An earlier version of this article said the Little Birdie preview will happen Saturday, May 23. The preview is being rescheduled for next Saturday, May 30.
Little Birdie, the sister restaurant of Matt & Tony’s All Day Kitchen + Bar, will host a preview ahead of its June opening in Del Ray.
The restaurant will offer a limited menu from a stand at the Del Ray Farmers’ Market (203 E. Oxford Avenue) Saturday, May 30, co-owner Eric Brannon told ALXnow. The $9 menu, incorporating ingredients from farmers market vendors, will include an asparagus dish, a mini chicken sandwich, a boba yogurt bowl and chicken satay. The restaurant will also pass out drinks at the pop-up.
“It’s just a great opportunity for us to engage with our wonderful community, give a little sneak preview,” Brannon said.
The Del Ray Farmers’ Market runs from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday.
Brannon confirmed Little Birdie is slated to open Tuesday, June 23 at 1504B Mount Vernon Avenue. The space was formerly occupied by Benny DiForza’s Pizza, which closed last October.
“We feel people are definitely excited, from our wonderful regulars at Matt & Tony’s, to we’ve gotten comments of people walking by looking at the swatches on the side of the building and giving an opinion on the best color, which is always fun to see,” Brannon said. “We’re excited to add to the options here on the Avenue.”
Little Birdie’s menu will focus on chicken sandwiches made with Pennsylvania-sourced chicken and served on Japanese milk buns from Northern Virginia’s Working Man Bread. Salads, shareable plates, cocktails and mocktails round out the menu.
“Our vegetables will be seasonal and local when we can, our dairy as much as we can, and we will be changing the menu to reflect the season and the flavors of the season as well, so definitely going to be utilizing local farmers and bakers, fish out of the Chesapeake, there’ll be local oysters on the menu,” Brannon said. “So a big focus on locality.”
Proposed hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday through Sunday.
Little Birdie’s opening plans come as Matt & Tony’s is a finalist for Best Brunch of the Year at the regional RAMMYs. Winners will be announced at the 44th annual RAMMYS Awards & Gala on June 29.
Image 1 via Little Birdie/Instagram
