Take a look inside the new Artichoke Sandwichbar East, which officially opens next week

For 40 years, Wichita has been a one-Artichoke town.

But that changes next week.

Artichoke owners Tracy Rutledge and Uche Onwugbufor are about to launch a soft opening of the second Wichita location of their Irish bar and restaurant that has operated since 1984 at 811 N. Broadway. Then, on July 5, they’ll officially open the doors and feature live music by RKO Acoustic Trio.

The new location is on the ground floor of the Terra-Cotta Tower, the tall office building at 2959 N. Rock Road. The space most recently was home to a Wendy’s restaurant, but the Artichoke’s owners have given it a total overhaul.

This week, Rutledge gave The Eagle a sneak-peek tour of the new space, which includes several of the touches that customers love at the original Artichoke.

Artichoke Sandwichbar East, as the owners are calling it, will operate much like the original and offer plenty of Guinness and the restaurant’s famous sandwiches, including the the Famous No. 8 and the Nancy’s Roast Beef.

But the east location is “more upscale” than downtown, Rutledge said, and it will have several features that downtown doesn’t. For one, it will stay open a bit later and — starting July 13 — will serve a dinner menu featuring Irish favorites like bangers and mash, Guinness stew, cottage pie and baked potatoes with various toppings.

The new spot also has an outdoor patio as well as a grab-and-go cooler that will be stocked with sandwiches.

And like downtown, it will feature live music Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. An artist has even recreated in mural form the Irish tapestry that hangs behind musicians at the downtown Artichoke.

Rutledge says she’s excited about the east Artichoke’s new bar, which was fashioned using antique pieces salvaged when Cameo Cakes closed. The bar, which was fitted with lights that make it glow green, has antique Irish postcards epoxied onto the surface, just like downtown.

Rutledge’s husband also created stained glass windows for the new space.

“I think it’s stinkin’ awesome,” Rutledge said of the new restaurant, which crews have been working on for at least six months. “There’s been so much care that went into this, and everything has been purposeful that we’ve done. When you walk in, you’re just transformed to somewhere else.

The new space has about 2,900 square feet. It’s filled with a mixture of half-circle booths, high tops, and regular tables and chairs. It also has a “sitting area with two cozy couches set up near an electric fireplace, and one section of the new restaurant will feature a giant party booth designed for big groups.

The east-side Artichoke has a much bigger kitchen than the original, Rutledge said, and the owners will do their catering jobs from there.

One other feature: Thanks to the building’s previous existence as a fast-food restaurant, it has a drive-through window that the Artichoke will be able to use as a drive-through window. (It likely won’t be ready until after the restaurant opens, though, as owners are waiting on pieces to fix the drive-through sign.)

Starting July 5, Artichoke East’s hours will be 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and 11 a.m. to midnight Fridays and Saturdays. It’ll be closed on Sundays.

On July 13, Artichoke East will put on a special dinner called “Taste of Ireland” that will feature its new dinner items and a whiskey tasting. The dinner is a fundraiser for Service for Change, a collective of restaurant owners working to raise money for Habitat for Humanity. Rutledge said she’d post tickets for sale soon.

Rutledge said she can’t wait for customers to see inside the new restaurant.

“We’re just super excited,” she said. “It’s been harder than birthing a baby.”