Signs are up for these 2 restaurants. But the restaurants aren’t there. Here’s the latest:
Those driving on East 21st Street in Wichita may have noticed that a new sign for Passage to India has recently appeared near the corner of 21st and Oliver.
But beyond the sign, there’s nothing but a concrete pad.
This week, Passage to India owner Md Zakir Hossen provided an update on the story behind the sign, which I first reported on in March.
Hossen, who bought Passage to India from previous owner Abdul Arif and Tariq Azmi just before the pandemic in 2020, is planning to relocate the 30-year-old restaurant from its current address at 6100 E. 21st St. and will put it in a new building that will sit on the concrete pad at 21st and Oliver.
Back in March, Hossen and local lawyer Abdul Arif, who owns the development where the restaurant will move, said that a new, ready-to-assemble building should be up quickly and that Passage to India should be ready to open by late summer or early fall.
But the process got delayed — as most construction projects do. Among the many issues: the building wasn’t ready for delivery when the owners expected it, rainy weather slowed down site preparation, and the owners faced delays getting the proper permits.
Soon, though, things will get moving, they said. The building that will be Passage to India’s new home should go up in October, and Hossen now hopes that he will have the move complete and the restaurant open there in early 2025.
Passage to India will take over half of the new space, and the owners of 360 Deli & Grill at 11309 E. Kellogg have committed to taking over the other half.
The best case scenario for opening dates would be January for both restaurants, Arif said. Hossen will keep Passage to India open at its current location until he’s ready to move.
Passage to India was Wichita’s first Indian restaurant when it opened in 1994 in the Plaza West shopping center at Central and West. And the restaurant — known for its lunch buffet and its fresh naan cooked in a clay oven — has been operating out of the same aging strip center at 21st and Woodlawn since it moved there in 2003.
In the new, more contemporary building, Passage to India will have seating indoors for 40 and room for another 35 on an attached patio. The new building will also allow Passage to India use of something it’s never had before: a drive-through.
The new building with the two restaurants will be part of a bigger development, which Arif is calling WStudios-21. He’s also planning to build 80 apartments and 16 duplexes on the site.
Hossen said that, in the coming months, he’s planning to put on a special buffet dinner that will be prepared with help from local chef Mike Castaneda, who has been serving as a menu consultant at Passage to India. Castaneda, from Wellington, once owned a food truck called Bade Truck and appeared on the Food Network show “All-Star Academy,” in 2015.
Passage to India will sell tickets for the special dinner. Details will be shared on social media as they become available.
This story was originally published September 10, 2024 at 11:06 AM.
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