This new west-side restaurant’s sign went up weeks ago. Now, there’s an opening date.
.jpg "Sharky’s Island Bites will open to the public on Saturday, Sept. 14.")
The west side of Wichita is about to get even more aloha flavor.
Mike Brotemarkle, who also owns the poke restaurant Crafted at 9730 E. 21st St., says he has chosen an opening date for his west-side restaurant, which he’s calling Sharky’s Island Bites.
Saturday, Sept. 14.
The new restaurant will be in the strip center that sits in front of the Regal Warren West movie theater. It’s taking over the space that previously was occupied by Baskin-Robbins.
It will, like Crafted, offer poke bowls, a Hawaiian specialty that features rice, choice of protein (usually sushi-grade raw fish) and toppings like edamame, mango, ginger, garlic, avocado, crab salad and more.
But Sharky’s will feature several dishes Crafted doesn’t have, including hot Hawaiian plate lunches like huli huli chicken, chicken katsu, beef bulgogi, chicken teriyaki and butter garlic shrimp.
Sharky’s also will serve Korean fried chicken and — for those who aren’t so into Hawaiian fare — a menu of smash burgers and loaded fries.
Drink choices will include fruit teas, milk teas, iced lattes, refreshers and lemonade in different flavors. Sharky’s also will serve acai bowls, Dole whip and gelato. (You can see the full menu below.)
Brotemarkle has two food trucks: One he has loaned to Argentina’s Empanadas, the local food truck business that just placed third on Food Network’s “The Great Food Truck Race.” They’re using the truck while they wait for their new one to be built and are serving Brotemarkle’s snow cones from it when they take it out, he said.
The second truck is branded as Sharky’s. Brotemarkle is still trying to decide exactly where he’ll park it, but he might sometimes park it in front of Crafted and sell the Sharky’s items that Crafted can’t make — like loaded fries, plate lunches and burgers.
One of the reasons for expanding the menu at Sharky’s, Brotemarkle said, is that he wants to grow his audience. Most poke customers — about 80% — are women. The new hot items might appeal more to men and kids.
Some diners might recall that, from 2017 to 2020, Brotemarkle and some partners got their start with a poke restaurant called Poke Mix, which operated right next door to where Sharky’s is opening. That’s just an odd coincidence, he said.
And this space is better because it has a drive-through. Though Brotemarkle won’t open the drive-through right away, he does plan to utilize it once his staff gets up to speed.
The Sharky’s sign has been up on the space for weeks, and Brotemarkle said it’s been generating excitement on the west side.
“We have people reach out to us all the time,” he said. “I think there is a buzz, and people around this area are waiting for us to open up.”
Sharky’s hours will be 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
Sharky’s Island Bites menu
This story was originally published August 23, 2024 at 12:25 PM.
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