A few years ago, when my wife and I had just got engaged, we were talking about some of the missing restaurant options in the Wichita area. Wichita, obviously, is well-known for its eateries and yet there are still some gaping holes. We talked about a really great bagel shop, or an authentic, pasta driven Italian option, or maybe even some sort of Southern brunch. Well, thankfully for us, Jeremy Wade decided to create two of the three and we are loving every minute of it.

I sat down with Jeremy to hear his story and you can check out that entire podcast here. He grew up in the Halstead and Sedgwick areas but always had family in Wichita. After moving to Detroit during his college years, he started working in the restaurant industry and learning from some top notch chefs. He always knew he wanted to open his own restaurant and figured Wichita was the spot to do it so he moved back here, got his business degree, and started planning.

He got his first gig as chef at age 27 working at Cibola. He bounced around for awhile working at Uptown Bistro, YaYas, Candle Club, Lakeside Club, Siena Tuscan Steakhouse, and even running his own catering company. But after working for many a boss, he knew it was time to open up his own spot.

He started with Napoli Italian Eatery. It is located at 7718 E 37th St N #500 and is open Sundays through Thursdays 11:00am to 9:00pm, Fridays 11:00am to 10:00pm, and Saturdays 4:00pm to 10:00pm. This delicious Italian eatery sets itself apart in many ways, but my favorite is the handmade pastas. My wife is always craving the pastas at Napoli and finds any excuse for date night to end up there. I made sure to get her a bunch of noodles before leaving, which Napoli was kind enough to provide on the house. This romantic atmosphere, with several great dishes from start to finish, is the perfect spot for any date night or business lunch. Did I mention they have wine on tap, too?!

Speaking of wine on tap, they have a plethora of happy hours and daily special options! Happy hour is Mondays through Thursdays 4-6pm and they are $5 all wines on tap, $2 off Peroni drafts, $4 wells, $2 off house cocktails, $2 off appetizers and warm breads, and $3 off pizzas.
The daily specials are equally as enticing - Mondays are $20 carafes of wines on tap, Tuesdays are $5 martinis/houses or call vodka/gin, Wednesdays are $5 on 7oz pours of wine on tap (ALL DAY), Thursdays are $4 well drinks and $3 Peroni on tap, and Sundays are $5 Blood Marys, $5 mimosas, and $5 Aperol Spritz. A lot of great options!

But Jeremy was not done there - he had another vision he wanted to put into action as well. Magnolia Cafe used to be a cajun/creole restaurant here in town and it was his late father’s favorite spot. He always encouraged Jeremy to reopen the concept one day, and he did just that. Magnolia Cafe is located at 2424 N Woodlawn Blvd #111 and is open Tuesdays through Thursday 6:00am to 2:00pm, Fridays 6:00am to 3:00pm, and Saturdays and Sundays 8:00am to 3:00pm. This Southern brunch spot is more than a cajun/creole option and is another big hit for Jeremy and his visions with a great menu complete with grits, fried oysters, chicken, and of course, biscuits and gravy. Pro tip - definitely call ahead and get a reservation, that is what we did and it worked great because they are slammed especially on the weekends.

I had a great time sitting down with Jeremy and hearing his story of creating two of Wichita’s premiere restaurants and I hope you enjoy the podcast as well. So head on over, eat some local, made from scratch options, and tell them (3YUM6) sent you!