Restaurants in Wichita

The scents of lemongrass, garlic, chili peppers, and other spices waft from the kitchen at Sit @ Thai Bistro, where chefs prepare traditional and modern Thai dishes. As guests sip sweet glasses of Thai iced tea in the dimly lit, warm-colored dining room, classic panang curry simmers with meat or tofu and assorted veggies in spiced coconut milk, and tender pork ribs marinate in lemongrass and spices before dipping into a special barbecue sauce. The kitchen also riffs on tom-yum soup with a fried-rice interpretation, and whips up entrees such as the Dancing Shrimp with pineapple, bell peppers, onions, and chili-lime sauce, which is sautéed to the beat of a waltz.

For more than three decades, the friendly servers and talented chefs at El Mexico Cafe have dished out helpings of Mexican and Southwestern food, from bean-stuffed burritos smothered in chili to ultimate fajitas with four types of meat. Served amid smoked mirrors and intricate wrought-iron accents, the café's cuisine won it several runner-up distinctions within the 2011 and 2012 Wichita Eagle's Readers' Choice awards. A mariachi band serenades tables each weekend, strumming guitars and squeezing accordions while wearing the traditional outfits of sombreros, charro suits, and astronaut helmets.

One cuisine isn't enough for the chefs at Zaytun a Mediterranean & IndoPak Bistro. Instead, they embrace flavors and recipes from Turkey, India, and Pakistan as well as the broad culinary traditions of Persia and the Mediterranean. As a result, the menu gives diners plenty to consider, from mutton cooked in spicy masala sauce to sliced gyro meat on buttered pita bread. Accents of mango chutney, curry sauce, or silken hummus further extend the cultural scope of the carefully curated menu. To help assuage indecision, Zaytun Restaurant hosts a daily lunch buffet, allowing diners to sample a wider selection of dishes without ordering extra kebabs for their invisible friends.

Every day, Kababs owner and chef Syed Jillani fills the dining room with the aroma of fresh herbs and spices. Ginger, garlic, turmeric, and curry swirl in the air like an all-scent production of Cirque du Soleil while Syed applies more than 25 years of experience to preparing classic Indian and Pakistani dishes such as tandoori chicken, samosas, and, of course, kababs. These specialties arrive individually with à la carte service or sit in buffet displays during lunch.

The talented hibachi and sushi chefs at Saké Japanese Steakhouse & Sushi Bar freshly flip, cut, and roll all of the meals they serve. Elegant blue lighting washes over a capacious menu that caters to variable tastes with more than 30 dexterously crafted sushi rolls, such as the spicy-crunchy-tuna roll, yellowtail-scallion roll, and the large dining-room-carpet roll. In-table hibachi grills set the stage for fast-handed chefs to perform theatrical flips and flourishes as they prepare grilled, aerodynamic meals featuring chicken, shrimp, or steak, all accompanied by a festive trio of soup, salad, and fried rice.

As hungering eyes look upon dexterous feats of cooking, elegantly modern décor beckons forth diners' appetites with clean lines, glossy surfaces, and ancient Edo-period hedge-maze maps.

A chef stands over a flaming tableside teppanyaki grill, twirling his cooking instruments in the air and catching them in each hand. As his audience whistles and cheers, he sears juicy morsels of filet mignon, chicken, and seafood alongside colorful slices of mixed vegetables. Chefs are equally busy behind the sushi counter, artfully arranging more than 100 different types of rolls with fresh tuna, spicy salmon, and crispy shrimp tempura. At the bar, expert mixologists shake premium liquors and juices into cocktails, garnishing them with duos of plump olives and curls of lemon rind. At nightfall as the moon filters in through the skylight windows, the contemporary dining room comes alive with glimmering televisions, lively music, and friends debating the existence of wood nymphs over drinks.