Familiar faces are taking over Abode space in Andover, will open new restaurant
The restaurant building at 837 N. Andover Road that most recently was home to the short-lived Abode Bar & Bistro is about to get a new tenant.
Pat and Wendy Alvarez, who’ve owned other local bars, restaurants and nightclubs over the years, have leased the building and will open a new restaurant inside. It will serve Mexican fare and will be called Uno Mas Cantina.
The couple hopes to have the new business open by mid-December.
Pat Alvarez, a builder who also owns Alvarez Construction and Floorcoverings, insists that this restaurant will be his last. Of course, he also said that five years ago when he and Wendy opened Outskirtz Bar & Grill at 10919 E. Harry. (The space is now occupied by Kim’s Noodles Bar & Grill.)
This time, though, he means it, Pat said with a laugh.
“I think this is it,” he said. “I’m 63 this time.”
Earlier this year, the Alvarezes had been planning to buy out the owner of the Abode building’s previous tenant, coffee shop The Rusted Rooster, and take over the lease, Pat said. Then, they learned that Daniel Mariotti, who also owns Il Primo Espresso Cafe in Wichita, had purchased the building and planned to open his own restaurant.
When the Alvarezes heard that Abode had closed, Pat said, they reached out to Mariotti and told him they were still interested.
“We made an offer to get the building, and there were a lot of other people that wanted the building, but he chose us,” Pat said.
The couple was happy to find that the Abode building was in turn-key shape. They plan to do some cleaning but won’t have to do much remodeling, Pat said. They’ll operate the restaurant out of both sides of the building, but the kitchen will likely close at 8 p.m. The bar side, though, will stay open later.
Uno Mas Cantina (not related to the Uno Mas restaurants that Abel Rodriguez once had in Wichita) will serve lunch and dinner, Pat said. He loves the Andover Road-facing patio and is considering putting a couple of plastic igloos on it for people to enjoy during winter months.
The new owners also get to keep the steer-shaped smoker out front that emits smoke from its nostrils.
“I just like this whole look,” Pat said. “The way that the building is designed, it just looks like a Mexican restaurant.”
Over the years, Pat has owned and operated places like Port of Wichita and the former Rage and Boots & Buckles clubs in Old Town. Outskirtz closed in October 2021 after about a year in business. The couple had signed just a one-year lease on the Outskirtz space but had problems with the building and decided not to continue, he said.
At Uno Mas Cantina, Wendy will serve as general manager while Pat continues with his general contracting business. The Alvarezes lived in Andover for more than 20 years and just moved to Wichita 19 months ago.
When Mariotti closed Abode in late September, he said it was for personal reasons.
Stay tuned for an opening date for Uno Mas Cantina.
This story was originally published November 4, 2025 at 5:08 AM.
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