I really like the location and area in which the perk is located, however, as much as I want to love this place, the menu this place has to offer falls a bit short. Drinks are just subpar, workers are generally not all that friendly, and food is okay. I typically just stick with the regular coffee and chill outside on nice summer days. I've had a variety of the menu: smoothies (too runny), tea (overpriced!), quiche (once good, another time WAY undercooked egg :/). I love the local art that is usually on display, as well as, the local music that they often have on the weekends.‎

the only original down to earth coffee shoppe in wichita.....one is always surprised at who may show up there, from minstrels to movie starts, poets and pranksters (ya, even some Merry Pranksters if your eyes and mind are open), the Perk has the vibe....................its all about the people that hang out there, the food and beverages are extra........

I think its pretty fantastic. Been going there for ten years. Enough about the freakin' styrofoam cups. Yeah, it should be something more enviromentally friendly, but its not the end of the world. Eating meat and flushing your toilet is probably more damaging than the freakin cups.

My wife and I live in northern California, but every time we come to Wichita to visit her parents we go to the Perk for some chill alone time. It has a great atmosphere that's quiet but not TOO quiet to feel comfortable having a conversation and everything we've ever ordered has been good if not fantastic! Its one of our favorite coffee shops in the country and offers a great oasis when family time gets overwhelming.‎

I don't spend a lot of time worrying about which cups they use as that is not the point of my visits...and besides, if you have a gripe with their cups, then do your part and bring your own cup in, or better yet, donate some eco-friendly paper cups from Sam's, and quit complaining. Small business do the best they can on the budget they can and the Perk offers a valuable art scene to Wichita which many appreciate. I have shared many a fond memories with my Dad at Riverside Perk! He's an old school hippie and it's the only coffee house he'll go to since it is the very spirit of the ones we left behind in Washington and Oregon. And I have created many a memory there with my 2 kids...I love it and will always be loyal to it.