Zizou’s Starlit Patio Serves Moroccan French Vibes to Lincoln Heights

In January 2020, Frenchmen Maati Zoutina and Boris Macquin signed a lease with the intention of opening a hip French Moroccan restaurant in Lincoln Heights. Unpermitted add-ons and structures remained in the long-vacant former Salvadoran restaurant’s 2,000-square-foot space, which meant the two spent four years gutting and rebuilding the entire restaurant.

Zoutina’s architectural background proved useful while navigating various delays and the city’s complex permitting process. The two persisted and built new seating areas, planted hibiscus bushes and palm trees, and waited for shipping containers from Morocco full of the restaurant’s eventual decor of North African lamps, colorful tiles, chairs, and plates. Though they formed the idea almost eight years ago, their restaurant and bar Zizou finally opened in June 2024. “It took us four years to build up the courage, and four years to build Zizou,” says Macquin.

A custom tiled wall and floor in a lounge at Zizou in Lincoln Heights, California. — Zizou entry.

Located on Daly Street slightly north of Broadway, Zizou’s charm comes from its visual details. The entire rear patio is open-air full of lush plants given ample time to mature. Circular lights and framed posters written in Arabic or French line the walls while colorful vases and tagines are placed throughout. Look up the term “vibe” in the dictionary to find Zizou listed as a moody, sexy, beat-driven, and candle-lit example.

For the restaurant’s operations, Macquin brings experience from New York and Los Angeles, including at Los Feliz’s perpetually busy Figaro Bistrot. Macquin also put his sound engineer experience to the test with the restaurant’s PA system. A spacious lounge patio is the sonic heartbeat of the restaurant, filled with plants and two massive custom speakers. “[The speakers] were the first thing we built,” says Zoutina. Zizou’s musical choices are intentional with a custom mix of French hip-hop, soulful underground cuts, South African beats, jazz, Colombian cumbia, and electro from Eastern Europe and beyond. Groups or individuals congregate in front of them to dance. Though sizable, the speakers don’t overwhelm the acoustics of the patio, assisting diners to maintain a conversation without straining their vocal cords.

Macquin was born in the U.S. but his father immigrated to France from Morocco. After moving to Lyon as a teenager, Macquin met Zoutina, and they’ve been friends ever since. “We like to bring what we grew up with [to the restaurant], as close as possible to our childhood,” says Zoutina. Many of Zizou’s dishes are based on recipes from both families, such as the chicken tagine with apricot and almond or the Moroccan salad with heirloom tomato, charred bell peppers, cucumber, and red onion.

The first-time restauranteurs are betting that local LA crowds will appreciate a compact yet classic-leaning Moroccan French menu featuring a vegetable-heavy cous cous, spinach puff pastry, steak frites, Provencal stew with mixed vegetables, and mussels mariniere. Apple tarte tatin is the only dessert option. Two can dine for under $100 with appetizers priced at $14 or less with the most expensive entree ringing in at $28. To drink are ample selections of rotating wines from France, Chile, Spain, Croatia, and Greece, along with domestic beers including the near-ubiquitous Skyduster and Gardena’s Two Coast Brewing.

It wouldn’t be accurate to compare Zizou to other Morrocan restaurants in Los Angeles, such as Casablanca Moroccan Kitchens, Tagine in Beverly Hills, or Hollywood’s Moun of Tunis. Though Heights Deli & Bottle Shop, La Morenita on Broadway, and Little Rodeo Mexican Restaurant are Lincoln Heights staples, Zizou’s hangout space is closest to Moo’s Craft Barbecue and Benny Boy Brewing.

Zizou plays host to regular community events, with a souk-influenced market selling local artist wares and specific playlists. It’s also a convenient third space for the hundreds of artists who live in the adjacent live-work colony: the Brewery Artist Lofts.

Zoutina and Macquin believe Los Angeles is the only place where a restaurant like Zizou could have made sense. “I don’t think we’d be able to open Zizou in Europe. The industry there is very closed-minded and complicated,” says Zoutina. “The people and opportunities are more open here. Plus, we love LA.”

Zizou is open Sunday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m., and closes at midnight on Friday and Saturday at 2425 Daly Street, Lincoln Heights, CA, 90031.