It’s cold out there, but Wichitans can still eat like they’re in Hawaii
Just because it’s cold and snowy in Kansas doesn’t mean Wichitans can’t eat like they’re in Hawaii.
Two restaurants specializing in Hawaiian fare have recently been added in the area: one in Derby and one in Wichita.
Derby’s addition is a Pokemoto restaurant — where customers build their own Hawaiian poke bowls choosing from various proteins, toppings and sauces — and it’s celebrating its opening this weekend with half-price food and boba drinks.
The new restaurant, owned by franchisees Scott Ramsey, April West and Rick Vannoy, is at 1636 N. Rock Road, suite 400. After a Friday morning ribbon cutting, the owners plan to start serving the public starting at 1 p.m.
On Saturday, customers will be able to get half-price poke bowls. Then, on Sunday, boba drinks will be half price.
The restaurant’s hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and noon to 8 p.m. Sundays.
Wichita already has two Pokemoto restaurants: one that opened at 550 N. Webb Road in September of 2022 and a second that was added at 1028 W. Pawnee in August.
Wichita also has just gotten a revival of a restaurant that closed two years ago. Though people have been able to get chef Akamu Noble’s cuisine from his Noble House Hawaiian Plate Lunch food truck since 2015, his most recent brick-and-mortar restaurant at 3031 E. Central closed in 2021. (The building the restaurant operated from was later razed to make room for a 7 Brew coffee kiosk.)
Since then, Noble has continued to serve from the truck while he looked for another restaurant space, and he finally found one. Noble House Hawaiian Restaurant is now serving its full menu from the former Angela’s Cafe spot at 2119 W. 21st St.
The restaurant is in the midst of a “soft opening,” Noble said, and he plans to be open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays for the next couple of weeks. He’s been facing obstacles, though, including late deliveries — and having his food truck’s generator stolen from his storage shed earlier this week. So he advises customers to check the restaurant’s Facebook page before they venture out so they can be sure it’s open.
Once he’s able to get a replacement generator, Noble said, he also plans to continue serving from the food truck in various spots around Wichita and the state.
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