Restaurant News & Reviews

Remembering restaurants that once fed Wichita’s soul

Stories by Wichita Eagle journalists, with AI summarization

Wichita's past restaurant scene is filled with local favorites that left a lasting impression.

Mama Love’s Kitchen in Old Town was famous for family-cooked soul food, served with warmth and extra helpings of homemade desserts.

ShowBiz Pizza offered animatronic entertainment and arcade games that delighted kids in the 1980s. These long gone places each shaped Wichita’s culinary memories in their own ways.

Mama Love’s daughter Kim Love serves up chicken and noodles during a lunch. By Ann Williamson

NO. 1: FLASHBACK FRIDAY: WICHITA LOVED THIS OLD TOWN SOUL FOOD RESTAURANT IN THE LATE 1990S

The restaurant was owned by one of Wichita’s most recognized families and run by its matriarch. | Published April 26, 2024 | Read Full Story by Denise Neil

Rock Island Cafe was a popular lunch destination in the mid- to late-1980s. It operated at 725 E. Douglas. By The Wichita Eagle

NO. 2: FLASHBACK FRIDAY: BEFORE OLD TOWN WAS OLD TOWN, THIS DOWNTOWN CAFE WAS A PRETTY BIG DEAL

Rock Island Cafe opened in 1985 to a line of people snaking out the door. | Published September 13, 2024 | Read Full Story by Denise Neil

Then- Showbiz Pizza Place manager John Whisman, left, and assistant manager Kelly Knobe are pictured outside of the Towne East restaurant in 1981. By The Wichita Eagle

NO. 3: FLASHBACK FRIDAY: GEN X GREW UP AT SHOWBIZ PIZZA, HOME OF SO-SO FOOD, AMAZING ROBOT BEAR

ShowBiz Pizza was founded in Kansas City in the 1980s. The home of cult-favorite band Rock-afire Explosion, it burned bright then burned out. | Published October 3, 2024 | Read Full Story by Denise Neil

Joe Fairchild, co-owner Pizza Peddler

NO. 4: FLASHBACK FRIDAY: PIZZA PEDDLER WAS ON A PIZZA HUT TRAJECTORY FOR A BRIEF TIME IN THE ’70S

The Wichita upstart, known for its braided whole wheat crust, was founded by two friends who dropped out of KU to follow their entrepreneurial dreams. | Published May 2, 2025 | Read Full Story by Denise Neil

The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories listed were reported and written by Denise Neil and edited by McClatchy journalists.