A Wichita Mexican restaurant known for its fried tacos and “kitchen sauce” is turning 40 next week and is celebrating with a lunch special.
Cholita’s Mexican Restaurant, which the Soria family has operated for four decades in the Westlink Shopping Center, at Central and Tyler, has long been a west-side neighborhood staple. Husband-and-wife owners Jesse and Linda Soria will offer a special next week to mark the occasion. The restaurant serves a different lunch special each day featuring a different menu item. But from Tuesday through Sept. 4, customers will be able to order any of the lunch specials, no matter the day. Choices include tacos, bean tostadas, street tacos, enchiladas, a junior monterrey and a small taco salad.
Cholita’s Mexican Restaurant first opened on Sept. 1, 1986.
Jesse Soria, now 70, grew up the youngest of seven children, and he was the only one born in the United States. His parents emigrated from Vera Cruz, Mexico, looking for a better life for their children. When Soria was in college, his older sister, Marta Norton, opened La Chinita and hired her brother to work in the kitchen. Years later, Soria got an offer from his sister: How would he like to open a west-side La Chinita?
Even though he had a full-time job, Soria accepted her offer and opened the restaurant on March. 1, 1986, in a space that had just been vacated by M&M Bierock (still in business today at 2065 E. Central). Six months after opening, on Sept. 1, the Sorias purchased the restaurant and changed the name to Cholita’s, an homage to Soria’s mother, Soledad, whose nickname was “Chola.” She frequented the restaurant until her death in 2010, frequently assembling silverware packets in the corner and chatting with customers.
Jesse Soria says he’s proud of the restaurant’s longevity. All five of his children have worked in the restaurant, and several still do — some of them in between spare hours from their other jobs. And now, all but one of his eight grandchildren have worked at Cholita’s. The only one who hasn’t is only a seventh grader.
The anniversary is coming at a good time, Jesse Soria said. When the owner of another family-run Wichita Mexican restaurant — Chico’s at 4407 W. Maple — recently announced that she planned to close, a few customers got confused. Cholita’s got a couple of calls from people demanding to know why it was closing.
Though both restaurant’s names start with a “Ch,” Cholita’s is not closing, the staff has been assuring customers. There’s still a big demand for its fried tacos, chili rellenos and kitchen sauce — a pork-laden chip dipper served warm. Jesse Soria says the sauce is so popular that people buy gallons of it to-go during the holidays.
Cholita’s is known for its “kitchen sauce,” a spicy, pork-laden dipping sauce that’s served warm.
Still, the Sorias do occasionally think about retiring. Last year, the family closed the restaurant and went on a cruise together. Sitting around on the beach with his phone nowhere in sight was a strange feeling for Jesse, but a feeling he liked, he said.
But then, the couple thinks about the restaurant’s longtime customers, many so loyal that they helped Cholita’s survive the COVID-19 pandemic. When restaurant shutdowns happened, the Sorias didn’t think Cholita’s would survive.
Then their customers showed up. Some days, the line to get carry out food snaked out into the parking lot and all the way down to the Gracepoint Church that sits directly west of Westlink Shopping Center.
“The first couple of weeks, we were like, ‘Yeah, this is going to be it,'” Linda said of the pandemic. “But then it picked up. Our customers are awesome.”
Jesse Soria said that his favorite thing about the restaurant these days is the fact that most of his family works there, at least sometimes. And the staff members who aren’t family feel like chosen family, he said. One has been at Cholita’s 38 of its 40 years.
Cholita’s Mexican Restaurant near Central and Tyler is celebrating its 40th birthday next week.
“We’ve been definitely a family-owned restaurant,” he said.
Cholita’s will be closed Sept. 5-7 for Labor Day weekend. Otherwise, its hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays; 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Fridays; and 11 am. to 8 p.m. Saturdays. It’s closed on Sundays.
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Dining and Cooking