Updated September 2025
When you think of Kansas foods, what comes to mind? Most likely, Midwest comfort meals are heavy on meat and potatoes; however, Wichita, the largest city in Kansas, is known for three distinctive cultural food influences: Lebanese, Mexican, and Vietnamese.
The city is home to over 1,200 locally-owned eateries, many of which cater to diners seeking cuisine represented by each culture.
Incorporated in 1870, Wichita was a cattle drive destination where beef was king. Immigrant workers, hoping to escape economic hardship in their home countries, migrated to Wichita, taking jobs at meatpacking plants and railroad companies.
While the stockyards no longer exist, generations of families remain deeply rooted in the area, and each cultural community is well-represented throughout the city by its restaurants.
Wichitans, like me, are passionate about local cuisine. If you ask someone which restaurant serves the best hummus, tacos, or pho, prepare for energetic responses. Many of the below mentioned restaurants are ones that I’ve frequented since a young age.
LEBANESE FOOD TOUR
RECOMMENDED RESTAURANTS
The entrepreneurial spirit of the Lebanese community is undeniable, apparent by its long list of restaurants. St. George and St. Mary Orthodox churches also attract hundreds of eaters to benefit dinners and bazaars featuring authentic food.
First-time visitors to Wichita would be remiss if they didn’t make their way to one of the dozens of eateries such as Cafe Maurice, MIF Deli, N&J Café & Bakery, Bella Luna Café, RAHA Mediterranean, or Meddys.
Diners should include creamy chickpea hummus served with soft pita bread or manoosh, a crispy flatbread coated with za’atar consisting of dried herbs and sesame seeds, in their dining tour.
For starters, appetizers like rolled grape leaves or deep-fried kibbeh balls made from seasoned ground beef onion, pine nuts, and spices typically appear on menus. At dinnertime, meat eaters will appreciate traditional slow-roasted shawarma or lamb shanks, often paired with the country’s most famous salad, fattoush.
MUST-VISIT MARKETS & BAKERIES
N & J Global Market and Asia Bazaar Grocery supply staple groceries for foodies who want to cook Middle Eastern recipes at home. Fans of kibbeh nayeh, the national dish of Lebanon, shop at Yaacoub Meat Market. Bagatelle Bakery customers order artistic cakes for special occasions – Strawberry Chantilly Cream is a widely regarded selection.
MEXICAN FOOD TOUR
RECOMMENDED RESTAURANTS
The cultural food tour continues to the city’s industrial North End, also referred to as the Nomar District. Here, the Mexican American community’s restaurant scene consists of taco trucks and mom-and-pop owned restaurants nestled amongst buildings adorned with vibrant murals. Retail store windows display shimmering quinceañera dresses and paleterías, Hispanic snack shops, advertise ice cream and popsicles.
The neighborhood’s food truck scene is the real deal, which could easily be a micro food tour. A concentration of vendors dot the urban landscape. The smell of grilled carne asada emits from trucks Rico’s Tacos El Torito, Taqueria El Vago, and Chucherias Y Mas.
The oldest family-fun Mexican restaurant in the city, Connie’s Mexico Cafe, has anchored the neighborhood since 1963, serving neighborhood workers and hungry patrons Mexican American meals. Grilled chicken is in high demand around the corner at Pollo Dorado. Diners seeking mega burritos or carnitas are in luck at Taqueria El Fogon, Birrieria Raymundo, and Mi Lindo Michoacan.
But it’s not all platter-sized meals and street tacos. Refreshing Aqua frescas drinks and cóctel de fruit, sliced fruit salads with jícama and cucumber, dominate the menu board at Las Delicias ICT.
MUST-VISIT MARKETS & BAKERIES
A staple on the Mexican food scene, Juarez Bakery, is where shoppers can indulge in freshly baked pastries like churros and sweet conchas while shopping for essential groceries. Beyond the neighborhood, El Rio Bravo Supermarket is a full-service grocery store supplying shoppers with butchered meat and inexpensive produce. Warm flour and corn tortillas are made daily at Tortilleria La Tradition Inc. and sourced by local restaurants.
A free festival, Tacos & Tequilas, kicks off summer at Wichita Boathouse where attendees shop food trucks and play yard games to the backdrop of mariachi music.
BONUS! Read my blog post, Spice Up Your Life: Mexican Restaurants Worth Trying in Kansas
VIETNAMESE FOOD TOUR
RECOMMENDED RESTAURANTS
Vietnamese restaurants add cultural diversity throughout various Wichita neighborhoods, concentrating on the south side. Highly celebrated events throughout the year draw thousands of food connoisseurs. In February, Lunar New Year celebrations highlight food culture. October attracts folks to All Saints Catholic Church’s Vietnamese Fall Festival and the annual Wichita Asian Festival. Asian Night Market, a bazaar-themed event, allows chefs to showcase their best dishes in May.
Count on pho and bành mí sandwiches to appear on menus. Pho, steaming hot bowls of aromatic bone broth are served with marinated meat and typically topped with raw herbs, sprouts, and chilies. Sliced cold cuts or pork loaf stacked with cucumber, cilantro, and tomato sandwiched between crusty French bread to create traditional bành mí sandwiches.
While the list of Vietnamese restaurants for a culinary tour is nearly endless, sought-after spots serving pho include Saigon, Little Saigon, Pho Kim, Pho Cuong, Thoa’s Bistro, Pho KC, Pho One 8, and Kim’s Noodle Bar. When bành mí cravings set in, Kimlan Sandwiches serves customers 15 variations.
MUST-VISIT MARKETS & BAKERIES
Wichita doesn’t lack for Asian markets. At Kim Son Asian Market, Grace Market, Thai Binh Supermarket, and Dong Huong, imported seafood and meats, exotic produce, and aisles of dry noodles and condiments keep shoppers returning for more, and reach-in warming bins house trays of French-influenced baguette loaves used to prepare bành mí. Mino Bakery’s cream cheese and fruit-filled buns are must-haves.
The city is a mecca for delicious restaurant food and a tour-worthy destination for iconic landmarks. Wichita is not a city in a Midwest flyover state. It’s more than that.
It’s a place where people choose to live and honor culture in all its forms – especially cuisine.
For more about things to see and do in Wichita, consider purchasing my books 100 Things to Do in Wichita Before You Die or Secret Wichita: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure.
In 2015, Gress said, “If people at least understand what’s going on out there and how important it is, maybe they’ll come to appreciate it and want to protect it and maybe change their own behavior to improve the situation.” (Source: The Wichita Eagle)
In 1958, the budding entrepreneurs grew the company from a humble start-up business to one of the world’s biggest, most well-known restaurant companies. Today, the company’s net worth is worth over $810 billion.
Today, Chance Rides is the only one of the three businesses still in operation, producing roller coasters, rides, and park trains.
He laid out the trail between his trading post at the mouth of the Little Arkansas River to the Indian territory that extended northward to Abilene, Kansas. Cowboys pushed cattle herds through town and across the river near the Douglas Street Bridge.
Nicknamed “The Rave,” the 6-7 forward averaged 24.3 points in four seasons at WSU and helped lead the team to their first NCAA appearance in 1964.
The highly decorated leader earned the National Security Medal, the President’s Citizens Medal, National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal (twice), and the Distinguished Intelligence Medal (three times).
Her tirades continued for years. Eventually, she was jailed many times before dying in Leavenworth, Kansas, on June 9, 1911.
I appreciate that Wichita Park and Recreation, in partnership with Byers, decided to beautify the city’s parks with artistic benches that beautify the surroundings and showcase Wichita’s history makers. Byer’s use of vibrant colors, the Wichita flag, and the city’s abbreviated name, ICT, make them symbolic.
The third floor’s “Wichita the Magic City” displays help visitors learn the heritage of the Wichita Indians that gave the city its name, the days of booming downtown businesses, and the rise of the Air Capital of the World.
I chose the Cinnamon Dolce Chai Tea Latte served over ice during my visit. I didn’t mind the short wait for my iced coffee because I was keen to sit in a tiny alcove of the café decorated with modern finishes and seating for two people. It provided a private space to enjoy my beverage while using free Wi-Fi to catch up on work.
Admission is free Monday-Friday from 9 am-5 pm – remember to call in advance at 316-221-8000 to schedule a visit.
Let this guide be a starting point for your adventure touring the city on #316Day or any day of the year. For more travel inspiration, head to 
It wasn’t easy narrowing down a list to only 100 things to do. I thought to myself, “Who would need this book?” I wrote it as a resource for visitors to Wichita, long-time residents, and newcomers. Actually, the book features more than 100 things to do, as I’ve also bonus lists and insider tips.
People love the book! It earned 1st place in the Kansas Professional Communicators’ 2023 Communications Contest in the Adult, Nonfiction category. The judge wrote, “What a delightful book. the one-page descriptions really work, and your voice sings as your love of the venues shines through.”
Follow 
Stay curious. 
