These were some of the Wichita restaurants that defined an era
These curated articles focus on Wichita restaurants that once shaped local social life but now exist only in memory. Each piece highlights how these places brought people together for meals, celebrations or music.
One Old Town spot drew crowds with a lunch pizza buffet and live blues at night. A hotel rooftop hosted multiple restaurants, giving diners rare city views from above. Families marked birthdays at a national steakhouse chain, sometimes getting a free steak meal. At another venue, diners ate steak and seafood before dancing to live music deep into the night.
NO. 1: FLASHBACK FRIDAY: EAST WICHITA HOTEL OFFERED ROOFTOP DINING IN THE ’70S, WANTS TO AGAIN
Wichita used to enjoy shrimp boils, New Year’s eve parties and prime rib buffets at this now-abandoned restaurant with a view. Now, owners are searching for a tenant to bring it back to life. | Published May 17, 2024 | Read Full Story by Denise Neil
NO. 2: FLASHBACK FRIDAY: PAT O’BRIEN’S WAS A STYLISH SPOT FOR DINING, DANCING IN 1970S WICHITA
The business was known for its St. Patrick’s Day crowds and for surviving a dramatic, headline-grabbing armed robbery. | Published November 22, 2024 | Read Full Story by Denise Neil
NO. 3: FLASHBACK FRIDAY: 1990S OLD TOWN RESTAURANT SERVED PIZZA BUFFET AT NOON, BLUES AT NIGHT
Downtown workers would stuff themselves full of carbs and cheese at lunch then try to stay awake the rest of the day. | Published December 6, 2024 | Read Full Story by Denise Neil
NO. 4: FLASHBACK FRIDAY: WICHITA CELEBRATED BIRTHDAYS, ATE WITH GRANDPARENTS AT THIS STEAK CHAIN
Between the late 1960s and the mid-1990s, Wichitans worked, dined and ate cheese-and-mushroom-stuffed burgers at Mr. Steak. | Published January 24, 2025 | Read Full Story by Denise Neil
NO. 5: FLASHBACK FRIDAYS: SWANK SUPPER CLUB WAS WHERE 1980S WICHITA DANCED THE WEEKENDS AWAY
Tom & Sonny’s was where the crowds were dancing, the Chablis was flowing, and the surf-and-turf was flying out of the kitchen. | Published April 4, 2025 | Read Full Story by Denise Neil
NO. 6: FLASHBACK FRIDAY: WICHITA’S ALLIS HOTEL HOUSED MANY LUXURY RESTAURANTS DURING ITS TIME
The 17-story hotel, which was built in 1930 then imploded in 1996, drew diners to Kit Kat Coffee Shop, Pup Lunch, Country Kitchen and Pancake Palace, to name a few. | Published April 11, 2025 | Read Full Story by Denise Neil
NO. 7: FLASHBACK FRIDAY: PIZZA PEDDLER WAS ON A PIZZA HUT TRAJECTORY FOR A BRIEF TIME IN THE ’70S
The Wichita upstart, known for its braided whole wheat crust, was founded by two friends who dropped out of KU to follow their entrepreneurial dreams. | Published May 2, 2025 | Read Full Story by Denise Neil…