There’s a certain ease to the new location of Second Line in Laurelwood; the kind you feel before you even sit down. Maybe it’s the church pew sourced from First Presbyterian Church downtown that greets you just outside the door or the familiar glow bouncing off the copper bar. Or maybe it's the quiet hum of a dining room that already feels broken in. Then there's Chef Kelly English's menu with those cheeky descriptions you can almost imagine him penning with a big, easy grin.
For English, the move east wasn’t about leaving Midtown behind. It was about timing, perspective and a path that, by his own admission, hasn’t always been linear.
A New Orleans native, English brought with him more than recipes when he landed in Memphis. He brought a spirit shaped by resilience and storms weathered. That sense of endurance would return years later, as he led his team through the uncertainty of the pandemic, guiding not just a business but the people—front and back of house—who keep it running day in and day out.
He’s quick to deflect attention from himself, pointing instead to his team which includes business partner Kimberly Guthrie. English leads with equal parts grit and heart. And while the past few years have tested even the most seasoned restaurateurs, they’ve also clarified something: what matters, what works and what works even better now.
That clarity is evident in the Laurelwood spot. English and his team had their eyes on the space next door to Restaurant Iris for some time, making the move feel less like a leap and more like a natural progression. With both restaurants now side by side once more and sharing a kitchen, operations are streamlined, and English is exactly where he wants to be: in the center of it all.
The space itself, renovated by LP3 and designed by Parker Design Group tells its own story. “We immediately understood how important it was for Kelly to preserve the authenticity of the original restaurant in its relocation to East Memphis, so we approached the new space with that intention at every turn," says Laurynas Petrauskas of LP3. "From the copper bar top, exposing original metal beams and restoring pews from First Presbyterian Church, the design remains rooted in its New Orleans influence, with some elevated elements to reflect its second chapter and to provide a more seamless experience front and back of house." English further explains that the exposed, unfinished support beams throughout nod to New Orleans—a city that knows a thing or two about rebuilding post-Katrina. Many other familiar touches from the original location made the move: the chandelier, the art and even the repurposed bathroom signs. But there’s a freshness here, too.
The menu follows a similar rhythm. Longtime favorites remain, grounding the experience in what guests have always loved about Second Line. But there’s also a sense of evolution, "A 2026 approach to 2015 when Second Line first opened,” as English puts it. New additions like a healthy salad have joined the lineup, as well as cocktails like the playful Right Lane on Poplar and When the Levee Breaks to keep things unmistakably authentic. The expanded kids menu includes dishes meant to please even the most discerning clientele and is inspired by the real-life preferences of English and co-owner Guthrie's children.
It’s this balance between past and present, comfort and creativity that defines the new Second Line. Nothing feels forced. Nothing feels forgotten.
Meanwhile, the original Cooper and Monroe location is stepping into its own next chapter. The Swamp Bar will expand into the former Second Line space, offering a more casual counterpart with the popular Vietnamese-Creole influences and outdoor seating—another example of English’s instinct for growth that feels organic rather than rushed.
Second Line in Laurelwood is now open seven days a week, 359 days a year, a steady presence in a city that has, in many ways, grown alongside it. And while the setting may be new, the spirit remains unchanged. Because for English, it’s never just been about the food. It’s about the people who make it, the people who gather to enjoy it, and the winding path that brought them all here.
Life isn’t always linear. But sometimes, it leads you exactly where you’re meant to be.
English is exactly where he wants to be: in the center of it all.
"The design remains rooted in its New Orleans influence, with some elevated elements to reflect its second chapter and to provide a more seamless experience front and back of house," - Laurynas Petrauskas