The next several days, weeks will be filled with Mexican restaurant openings in Wichita
If you’re a taco enthusiast or a burrito devotee, Wichita is a good place to be these days.
Two new Mexican restaurants open in town this week, and several more are slated to open their doors in the following days.
Here’s a look at the latest arrivals on the Mexican food scene:
Kiko’s
2800 E. Central, 316-440-6002
This new restaurant, which opened in the former Mo’s Hut space on Tuesday, is the second for Carlos Fernandez Jr., who opened his first Kiko’s in Newton in 2018. (Fernandez is the grandson of Chico’s Mexican Restaurant founder Franciso Rizo, who died in December.)
Kiko’s specializes in what Fernandez calls “new traditional” tacos made with carne asada, shrimp and other fillings. Burritos, quesadilla, churros and a torta are also on the menu. Kiko’s hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays.
Las Catrinas Mexican Restaurant
2330 N. Maize Road, suite 1500, 316-239-1440
Agustine and Rosa Castaneda had another little Mexican restaurant in Wichita about 15 years ago. It was called Rincon Nayarita, and it operated for three years at 5701 E. Lincoln. But they had young children at the time and couldn’t really give it the attention it needed, says their daughter, Mayra. But now, they’re ready to try again.
The couple, who both have worked for years at Wichita’s two Jose Pepper’s restaurants, are ready to try again. Their son, Eduardo, has taken over the space that Rancho Nuevo vacated in December and his parents and sister will run Las Catrinas, which is set to open on Friday.
Mayra came up with the name for the new restaurant, which is an ode to La Calavera Catrina, the skeletal subject of a famous etching that has come to symbolize The Day of the Dead. The menu will be full of Tex-Mex favorites with a “traditional authentic touch,” Mayra said. The dishes listed under the header “house specialties” on the menu will represent the best of what the restaurant has to offer, she said. Among those items are beer-battered shrimp taco, chipotle pasta, posada poblano enchiladas and chile rellenos. The restaurant is working on getting its liquor license and soon will serve cocktails, margaritas and more. The hours will be 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and 11 a.m. to 10 pm. Fridays and Saturdays. See the full menu below.
El Taquero
1451 N. Broadway, 316-201-1855
Alejandra Arias and her husband, Jose Medina, say that their new restaurant — which is taking over the former La Chinita space — will open on Monday. El Taquero will be a fast-food Mexican place that also offers dine-in and a menu filled with burritos, tacos and seafood dishes like shrimp cocktail, ceviche and fried tilapia.
Arias and Medina had run a franchise of Lina’s Mexican Restaurant out of a tiny building at 4910 E. Central since 2016, but when their lease was up in December, they decided not to renew and to try something on their own. (The owners of the Lina’s at 3570 N. Woodlawn have since reopened the Lina’s on Central.)
El Taquero will feature the owners’ take on some favorite Lina’s dishes, including their many menu items that incorporate Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. It will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner and will have a drive-through. Though they’re still settling on their exact hours, Arias says that for starters, El Taquero will be open from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
Los Cunados
4559 N. Woodlawn
He got a little delayed, but now Fernando Aguirre says he’s almost ready to open his Los Cunados restaurant that’s moving into the Bel Aire space once occupied by Bob & Luigi’s. He’s waiting on some inspections, but opening day could be just a week or two away. Aguirre, the owner of Playa Azul restaurant in Augusta, has partnered with his brother-in-law, Hector Onate, on the new restaurant, whose name translates to “the brother-in-law.”
Los Cunados will serve standard Mexican-American fare, including steak, chicken, fajitas and more. The menu won’t be identical to the Playa Azul menu in Augusta, but there will be some similarities, Aguirre said.
Cousin Hector’s
This new food truck by the owners of Funky Monkey Munchies will serve things like quesadilla burgers, cheeseburger tacos and Chicano fries and should be out and about in early March. It’ll operate out of a 1970 Ford Vignette bus that had once been a milk truck. That’s the same model as “Jorge,” the nickname of the original Funky Monkey Munchies food truck.
Owners Lisa and Eddi Palacios will announce Cousin Hector’s schedule on the truck’s new Facebook page.
Birria tj 664
803 N. West Street
The popular Tacos tj 664 relocated a few weeks ago from its original home in an old Sonic building to a much bigger spot down the street at 1014 N. West St. But the owners decided to keep the old Sonic building and are opening a new restaurant called Birria tj 664, which will specialize in birria, a meat dish popular in the Mexican state of Jalisco that Tacos tj 664 has become known for.
Owners say opening day will be during the last week of March. They’re not yet sure, though, exactly what the hours will be. You can see the menu below.
Birria tj 664 menu
Las Catrinas Mexican Restaurant menu
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