The Flats is a burger joint that is located in the old Tula Tacos in Downtown Lafayette. Owners of The Flats Collin and Jasmyne Cormier along with Matt and Kissy Blanchard own other restaurants in town that include Blanchard’s BBQ and Pop’s Poboys.
There is a counter service that is offered where you order and pay upfront for your food and drinks. After you pay, the cashier will give you a unique table stand. My table stand said “Vermilion Queen.”
Happy Hour starts at 3 which is when I arrived at The Flats. During Happy Hour, they offer $5 chips and dips which include the pepper jack rotel, smoked onion, dill pickle and gulf shrimp. The other Happy Hour food special is the $5 shares which includes the rougaroux fries, loaded fries and cheesy garlic BTS Bread.
I ordered the Loaded Fries, Double Patty Melt and the Shrimp Cane Bang. The Loaded Fries was $5, the Double Patty Melt was $11 and the Shrimp Cane Bang was $9, bringing the total to $27.61 with tax included. The regular price of the Loaded Fries is $11.
For my drink, I went with water. There is a self-serve water station with cute plastic cups with The Flats logo located near the back patio. The plastic cups can go home with you which is super cool.
It was a chilly and cold day, but it was the perfect temperature to sit on their back patio with the space heater. The space heater kept me very warm and I was the only one on the back patio.
Loaded Fries have the option of fries or chips and pepper jack rotel dip, bacon, jalapeno and herb ranch and pickled jalapenos. Patty Melt comes in either a single, double or triple patty with ella sauce, smoked onion dip, swiss cheese, american cheese, grilled onions and texas toast. Cane Bang Roll comes with crispy fried shrimp, cane bang sauce and a toasted split top bun.
Other main food items offered at The Flats is a single, double or triple burger that comes with ella sauce, american cheese, pickle, shredded lettuce, grilled onions and toasted brioche bun, Spicy Chicken Sando that comes with buttermilk fried tenderloin, habanero honey mustard, pickle, shrettuce and toasted brioche bun, Mushroom Katsu that comes with crispy panko portabella cap, cane bang sauce, pickle shrettuce and toasted brioche bun.
Fries and Chips offered are the Rougarous Style Fries/Chips, Loaded Fries/Chips, French Fries and Fresh Chips. Dips and Chips that are offered include smoked onion, pickle, gulf shrimp and rotel and pepperjack. If you want a food item on the healthier side, they offer Caesar which is romaine, miso caesar dressing and a shaved duck egg yolk. Furikake, cornbread croutons and lots of parmesan cheese.
BTS Bread is a baguette, garlic and herb butter, mozzarella, pepperjack and jalapeno herb ranch which pairs perfectly with any of their burgers or sandwiches. Dipping sauces offered include ella sauce, jalapeno and herb ranch, honey mustard, habanero honey mustard and cane bang sauce for $1.25 each.
The Bang Shrimp Roll is my favorite out of all the food I ordered. It had a kick to the flavor and it caught me off guard. The sauce on it reminds me of sweet Thai chili sauce. The shrimp were the perfect medium size and crunchy.
The Patty Melt had a tangy taste and the meat was very thin. I did not like this so I deconstructed it and only ate the patties. I had high hopes for this one since I saw a lot of people eating it on my last visit here.
The Loaded Fries were doused in ranch. I didn’t like the ranch, but I was a fan of everything else. The fries were crunchy and paired well with the toppings on it.
The Flats is located at 427 Jefferson St, Lafayette, LA 70501. They are closed on Mondays but are open for the rest of the week.
The Flats is a spot out I meet my friends to catch up with life. I highly suggest going during Happy Hour to get the most out of your money. It gives you a chance to try different things on the menu.