A new Wichita restaurant will offer Vietnamese, Chinese fare in a sports bar atmosphere

A new restaurant is about to take over the space at 10909 E. Harry that’s been vacant since Outskirtz Bar & Grill closed a year ago.

Kim Chi — the originator and previous owner of Wichita Vietnamese restaurants Pho MC and Pho KC — has teamed up with her nephew, Bao Hoang Le, and plans to open a new restaurant in the space called Kim’s Noodles Bar & Grill.

Le said that the restaurant — which should open soon — will have a different approach than Wichita is used to. It’ll serve Vietnamese fare like pho, vermicelli bowls (bun) and rice dishes as well as Chinese fare like lo mein, sesame chicken and fried rice. But the restaurant will have a bar-and-grill feel, will serve alcohol and have television sets showing sports.

“We shopped around a lot, and this space has a bar,” he said. “We’re just trying to introduce a new thing. We’re trying to make it almost like a sports bar.”

Le, who has worked in his aunt’s restaurants over the years, said that they’ve completely renovated the inside of the space, which before Outskirtz was the longtime home of Mojoe’s Grill & Bar.

He said his aunt, who sold both of her previous restaurants, was ready to return to a restaurant kitchen.

“She wanted to get back in the business, and as family, I’m just here to help out,” he said.

The pair is hoping to open the restaurant very soon, Le said, but he was not ready to publicly commit to a date. It will definitely be ready before the end of the month. Once open, its hours will be 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. daily.