Formal to fanciful: New Wichita restaurant opens in completely transformed space

More than two years ago, the owners of Viva Tacos & Tequila in the Kansas City area said they would open a version of their restaurant in the former Jax Restaurant and Bar building at 21st and Webb in Wichita.

Now, they finally have. Saturday was opening day for the restaurant, which has a multi-page menu of Mexican favorites, serves eight different flavors of frozen margaritas and offers a long list of tequilas. The restaurant, which is just north of Deano’s in Cambridge Market, is now in its soft-opening phase, and although customers can visit any time, staff members are still perfecting their jobs.

Anyone who visited the restaurant in its previous iterations as Jax and Greystone won’t recognize it now. The dim lighting, dark tones and private dining nooks that characterized those two John Arnold-owned concepts have been completely removed and replaced with a bright white dining room decorated with vibrant murals, new booths, tables and chairs, and a decorative white ceiling that is dripping with colorful heart-shaped lighting fixtures.

The open dining room now seats about 200 people, the staff said, and the building still has a sectioned-off party room on the east side that will be used for private events and overflow seating.

Among the touches that set Viva apart from Wichita Mexican are its eye-catching serving apparatuses: I ordered a “flight” of four miniature frozen margaritas that were served on a little metal airplane. My friend ordered a taco flight that featured four rolled tacos with different fillings served vertically in a specially made iron structure.

I ordered the Texas Dip C off the appetizer menu for my entree, and it came with tender steak, chicken and several plump shrimp that had all been drenched in melty queso. It was plenty of food, and it was hard to stop eating it.

Other items on the menu, which you can see below, include guacamole made table-side, fajitas, seafood dishes, burritos, quesadillas and special dishes including a birria pizza, mini chimichangas and a dish called Viva Trompo, which features pork and veggies skewers that are hanging from a special stand.

The owners haven't quite decided on the restaurant’s hours: They want to get a feel for the neighborhood before they set them, they said, but Viva will be open daily from at least 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The original Viva opened in June 2022 at 5031 W. 135th St in Leawood. In September of last year, the owners also opened an Olathe restaurant in the former Wahlburgers space at 11935 Black Bob Road.

Viva Tacos & Tequila menu

This story was originally published October 6, 2025 at 5:01 AM.

Denise Neil

The Wichita Eagle

316-268-6327

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.