Long (long) distance love inspires purchase, revamp of this Old Town Wichita restaurant
An Old Town Square restaurant has a new owner who says that the changes he’s making are an ode to his long-distance wife.
Manny Osorio, who also is the longtime owner of El Pollo Dorado al Carbon at 128 W 21st St., said he recently purchased Bocatto — the 2-year-old restaurant at 321 N. Mead — from its founding partners. Osorio previously worked as the restaurant’s accountant, he said, but after some “issues between the partners,” the majority shareholder offered to sell Osorio the restaurant.
Bocatto, which has been closed since Nov. 5, will reopen Friday, Osorio said. It will have the same name and a few of the same pasta dishes, but the menu will feature some new items, including a surf-and-turf dish, halibut, and a tomahawk steak that can be shared by a couple.
In fact, he said, he’s changed the restaurant’s ambiance to make it more appealing to people searching for a date-night destination.
“It’s more of a real restaurant now — not just an eatery somewhere,” Osorio said. “I would take my wife there for a nice date night.”
Osorio said he was inspired to buy the restaurant by his wife of two months, Diana, who lives in San Salvador. He met her when he was visiting his grandmother there almost two years ago. The two ran into each other in a restaurant and fell in love.
Their relationship has been mostly long distance, though Osorio has traveled to San Salvador 55 times since he met Diana, he said. They’re working their way through the immigration process to get her to Wichita.
Though he’s a busy guy — Osorio also owns the 2-month-old On Fire Bar & Grill at 1400 S. Kansas Ave. in Newton — he was thinking of Diana when he agreed to buy Bocatto. He even added a specialty drink and a chicken dish to the menu that were inspired by her.
“When she comes to the U.S., I want her to be proud of what I’ve done,” said Osorio, who’s also working on opening a pizzeria and a bakery in San Salvador.
Osorio also plans to start serving brunch at Bocatto on Saturday and Sunday mornings. The restaurant will have five brunch offerings, including a steak-and-egg dish; an omelet with prosciutto, cheese and chives; a vegetarian egg-white omelet; a brioche french toast; and pancakes.
Starting Friday, Bocatto’s hours will be 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays; 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturdays; and 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sundays.
Bocatto was founded in July 2022 by Arnulfo Garcia and his wife, Nathaly Martinez, along with partner Jimmy Bolanos.
Garcia and his wife left Bocatto, though, to open their own restaurant and said they were interested in selling their share of Bocatto.
Their new Old Town Burrito opened on Saturday in the former Lotus Leaf space at 251 N. Washington, next door to Blue Fin Sake Bar & Sushi.
In addition to burritos, it serves tacos, enchiladas, appetizers, seafood dishes, burgers and quesadillas. Its most popular items so far, Garcia said, have been the smothered burritos.
Old Town Burrito is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays; 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sundays. It also serves beer and cocktails and has been showing Mexican soccer matches.
Old Town Burrito menu
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