★ ★ ★ ★ ★
We stopped here while taking our kids on a college tour of Xavier University. The hospitality was amazing. Don’t be fooled by the outside, go in and enjoy the food.Jones J. Yelp · verbatim, recent
A Treme Institution — Three Generations of Baquet Creole Soul Food
The Baquet family has been feeding New Orleans since 1947.
Wayne Sr. learned the trade from his father Eddie at the legendary 7th Ward cafe, then opened Lil’ Dizzy’s on the corner of Esplanade and N. Robertson in 2005. Today his son Wayne Jr. and daughter-in-law Arkesha keep the same gumbo pot on, the same fried chicken in the cast iron, and the same door open from 11 to 3.
4.6★ across 1,131 Google reviews Featured in The New York Times, Bon Appétit, Eater New Orleans, NOLA.com, WWNO Public Radio
1947
First Baquet Restaurant
(Eddie’s, 7th Ward)
(Eddie’s, 7th Ward)
2005
Lil’ Dizzy’s opens at
1500 Esplanade Avenue
1500 Esplanade Avenue
10+
Restaurants run by the
Baquets since 1947
Baquets since 1947
4.6★
Across 1,131 Google
reviews to date
reviews to date
The New York Times·
Bon Appétit·
Eater New Orleans·
NOLA.com / The Times-Picayune·
WWNO Public Radio·
Culinary Backstreets·
Southern Foodways Alliance·
Atlas Obscura·
The New York Times·
Bon Appétit·
Eater New Orleans·
NOLA.com / The Times-Picayune·
WWNO Public Radio·
Culinary Backstreets·
Southern Foodways Alliance·
Atlas Obscura·
I.
The Baquet Lineage
A New Orleans Creole family of French, Spanish, Native and African American ancestry whose roots in this city run back two centuries — and whose kitchens have run, almost without break, since 1947.
Wayne Baquet Sr. learned the restaurant trade at his father Eddie’s elbow, on Law Street in the 7th Ward, where Eddie’s opened in 1947 and quietly became the New Orleans Creole table for everyone from neighborhood regulars to visiting jazzmen.
When Wayne Sr. opened Lil’ Dizzy’s in 2005 on the corner of Esplanade Avenue and North Robertson, he named it for his grandson Zachary — a young trumpeter at St. Augustine they all called “Lil Dizzy.” Hurricane Katrina hit three months later. The cafe stayed.
In November 2020, Wayne Sr. retired. By February 2021, his son Wayne Jr. and his wife Arkesha had taken over the daily run of the kitchen, the buffet line, and the Sunday gospel brunch tradition that brings half of New Orleans through the door every weekend.
Of more than ten Baquet-family restaurants since 1947, Lil’ Dizzy’s is the only one still open. It is the family’s last kitchen — and, to Treme, a kind of living archive.
II.
A Family Timeline
Seventy‑nine years of Creole soul food, in five entries.
-
1947
Eddie Baquet Sr. opens Eddie’s on Law Street. The 7th Ward cafe becomes the New Orleans Creole table where Wayne Sr. and his siblings learn the gumbo, the fried chicken, the bread pudding.
-
2005
Wayne Sr. opens Lil’ Dizzy’s Cafe. On the corner of Esplanade Avenue and North Robertson, in a 1900s building at the edge of Treme. Named for Zachary “Lil Dizzy” Baquet, the family’s young trumpeter.
-
2005
Hurricane Katrina — and the cafe stays. Three months after opening, the storm hits. The Baquets reopen the kitchen and keep cooking through the city’s long return.
-
2020
The hand-off. Wayne Sr. retires in November after a 73‑year family run. By February 2021, Wayne Jr. and his wife Arkesha have stepped in to keep the buffet steaming and the door open six days a week.
-
Today
The last Baquet kitchen still cooking. Of the more than ten restaurants the family has run since 1947, Lil’ Dizzy’s is the only one left. 1,131 Google reviews. 4.6 stars. Mon–Sat, 11 to 3.
III.
From the Table
A small archive of recent voices — verbatim, attributed, lifted from Yelp and Google.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
My friends and I were visiting from Houston. I would move to New Orleans as long as I got to eat here every week. The food is to die for — so fresh and flavorful. Great Southern home cooking. If I could rate 10 stars I definitely would.Tierra B. Yelp · verbatim, recent
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
We were here for a week and went twice… if that tells you anything. Some of the best gumbo I’ve ever had. Same for the greens, mac and cheese, and fried chicken. And the bread pudding — don’t get me started on the bread pudding.Chris C. Yelp · verbatim, recent
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
The chicken was fresh and golden and it smelled as if you walked into your grandma’s house. We’re from California where everything is amazing, so this was surprisingly amazing as well. Must visit.Ejd D. Yelp · verbatim, recent
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
This place had impeccable customer service. We had 6 in our party and everyone had piping hot food, since they brought it out as it was cooked.Shekira W. Yelp · verbatim, recent
IV.
In the Kitchen
A short film from the cafe — the gumbo, the line, the family.
Reel 01 · The Baquet kitchen at Lil’ Dizzy’s
Filmed at 1500 Esplanade Avenue
V.
Visit Esplanade Avenue
Lil’ Dizzy’s does not take reservations — the buffet runs while it runs, and most days the line is part of the experience. We recommend arriving by 12:30, calling first if you’re a party of six or more.
Plan your lunch table
for this Saturday.
Lunch only. Six days a week. Cash and card both work, like they always have.
- Address
- 1500 Esplanade Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70116
- Hours
- Monday – Saturday · 11 AM – 3 PM
- Telephone
- (504) 766‑8687
- arkesha@lildizzyscafe.net
