Razing of Pistotnik law building related to opening of a long-awaited Wichita restaurant
Those who have been watching the slow progress at Itzcali Tacos & Tequila — the restaurant at 2819 E. Central that Navid and Veronica Haeri first shared their plans for in July 2021 — may have noticed that the building formerly attached to the restaurant space was recently turned into a pile of rubble.
As it turns out, the demolition of the building that for 35 years held the Brian & Brian at Pistotnik Law offices is directly related to the opening of Itzcali.
Navid Haeri said that when he started planning Itzcali, he realized the size of the restaurant would require more parking. He approached Brian Pistotnik about buying his half of the strip center and eventually the two came to an agreement.
The law offices relocated to 311 S. Hillside in late July. Then, a couple of weeks ago, crews started demolition. They also took out a house on the backside of the building that the Haeris also purchased.
The space is now cleared, and soon, it will be turned into parking for Itzcali.
Working out the deal for the building’s purchase and demolition was one of the things keeping Navid Haeri, who originally said he’d hoped to have his restaurant open by spring of this year, from moving forward. Now, construction will move fast, he said.
He did have to re-frame the east-side wall of his restaurant, which was made of cinder blocks and was supported by the law office building. But in about two weeks, he’ll start framing out the interior of the restaurant, and he’s optimistic that he can have it open by December.
Itzcali will serve a menu of Spanish-inspired tapas and tacos prepared by chef Kevin Derks, who joined the Haeris as a partner in the restaurant earlier this year after a long career at Newport Grill. Alicia Elleman, another partner, will be general manager.
Stay tuned for a look inside the restaurant once construction gets underway.
This story was originally published September 21, 2022 at 1:38 PM.
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