Restaurant specializing in tacos, tequila to open next year in a growing area of Wichita
A new restaurant that focuses on tacos and tequila is under construction now on East Central — just up the street from Revolutsia shipping container mall — and it should be open by spring of next year.
Navid and Veronica Haeri are the owners of what will become Itzcali Tacos and Tequila, which is going into a space at 2819 E. Central that was previously home to a second-hand shop. The space, which the couple bought a year ago, is attached to the Brian & Brian Pistotnik Law Offices. Navid, who owns a real estate firm called HK Brothers with partner Subhan Khan, also owns the strip center across the street that holds the new Kiko’s Mexican Fast Food restaurant.
Navid is a fan of tequila — especially Don Julio — and he and his wife had talked for years about opening a tequila bar. Though he bought another building on Hillside and intended to open the business there, Navid said that he ultimately liked the feel of East Central.
“I like the traffic, and I like the urbanness of this,” he said. “It feels very artsy, like the start of an art district, to me.”
Itzcali is the Aztec word for “house of beauty,” he said.
Navid, who was an art major at Wichita State University, is also very artsy. His new restaurant and bar will take over the front 4,000 square feet of the building, and he’s opening a design studio on the back — one that will offer signage, art design and clothing. He doesn’t have a name for it yet.
Navid says he’s going for a “modern clean Miami look” on the building’s exterior, which will have a large, Central-facing patio across the front with a garage door that opens into the restaurant. Inside, he’s envisioning a Mexico-City feel that mixes modern and ancient art.
The dining room will have a V-shaped bar surrounded by tables and chairs and booths along one wall. He doesn’t want to reveal much about the menu yet other than it will feature tacos and tapas and be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The bar will stock 100 types of tequila and a full menu of mixed drinks. He may install a smoking lounge on the backside of the building, too.
Chris Morgan, who owns a catering business called SmokeHouse ICT, will be the restaurant’s general manager. Jorge Morales, who now works for Ocho Catering, will be the head chef.
Navid said he’s looking forward to mixing his passions for design and tequila. He’ll get help on the dining room from Wendy Mays Design, he said. He’s also working with James Dean & Company on graphic design as well as Studium architecture. His partner and contractor is Jorge Torres.
“What will make it so fun is the emphasis on the arts,” he said. “It’s not only going to be a pretty building, it’s going to have a pretty interior.”
I’ll keep you posted on Itzcali’s progress.
This story was originally published July 21, 2021 at 12:51 PM.
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