New Orleans-inspired neighborhood restaurant hatches in the Heights

One of this year’s most anticipated new restaurants is opening its doors this week. Little Bird will debut this Thursday, October 29.

Led by chef-owner Graham Laborde, Little Bird is, essentially, a New Orleans-style neighborhood restaurant dropped into the middle of the Heights. It draws on Laborde’s Louisiana roots, as well as his time working in New Orleans restaurants such as Commander’s Palace, Stella!, and Boucherie. Locally, the chef is known for Bernadine’s, his Gulf Coast-inspired restaurant that closed in 2017, and as the co-owner of Midtown restaurant and bar Winnie’s, which is known for its lively atmosphere and creative sandwiches.

“I love what we do at Winnie’s, but the idea of being able to serve a pork chop properly cooked or a piece of fish properly cooked was really appealing to me,” Laborde tells CultureMap.