In memoriam: Restaurants Wichita loved, then lost, in 2020
The list of restaurants Wichita had to say a permanent goodbye to in 2020 is long. But considering what a year it was, perhaps we should be grateful the carnage wasn’t worse.
Below, you’ll find my annual tribute to restaurants Wichita loved and lost over the course of the calendar year. This year is a little hard to pin down because of the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced all restaurants to close their dining rooms in March. Some just reopened.
And COVID-19 was not to blame for all the closings. Though it was a factor in many of them, others went away with owners citing evictions, slow business, landlord disputes, health problems and retirement.
Take a moment to look back at the deliciousness that was before 2020 took it away.
January
Coney Island Hot Weiners, 1001 W. Douglas: This restaurant, specializing in coneys and tamales, closed after being evicted over unpaid rent. It had opened less than six months previous. It’s since been announced that Alzavino Wine Tavern will be taking over the space.
Espresso to Go Go Unicorn, 120 E. First St: Warren and Ann Tandoc closed the second location of their local coffee franchise in late January. It had operated on the ground floor of The Lux apartments since 2014. In May, the owners of Little Lion Cafe took the space over and opened Placeholder Coffee there.
The Dapper Doughnut, 701 E. Douglas: Brett and Rebecca Alstatt closed their 1-year-old shop, specializing in mini-doughnuts, coffee and milkshakes, in January. It had operated out of one of the canopies on the plaza at Union Station.
Mimi’s OldTown Mexican Restaurant, 321 N. Mead: This restaurant in Old Town Square, which had originally opened in 2015, closed in late January citing the owner’s health problems.
February
The Foxhole Lounge, 6305 E. Harry: This vet-friendly restaurant and bar opened in July 2019 but closed in February, having never earned enough business to stay open. It’s since been replaced by An-Ex Bar & Grill.
Aero Plains Brewing, 117 N. Handley: Patrons of this brewery were shocked when it abruptly closed in February. It’s been for sale ever since. Aero Plains originally opened in October 2016.
March
Picasso’s Pizzeria, 5900 E. Central: Owner Kurt Schmidt closed this restaurant during the COVID-19 pandemic and announced in April that it would not reopen, having long under performed. He still has the Picasso’s in Delano.
Mizu Sushi, 2140 W. 21st St.: This restaurant had been open since August 2016 but closed in March.
Flavors Coffee and Ice Cream Bar, 3700 E. Douglas: His lease was terminated, and Ryan Nall moved his 5-year-old coffee and ice cream shop out of Clifton Square in March. Papa’s General Store has since taken the space over, and Nall has gone on to operate Flavors out of a food trailer.
Kanai, 12111 W. Maple: This restaurant closed for dine-in in July 2019 but had still been offering sushi to go. Then, in March, Kanai owners David and Mari Kanai announced that they were closing their 10-year-old business entirely, saying they planned to move out of state. The space has since become home to Lilikoi Asian Bistro.
Sometime during all that COVID craziness
Armando’s Mexican Grill 2, 2227 N. Arkansas: In the spring of 2018, Armando Perez opened this restaurant in the space that long was home to Taqueria El Paisa. But he closed it in early 2020. Now, Azsucena Raos of Salina plans to open the space as a new Mexican restaurant called La Jerezana.
Keeper of the Crepes, 730 W. Douglas: This new Delano crepe restaurant opened with lots of promise in November 2019. It closed at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic then reopened in May. But by summer, it was gone.
Golden Corral East, 11006 E. Kellogg: The east-side Golden Corral closed at the start of the pandemic and never reopened. For months, it was listed on Golden Corral’s website as “temporarily closed,” but now, that’s been changed to “permanently closed.” The west-side restaurant at 616 S. Ridge Road is still open.
Pita Pit, 3242 N. Rock Road: This sandwich restaurant opened in 2012 but closed in early 2020, along with a sister restaurant in Derby. Another location of taco restaurant Uno Mas has since taken over the space.
PepperJax Grill, 2616 N. Maize Road, 3130 N. Rock Road: Wichita had two restaurants from this Omaha-based chain, and they specialized in Philly cheese steak sandwiches. They both opened in 2016, but in 2020, they both closed.
Zoe’s Kitchen, 1441 N. Webb Road: This restaurant, which opened in Wichita near Whole Foods in December 2017, closed at the beginning of the COVID-19 shutdowns in Wichita and never reopened. In June, it was finally confirmed that the restaurant was closed for good.
BurgerFi, 2441 N. Maize Road: This New Market Square burger restaurant, part of a Florida-based chain, opened in July 2018 but closed along with all other Wichita restaurants at the start of the coronavirus pandemic, never to reopen.
Kneaders Bakery, 1821 N. Rock Road: This restaurant and bakery closed at the start of COVID-19 shutdowns and never reopened. The building is now covered with for-sale signs.
Logan’s Roadhouse, 353 S. Rock Road: This restaurant closed at the start of the pandemic, and while its west-side counterpart eventually reopened, it never did. The restaurant had operated on the perimeter of Towne East Square since 2007. It has since been replaced with Chef’s Table Roadhouse.
College Hill Donuts, 4618 E. Central: This doughnut shop, which originally opened in 2017, closed in early 2020. Next door neighbor Georges French Bistro later annexed the space.
April
Hereford House, Andover: Mike Issa opted in April not to renew his lease at the Terradyne Country Club and closed the Hereford House restaurant he’d run there for a decade. He still has Scotch & Sirloin.
Krab Kingz Seafood, 784 S. West St.: The tale of the end of this seafood restaurant, which opened in February 2018, is almost too strange to believe and involves romance, fraud, con-men and a Showtime docu-series. It closed for good in April.
May
Sente Games & Refreshments, 132 E. Douglas: Another victim of COVID-19, this cafe closed in May after two and a half years in business.
Wichita Chicken Fried House, 1305 N. Hillside: This fried chicken restaurant hadn’t been open six months inside the former Church’s building at 1305 N. Hillside when it burned down during a May fire that police later determined was arson.
June
Taco Bueno, 3530 N. Rock Road: Wichita’s last surviving Taco Bueno restaurant (there had once been six) closed in early June and has since been replaced with a new Taco Tico.
Gladspoon, 7330 W. Maple: In June, Cliff Bragg decided to close the edible cookie dough and ice cream shop he’d opened in the summer of 2019. He cited uncertainty over COVID-19 shutdowns. He still has Milkfloat in Delano.
Denny’s: When the COVID-19 pandemic started, Wichita had three Denny’s restaurants. By June, it was down to one — the corporate-owned 24-hour diner at 4024 E. Harry. The other two, at 5700 W, Kellogg and 8030 E. Kellogg, both closed “due to the severe financial environment caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.”
July
Lumpiapalooza food truck: The pandemic caused Craig Bjork and Cynthia Wilson to speed up their retirement plans, and in July, they let the license on their popular food truck lapse. The truck had been a fair and festival favorite since 2017.
August
Mama Nith’s Crawfish, 604 Topeka: This “Viet-Cajun” restaurant closed for pandemic-related reasons in June, though at the time, owners Nith and Darryl Huynh said they planned to reopen. But by August, their lease was up, and they decided to let the space go. Their plan is to find a different space in 2021 and open once the pandemic calms down.
Gaga’s Grub, 3088 W. 13th St: In August, Dustin Presley announced he was “closing all operations” in Wichita, which included his taco buffet restaurant and his space where he offered private dinners called P.M. Sessions. He’d been in Wichita as a food truck operator since early 2016.
September
Jack’s North Hi Carryout, 603 W. 13th: The most recent owners of this little burger stand, which has operated across from North High School off and on since 1951, closed it again in September and put it on the market.
October
Brookville Hotel, Abilene: It’s not a Wichita restaurant, but it was popular with Wichita diners. In October, Mark and Connie Martin announced that they were closing the popular Brookville Hotel, which had been in their family for four generations, because of COVID-19 and a lack of traffic. The hotel’s history stretched back to 1870.
November
Mo’s Hut, 2800 E. Central: His landlord raised his rent, and with all the COVID-19 losses, he couldn’t swing it, Mo’s Hut owner Shawn Gordon announced in mid-November. So he closed the Hawaiian restaurant that he’d opened in February 2019.
Smoothie King: Three Smoothie King stores in Wichita and one in Derby all closed in early November after the Dallas-based franchise ended its licensing agreement with local franchisee Neil Bhakta. He quickly reopened the stores at 8000 W. Central in Wichita and at 1816 E. Madison Ave. in Derby as new shops called Rind & Grind, but they abruptly closed in early December.
Greystone Restaurant, 9719 E. 21st St.: Owner John Arnold closed his 5-year-old Greystone Restaurant in November and reopened it as Jax Restaurant & Bar, with a slightly different menu.
December
Lina’s Mexican Restaurant, 4910 E. Central: It opened in January 2016, but this Wichita Lina’s location closed in December.
Ecclesia Coffee & Community, 7130 W. Maple: Rochelle Stroh has decided to move out of state, and she closed her coffee shop, which she originally opened in January 2016, on Dec. 17. A former employee hopes to reopen the space under a new name.
Fried Pies, 1542 East 61st St. North, Park City: It closed at the beginning of the pandemic and never reopened. Then, in early December, the owners of the Park City Arbuckle Mountain Fried Pies shop, which originally opened in 2017, said the shop would remain closed. They are, however, keeping their Wichita drive-through store at 8520 W. 13th St. open.
Dempsey’s Biscuit Co., 3425 E. Douglas: This restaurant, specializing in hot chicken, opened in February 2017. But it lost its lease and closed on Wednesday. Wichitans will still be able to get the restaurant’s food, though. The owner plans to merge it with his east-side barbecue restaurant Crutch BBQ at 550 N. Rock Road and will start serving both restaurants’ menus there on Jan. 7.
NuWay Cafe, 2417 S. Seneca: After a dispute with the landlord, the owners of NuWay Cafe opted not to renew the lease on one of their five Wichita restaurants. The one on South Seneca closed at the end of the day on Christmas Eve. It opened there in 1991 after having relocated from 2061 S. Seneca.
Rancho Nuevo, 2330 N. Rock Road: This family-owned Mexican restaurant, which Jesus and Luz Martinez opened in the summer of 2018, announced on Dec. 29 that it was closing after “things didn’t go as planned.”
Cafe Asia, 6546 E. Central: Owner Yook Gan, who has owned this restaurant in the corner of Normandie Center since 2000, is retiring and announced plans to close the restaurant for good at the end of the day on Dec. 31.
Fredo’s, 301 N. Washington: Though he hopes to find a bigger space to reopen his cocktail bar and restaurant, Alfred Abdelmaseh announced plans to close his Old Town spot on Dec. 31 after failing to agree with his landlord on terms of a lease renewal. Fredo’s first opened in the summer of 2018.
This story was originally published December 31, 2020 at 12:16 PM.
.jpg)