Larkspur Bistro & Bar

Larkspur catered by corporate event and we could not have been happier with the food and service!

I have been here on several business luncheons and every time the service was top notch! The food was good every time. The atmosphere here is elegant simple. The price is not cheap based, on the quality of the food I would say it is priced right!
–Brent

I wandered in to larkspur while looking for a dive bar. Opposite of what i was looking for. Nice upscale décor and a jolly lady playing the piano. …ok, i was going to eat somewhere. Ambience and piano were a plus. Bartender was fine. House cab was copper Ridge, very nice. Bread, as I’ve seen others comment, was great. Beef tip linguini with marinara, eeh, fair.
Price vs food + atmosphere = pretty average experience. Not bad, not great. I might come back for a fish some time.

We ate here twice and both meals were very good. The breaded talapia was a huge piece of very tasty fish that we split. Its easily enough for two people. The caesar salad was excellent and so was the salmon. The rigatoni and cheese was great. The décor is very well done. Service was efficient. We will definitely be coming back.

Very nice place to take your wife or date for dinner. Atmosphere is relaxing, piano music is light, not rushed. Service was very classy, great pace.
The seafood was awesome, fresh, the dinners came right out, the presentation was great. You are able to have conversation and hear each other and enjoy the dinner and your company.

Had the pistachio chicken it was okay, the asparagus was over cooked. Got a glass of moscato, liked it! Ambience and service was okay.

Good food, but with inconsistent quality and service. I went Wednesday and Thursday, first eve was excellent on food and service. Second eve was all downhill. Especially if your tap is $ 100 for 2 you must get excellent service. To wait to refill water 15 min is terrible after 3 requests is unheard off. To get desert that is sub par in taste and quality is again unacceptable. Thanks put will skip this restaurant there are others in Old Town who want my business and are better in quality & service.

Had their chicken pistachio signature dish with mashed potatoes and asparagus. The creamy sauce was rich and tasty. The pistachios added unusual flavor to the dish I will be craving. My husband had the signature scallops dish that was excellent – the huge scallops had melt-​in-​your-​mouth creaminess. Yum. We’ll be back.

I agree with Jeremy, there is nothing even remotely «inspired» about the food. I am so disappointed when I am served food I can make better myself at home.
I know Wichita is middle America but haven’t we all been around enough to know seared tuna has a RED center (not white). Seriously???
We took 6 people with us, only 2 of us were satisfied with their meal.
The drinks were good, the service was slow, the server was pleasant, but not overly attentive.
We won’t go back. We should have taken seriously the reviews on Unilocal before we went!

A late Lunch here was absolutely Devine. Dined by myself, wish my wife could have joined me. GREAT service, quite flavorful tea (yum) and a killer salad with grilled chicken. They know how to run a restaurant, just too hard to frequent them during rush hours with the Old Town parking… wahhhaaaaaa! Park and walk! The exercise will do you good Front Door Wichita is always whining. Plan for a lunch or dinner soon at this Wichita favorite. Yummers Unilocalers foodies.

For the price you pay for the food, not sure if the food is worth it… I would have gone to longhorn and got a better quantity and quality.

Dining here late on a Sunday evening, one would never know just how busy this downtown Wichita bistro often gets. A popular business lunch/​dinner spot, Larkspur embodies a unique blend of upscale and casual dining that readily appeals to couples and those leisure seekers with plenty of spare change. It’s nicely furnished in contemporary décor, very quiet and conducive to intimate conversation, and it’s apparent that the wait staff, for the most part, is well-​learned in their service.
Our waiter was friendly enough, but it was apparent my fiancée and I were receiving abbreviated hospitality. The surrounding tables were given a full description of the day’s seafood and drink specials, and near the end of the meal were brought a tray of the evening’s desserts, each displayed and described in detail. No such steps were taken for us, perhaps due to age or other assumptions. Whatever the cause, the lack of standard upscale dining consideration was noticed and not wholly appreciated.
The meal, however, was very much appreciated. Subtle things, such as the noticeable quality of the fresh brewed iced tea, hint at how ingredients are sourced and handled. The crab cakes we started the meal off with turned out to be more of an amuse bouche with a price tag, but were well prepared nonetheless. The cakes were tender and moist inside with a crisp exterior, and the accompanying chile spiced mayo complimented but did not overwhelm the delicate flavor of the crab. A less-​than-​subtly refined offering, veal piccata with mashed red potatoes and steamed, herb-​buttered broccoli and carrots distinctly spoke to the care taken to compose a dish. A slice of complimentary house-​baked bread was also served; if you’ve ever indulged in fresh from a bread maker bread you’ll know exactly what warm, crusty goodness awaits you at Larkspur. The potatoes were rich and buttery, whipped creamy but not overwhipped to the point of making the starches grainy. The veggies were nothing out of the ordinary; simply steamed al dente before receiving a coating of butter and a dash of salt. But, rightfully the centerpiece of the plate, tender, thinly sliced veal mingled with a beurre blanc reduction that added a light, dry sweetness and smooth mouth feel to the savory calf steak. Each individual component was handled and highlighted in its own way, and together converged into one synchronized meal.
Though the food was done well, the pricing presents a bit of a disconnect. Ambiance is a major contributor to the overall experience here, without it the expense is difficult to justify. So, if you plan on wining and dining a client or wooing a date, or perhaps enjoying a meal with a group, you won’t likely mind spending up on a well delivered meal. But if you’re visiting Larkspur hoping to be amazed by the food alone, you’ll leave underwhelmed and quite a bit lighter in the wallet.

Went to Larkspur for a late lunch yesterday. 4 star food. 2 star service. Salmon, bread, potatoes & tea were all very tasty & reasonably priced. They weren’t busy BUT the service was soooo slow.

The food is good and the service is very good, but it is WAY OVERPRICED for what you get.
I think their rent must be too high for their occupancy.
Considering that Taste and See is right around the corner, it’s hard to force myself to go to this place for «fine dinning»

All around good. Our waiter chris did an excellent job tonight. The shrimp cocktail was fresh, the bread was good, and the salads were yummy. I had the pork tenderloin, simply wow. Pork was wrapped in bacon and cooked as medallions. The potatoes were great. Other deishes at the table were the special, Red Snapper, he 14oz ribeye, and a salad that had aioli something another on it. All four of us were extremely pleased and left full and satisfied. Their tea is orange spice, and the concensus is that it’s wonderful.

Went here on valentines day traveling to work alone :(. Sat in the bar
Sheldon the bartender over the top service ‚
Food was great. Drink specials and free generous wine tasting, live jazz music
Made this a great choice.

Their steaks are the best. The service was fast and good. Right in the middle of old town.

This place is cute and has a wide variety of menu options. Had the Strip Sirloin Sandwich and also tried the Chicken Pistachio. Both were very good. The prices are a bit high for the overall quality and value but the service was good and the facility is nice to make up for it.

I’ve been trying to define Larkspur for months. According to my trusty friend Internet, I learned that «Larkspur» is both a poisonous flower and an oceanside town in the Bay Area, just North of the Golden Gate bridge. While neither of these definitions is a perfect metaphor for how I feel about the place, both can be appropriate at times. Sometimes, when Larkspur evokes a charming city on the West Coast, I want to rave about how nice the space is, how the service is generally perfect and how they have the best outdoor space in town. Other times, when Larkspur reminds me of a poisonous flower, I’m frustrated that it has such great aesthetics, but that the food doesn’t come close to living up to those expectations.
It would be fun to excoriate the place and talk about how the restaurant draws you in like a beautiful flower, then poisons you with terrible food… but that wouldn’t be honest. At the end of the day, Larkspur is fine, but unexciting. The location couldn’t be better and I’m sure they are making steady money, so there’s little reason to think that the kitchen will be overhauled or that we should expect anything to change. The menu is mildly ambitious, though I wish it was a bit more refined & utilized more local ingredients (a la Public and Harvest). I wish the chef, whomever he or she is, had a bit more of their personality on the menu (a la Siena and Taste & See), rather than just a list of safe choices. I wish the «Homemade Fresh Pasta» was actually either homemade or fresh (a la Luciano’s), rather than obviously being dried pasta.
Our Larkspur is neither a poisonous flower, nor a quaint coastal town. Our Larkspur defies metaphor and is what it is: a middling restaurant in a great location.

My foodie friend who also makes visits to Wichita recommended Larkspur and I’m glad he did. The outdoor seating was comfortable and lovely. The service was tops and the food was delicious.
I had the Chilean Seabass which was served over spinach and black beans. It was very good.