfish was fresh and newly fried, the bread was soft on the inside, and the sandwich was dressed well.
The crawfish po-boy, however was not my favorite. The remoulade sauce was tasty, but the breaded crawfish itself was bland and the breading became mushy and fell off pretty quickly. The gumbo had potential and a good color/roux, but ultimately it tasted a bit watered down (not full bodied) and the crab leg meat didn't taste very fresh. The gumbo in my opinion needed less water and more spices/salt/meat/onion/celery. Also, I saw the jambalaya on someone else's plate, and it didn't look right. But hey I didn't taste it, so...
Yats is located inside Jack's Bar, and yes it is a dive bar in every sense of the word, so keep that in mind. But all in all, a good place to grab a catfish po-boy if you're in Potrero for some reason, but you probably shouldn't go out of your way (as I did) to come here.Listed in: Found on Yelp
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Review from Alyce L.
San Francisco, CA
12/26/2008
The holidays can be so stressful, especially having to host Christmas dinner. Yats' came to the rescue with a Traditional Deep Fried Turkey Dinner which earned raves from the guests. Turkey was moist and delicious-my first initiation to the deep fried concept. I thought it was right up there with cooking a brined turkey.
The dinner came with sides of cornbread dressing, green bean casserole, whole berry cranberry sauce, candied yams and homemade sweet potato pie. All so yummy!
The chef and owner was so helpful in explaining how to reheat the food and I learned from him that his place has only been open for about 6 months. Amazing how much attention this place is getting! Yeah-the place reminds me of Uncle Frank's in Mountain View. Got to walk through the bar to get to the food but this place offers some great selections for lunch which I'm dying to go back and try. -
Review from RICKY C.
Daly City, CA
6/19/2008
Wow!!! This might sound weird but their French Fry sandmich with roast beef gravy was hella good!!!!!!! I don't know about the other stuff though. you have to judge seafood stuff yourself but I will give YATS 5 stars just for this incredible sandmich!!!! One word for this sandmich..... GENIUS!!!!! Why didn't i think of it first!!!!! I will be looking for fench fry sandmiches from now on!!!! hells yeah!!!!!
Thank you for the experience Yats. You make a sick ass sandmich!!! sick as in good. Now go and try it!!!!!!!!!!!!
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UPDATE!! THIS IS NOT THE SAME PLACE ANYMORE. IT IS OVERPRICED FOR WHAT IT IS. THERE WAS NO GRAVY ON THE FRENCH FRY SANMICH THAT I ORDED AND THE BREAD WAS NOT FRESH AT ALL. IT WAS KINDA CRUSTY IN A BAD WAY. WHEN I DID ASK THEY ONLY ADDED A LITTLE BIT. SO THE SANMICH WAS HELLA DRY!!!
WATS GOING ON YATS!!!!! YOU LET ME DOWN MAN!!! I WILL COME AGAIN BUT NOT SOON CUZ MA FEELINS WUZ HURTZ!!!! :(
OHHHH YEAH! THE BURGER MA FRIEND ORDERED, LET'S SAY IF THE SAN JOSE SHARKS LOST THEY'RE PUCK, IT LANDED ON MY FRIENDS HAMBERGER BUN!!!
Happy eating folks!!!! DANG, MAYBE NOT...... -
Review from drew s.
San Francisco, CA
1/7/2010
Any place that charges twice the price for Po' boys and Gumbo and Jambalaya knows nothing about the culture and heritage of NOLA. The food does look good, however so can a book or CD cover until you get into the middle of it. These people that go here are some of the same people that bitched about us being refugees and "taking over their jobs" when Katrina hit...ironic huh?
Thank you Yats' for trying you have done to be honest better than others, however add a bit more flavor to your roux, and that cornbread is straight out of Texas. Lower your prices for real "po' boys (and girls of course)" and you might understand why that has its name. -
Review from Cheryl D.
2/18/2009
You know its good when you and your coworker have to make a pact to only eat there every other week. But I do feel a little guilty in a delicious way walking into a bar at lunchtime.
They deliver to SFGH M-Fif you order $15 or more.
I'm addicted to the shrimp po"boy. It;'s lightly battered, the cool tomato and lettuce are a nice contrast to the cruchy hot suckers. A whole one is huge! They have half sizes. The mac and cheese is good and the fries are really good too.
The staff is friendly. There are paper towel rolls everywhere. -
Review from Marley Q.
San Francisco, CA
12/3/2009
I had high hopes based on the positive yelpers for the deep fried turkeys. Such high hopes I ordered 2, traditional and jerk spending 118 bucks. To our dismay, turkeys were so dry it was like eating sand while stoned.
And we couldn't tell which was the jerk or which was the traditional. We followed the reheating instructions carefully and we even picked up on Thanksgiving day. Needless to say, these turkey disappointed a group of about 15 people. Good thing we had a tasty ham. -
Review from Atousa F.
Brooklyn, NY
2/22/2010
I started this review 3 months ago, and am now going to finish it.
I have been back here several times.
BEST MAC AND CHEESE...in this part of the Mission. It's good, but it ain't that good.
Spinach, meh.
Catfish have a weird consistency to them. Some days, the nuggets are DELICIOUS. Other days, they taste too much like what they are: bottomfeeders.
CRAWFISH = delicious!!!!
I went with my manfriend, who is originally from the south/New Orleans, and I made him try the gumbo. He said it was pretty damn authentic, so that's pretty cool.
All in all, the reason I come back here so goddamn often are the main reasons:
1. It's located inside a bar. Booze and food?
2. There's a pool table.
3. BEST BAR FOOD EVER!
Come here. Do it!Listed in: Stuff in the Mission...
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Review from Jennifer H.
Burlingame, CA
8/26/2009
It's good, just not great, which is what I expected. First off, go to the back left past the bar to the open window. Place your order. Grab a table and be prepared to wait the full amount of time you're told.
We definitely waited 30 min. Kinda long if you ask me, especially when fried food is usually quick.
Another downer: NO mac n cheese, green beans, shrimp, etc. Uh, aren't these staple parts of southern food? Major downer. We settled on the gumbo, half a oyster po boy, and half a debris.
Oysters were large, plump, and nicely breaded, although it was slightly undersalted. Gumbo was on the watery side, but had a nice kick. Debris sandwich was tender beef, drenched in gravy that made for sloppy, messy, delicous party all over my hands.
Seating is limited inside, but there are several tables outside. Go here for a leisurely lunch with someone who can chat it up. Skip if you're starving and on a bad date. -
Review from scurvy b.
San Francisco, CA
4/7/2009
Even a broken clock is right twice a day....which is why I waited until I ate here a dozen times before writing a review. You have to understand, I'm a native New Orleanian. I've eaten at dozens of "cajun", "creole", or "New Orleans" places that my non-New Orleans friends raved about. I was ultimately let down by all of them. The first few times I ate here, I was in disbelief. I kept waiting for the let-down. It never came. For the record, I was told about this place by two of my New Orleans friends who live in SF....so my streak still stands. BUT, this place is legit (we all agreed).
The bread is what makes or breaks a poboy, and the bread here is the real deal. It's by far the best bread I've had on a poboy outside of Louisiana. The trick is that they import the bread from New Orleans (frozen), keep it in a SF bakery, then bake it every day. That folks, is how you do proper French bread in the land of sourdough. The fried shrimp is wicked good. The debris is also good. Also, you don't say "duh-bree" like a normal American.....you say "DAY-bree" and butcher it like a proper New Orleanian. The "BBQ" shrimp is like grilled shrimp poboys in a lot of old-line NOLA places.
The only let down here is the gumbo. It tastes great, but it's too thin. He needs to serve filé powder tableside so we can thicken it up. Jambalaya was decent. I've never ordered other things on the menu. Like a true NOLA denizen, I find something good and then stick with it for 300 years. Speaking of real New Orleanians, Yan/Jan/whatever-the-owner's-name-is-spelled is the real McCoy. He was talking about closing down to go to JazzFest. That dawlin, is nawlins. -
Review from Lester W.
1/18/2009
Came here with Patra B. since she wanted to try this place after seeing it on the Yelp homepage. Initial reviews looked good.....so I said, sure....why not.....lets give it a try.
Parking was super easy and we found a spot right across the street. I guess Jack's Bar is the name of the bar portion of the building and Yat's is the name of the restaurant portion.
We looked at the menu and went with the "whole" shrimp PoBoy and the seafood gumbo. The gumbo was not good at all. I'm not sure how much we paid for it, but I'm guessing it was close to $10. I would say that its closer in value to about $5.
The shrimp PoBoy was actually quite good. The shrimp was juicy on the inside and crispy/spicy on the outside. The half order is wayyyyy too small for anyone with a decent appetite. I suggest getting the whole order if that's all that you are eating. Again, the $10.99 price for the sandwich is a bit steep for what you get. It's probably closer in value to about $7.
I'm not sure how this place is getting 5 star reviews. It's in a dive bar....you have to go to the counter to order your food, you're eating off of paper plates, the napkins come in a roll on each table, prices are expensive for what you get, food is okay...5 stars, really?!?
I'm not sure who does the math here, but the bar had a sign to buy raffle tickets:
Buy 1 ticket for $1
Buy 7 tickets for $5
Buy 20 tickets for $20
Eh, what?! Why not get 21 tickets for $15? -
Review from chris c.
San Francisco, CA
4/24/2010
Since this place left 24st Ive been looking for another cat fish Po Boys that's as BIG Cheap and GOOD as Yats. and every place that says they have "New Orleans Original Po Boys" should go to Yats and see how its done! Cant wait to you reopen! keep it affordable if you want them to come.
Peace -
Review from Shreya C.
San Francisco, CA
2/5/2009
Hmm..I thought I had written a review for this place already..very strange.. Anyway, I went here a couple weeks ago and really liked it. The place is a dump so if you're a neat freak or high strung, f off..just kidding, but seriously don't come here..and f off. The owner is super sweet. You have to go up to the window to place your order but she is an absolute joy to talk with.
I had the hot sausage PoBoy, it was SO good. Definitely try it. I love sausage and am often disappointed with what I hope the sausage will taste like and what it actually ends up tasting like. This one did not disappoint. Also worth trying are their Nola fries. Perfectly seasoned and very tasty. Not worth trying is their Mac N Cheese. Both my friend and I were excited about ordering it, took two bites then mournfully put our forks down. It had a strange mustard taste to it.
That said, the PoBoys are definitely worth coming here for as are the fries. Plus, given how limited SF is in terms of Cajun cuisine, this will be a nice change for your palette. Come here for a casual, weekend lunch and a new experience. -
Review from Mai S.
San Mateo, CA
3/15/2009
I'm confused, this place is inside Jack's bar? And you have to order at the kitchen... very confusing.
We ordered a Ferdie Po Boy, Gumbo, Jambala and Corn Maque Choux. I wanted the corn bread but they were all out. Ferdie PoBoy was good but nothing special. Gumbo was prob the best I've ever had, but I haven't tried that many. Lots of seafood and good flavor. The Jambala was kind of mushy but still pretty good. Corn Maque Choux was interesting... not sure what I was expecting, but it was OK.
Overall meal was good but didn't blow me away. -
Review from ellen c.
San Francisco, CA
11/26/2008
I live across the street from this place but never go in there because a long time ago I was drinking at Jack's (in which Yat's is situated) and some drunk guy puked on the floor. The bartender was very non-chalant about it and they had a big old bucket of sawdust and detergent at the ready for it would seem that this happens quite regularly there.
After that the smell of pine sol in the place (which is pretty constant) reminds me of the many patrons who have puked there and kind of freaks me out. This is the kind of bar where old alcoholic men with the D.T.'s line up at in the early morning hours to get their shot of alcohol. So, yeah, I wasn't really considering the po-boy thing/
But the sign started to bother me. It called to me, especially since I believe in supporting local whenever possible. So today I finally went in. And I am glad I did.
You see, the pine-sol smell is still there, but it is over-ridden by a most delicious smell of things being fried, and sauteed, and sugared. It smells wonderful in there.
I got a
DEBRIS SANDWICH- Fabulous
FRENCH FRIES- Never had 'em with parm cheese on top before. It works.
BREAD PUDDING- Thrown in for free because of the long wait I endured. Heavenly
The Yat's folks were super-nice, too, chatting me up like New Orleans folk do, which reminds me of New Jersey, my birthplace and home to chatters who will pick up a conversation with you any old time. I miss that about SF. Loved it at YAT's
thumbs up -
Review from Rylan V.
San Francisco, CA
7/15/2008
Holydamn.
I aint had a Po'Boy that good since I left home...
Go to this cute little dive with the adorable pink haired lady taking orders and get some EAST COAST seafood sandwiches!!
They fly the bread and the seafood in from the gulf. Hells yeah. My new favorite lunch place. Fo sho. This means the shrimp is succulent and buttery, not seafoody and gross like west coast shrimp, and the bread is not slightly sourdough, but made with things like butter and sassy attitude.
I can't speak for the oysters personally, as this Virgo does not eat the boogers of the sea, but my Nawlins born housemate (who turned me on to this little gem a few blocks away) swears by them.
Im sold.
From this Southerner to the rest o' yall. Eat at Yats' and eat it well. -
Review from Mary-Anne C.
Daly City, CA
9/19/2008
Went here for lunch today and I must say this place hits the spot for some southern comfort food. My boyfriend and I had the shrimp po'boy, buffalo wings, fries and cornbread. All really good picks and I was not disappointed at all and I will definitely will be coming back to try the plate dishes which all looked very tempting. Although I hope one day they will be able to extend their hours past 4pm on the days they are open (M-Sat).
Don't forget...this place only takes ca$h so stop by the ATM before heading over here. YUM!Listed in: Top Restaurants
