Dining Out with Pulse: Il Ponte

In my time here in Wichita, I’ve come to know the city as one which has a wide variety of wonderful Italian and Mediterranean cuisine. Regardless of where you live, you are probably close to an establishment that can satisfy your cravings for this type of food. Despite the number of choices, Wichitans would be foregoing a great dining experience if they don’t try a restaurant named Il Ponte Café, which is located on the northeast side of town at 3101 North Rock Road.

Il Ponte is located in a strip mall on the west side of Rock Road just north of 29th Street. Its appearance doesn’t stand out in any significant respect, so you need to be on the lookout for it. The interior of Il Ponte is actually quite spacious. In fact, it even has a small bar area for you to enjoy your favorite adult beverage.

The menu features a mixture of your favorite Mediterranean dishes along with traditional Italian dishes. Every item on the menu is reasonably priced, and entrees range from $9.50 to $13.95. If you are a fan of seafood, do not go to Il Ponte without having the herb crusted salmon with lobster sauce. It is, without a doubt, the best salmon dish in town.

Outside of the food, what makes Il Ponte such a great dining experience is its staff. The waitresses are friendly, attentive, and eager to ensure that your needs are met. Additionally, it is not out of the ordinary for the chef to make his way out to the restaurant floor to greet the patrons, answer any questions about the food, and make sure that your meal exceeded expectations.

The best part of Il Ponte, however, might be its Sunday buffet (11 am–3 pm). If you’re like me, you typically like to do as little as possible on Sunday in an attempt to soak up that last bit of your weekend, which includes trying to cook something for lunch. Thus, if you’re looking for a tasty meal to fill you up for the rest of the day, then try Il Ponte. Every Sunday, the chef features different chicken, beef, and pork dishes, along with pasta, hummus and more. In my opinion, the Sunday buffet at Il Ponte is the best buffet in Wichita, regardless of the day. Be forewarned, though, because you’ll need to bring an appetite.

about the author:
Brett Legvold enjoys long walks on the beach, candlelight dinners...ok, maybe not. How about: Brett is an attorney at Martin Pringle. Outside of work, Brett enjoys playing, watching, and debating anything and everything that has to do with sports, watching movies and TIVO'd shows, and spending quality time with his wife and child, a border collie.