Category Archives: Restaurant reopenings

Opening next week: new bar, old diner

Jan. 25, 201310:14 a.m.

A couple of businesses plan to open their doors next week, and one is right down the block from me.

Jon’s Ale House should open on Tuesday in the former Kelly’s Irish Pub spot at 917 E. Douglas, next door to The Beacon. Its focus will be craft beers from labels such as New Belgium, Free State, Tallgrass and more. The bar also will serve breakfast and lunch and is planning a menu filled with cold cut sandwiches, salads and soups such as a Guinness beef and vegetable soup. They’ll also have a few franks, including a quarter pounder topped with bacon and blue cheese.

Hours will be 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Tuesdays through Sundays. Owner Anthony Lynch has all but gutted the place, adding new furniture, new restrooms and a new bar top attractively decorated with craft beer labels.

Across town, Chuck Giles, the owner of Neighbors Restaurant & Bar at 2150 N. Amidon, says he’s almost ready to reopen Brint’s Diner at 4834 E. Lincoln. The restaurant, set up in a classic Valentine Diner building, was closed by former owner Jessie Medina back in October. Giles hopes to be ready to go by Thursday.

By Denise Neil | Tags: , , Filed under About-to-open, Bar food, Beer, Diners, Lunch, Restaurant reopenings | Comments

South Seneca Pizza Hut crossing the street

Jan. 2, 20131:26 p.m.

The Pizza Hut at 2417 S. Seneca closed about two weeks ago after its lease expired and owners decided not to reup.

But that Pizza Hut is going to reopen on Monday right across the street in the space at 2452 S. Seneca recently vacated by Blockbuster Video.

The Pizza Hut is one of the smaller stores that’s mainly focuses on carryout and delivery but also has a few tables for dine-in customers.

Those who call the South Seneca store (316-265-6565) before Monday will be automatically redirected to the Delano store at 700 W. Douglas.

By Denise Neil | Tags: Filed under Pizza, Restaurant reopenings | Comments

If Angelo’s happens, it will have parking, owners say

June 19, 20123:28 p.m.

A waitress delivering plates of Angelo's goodness back in 1999

After I posted my story about Gina Fasciano-Hogan’s plans to try and reopen her family’s business — iconic Wichita Italian restaurant Angelo’s — in the former Barrier’s spot at Douglas and Oliver, the online comment-a-palooza began. (Of course it did.)

Some commenters claimed to be moved to joyful tears by the news. Many offered words of support. And several articulated one big concern: that the Barrier’s lot would not have adequate parking for the business.

I spoke with both Gina and her father, Jack Fasciano, this morning. If the deal for the space works out, the landlords have offered several possibilities, but all of them include more parking than the single strip that runs alongside the east side of the building, they said.

Fasciano-Hogan is planning a smaller restaurant that would seat between 36 and 40. It’s possible that the Barrier’s building would be split in half and the restaurant would use only part of it, leaving the other side open for a retail business.

It’s also possible, she said, that the back part of the building could be taken off, making room for more parking. The landlord also owns some duplexes on the property that sits to the south of the building, and some of those could be torn down to make way for parking.

Since it’s all still preliminary, Fasciano-Hogan said, nothing is for sure — except that there’d be enough parking for her customers. “That was one of our biggest concerns when we talked to them,” she said.

By Denise Neil | Tags: Filed under Italian food, Restaurant reopenings | Comments

d’Sozo chef still planning new place

May 8, 20123:41 p.m.

Chef Miguel Larcher

When Chef Miguel Larcher bought vegan restaurant d’Sozo from former owner Larry Cook back in December, his plans were to close it and reopen it with a new name.

He did — briefly. Larcher called the restaurant Miguel’s Eat-In Cafe, and he said he’d continue to operate at the original location at 1812 S. Seneca until he found a new location.

That didnt’ last, and he ended up closing to devote himself to the search. He thought he had a place picked out last week in downtown Wichita, but at the last minute, the deal fell through. Larcher now says he has a line on a few other spaces that look good. He hopes to be reopen by the end of this year.

In the meantime, Larcher is about to publish a new cookbook. It’s called “Three Olives – Of the Sea” and will be ready in July. It’ll feature vegan recipes and will be avaialable in local bookstores.

I’ll let you know when he finds a spot.

By Denise Neil | Tags: , , Filed under Restaurant closings, Restaurant reopenings, Vegetarian food | Comments

Two closings, one reopening

May 2, 20122:01 p.m.

Pimiento, the Mexican restaurant that opened last summer in the former Quizno’s space at 738 N. Waco, has been closed for a couple of weeks, a sign on the door citing a family emergency.

Former owner Claudia Orozco has been having health problems, the restaurant’s landlord said. She and her husband Javier have sold the restaurant to Hector Hernandez, a McPherson resident who once owned a restaurant in Dodge City. He will sign the lease this week and plans to reopen Pimiento soon. He’s planning to keep the name and the current menu but may add burgers.

I’ll update you when I get more information.

Readers also alerted me to another restaurant closing. The doors are locked, the equipment is gone and the phone number is disconnected at D’s Dairy Freeze, a hamburger spot that opened a couple of years ago in a former Pig-In Pig-Out space at 1935 S. Hydraulic.

I heard nothing but good things about the burgers at the tiny restaurant. I’ve sent a message to owners asking if they plan to reopen. I’ll let you know what I hear on that one, too.

By Denise Neil | Tags: , Filed under Burgers, Mexican food, Restaurant closings, Restaurant reopenings | Comments

Bite Me BBQ moves downtown

April 26, 20124:53 p.m.

This place is big. And by big, I mean huge.

Bite Me BBQ just finished its long-planned move from Goddard to downtown Wichita and re-opened on Monday in a ginormous space at 132 N. St. Francis.

Owner Coleman Lockett announced his plan to relocate last year. He closed his restaurant at 151st Street West and Kellogg in March and has been busy since then relocating. I stopped in the new space on Wednesday and was surprised by how cavernous it was. I was struck by the big bar, the number of tables, the shiny cement floor and the smell of new paint mixed with smoked meat.

Bite Me’s menu includes traditional barbecue favorites plus a few unexpected items (deep fried lobster! mountain oysters!).

While it waits for its liquor license, the restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays. Once the license is obtained, which Lockett predicts will take a couple of weeks, he’ll extend the hours to 11 a.m. to midnight Mondays through Thursdays and 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

For more information, call 316-729-2904.

By Denise Neil | Tags: Filed under Barbecue, Just opened, Restaurant reopenings | Comments

Kansas’ oldest McDonald’s gets new look

March 13, 20129:02 a.m.

The oldest McDonald's in Kansas just got a makeover, both inside and out.

McDonald’s restaurants across the United States are being remodeled in an ultra-modern way, and several of Wichita’s have already received the upgrade.

The latest to reveal its new look is the oldest McDonald’s in the state, which is at 1630 S. Hillside (the corner of Harry and Hillside). The restaurant will celebrate with a “grand re-opening” on Wednesday and specials that will run through the end of April.

The Harry and Hillside McDonald’s, said to be Kansas’ first, opened on Feb. 4, 1960. Today, it’s owned by Roy McCalla. Construction started in November, and the restaurant remained open throughout the process, ocassionally operating only its drive-through.

The brand new interior of the McDonald's at Harry and Hillside.

The new look is totally McModern and looks as though it was furnished by Ikea. I stopped in last night, and restaurant looks more like a coffee shop than a fast food burger chain. The red roof is gone, and the interior features tall bar tables and pendant lighting.

McCalla, who also operates the McDonald’s at 1643 S. Webb, is celebrating its remodel on Wednesday, too. Nine McDonald’s in Wichita and the surrounding areas have been or are in the process of being redone so far, and a new McDonald’s in Haysville is being built with the new design.

To mark the occassion, he’s offering through the end of April two Sausage Egg McMuffins for $3 every day, free medium fountain drinks with the purchase of an Angus burger on Saturdays, and $1.99 cheeseburger happy meals from 5 to 8 p.m. on Saturdays. The offers are good only at McCalla’s two McDonald’s.

By Denise Neil | Tags: Filed under Fast food, Restaurant remodeling, Restaurant reopenings, Uncategorized | Comments

MamaDeaux being revived in Marco’s banquet room

Nov. 7, 20112:26 p.m.

MamaDeaux Seafood House, a Cajun restaurant that operated at 606 N. Winterset St. from 2003 to 2006, is being revived.

Former owner Sam Eddine, who also has Marco’s Cantina across the street at 6600 W. Central, is planning to turn a banquet space at the back of Marco’s into a new version of Mamadeaux, meaning essentially that he’ll have two restaurants in one building.

The front of the restaurant will remain Marco’s, and the back will become MamaDeaux. Eddine recently moved the MamaDeaux sign off the former building and onto the Marco’s building. The two restaurants will have separate entrances and separate menus, though Eddine says people dining at Marco’s can get MamaDeaux food and vice versa.

The new MamaDeaux menu will be slightly smaller than the original’s but will offer fried catfish, oysters, crawfish, frog legs, fried alligator, Po’ Boys and more.

“People tell us all the time that they loved it,” Eddine said of the former MamaDeaux.

He plans to make the changes after the holidays.

As for the former MamaDeaux building, Eddine said he sold it to someone who was planning to turn it into a night club, but those plans are off. A “for sale” sign is back up on the building.

By Denise Neil | Tags: , Filed under About-to-open, Restaurant reopenings, Seafood | Comments

Park City’s Hamburger Heroes relocating to downtown Wichita

Oct. 25, 201110:32 a.m.

The arrival of Five Guys was apparently only the beginning of the downtown burger invasion.

In a few weeks, owners of Park City’s Hamburger Heroes plan to move their business to downtown Wichita.

Josh Sams, who owns the almost 2-year-old business with his wife, Bri, closed the Park City store on Saturday and said  has signed a lease on a building on the southwest corner of Douglas and Broadway. He hopes to have the move complete within 30 days.

Sams, whose restaurant specializes in burgers and fresh-cut fries, said that he had a good lunch business in Park City but that his dinner crowd was too small. “I want to do the business all the way around,” he said.

Hamburger Heroes will be open for lunch and dinner and breakfast as well. The building has the option for both upstairs and downstairs seating, and the entry to the restaurant will face Broadway.

By Denise Neil | Tags: , Filed under About-to-open, Burgers, Restaurant reopenings | Comments

Passage to India to reopen in new space this week

Oct. 24, 20113:20 p.m.

Passage to India co-owner and chef Kuldip Singh.

Passage to India, the popular Indian restaurant that has been closed since Oct. 16, should reopen by Friday of this week in a newer, fancier space.

Owners have been working for a week to move the restaurant from the cavernous space it has occupied for the past eight years at 6140 E. 21st St. to a space at 6100 E. 21st St. formerly occupied by Golden Dragon restaurant. The new location, which is in the same strip center, is a bit smaller, said Kam Singh, son of operator and co-owner and chef Kuldip Singh, but it’s been completely remodeled and will offer a more upscale environment. “We wanted to make it more of a fancy restaurant,” he said. “Everything is new in there.”

When Passage to India opened in 1994 , it was Wichita’s first Indian restaurant. This will mark the restaurant’s third move in its 17-year history.

Its famous buffet will remain the same but the set menu will change a little and will include more vegetarian and vegan items.

The hours will be 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. for the buffet Tuesdays through Sundays, 5 to 9:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, 5 to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 5 to 9 p.m. Sundays.

By Denise Neil | Tags: Filed under Indian food, Restaurant remodeling, Restaurant reopenings | Comments