Denise Neil has covered Wichita’s dining scene for The Wichita Eagle and Kansas.com for more than 20 years. We’re proud to add her expertise to the KMUW commentary line-up. Here’s the latest news from Dining with Denise.
Bierocks are the unofficial state food of Kansas, and the little beef-and-cabbage-filled pies are especially loved in Wichita. Recently, bierocks have become even more available with the opening of Burdette’s Bierocks, a food truck owned by Chef Bill Crites that operates Thursday through Saturday nights behind Lucky’s Everyday at 1217 E. Douglas. His bierocks come with lots of gourmet fillings, and his Original is stuffed with braised beef, charred greens and caramelized onions. On the more traditional side are longtime bierock vendors Jim and Lori Want, who have just reopened the drive-through at their Want Bierocks cafe and coffee shop at 2615 W. 13th St. As of this week, they’re selling bierocks, coffee drinks and breakfast items from the drive-through window Thursdays through Saturdays and plan to reopen the indoor space early next year.
In sandwich news, Wichita will soon have two new restaurants to visit. One is Solly & Jude’s, a long-awaited sandwich shop and bar announced a year ago. It’s at 400 S. Emporia, just across the street from Intrust Bank Arena and should open in a couple of weeks. And KU grads will be excited to learn that Quinton’s is coming to town. That restaurant was a Mass Street favorite in Lawrence from the early 1990s until the pandemic shut it down. But its founder is in the process of changing his Crutch & Biscuit restaurant at 550 N. Rock Road into a Quinton’s for Wichita. Its specialty is sandwiches and soups served in bread bowls.
Also, be on the lookout soon for my list of Wichita restaurants open on Christmas Day. You just never know when those Bumpus hounds might barge in and devour your Christmas turkey.
You can read more dining news by Denise Neil at kansas.com.
