Last chance to visit this 41-year-old Wichita restaurant before it closes for good
She warned Wichita it might happen, and now it’s happening.
The final dine-in date for Magic Wok — the 41-year-old throwback Chinese restaurant at 9504 W. Central — is only a couple of weeks away. Owner Mary Weinman said that she’ll shut down dine-in service after Saturday, June 25. It’s possible she’ll keep selling carryout through July 2, but she hasn’t decided for sure.
Back in January, Weinman said that unless she found a buyer for her longtime eatery, she’d close it in six months. The building sold — but not the restaurant itself — so she’s going forward with her plan.
“I’m sad, but I’m ready,” she said.
Earlier this year, Weinman said that her cook, who has been with the restaurant since it first opened in 1981, was ready to retire and his young assistant didn’t want to stay. Weinman was burned out and didn’t want to face running the place without them.
She’s hired a liquidator to move out the restaurant’s contents, but until closing day, customers can still bid on furniture, old pictures and antiques. Much of it is spoken for, Weinman said, but a few items are still available.
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She said the new owner of the building was not planning to open a restaurant inside.
Weinman was 20 in July 1981 when she took a job as a waitress at the new restaurant. Back then, Magic Wok — which founder Steve Cho opened in a space previously occupied by a supper club called the San Franciscan — sat on the edge of the west side of town.
Magic Wok wasn’t too busy at first, Weinman remembers, but then in 1982, a fire damaged the nearby Rolling Hills Country Club, and it had to close for a year. Members looking for a place to eat discovered Magic Wok, which at the time was one of the few Chinese restaurants in town.
Magic Wok finally had a following, and when Cho moved to New Jersey in 1993, he left his restaurant in Weinman’s care. She bought it from him in 2002. The decor of the restaurant really never changed from opening day, which is what appeals to many of its longtime customers. They love the dim lighting, the throwback wooden tables and booths, and the retro sign touting “American-Oriental” food.
They’ve also loved the restaurant’s straightforward, reliable fare, which includes dishes like chop suey, chow mein, Imperial Chicken, mandu, crab Rangoon, hot and sour soup and more. Longtime fans will have until at least this summer to make another visit.
Hours until Magic Wok’s last day are are 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesdays through Fridays and 5 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, though sometimes the restaurant closes early.
This story was originally published June 8, 2022 at 12:02 PM.
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