Ben Yay's - Restaurant in Memphis - 51 S Main St, USA

Ben Yay's was our favorite spot on this trip to Memphis! The house made French bread, the blackened catfish dinner with the crispy sweet potatoes was phenomenal!!!!! The seafood pasta was delicious as well and huge portions. We left with plenty for the next day! The greens my husband and I literally battled each other for. 😂😂 So flavorful to made without any pork or turkey neck! The staff was amazing as well! We talked to one of the chefs and you could tell he loved his job and gave us suggestions on drinks to order and his favorite dish. We'll definitely come back on our next visit!

The staff was super friendly and I really enjoyed sitting outside on a pretty day. My fried green tomatoes were good but the crawfish corn chowder was way too salty to even eat. Not exaggerating, it was like putting a spoonful of salt in my mouth.

I went here with a few friends. The restaurant is quaint with a New Orleans feel. Let’s get into this review about the food. It was awful. It wasn’t seasoned, lacked flavor, and everyone at my table needed salt and pepper to add some seasoning. The food lacked the New Orleans, Creole cuisine taste. I was very underwhelmed especially after my $53 check came with an added 20% gratuity. The only thing that I enjoyed was the bread. I had fish, broccoli, and mashed potatoes. It’s pretty hard to go wrong with those three things and they failed miserably. The mashed potatoes were submerged in grease, again with absolutely no flavor. We left most of our food because of the poor quality of the food. The service was good, but the food was terrible. I wouldn’t go there to eat if they were giving the food away for free. I had seafood gumbo. They put two baby and I do mean baby shrimp in the gumbo. The gumbo was lukewarm, didn’t have flavor, and definitely didn’t taste anything remotely close to Creole.

The gumbo was nothing but broth. The only meat in the entire thing was the end meat of the smaller portion of the claw of a lobster. A half a teaspoon of meat at the most The rest was just broth. $30? Never again.

I ordered the voodoo pasta. The ingredients seem fresh. Nothing hinted at them using frozen produce- if it is frozen then it's good quality. I gave the food a 3 star because I wasn't expecting these flavors. It's not my type of dish. It was kind of earthy which makes sense given the ingredients in the pasta- i just didn't expect it to be as earthy. I'd def eat here again- just try something different. The inside is small, but really nice ambience inside. Kind of cozy/homey. The service was great!

The best fish I've had in a long time! Beautifully seasoned catfish, cooked to perfection with excellent sides. Wife had the crawfish pasta and it was excellent. The drinks are also unique, creative and very tasty Staff is very thoughtful and friendly, couldn't have asked for a better place to dine

Quiet, Quaint atmosphere. The food was outstanding and reasonably priced glad to have a different food option in the City Of Memphis!

The ambience of the restaurant is worth the visit!I was staying nearby for work and decided to try something nearby.Staff members were very inviting and attentive. The restaurant was surprisingly empty but service was not lacking!The paintings and decor created an enjoyable dining experience.The drink I ordered was amazing!The pasta was pretty good,but could use a few extra spices for a Cajun inspired dish. Overall, I highly recommend the location.There is a 20% gratuity but the vibe is worth it,empty or not!!!