COMING SOON: Little London brings British flavor to Birmingham + now Netflix
Reading time: 6 minutes
“A living room away from home.” That’s the goal of the forthcoming The Little London pub, which you probably know better right now as the Little London Kitchen food truck. The charming red double-decker bus will soon be rolling into your living room as part of a new Netflix series.
Coming soon to Netflix
Little London Kitchen will be a “home away from home,” but the team behind it will also be coming straight into your home in a new Netflix series, Fresh Fried and Crispy. The first season will be available on Wednesday, June 9, which is when you can find food critic Daym Drops check out Little London Kitchen.
The show’s description reads: “Passionate about food and ready for fun, critic Daym Drops drops in on America’s smokin’ hot spots for the best, freshest takes on fried food.” Each episode features three restaurants in one city. For the Birmingham episode, Little London and Yo Mama’s will be featured alongside another yet-unnamed restaurant.
While founder and owner Bea Morrissette unfortunately couldn’t be in the episode, Little London Executive Chef Theresa will be front and center in the show. Things were already spinning when Morrissette got the call, and as she says “I like to put the talent right out front. I’m just the person with the ideas, these are the people who go out and do them.”
Bringing London to Birmingham
Except the Birmingham we’re talking about is across an ocean 4,313 miles away. After opening inside of The Duchess, a cherry red 1968 Leyland double-decker bus, Little London Kitchen began as a food truck traveling around breweries in Birmingham.
Talking to owner Bea Morrissette is electrifying, so I’ll let her tell the origin story of this iconic eatery.
“I’m a true foodie, I take cooking classes everywhere I travel and that’s one reason why I wanted to open a food truck and now a restaurant. My husband is a Birmingham native, and when we visited, I fell in love. That’s why we’ve settled here and started the food truck, it’s always been a dream of mine. I always wanted to live a life of my passion.
Plus, it’s not like we have a pool of London food here, so we decided to dabble in London street food to make our menu.
My husband and I left our jobs and lives in Manhattan to come to Birmingham to open the food truck. Being here has been magic, and the community has been really supportive over the last couple of years.”
Bea Morrissette, owner and founder, Little London
“A living room away from home.”
After gaining popularity and a cult following for the food truck, a brick and mortar home is coming to Homewood. Set to open Saturday, June 4, The Little London is set to be a true British pub.
Some of the food served will be similar to what’s currently on Little London Kitchen’ menu, but Morrissette intends to expand The Little London’s menu to reflect London’s wide variety of cuisine.
“I wanted to have a kitchen where we could do a broader menu, because London food is not just pies and fish and chips. It’s curries, it’s tagines, it’s Chinese, Vietnamese, Caribbean and just all-around international. Having the restaurant will allow me to explode on the menu side.”
Bea Morrissette, owner and founder, Little London
As for the culture and community of The Little London, Morrissette is going for a classic pub vibe. With couches and true pub-style service, the mission of Bea Morrissette and her team is to recreate the homey style and feeling found in pubs across the UK.
“When you come to my pub, you will see it has the feel of a living room away from home. It’s fancy but casual. You could come on a date here, or you could come with your grandma. Everyone belongs.
But keep in mind this is a real pub. You’re not going to be waited on. You’re going to get out of your chair and come up to the bar, and if you want to be really nice and really British, you’re going to bring your glass with you and I’m going to give you a fresh one.”
Bea Morrissette, owner and founder, Little London
Currently, The Little London is holding soft openings leading up to the formal opening on Saturday, June 4.
A beloved Birmingham bus
Morissette credits the success of Little London Kitchen to the dedication of their following. With a robust social media following whom she dubbed “Little Londoners,” she reaches a wide audience of Birminghamians with authentic London food.
“It was my social media following, whom I call my Little Londoners, that got us through everything, from opening to COVID to now.
They’re not just followers anymore. In the last year, they’ve become a sort of army. For example, if someone asks a question on my page, someone else will reply with the answer, sharing the menu or giving them the address of our location for the day.
Birmingham got me through for sure. I don’t know if we would have survived if we were anywhere else.”
Bea Morrissette, owner and founder, Little London
More to come
Morrissette and her team are already super busy. As Morrissette says, she’s a “tornado in a teacup.” But there’s more to come for Little London Kitchen and The Little Londno. With an already successful food truck, a brick-and-mortar pub coming, and a Netflix feature, the popularity of Birmingham’s British food truck is just getting started.
If you can’t wait for the restaurant to open, you can catch Little London Kitchen this weekend at Darter Fest, on Saturday, May 22 at Avondale Brewing.
Learn more about Little London Kitchen and food truck on their website, and on Facebook, Twitter + Instagram. The The Little London pub will open on Saturday, June 4 at 162 Oxmoor Rd, Birmingham, AL 35209.
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