List of restaurants Wichita will add in 2025 includes fine dining, burgers, famous chicken
The new year has arrived in Wichita, and over the next 12 months the city will welcome a whole new slate of restaurants.
Though 2024 saw its fair share of restaurant closures, the 2025 calendar is already full of planned openings that will bring new places to drink beer, grab coffee, get breakfast, have a special date night and — of course — order chicken. In an interesting twist, the list so far is overwhelmingly skewed to the west side of Wichita, not the east.
If you’re in need of something to look forward to, here’s my annual list of restaurants that Wichita can expect in the coming year.
Keep in mind that many more will pop up as the year progresses, but this list is a good start. If you know of one I’m missing, email me at dneil@wichitaeagle.com
JANUARY
The Sweet Spot, 7703 E. Douglas: Julie and George Yang are moving their 5-year-old fine dining restaurant from its home of five years at 8448 W. Central into the much larger building on the perimeter of Towne East Square that Doma vacated a year ago. They plan to open it on Thursday, Jan. 9.
Crispy & Co/Honebe, 10330 W. Central: The owners of Tuptim Thai in are opening this dual concept restaurant, which is just like one they also own in Topeka. It’s taking over the former Planet Sub space at Central and Maize and will serve Asian-inspired chicken wings and tenders on one side and fresh-squeezed juices, smoothies and acai bowls on the other. The owners say it should be open by mid- to late January.
Jimmy’s Egg, 37th and Ridge: Wink Hartman says he’ll open his latest Jimmy’s Egg breakfast restaurant near the northwest corner of 37th North and Maize in mid-January. Just before the end of the year, he closed his Jimmy’s Egg at Douglas and Hydraulic.
Levantine Kitchen, 3337 E. Central: Albero Bistro owner Hassan Ballout says that construction is taking longer than he expected, but he thinks he’ll be ready in late January to open this restaurant, which will be on the other end of the strip center near Central and Hillside that also houses Panera Bread. It will offer healthy Mediterranean fare and will let people build their own bowls and sandwiches.
FEBRUARY
WBC Delano, 901 W. Douglas: The owners of Wichita Brewing Company plus some partners are teaming up to open a third location of this local favorite. It’s taking over a dramatically remodeled building at the corner of Douglas and Handley and will include a rooftop bar and eventually both an event space and a lower-level outdoor beer garden. The restaurant will have a somewhat smaller version of the food-and-drink menu offered at the other two WBCs, which are at 535 N. Woodlawn and at 8815 W. 13th St. Expect it sometime in February.
Todd’s Creole Kitchen, 8641 W. 13th St.: Chris Tincher closed his 12-year-old Todd Brian’s Brick Street Café & Tavern in Old Town Square back in October, announcing plans to rebrand it and move it to the much larger space at 13th and Tyler that Hurricane Sports Grill was vacating. He’s been working on transforming the new spot ever since. The new Todd’s Creole Kitchen, which will have many of the same Cajun and American dishes Todd Brian’s did, will also serve seafood. He’s waiting on new furniture to arrive, but Tincher thinks the restaurant should be ready to go by late February.
Super East Buffet, 7607 E. Douglas: When they purchased the old Doma building for The Sweet Spot, Julie and George Yang also bought the building next door that years ago was home to Joe Kelly’s Oyster Dock but has been vacant since the pandemic in 2020. They plan to open a new seafood and sushi grill there that they’ll call Super East Buffet. It could be ready as early as February, they say.
Viva Tacos & Tequila, 9719 E. 21st St.: The owners of this Kansas City-area Mexican restaurant, which is known for its margaritas and for its tequila selection, first announced in the summer of 2023 their plans to expand into Wichita and take over the former Jax building. After that, nothing happened. Last week, the owners said that they’d had problems with the building but that the plan was still on. Look for the restaurant to open mid- to late February.
54 Craft & Co., 549 S. Rock Road: This restaurant, which is taking over the space vacated by the long-running Green Mill restaurant, will serve steak and chicken dishes, burgers, flatbreads and more. The restaurant will have a Bennigan’s on the Fly ghost kitchen attached, and it will serve some of the famous menu items from the no-longer-in-Wichita chain. It should be open sometime in February.
MARCH
360 Deli & Grill, 701 W. 21st St.: It was 2023 when Faisal Assaedi and Muqnea Elaya first announced that they planned to open three 360 Deli & Grill restaurants in Wichita. And though it’s taken longer than they originally thought, they think they could have the second one open at 21st and Arkansas sometime in March. Their first 360 Deli & Grill opened in May at 11309 E. Kellogg serving deli sandwiches, chopped cheese sandwiches, fresh-squeezed juices, and breakfast items. They also plan to open a third 360 Deli & Grill in a new building at 21st and Oliver in the second half of the year. The partners’ first restaurant was the short-lived Nas Kitchen near 21st and Amidon, which has been closed since summer.
Small Sliders, 13th and Greenwich: The Plazzio development is getting a tiny new restaurant that will be set up in retrofitted shipping containers and serve a menu of burgers, fries and shakes. Franchisee Colton Sorlie, who along with his family is bringing the Louisiana-based chain to Wichita, said that it won’t have room for indoor dining but will have some patio seats outside. The containers will be dropped on the lot on Friday, Jan. 10, and that the restaurant should open on St. Patrick’s Day — March 17. The family has an agreement for five Smalls Sliders restaurants in the greater Wichita area.
Parlor Doughnuts, 7010 W. 21st St.: Local franchisees are bringing this Florida-based doughnut chain to Wichita and will open their first shop in the space that Hurts Donut vacated in July. The shop, which will serve layered doughnuts similar to the trademarked “cronut,” should be open by March.
EARLY 2025
ShotSuite, 4854 E. 35th St. North: The son of the owners of the nearby TapNPaddles pickleball venue is opening a simulation golf venue that also will include a bar and restaurant. It will fill 3,500 square feet on the south end of the new District 96 strip center that also holds Another Broken Egg Cafe. Its full-service kitchen will prepare bar food, shareable dishes and desserts and will have a 15-seat full bar stocked with beer and craft cocktails. It should be open in the early part of 2025.
APRIL
Paris Baguette, 1320 N. Tyler Road: After announcing that they’d open their second Wichita Paris Baguette at 29th and Ridge Road, franchisees Mike Issa and Moe Touffaha learned that the lot would be too small for a building with a drive-through. So they changed course and decided to transform the old Hardee’s building at 13th and Tyler into the west-side Paris Baguette instead. They say April is a reasonable estimate for when the restaurant will be ready The duo opened Wichita’s first Paris Baguette at 9780 E. 21st St. in November 2022.
Point Nine, 1533 N. Andover Road, Andover: Automobile dealer Jill Hattan is working on an indoor/outdoor restaurant and venue aimed at families who use the nearby Redbud Trail, which is near her own Andover home. She’s calling it a “trailside eatery,” and it will serve things like sandwiches and pizzas plus picnics to go. It should be ready at the end of April, she said.
Taco Bell, 3216 E. Harry: Local Taco Bell franchisee Fugate Enterprises is moving its restaurant near Harry and Hillside to a new location. The longtime Taco Bell at 3725 E. Harry will move across the street to the vacant Hardee’s building that’s right on the corner of the busy intersection. Construction will start soon, and the move will likely happen sometime in the spring. The old Taco Bell will remain open until about two weeks before the move.
SPRING
The Big Biscuit, 2330 N. Maize Road: This breakfast chain is big in Kansas City, and in 2025, its owners hope to start their Wichita reign. The first restaurant is set to open this spring in the former Las Catrinas space near 21st and Maize sometime in the spring. The owners hope to add two to four more over the coming years.
Crepe restaurant, 109 W. Academy, Maize: Though she doesn’t have a name for it yet, the owner of MOXI Junction in Maize said she will open a crepe restaurant in a building she owns across the street. It will serve sweet and savory versions and should open something this spring.
SECOND QUARTER
KVH Chophouse, Wine & Whiskey Bar, 29th and Tyler, 29th and Tyler: Pilot and businessman Greg Hiser originally hoped to have his high-end west-side restaurant open by the end of 2024. But as the year went on, Hiser said, he decided he wanted to add lots of additional trim to the building, and opening day got pushed back. For now, he said, he’s aiming to open sometime during the second quarter of 2025, which runs April to June. The restaurant will sit on the southeast corner of the intersection.
JUNE
Passage to India, 21st and Oliver: Passage to India owner Md Zakir Hossen plans to move this 30-year-old Indian restaurant from its outdated home at 6100 E. 21st St. to a new building going up at 21st and Oliver. The move likely will be complete in June.
AUGUST
KPOT, 2243 N. Tyler: Wichita got its first KPOT in October, when the all-you-can eat Asian hotpot/Korean BBQ restaurant opened on the upper level of Towne East Square on the east-facing side. Franchisees Julie and George Yang — the same people who own The Sweet Spot — also have long planned to open a west-side KPOT in the spot that Jose Pepper’s vacated in 2022. It should be ready to open in August, Julie Yang said.
Morgan’s Landing, South Rock Road, Derby: Restaurateur John Arnold plans to open this restaurant, a mid-range steakhouse similar to Texas Roadhouse, in Derby in mid-August. He’s not sure of the exact address just yet.
LATE SUMMER/EARLY FALL
Raising Cane’s, 350 S. Ridge Road: Wichita was excited to learn last year that popular fried chicken chain Raising Cane’s was coming to Wichita, and it got more excited when the former Pizza Hut building near Ridge and Kellogg was recently torn down — a sign that construction is underway. A company spokesperson say the restaurant should open in late summer or early fall.
LATE 2025:
Mokas, 3853 N. Ridge Road: Wichita already has two Mokas restaurants, which specialize in coffee, breakfast and lunch items: One opened in February 2022 at 143 N. McLean Blvd. in Delano and the other other opened in September at 1344 E. Veranda Drive, near 13th and Webb. In 2025, the northwest side will get a Mokas. JRI Hospitality founder Jason Ingermanson just confirmed that the city’s third Mokas will open near 37th and Ridge — north of the new strip center on the northwest corner. He says it should be open sometime in the fourth quarter of the year, which runs October through December.
STILL A MYSTERY
Whataburger: This much-loved burger chain first announced in 2022 that it planned to expand to several cities in Kansas, including Wichita. Although the Kansas City area has since added several Whataburger restaurants, Wichita is still waiting. And it’s unclear how long that wait will continue. Last week, a representative with Whataburger replied to an inquiry about Wichita’s status by saying, “We don’t have any news to share today, but will keep you posted if/when we do.”
Slim Chickens, 2824 N. Maize Road: The owners of Slim Chickens previously said that they planned to open their second Wichita restaurant south of the Dutch Bros on North Maize Road. Originally, it was set to open in the fall or winter of 2024. But nothing has happened at the site yet, and the spokesperson for owner 3PRG Management has promised but has yet to provide an update on the project.
Wichita Art Museum Cafe, 1400 Museum Blvd: The Wichita Art Museum hasn’t had a cafe since Elderslie Farm owner Katharaine Elder closed her 1400 at Elderslie in January 2024. The museum’s leadership was in flux from late 2023, when former director Anne Kraybill announced she was leaving for a new job, until October, when new director Molly McFerson was hired. A museum spokesperson said recently that, although the museum was close to making a decision on how it would run the cafe, it “so far can only offer a stay-tuned announcement.”
Cafe Bel Ami: Back in May, Nabil Bacha closed his beloved restaurant that had operated at 228 E. William for more than 36 years after learning that the building’s air conditioner would be out of service for a long period of time. Since then, he’s been looking for a place to reopen the upscale Mediterranean favorite, and his fans have been growing impatient. He doesn’t have any answers just yet but recently said he’s close to signing a lease on a new spot and will share details as soon as he can.
Golden Chick, 1705 S. Webb Road: This restaurant specializes in fried chicken tenders and hot, fresh yeast rolls. It’s part of a big chain and is similar in approach to KFC and Popeye’s. The franchisee says he hopes to open several Golden Chick locations across the Wichita area. Though he hasn’t shared an exact date, construction is well underway on the Webb Road restaurant. Expect it in the early part of 2025.
Station 8 Diner, Third and Wabash: Station 8 BBQ owner Alex Eftekhar still plans to open a diner in the old Walt’s building, a prefab metal structure he had moved from 616 S. Tyler to a lot across the street from his barbecue restaurant at 1100 E. Third St. He’s faced many delays and difficulties, including a stolen air conditioning system, but says he hopes to have the project done in 2025.
NICHE food hall tenant, Broadway and William: The food hall inside WSU Tech’s downtown culinary school — called National Institute for Culinary & Hospitality Education (or Niche for short) — finally got its first tenant late last year: a coffee shop called The Coffee Spot. Sometime this year, it should add a second concept focused on pizza and operated by already-known Wichita restaurateurs.
Popeye’s, 2053 N. Amidon: The Popeye’s restaurant that had operated for years at 1211 N. Broadway closed at the end of 2023 but was supposed to relocate to the old Hardee’s building at 2053 N. Amidon. Construction on the new space started not long after, but very little has happened since then. Abdul Hamideh, the franchisee who owns that Popeye’s as well as the ones at 3131 N. Rock Road, 1623 S. Seneca, 4232 W. Central and 1350 N. Hillside, has not returned several messages about the status of the restaurant, nor has the Popeye’s corporate office.
This story was originally published January 6, 2025 at 3:04 AM.
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