Sushiya in Wichita’s Old Town closed for weeks as owner searches for sushi chef
Sushiya, the sushi restaurant at 325 N. Mead in Wichita’s Old Town Square, has been closed for several weeks. Owner Jiyeon Kim said the closure came down to a single issue: She couldn’t find a sushi chef.
A sign on Sushiya’s front door describes the closure as temporary. But the situation is more complicated. Kim, contacted on Monday, said she has “no concrete plans” to reopen the restaurant.
Why Sushiya closed
Kim pointed to a staffing gap that left the restaurant without the core skill it needed to operate. Without a qualified sushi chef, the kitchen couldn’t function as a sushi restaurant.
She hasn’t abandoned the idea of reopening entirely. Time remains on her lease at the Old Town Square space, and she said she is not ruling out a return.
“I’m keeping the option open if the right situation comes along, like finding the right sushi chef,” Kim said.
She said she’d provide an update if anything changed.
Wasabi east on Rock Road stays open under the same ownership
The closure of Sushiya does not affect Wasabi east, the other restaurant owned by Jiyeon Kim and her husband, Sean. Wasabi east, located at 3242 N. Rock Road, has operated since late 2011. Kim said that restaurant is doing fine and will remain open.
For diners who frequented both locations, Wasabi east continues operating as usual.
Wichita’s three Wasabi restaurants have separate owners
A point of frequent confusion: Wichita has three sushi restaurants carrying the Wasabi name, but they do not share ownership.
Jiyeon and Sean Kim own Wasabi east at 3242 N. Rock Road. That is the only Wasabi location connected to Sushiya’s owners.
The other two Wasabi sushi restaurants, one at 912 E. Douglas and another at 2404 N. Maize Road, have different owners.
The three restaurants share a name across Wichita but are not a single chain under unified management.
The Old Town Square space has a long history with Japanese cuisine
The address at 325 N. Mead carried a different name for decades before Sushiya arrived. The space was previously home to Hana Cafe, which operated for 27 years under the ownership of Eunice Kim.
When Eunice Kim decided to close Hana Cafe in early 2023, Jiyeon Kim and Sean purchased the business from her. The two Kims are not related, despite sharing a surname.
After the purchase, the couple renamed the restaurant Sushiya, a name that translates to “home of sushi.” The restaurant opened in in spring 2023, giving the location a new identity while keeping it within Japanese cuisine.
What to know right now
Sushiya is closed with no concrete reopening timeline. The lease at 325 N. Mead is still active. Kim remains open to the possibility of returning if the right sushi chef becomes available.
Wasabi east at 3242 N. Rock Road remains open under the same ownership. The two other Wasabi locations, on Douglas and Maize Road, continue under their respective, separate owners.
This report was produced with the assistance of a proprietary tool powered by artificial intelligence and using our own originally reported, written and published content. It was reviewed and edited by our journalists.
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