Opening dates for 10 Wichita restaurants will be later than originally predicted
Back in January, I published a list of restaurants that would be opening in Wichita throughout 2026 along with their owners’ best guesses as to when they might be ready.
Though several of those restaurants opened more or less on time — like Johnny’s Tavern at 1109 E. Douglas, Pizza Shuttle at 4521 E. 21st St. and Moka’s Coffee & Eatery at 3851 N. Ridge Road — several more have fallen a bit behind (pretty typical in the restaurant business.)
Also, at the beginning of the year, a few restaurateurs didn’t have a clear picture of when they’d be open. Now, they have more information.
Hungry readers have been asking lately for updates on those restaurants. Here’s what the owners had to say:
The Big Biscuit, 106 S. Hydraulic: Construction crews have been working at the old Jimmy’s Egg space near Douglas and Hydraulic for weeks, transforming it into Wichita’s second location of The Big Biscuit breakfast-and-lunch restaurant. A spokesperson for the chain, whose first Wichita restaurant opened in December at 2330 N. Maize Road, said that the opening is tentatively scheduled for sometime in May, though it may take a bit longer. He promised an update once opening day was set.
Wichita’s third location of The Big Biscuit, which the company has said will take over the old Jimmy’s Egg space at 7777 E. 21st St., isn’t scheduled to open until later in the year. But there are signs of progress: The Kansas City-based chain recently pulled a work permit with the city that will allow it to begin renovations on the space.
Margarita’s Cantina, 725 E. Douglas: This Wichita Mexican food staple closed on New Year’s Eve after 33 years at 3109 E. Douglas. Then, in January, owner Jesse Lee announced that he had found somewhere to reopen: the space most recently occupied by The Kitchen and Express Kitchen at Union Station.
Initially, Lee had estimated he could have the new restaurant open by March. But this week, he said that he will open the doors sometime this summer.
Lee has plans to transform the historic building into a brighter, more colorful space that will feel more like a Mexican cantina. The new Margarita’s will have all the same menu items as the old one, but the restaurant will likely operate a bit differently. Rather than table service, Lee said that he’ll probably have customers order their food at the counter and wait for it to be delivered to their tables. He also will likely allow customers to customize their meals a bit more. The restaurant’s famous chips and salsa will remain.
Banh Mi Bites, 2755 N. Maize Road: Initially, Christine and Vincent Pham hoped to have their new Vietnamese restaurant open by late February. But they had to postpone their grand opening plans twice. As of now, said Pham, the restaurant’s opening is planned for May 2.
Banh Mi Bites, which has taken over the old Sesame Mediterranean Kitchen space at New Market Square, will be a build-your-own Vietnamese sandwich restaurant that will also serve spring rolls, egg rolls, dumplings, fries with Vietnamese spices, Vietnamese coffee and boba tea.
Culver’s, 3620 N. Rock Road: It’s hard not to notice that Wichita’s second Culver’s, which has quickly gone up near 37th North and Rock Road, looks like it’s ready to open. But east siders will have to wait a bit longer. Though franchisee Nick Campe said he can’t promise an exact time frame yet, he thinks he’s still on track to open this summer — the same time frame he offered in January.
Campe also opened Wichita’s first Culver’s, at 3210 N. Maize Road, in summer 2024. A Culver’s also opened in December at 2801 S. Rock Road in Derby. The fast-food chain is known for its butter burgers and frozen custard.
Desi Dhaba, 21st and Oliver: Developer Abdul Arif originally said he hoped to have the first phase of his 5,000-square-foot Indian restaurant/bakery/global grocery store open in mid-February. This week, he said that he is just waiting on final inspections on the restaurant and bakery portion of the business, which will be run by Passage to India owner Md Zakir Hossen. Arif is hoping to have it open at the beginning of May. The grocery part of the business will follow.
The restaurant will serve halal proteins like goat, lamb and chicken, which customers will be able to get over rice, quinoa and other bases. It will also offer items like dosa, curry dishes and pani puri. The restaurant will also serve coffee, doughnuts and fresh-baked Middle Eastern pastries provided by the bakery.
7 Brew, 3505 N. Rock Road and 10221 W. 21st St.: The local franchisee of this drive-through coffee chain recently updated his projected time frames on the three shops he’s adding around the Wichita area.
The building for one of them is already in place near K-96 and Rock, and the opening day should happen sometime in May. The shop at 10221 W. 21st St., where Jacob’s Liquor West now stands, should be ready by September. And the site he most recently announced, in front of the Dillons at 21st and Amidon, should open later this year or in 2027.
Black Bird Burger, 5510 E. Central: Red Bird owner Sebastian Gordon’s new smashburger restaurant is coming along, he said. And even though it’s taking a bit longer than he’d hoped, most of the big construction is done. He’s aiming for a June opening, though it could slip into July, he said.
Black Bird Burger, which is taking over the old Wendy’s/Chick N Max building near Central and Edgemoor, will serve smash burgers that come with curly fries or sweet potato waffle fries. It will also have a drive-through and a bar serving beer, wine and a few house cocktails.
Hawaiian Bros, 10291 W. 37th St. North: Wichita’s second Hawaiian Bros restaurant, which will open north of the Menards and east of the Kwik Shop at 37th North and Maize Road, is a little bit behind schedule. Instead of spring, which franchisee Zach Fugate predicted earlier this year, it will most likely open in August or September.
He said that the west-side restaurant will be slightly smaller than the one on the east side, which opened at 1360 N. Greenwich in November 2024. But it will have the same basic setup and will include a drive-through and a separate pickup area for third-party food delivery drivers.
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