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ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Little Birdie, a chicken-focused restaurant from the team behind Del Ray's Matt & Tony's All Day Kitchen + Bar, opened Tuesday at 1504B Mount Vernon Ave. with a ribbon cutting hosted by the Del Ray Business Association, capping a rainy morning that cleared just in time for the scissors.
The opening drew several local and state officials, including Vice Mayor Sarah Bagley, City Council member Canek Aguirre, Sen. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker and Del. Kirk McPike, along with members of the business association.
"Small businesses are, of course, the heartbeat of our community, and I think Mount Vernon Avenue is one of the best examples of that," Bennett-Parker said, praising owner Matt Sloan and chef partner Eric Brannon as proven restaurateurs who built a following at Matt & Tony's across the street. "They're partnering with local farmers and local bakeries and creating delicious things for us all to enjoy."
Dr. Lauren Fisher, President of the Del Ray Business Association, who emceed the event, said Sloan arrived in the neighborhood largely unknown two years ago when he opened Matt & Tony's, then turned it into a destination with national recognition. She praised him for choosing to reinvest in Del Ray rather than expand elsewhere. "We love that you chose to stay here and invest and share another business," she said.
Sloan said he was excited to open a second restaurant on Mount Vernon Avenue and credited the neighborhood's support, then handed off to Brannon, who described Little Birdie as a more specialized spinoff built around a shared love of chicken. Brannon said the menu pairs that with fresh seafood, including Chesapeake oysters, Virginia-grown produce and bread baked in the state, layered with Southern and Asian influences he described as his culinary DNA. He summed up the range as running "from cafe lunch to date night dinner with some champagne and caviar."
The restaurant moves into a storefront that had sat empty since Benny DiForza's Pizza closed last year. Its menu centers on sandwiches — "The Birds" — served on Japanese milk bread, from the Birdie's Classic spiced thigh to the gochujang-glazed Got' Chu, alongside burgers, shareable plates, rice bowls and salads. The most extravagant item is The Nug, a single fried chicken "nuggie" topped with ossetra caviar for $16, with a glass of sparkling wine offered for $15 more. The bar leans into the theme with house-bottled "Birdtails," spirit-free "Mocktails," and a beer and wine list. The menu lists sourcing partners including Amick Farms, Chesapeake Smokehouse, Working Man Bread Co., Shlagel Farms and Rappahannock Oyster Co.
Sloan opened Matt & Tony's in 2022, and that restaurant is a finalist for best brunch in the regional RAMMY Awards, an annual restaurant industry honor.
As it opens, the restaurant is also seeking the city's permission to expand its outdoor seating. Sloan and Brannon have applied for a special use permit to add 16 seats in an adjacent unused alley, on top of 10 outdoor seats the city has already approved, according to the application filed with the city. The deadline for public comment on that request is Wednesday, June 24, and the city had not ruled on the application as of Tuesday. The change in ownership at the site was approved by the city in March.
Little Birdie is at 1504B Mount Vernon Ave. and is open Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. It is closed on Mondays. Reservations are available through OpenTable, and the restaurant takes walk-ins and online orders. More information is available at littlebirdieva.com.
