Cajun Queen has had live jazz since it opened on Labor Day 1985, in a two-story house on East 7th Street in Charlotte's Elizabeth neighborhood that's more than 100 years old. Sid Gottfried and a business partner from New Orleans started it, and the 7th Street Gator Band's Dixieland jazz became part of the draw.
The Gottfrieds are still involved. Sid's son Robert co-owns it with chef William Wessling and managing partner Tim Freer, who came from Poughkeepsie to attend UNC Charlotte and started as the service bartender in the early '90s. Not much has changed inside since then, and the menu has barely moved. The dish the restaurant is best known for is crawfish étouffée.
Dinner is upstairs with live music or downstairs where it's quieter. The fresh fish specials change nightly, and the menu also has gumbo, New Orleans BBQ shrimp, blackened salmon with crawfish, and bourbon pecan pie. There's Sunday brunch, a rooftop, and private parties and catering. Chef Wessling says it's "almost like stepping out of Charlotte," with the house, the music, and the food making it work.
It turned 40 in 2025, which is a long run for a Charlotte restaurant.
1800 E 7th St, Charlotte. Every day is Mardi Gras.
