Li'l Dizzy's Cafe traces back to Wayne Baquet, Sr., who learned the restaurant trade from his father, Eddie Baquet, Sr., namesake of the 7th Ward's Eddie's. Wayne, Sr. opened Li'l Dizzy's after stepping away from the business for a few years, naming it for his grandson Zachary, a trumpeter in the band at St. Augustine High School. He retired in November 2020, and the restaurant passed to his son Wayne, Jr. and daughter-in-law Arkesha, who now own and run it — the last of the Baquet family restaurants still operating. Chef John Cannon works alongside them in the kitchen.
The menu runs on Creole-soul staples: gumbo and golden fried chicken are the standing draws, with mac and cheese, catfish, trout, crab, white beans, and bread pudding rounding things out. The restaurant sits on Esplanade Avenue in Tremé, one of the oldest African American neighborhoods in the country, with both indoor and outdoor seating.
Li'l Dizzy's has been named an Eater essential and a NOLA.com / Times-Picayune city magazine best pick.
The menu runs on Creole-soul staples: gumbo and golden fried chicken are the standing draws, with mac and cheese, catfish, trout, crab, white beans, and bread pudding rounding things out. The restaurant sits on Esplanade Avenue in Tremé, one of the oldest African American neighborhoods in the country, with both indoor and outdoor seating.
Li'l Dizzy's has been named an Eater essential and a NOLA.com / Times-Picayune city magazine best pick.