Dining With Denise Neil

Near-Wichita towns Derby, Andover, Augusta have also been adding new restaurants lately

Layali is a new upscale Mediterranean restaurant in Derby and it features longtime local chef Roni Attari, left, in the kitchen.
Layali is a new upscale Mediterranean restaurant in Derby and it features longtime local chef Roni Attari, left, in the kitchen.

So many restaurants open and close every day in Wichita proper that it’s easy to forget that nearby towns like Andover, Derby and Augusta also are full of restaurant news.

Recently, a few long-awaited places have opened in Wichita’s “suburbs.” Among them:

Derby

Layali, 236 W. Greenway, Derby: Developer Brant Dumford and his longtime friend, chef Roni Attari, were working on this new Mediterranean restaurant for some time, and it finally opened in mid-September in the space that once held Electric Pizzeria. The name “Layali” is Arabic for “nights.”

The new restaurant has an upscale feel and a full bar serving craft cocktails. Its lunch menu, which was added earlier this month, includes appetizers, soups, salads, pita wraps — including chicken and beef shawarma — flatbreads and sandwiches. The evening menu includes entrees like butternut squash lasagna blanca, roasted chicken, braised beef short ribs, and a Turkish-coffee-rubbed ribeye.

The restaurant offers live music on its outdoor patio on Friday and Saturday nights. Its house martinis are 50% off on Mondays, and Tuesdays through Fridays starting at 5 p.m. it offers 25% off its Turkish-coffee-rubbed ribeye.

Its hours are 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 to 9 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. See the full menu below.

Layali opened in mid-September in Derby.
Layali opened in mid-September in Derby. Courtesy photo

Andover

Livingston’s Cafe, 360 S. Heritage Way, Andover: Melissa Livingston Atkinson announced last year plans to add a Livingston’s Cafe to Andover’s 110-acre Heritage development, a mixed-use development east of Andover Road and north of Kellogg. Now, it’s up and running. The restaurant’s first day was Monday.

It’s a sister-restaurant to the Livingston’s Cafe at Lincoln Heights Village, 4733 E. Douglas, in Wichita, which Livingston Atkinson also owns. (The Livingston’s Diner in Cambridge Market, 21st and Webb Road, is owned by Atkinson’s stepmother, Jeanne Shaft.)

The new Andover restaurant’s hours are 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily.

Redbud Brewing has been up and running in downtown Augusta since earlier this summer.
Redbud Brewing has been up and running in downtown Augusta since earlier this summer. Courtesy photo

Augusta

Redbud Brewing, 418 State St., Augusta: This one’s actually been open since mid-June. It’s a new brewery co-owned by Shane Scott, best known for his Sugar Shane’s Cafe at 430 State St., and the owners of Walnut River Brewing Company in El Dorado along with Augusta businessman and craft beer aficionado Jeff Brown.

It’s in a two-story brick building on the other side of Sugar Shane’s and shares the use of its patio. It brews its own beer on premises and also serves craft beers by Walnut River and other Wichita and regional breweries.

Since opening, the brewery has become a place for football watch parties, live music, open mic comedy nights, trivia nights and more. One interesting fact: Augusta allows people to stroll up and down downtown streets on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays while enjoying adult beverages, Scott said, so they can grab a beer then shop through nearby boutiques.

The brewery’s hours are 3 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, 3 to 11 p.m. Fridays, and noon to 11 p.m. Saturdays.

Layali menu

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This story was originally published October 11, 2024 at 12:48 PM.

Denise Neil
The Wichita Eagle
Denise Neil has covered restaurants and entertainment since 1997. Her Dining with Denise Facebook page is the go-to place for diners to get information about local restaurants. She’s a regular judge at local food competitions and speaks to groups all over Wichita about dining.
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