My family had been wanting to try this place for some time and saw in the paper they were having a special "Gator day", so we decided it was time. In case you are like me and not quite sure when you enter, the set-up is designed for you to order at the register and then find a table where they will bring the food to you. After realizing we were 1st timers by my awkwardness in trying to figure out how to order, they provided a sampler collection in dip-sized plastic bowls of many of their offerings for us to try which I thought was pretty good and actually caused all of us to change a little bit what we thought we were originally going to order.

My daughter chose a pork sandwich, that she thought was awesome, along with a side of hush puppies, which to be honest seemed a bit overdone in the fryer. My wife, son and I each ordered from their pick 3 offer, which includes a smaller version of their various entrees or sandwiches for about $10. We each got 3 different things just because it was all so good and we could still sample a little bit from one another. My personal favorites were the dirty rice, crawfish casserole, black-eyed pea jumbalaya, and the gator chili. We finished our meal off by using a coupon we had printed off from Discover or Travel Indiana that was good for free beignets (similar to an elephant ear as its fried dough with powdered sugar).

In comparison, my wife and I had recently gone to Papa Roux's and enjoyed it a lot. However we agreed that Papa Roux's has more character in its restaurant and a pretty great value with their unlimited sides when dining in, while Mudbug's, with the exception of their red beans and rice, has better tasting fare in addition to being closer to where we live. One person claimed that they left Mudbug's hungry, but I know we did not as we came home with 5 to 6 containers of leftovers thanks to our pick 3s.

Overall, different and really good tasting food at not outrageous prices in the heart of downtown Carmel. We are already plotting what to order next time we visit.

This Cajun restaurant is authentic! As good as anything I've had in New Orleans. Highly recommend! The owner went out of his way to be sure we enjoyed his fare by giving us a sample plate and treated us to Beignets at the end. It was outstanding!

Finally had a chance to try this place out today. Had the Jambalia which was a very good portion size and you get 2 slices of bread. Taste and style was perfect to my liking. Only complaint was I like to see some shreaded chicken in Jambalia but there was plenty of sausage. This is the best Cajun I have had in Carmel. Gumbo a go go us the best Cajun in Indy BTW.

We found Mudbugs through reviews on TripAdvisor. We had obviously never eaten there, so we didn't notice that you ordered at the counter (hard to miss the "order here" sign!!). The waitress picked up on that right away and offered us the sampler for first timers. It had about a dozen little cups of their main dishes on there and 2 hush puppies...mmmmm. I settled on the pick 3 of Crawfish Casserole, Shrimp Etouffee, and Jumbalaya. My husband got the pick 3 with Crawfish Casserole, Red Beans and Rice, and Pork Po'Boy. We both loved the food! Everything had such good, spicy flavor. The portions were big and the price was affordable. I would definitely eat there again!

I had a nice dinner at Mudbugs. I had their choose three and I added the Gumbo. The choose three provides with 3 cups of any of the entrees. It provides a nice chance to try their food. They also have a nice selection of local brews.

You order at the counter and they bring the food to your table. They also have seating on the street and take out.

Ill be back!