First of three planned New York-style delis is about to open in Wichita. Here’s the menu:
A couple of local businessmen who have made it their mission to give Wichita a taste of New York City are about to make their next move.
Faisal Assaedi and Muqnea Elaya, who back in August promised to add several New York-style delis across town, are just weeks away from opening the first one.
The partners, who in October opened Mediterranean restaurant NAS Kitchen at 1920 W. 21st St., are putting the first of their three planned 360 Deli & Grill restaurants at 11309 E. Kellogg, in the same strip center at Kellogg and Greenwich that is home to Tianluo Bistro. They’ve set opening day for May 1.
The owners have combined two spaces in the center for the deli, the centerpiece of which will be a big refrigerator case full of fresh Boar’s Head deli meats and cheeses that can be purchased by the pound or turned into fresh-made sandwiches piled with with things like roast beef, turkey, pastrami and corned beef. Burgers on brioche buns also will be available, as will salmon and veggie burgers. And the deli will also serve its signature “chopped cheese” sandwich, a New York City favorite that is made by chopping a ground beef patty up with onions and peppers then serving it on a bun topped with melted American cheese, lettuce and tomatoes.
The deli also will offer fresh prepared salads, including egg salad, chicken salad, tuna salad, potato salad and green salad, as well as wraps. A section of the menu also will be devoted to Mexican favorites like tacos, burritos, quesadillas and tortas.
The restaurant will also serve breakfast items, including breakfast tacos and burritos, plus bagels topped with cream cheese and lox, breakfast sandwiches and more. And there will also be a fresh-squeezed juice bar that will also have smoothies.
“Anything you want, we’ve got it,” Assadedi said. “It’s like a full-on bodega.”
Though it’s designed for people to pick up food quickly to-go — nothing should take longer than 10 minutes to prepare — the deli also has room for a few tables and chairs. The owners have hired a painter to fill the space with original artwork and murals featuring New York City scenes — and a few Wichita scenes as well.
The partners originally had hoped to have their first deli operating last year, they said, but once they got into the project, they wanted to make it perfect. Now, they’re working on the next two spots.
One, which came up recently, will be at 21st and Oliver and will take over the south side of a new strip center developer Abdul Arif is about to build near the northeast corner of 21st and Oliver, right next to the Family Dollar. The other end of that center will be the new home of Passage to India, its owners shared last week. The new building will have lots of space inside and it will also have a large outdoor dining space.
They’re also working on adding a deli at 701 W. 21st St., in a building at the corner of 21st and Arkansas where the partners had a 360 Tobacco & Vape shop. They’ll open the second deli in whichever of those two buildings is ready to go first but anticipate that one or both could be ready by summer.
The partners previously announced they also wanted to add a deli at a property they own at Harry and West streets, but they’re considering a different idea for that space now, they said.
The deli at Kellogg and Greenwich will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturdays, and from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sundays.
People will be able to order at the counter, order at a digital kiosk in the deli, or punch up their orders on an app before they arrive.
The food will all be served fresh, Assadedi said.
“It’s all made to order,” he said. “Nothing is pre-cooked, nothing is pre-prepared.”
The owners, who also have several 360 Tobacco & Vape stores across Wichita, said they weren’t quite ready to share interior photos of the deli but will over the next few weeks. In the meantime, they wanted to give customers the chance to peruse the menu.
360 Deli & Grill menu
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