“It’s something we knew would work but we just weren’t sure how well it would work over here”
Reggie Pulliam and Adam Williams, owners of SuSu’s New Orleans Kitchen (Image: Publicity Picture)
A new business has risen through the ranks to become one of the top rated restaurants in Liverpool after only five months. In May, Reggie Pullman and Adam Williams took the leap from the United States to bring a huge helping of southern flavour and hospitality to the city.
Adam hails from Alabama, where he worked for years in some of the top restaurants along the Gulf Shores. Throughout his hospitality career, Adam was at the helm of opening several businesses, including the Sassy Bass, which is where he met pal and business partner, Reggie,
Reggie would visit London for work, and every time he was there he’d make the pilgrimage to Goodison to watch his beloved Everton play at home. Reggie was born in New Orleans but grew up in Oklahoma, which is also the home of former Everton striker Joe-Max Moore.
Reggie was familiar with Liverpool but Adam got his first taste of the city last year when he joined him at an Everton match. The pair noticed a startling gap in the local market and asked each other, “should we open a New Orleans venue here?”
SuSu’s New Orleans Kitchen, named after Reggie’s mum Susan, opened on Victoria street serving authentic Southern comfort food like fried chicken po’boys, chicken and sausage jambalaya and gumbo, smash burgers, shrimp bread and more. The restaurant doesn’t offer salt and pepper because all of the dishes come loaded with flavour already.
Reggie Pulliam and Adam Williams
After five months of gruelling effort, the pair now have the fourth top rated restaurant in Liverpool. Thrilled with the accomplishment, Adam told the ECHO: “We were so excited just to get into the top 10.
“For us to come over here with a brand new concept that people might not like was terrifying. We always hoped it would do well and to see all of our work paying off is incredible. Reggie is really good at marketing – that’s his thing – so he’s done an excellent job getting the word out there.
“We’re beyond excited. We knew deep down we had a good product but to have people over here willing to try it and have their minds’ blown is incredible.
“It’s been a lot of tough work but seeing the look on people’s faces when you bring out those plates and the excitement they have is worth it.
“It’s something we knew would work but we just weren’t sure how well it would work over here. Now we’re the fourth best rated restaurant in Liverpool. It’s crazy.”
Susu’s baked oysters
SuSu’s New Orleans Kitchen works with local suppliers such as Bexley’s butchers for special ingredients like andouille sausages for the authentic Cajun flavours. Adam said: “Culture is paramount to making a place like ours thrive.
“It’s about creating that situation where all of your family and friends come over on the weekend for a crawfish, shrimp or crab boil. Everyone is gathered around the table, having drinks, telling stories and laughing. That community feeling is what is so important to a place like this.
“I love seeing people’s faces as they try something new. We actually don’t have salt and pepper because we put so much flavour into everything. If someone asked me for salt, I could pour a little into a ramekin, but there is nothing available on the tables.
“I want to bring Mardi Gras over here. Liverpool is a crazy city so I think it would love a huge Mardi Gras party, a parade, a masquerade ball – everything. I don’t think I could turn it around by February 2026 but maybe the next year.”
On the horizon is SuSu’s Kitchen’s first food challenge in the form of a giant muffaletta sandwich. The obstacle include layers of deli, meats, cheeses, olive salad stuck between two huge slices of muffaletta bread, putting die-hard fans and foodies to the ultimate New Orleans test.