Almost a year after a fire destroyed it, a favorite west Wichita restaurant is reopening

It was right after Thanksgiving last year when an accidental electrical fire destroyed the kitchen and damaged the dining room at Ninza Sushi Bar, the reliable sushi restaurant that Ada Yang had opened in a back corner of Northwest Centre, 13th and Tyler, back in 2013.

At the time, Yang said she wasn’t sure what she’d do, and settling with the insurance company took awhile.

But now, 11 months later, Ninza Sushi Bar is about to reopen. Yang will start welcoming customers back starting on Friday.

The restaurant will look a bit unfamiliar to former customers, Yang said. Everything had to be redone, and the dining room has a whole new color palate. The menu, however, will be the same with the exception of a few additions. Yang also plans to expand her wine bar and increase the number of wines she serves.

Starting Friday, Ninza’s hours will be 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays; noon to 10 p.m. Saturdays; and noon to 9 p.m. Sundays.

Yang did not sit around while her flagship restaurant was making its recovery. In April, she took over and reopened Blue Fin Sake Bar & Sushi at 255 N. Washington, which had previously been owned by Jason Huang.

She kept the name and the bar menu but changed the sushi menu to include her Ninza favorites. Now, she said, she will split her time between the two restaurants.