Around Town

Del Ray restaurant owners to open concept at former pizza shop

By James Cullum
The former Benny DiForza's Pizza at 1504B Mount Vernon Avenue in Del Ray on Monday, Oct. 27, 2025. (staff photo by James Cullum)

The owners of Matt and Tony’s All Day Kitchen + Bar (1501 Mount Vernon Avenue) have filed paperwork to open a sister location across the street in Del Ray.

Restaurant owners Matthew Sloan and Eric Brannon are asking the city for permission to allow 10 seats of outdoor dining for the space formerly occupied by Benny DiForza’s Pizza (1504B Mount Vernon Avenue) for a new restaurant named Little Birdie, according to their special use permit application.

The former pizza shop opened in February 2024 and closed last October.

Sloan and Brannon opened Matt and Tony’s in 2022 in the former home of Charlie’s On The Avenue (1501 Mount Vernon Avenue). The restaurant has earned accolades like Yelp’s top 100 U.S. restaurants and top 100 brunch spots. Sloan is the former managing partner of Alexandria Restaurant Partners, which owns The Majestic, Mia’s Italian Kitchen, Ada’s on the River and a number of other concepts in Alexandria.

The proposed hours at Little Birdie are 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., Sunday to Thursday, and 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., Friday to Saturday.

ALXnow has reached out to Sloan and Brannon for more details on their concept.

About the Author

  • Reporter James Cullum has spent nearly 20 years covering Northern Virginia. He began working with ALXnow in 2020, and has covered every story under the sun for the publication, from investigative stories to features and photo galleries. His work includes coverage of national and international situations, as well as from the White House, Capitol, Pentagon, Supreme Court and State Department. He's covered protests and riots throughout the U.S. (including the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol), in addition to earthquake-ridden Haiti, Western Sahara in North Africa and war-torn South Sudan. He has photographed presidents and other world leaders, celebrities and famous musicians, and excels under pressure.