BIRMINGHAM, Alabama - Babalu Tacos & Tapas, a Jackson, Miss.-based restaurant concept that features small-plate servings of Latin-influenced dishes, is expected to open later this month in the new 29 Seven retail and apartment development in Birmingham's Lakeview District.

The Birmingham location will be the third Babalu restaurant for owners Bill Latham and Al Roberts, who opened the original location in their hometown of Jackson in 2010 and a second one in Memphis earlier this summer.

The restaurant and bar will be on the corner of 29th Street and Seventh Avenue South, right in the thick of a bustling entertainment district that includes Lou's Pub & Package Store, Moe's Original Bar B Que, Slice Pizza & Brew, Innisfree Irish Pub, Five, and Jack Brown's Beer & Burger Joint.

"Birmingham is a good fit because it's just such a great food town," Latham said in an interview with AL.com. "It's got great restaurants, and it's got some great chefs. . . .

"So it is, we think, a great city to be a part of, and hopefully, we can be part of the community and the restaurant scene there," he added. "And as for Lakeview, Lakeview was just a real good fit for Babalu."

This is the exterior of the new Babalu Tacos & Tapas restaurant that recently opened in Memphis.

Latham and Roberts have been partners in the restaurant business for more than 30 years. Before starting Babalu, they also operated Amerigo Italian restaurants in Jackson, Memphis and Nashville and Char steakhouse in Jackson.

The name Babalu references the song that Cuban-born singer and actor Desi Arnaz made popular on the old "I Love Lucy" TV show, and the restaurant's multicultural menu similarly reflects the street foods of Latin America.

"From a culinary standpoint, the concept was born out of, or driven by, the ethnic street food craze that has come across the nation the last six or seven years, through food trucks and chefs who are doing more ethnic foods and smaller portions," Roberts said. "That's where we headed with Babalu, and it kind of evolved over the years."

Appetizers include black-eyed pea hummus ($4.95), lump crab ceviche ($7.95), flash-fried calamari ($10.50), and guacamole that is prepared tableside ($9.95).

Tacos, which come in servings of three per order, include house-smoked chicken ($8.00), beef tenderloin ($8.50), spice-seared yellow fin tuna ($8.50), braised pulled pork ($7.50), grilled or fried Gulf shrimp ($8.50), and veggie ($7.50).

Tapas, which are small-plate servings that can be shared with others or combined to make a full meal, include Mississippi Delta tamales ($8.95), pan-roasted redfish ($12.50), Gulf lump crab cakes ($12.95), beef empanada ($7.95) and grilled skewered tenderloin ($10.50).

Sandwiches on the Babalu menu include a Cuban torta ($9.95), grilled lamb sliders ($12.95), and a yellow fin tuna "BLC" with bacon, arugula and marinated cucumber ($11.95).

This is the interior of the new Babalu Tacos & Tapas restaurant that recently opened in Memphis.

"One of our main things at Babalu is (for guests) to sample and share because this is a tapas-style restaurant where small plates can be shared by several people and you can order several different things," Latham said. "But if you want to order your own dish, you can have that, too."

The Babalu bar menu will feature such signature cocktails as the Baba-Rita, with Patron Silver tequila and agave nectar; the Baba-Blue, with Cathead vodka, agave nectar and Blue Curacao; TC Tea, with Firefly sweet tea vodka, mint, lemon and Sprite; and the Praline Ole, with Cathead pecan vodka, RumChata and pure-cane-sugar Coca-Cola.

"We think you are going to get a really good culinary experience, as well as a really good bar experience," Latham said. "We do everything behind the bar from scratch. We make all of our mixes from fresh-squeezed lemons and limes every day."

Eric Bartholomew, a Huntsville native who worked at P.F. Chang's China Bistro for 10 years, is the executive chef at the Birmingham Babalu.

David Soreano, a Knoxville, Tenn., native who previously worked at J. Alexander's and Fleming's Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar, is the general manger.

Including the dining room and the patio, the restaurant will seat about 160 to 170 guests, Roberts said.

"The patio plays into our concept greatly," he said. "We should have a cool patio, being on the corner there."

Babalu Tacos & Tapas is scheduled to open sometime in late September.

To see a full menu and to find out more about Babalu, go here.