A once-popular Wichita Mexican restaurant, closed since 2011, is making a comeback

From the time it opened in 2005 until it suddenly closed in 2011, Laura’s Super Tortas set the standard for the Mexican sandwich in Wichita.

The little shop operated at 1425 E. Central, and it served several versions of the Mexican specialty. You’d always see the delivery truck tooling around town.

Now, Jose and Laura Barrera — who closed the shop to focus on their family — are making a comeback. They’re not opening a brick-and-mortar Laura’s just yet, but they will begin selling their food again at a new Mexican market that’s starting this weekend at NoMar International Market Plaza, 204 E. 21st St. North. It’s called Mercadito Hispano NoMar, and it will happen every Saturday and Sunday starting this weekend and running through the end of October.

The Barreras’ son Manny said his parents loved running the business, but it just got to be too much.

“It kind of gained popularity a little faster than we expected,” he said. “It was really, really hectic. My brothers and sisters and I were really young, and the restaurant business is not all glitz and glamor.”

Now the kids are grown up, and Manny has a degree in business from Wichita State University. He’s ready to help his parents get the business re-established, he said.

For now, the family will focus on serving tortas exclusively. They’ve posted a menu that includes tortas made with steak, pork loin and ham and cheese. People can choose their own toppings, and there will be kids’ tortas, too.

Once they get that established, Manny said, they may consider a food truck or even a physical location.

People have been asking him about the restaurant ever since it closed, Manny said, and he’s happy to share the news.

“Every time somebody recognizes any one of us, they always say, ‘When is your mom going to sell tortas again?’” he said.

This story was originally published July 16, 2018 at 4:15 PM.