Sesame Mediterranean Kitchen closed after Christmas but will reopen in new spot
When Youssef Youssef closed his Sesame Mediterranean Kitchen at 2755 N. Maize Road in late December, he hinted that he may reopen the restaurant elsewhere.
That elsewhere turns out to be Derby.
Youssef, a longtime Wichita chef who suddenly closed his restaurant at NewMarket Square just after Christmas, will reopen it next month in a strip center at 1906 N. Rock Road in Derby. He’s taking over the spot previously occupied by Mexi-Kan Kitchen, which closed in late January 2023.
Youssef said he hopes to have the new Sesame open by Feb. 15. The space has everything he needs since it previously held a restaurant, but he wants to take a few weeks to redecorate the interior.
He’s excited about the new space, he said, because it has a drive-through window, something his Wichita location did not have. The Derby restaurant will have a menu almost identical to the old Wichita menu, but Youssef said he’s cutting a few items that can’t be made quickly for drive-through service. The Derby Sesame will, though, still offer hummus, kababs, fattoush salads, and shawarma and gyro sandwiches.
“It will be the same setup and will have the same quality, the same quantity and the same value,” he said.
Youssef said that he likes the location of the space, which he signed a lease on three weeks ago, because it’s in the busy Derby Marketplace development near the former IHOP that is being turned into a Big Biscuit restaurant.
Plus, Youssef said, his wife has been teaching in Derby for five years.
The Derby Sesame will have dine-in seating for 45-50 people. It will keep the same hours that the Wichita restaurant did: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays.
In December, Youssef said he was leaving NewMarket Square because his lease was ending, and his rent was going up. Earlier in the year, he also closed his Sesame restaurant at Braeburn Square, 21st and Oliver, which had been open for two years.
Another restaurant is already moving into Sesame’s NewMarket Square space. Christine and Vincent Pham plan to open Banh Mi Bites, a build-your-own banh mi sandwich shop, at the address in late February.
This story was originally published January 27, 2026 at 12:06 PM.
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