Local foodies name the best dishes they had in Wichita restaurants in 2025

Wichita is full of foodies, and those foodies are full of opinions about which restaurants serve the city’s best meals.

It’s always fun, at year’s end, to poll a few well-known foodies about the most memorable restaurant meals they ate over the previous 12 months. I did just that, and the responses I got back were enlightening and hunger-inducing.

Interestingly, two people chose dishes from the same restaurant — Lima Nation Peruvian Kitchen. But if you get the urge to go try it, keep in mind that the restaurant is closed for a break through Jan. 8.

Here are the nominees for Wichita’s best dishes of the year. I’ll go first:

Chicken Parmesan at The Belmont

Denise Neil, The Wichita Eagle’s Dining with Denise

Wichita historically likes big servings, and the chicken parmesan at The Belmont — a dish that showed up on the menu in the spring — is ridiculously big. The chicken itself nearly reaches the edge of the plate. In fact, if your dinner conversation dries up, you can always entertain yourself by watching the gobsmacked reactions of fellow diners as their chicken parm arrives at the table.

This chicken parm is so big that I once shared it with three other friends — AND WE STILL HAD LEFTOVERS. It’s so big that when I order it just for myself (which I do frequently) I can eat the leftovers for days and enjoy as the flavors keep deepening.

Chef Jen Reifschneider, who took over the kitchen at The Belmont, 3555 E. Douglas, two years ago, has created a chicken parmesan that is not only visually astounding but also consistently perfect. The breaded chicken cutlet is always exceptionally moist and juicy, and the mozzarella cheese on top of it is always perfectly melted and slightly browned.

The dish is finished with a big mound of spaghetti that’s been tossed in a San Marzano marinara, and the height of the pasta pile just adds to the dish’s wow factor.

It’s worth every one of the $32 you’ll pay for it. And if you think about it, you’re really paying just $8 for four complete meals.

Smash burger at Tor Brewing

Jennifer Ray, owner of The Monarch, 579 W. Douglas

One of my favorite things I ate in 2025 was the smash burger at Tor Brewing, 222 S. Commerce. It’s the kind of burger you splurge on when you need something perfectly greasy and comforting, knowing full well you’ll leave a little unhealthier and a whole lot happier.

With perfectly crisp edges and a juicy center, it hits the right balance of cheese, caramelized onion and tart pickle. I hear that all three burgers on Tor’s menu are amazing, but I have never gotten past the original. It’s nothing fussy — just a solid reminder that nothing beats a great cheeseburger.

And because this is Wichita, ranch dressing matters! Tor’s is especially good — thick, extra tangy and always a good idea. I have no clue how they make it, but it’s perfect for their fries and absolutely deserves its own shoutout.

Arroz chaufa with crispy pork belly at Lima Nation Peruvian Kitchen

BreAnna Monk, president and CEO of Wichita Festivals Inc., founder of Flavor & Barbecue Fest

I have lived on the East Coast and in Chicago, and both places taught me that truly great food doesn’t just satisfy you — it sticks with you. In Wichita, the dish that’s done that for me this year is the arroz chaufa with crispy pork belly at Lima Nation, 2146 N. Collective Lane.

The rice is smoky and savory with just the right touch of garlic, egg and scallions, and the pork belly is the real star — perfectly crisp on the outside and meltingly tender inside. Every bite has contrast and balance, rich without being heavy, comforting but still exciting. It’s the kind of dish you don’t forget easily — and the kind you quietly start planning your next visit around.

Wichita has a lot of great food, and to me, this one is a chef’s kiss. I’m already planning a time to go back.

Taquitos en consome at Mamacita’s

Travis Russell, co-owner of Public at the Brickyard, food commentator on KMUW, 89.1

I can think of two truly memorable meals I’ve had in 2025. The first was the taquitos en consomé at Mamacitas, a pop-up restaurant at 156 N. Cleveland, next to Apollo Fermentations. Owners Rosanna Nogueda-Jaime and Riley Phillipe run the kind of owner-operated kitchen I love talking about— one where partnership, pride and intention show up on every plate.

Rose cooks with a focused singularity, translating childhood memories from Guerrero, Mexico, into a love letter to home. Her taquitos — filled with savory chicken or potatoes and cheese, rolled in thin corn tortillas and fried in a shallow cast-iron skillet — are light, crisp, and full of flavor. They arrive leaned into a bowl of consomé, standing above the broth like small icebergs in the open sea.

The surface of the dish is stacked with shaved cabbage, tomato and avocado then finished with crema, salsa and a dusting of cotija. It is an inviting bowl of warmth and comfort, hitting all the necessary notes: salt, fat, acid and heat. I often tip the bowl to slurp the last drops. The portion is perfect, and I leave feeling satisfied, knowing I’ve eaten something carefully balanced and thoughtfully made with love.

Runner-up: Chicken Annie’s, 498 E. K-47 Highway, Girard

I stopped at Chicken Annie’s on a recommendation while driving back from Pittsburg, and the fried chicken exceeded every expectation. The crust is remarkably light: a delicate shell around juicy, flavorful meat. It was paired with German potato salad dressed in warm vinaigrette with herbs and bacon and a bold, peppery white gravy, reserved for mashed potatoes that I treated like a condiment for the chicken.

The meal was so good I found myself telling everyone about it for weeks. I brought home a family-size order, and my wife and I happily ate it for nearly every meal that week.

Chicken Annie’s has been perfecting these recipes for nearly a century, and the flavors work together like a greatest-hits compilation. The experience was transformative — enough to make me consider fried chicken among the finest cuisines America has to offer and worthy of a three-hour pilgrimage to Crawford County.

Sicilian Lemon Pappardelle With Nduja at Albero Bistro

Carrie Rengers, Wichita Eagle business writer

For several years running, this has been my favorite dish in Wichita, and it’s one I don’t get nearly enough since Albero Cafe at Central and Oliver closed in 2023. Luckily, it’s still served at Albero Bistro, 2994 N. Greenwich.

I’m not sure if it’s the spicy sausage, the pappardelle noodles or the lemony, garlicky, saucy goodness that I love the most. Be sure to ask for some bread to sop up that leftover yumminess at the end. Mmm mmm.

You’ll see another couple pappardelle options on the menu along with other pasta dishes, but I honestly can’t imagine one satisfying my taste buds as much as this. Buon appetito!

Runner-up: El Clasico eggs combo at La Chona con Huevos, 3415 E. Harry

I never expected a Mexican restaurant to wind up being my favorite breakfast place, but that’s what happened this year with La Chona con Huevos.

First it was the chilaquiles con huevos with green chili I couldn’t stop eating. Then, I discovered the El Clasico combo with some of the best bacon and sausage in town. The ham is good, too, but I’d describe the other meats as outstanding. Regardless, it’s a Meatfest.

The dish comes with roasted potatoes and three eggs any way you choose, and I always pay a couple bucks extra and substitute a chili relleno for the eggs. I never have more than a couple bites of the relleno because I’m so focused on the meat. I always have plenty for a second meal, which I never get to eat because my husband usually devours it seconds after I arrive home. Buen provecho!

Tallarin verde with lomo at Lima Nation Peruvian Kitchen

The Kansas Gastronomist, food blogger (who keeps his identity secret)

I reviewed cuisine at approximately 421 spots in 40 cities throughout Kansas in 2025. As a result, it was quite difficult to determine The Kansas Gastronomist’s favorite meal in 2025. But here is where I landed:

If you have not tried the tallarin verde with lomo at Lima Nation Peruvian Kitchen, 2146 N. Collective Lane, it is your loss. The dish is pasta-centric with a ton of creamy Peruvian pesto sauce, which is “lights out.”

On top of the pasta and sauce, there are potatoes and beef tenderloin. The broiled potatoes have a drizzle of Peruvian cheese sauce called huancaina sauce over them. And the perfectly cooked beef tenderloin is so good that there have been times I thought to myself, “This is better than most steakhouses.”

I have recommended this dish to many folks over the last year or two, and no one has ever said that it was less than fantastic. Quite the opposite – folks thank me for my service.

Brined and roasted 1/2 chicken at YaYa’s EuroBistro

Guy Bower, wine and food expert, host of “Good Life Guy” on KNSS

There are so many great restaurants in Wichita, including many that opened this year. My most memorable meal was a dinner with great friends at one of my all-time favorites on the east side: YaYa’s Euro Bistro, 8115 E. 21st St. North.

The menu choices there are eclectic, and it’s often hard to decide, though the decision process usually starts with a glass of chardonnay. White wine gets me thinking of seafood or poultry eight out of 10 times.

I am going with the brined and roasted ½ chicken. This dish, conceived by Chef Owen Moore several years ago, is amazing and still on the menu.

The deboned chicken is brined and then slow roasted. It’s served on top of crispy Yukon potatoes in chicken jus with roasted garlic, olives, caperberries, Thai chilis and red onion.

Make sure you get some of the house-made bread to dip in the chicken jus. It is comfort food extraordinaire. I always ask for extra caperberries and chilis. Some like it hot!

Tell them Good Life Guy sent you.

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.