Serving 'authentic Mexican BBQ flavor' in Coeur d'Alene, El Jefe Grill set to open in May

COEUR d’ALENE — After helping family and friends open over 50 restaurants during his career in commercial real estate, Sam Arora has decided it's time to open his own.  

The Phoenix native is bringing authentic Mexican barbecue flavor to North Idaho at his new restaurant, El Jefe Grill Restaurant. The fast-casual menu will center on mesquite-smoked chicken and carne asada, which can be purchased by the piece or by the pound and will come with tortillas and various toppings for tacos.

The menu will also include rice bowls, burritos, a Mexican chicken sandwich and Sonoran hot dogs, which are bacon-wrapped hot dogs topped with pico de gallo and other toppings. Salsas and other Mexican food favorites will all be made in house.

Having always enjoyed making food for others, Arora has spent much of the last year experimenting with and curating El Jefe’s menu.

The menu is heavily inspired by Sinaloa style of cooking, Arora explained: He drew from recipes dating back several generations from family of friends in Sinaloa, Mexico.

Arora is also prioritizing fresh ingredients and authentic flavors, sourcing some spices from Mexico itself.

“There’s a night-and-day difference in taste,” Arora said.

El Jefe will also have a bar with eight rotating taps, wine and some canned cocktails. Arora hopes to introduce live music on Fridays and stay open until midnight on weekends.

“I really want this to be a place for people to come hang out on the weekends,” Arora said.

While El Jefe’s Coeur d’Alene location is set to open sometime in May, Arora already has plans for expansion, with a second North Idaho location in the works. He hopes to have it open by the end of the year.

In the meantime, Arora is looking to hire three or four people for El Jefe’s staff: Jobs range from working in the kitchen to running the front of house or bartending.

El Jefe Grill Restaurant will be located at 405 E. Best Ave. Suite 104, Coeur d’Alene.

For employment inquiries, email sam@treehouserei.com. 

Now the TidBits

•  Houston Hot Chicken, located at 870 N. Highway 41 in Post Falls, is set to open soon. The franchise is currently hiring at this location.

• A pinball hall is in the works for Coeur d'Alene on north Fourth Street. More info to come.

• Denny Burt, the owner of Burt's Music & Sound, is set to retire along with his staff in June and is seeking a buyer for Coeur d'Alene's oldest music store. Interested parties can contact Burt at denny@burtscda.com.

• Bricks and Minifigs, an authorized LEGO® retailer, will be opening a Coeur d'Alene store location sometime in the coming months.

• As part of Washington Trust Bank's ongoing remodel work at the Coeur d'Alene branch location, the drive-up window will be closed for about four weeks beginning Monday, April 28. The lobby will be open until 6 p.m., and the ATM will be accessible by walk-up only.

•  HeatPraxia has reopened at its new location at 1090 E. Lakeshore Drive after its Sherman Avenue location flooded in January of last year. It is open 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 6 a.m. to sunset Fridays, and Sunday 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. HeatPraxia is closed Saturdays. 

• Specializing in locally made offerings, 208 Clothing + Gift is now open at 15580 N. Vera St. in Rathdrum.

• Marketplace@Miles, described as a "new product vendor mall," is set to open April 30 at the southeast corner of Government Way and Miles Avenue in Hayden. More details to come. Spaces in a variety of sizes are still available for retail vendors with additional onsite storage offered. Information is through Commercial Real Estate Consultants at 208-691-5328 and www.marketplaceatmiles.com.

•  Grocery Outlet is now open at 2588 N. Highway 41 in Post Falls. The discount grocery store anchors the new North Point Plaza, which is also home to a newly opened 7-Eleven. Five additional pad sites remain available for build-to-suit or ground lease at North Point Plaza, according to Corhaven Properties' website.

• Hagadone Hospitality has broken ground on Sherman Tower, a 139-room expansion of The Coeur d'Alene Resort that will also include a cafe, a modern Mexican seafood and steakhouse restaurant and a rooftop bar. Sherman Tower will be 15 stories along Sherman Avenue between First and Second streets. The grand opening is currently slated for May of 2027.

• A unique pet-friendly business, The Hound House, is open in Hayden. Specializing in pet-care merchandise, The Hound House also has a cafe menu and seating area. The Hound House is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., and is at 10157 N. Taryne St.

• Kootenai Health and MultiCare have announced the planned development of a new multi-phase, 30-acre medical campus, called the Prairie Medical Campus, in Post Falls at the southeast corner of the Highway 41 and Prairie Avenue intersection. Development of phase one of is scheduled to begin in 2025, with an estimated 24- to 36-month timeline for phase one.

• Idaho Central Credit Union, or ICCU, will open a branch location in Rathdrum. More details to come once construction gets underway.

• Opening May 2025 at 312 N. Fourth St. (formerly Wellness Bar), Copow Foods will bring a new cafe concept that serves coffee, brunch, organic smoothies, juices, build-your-own micro bowls and organic grab-and-go meals.

• 208Massage&Spa will be relocating from its midtown space on Fourth Street to 714 W. Appleway in the Asthma and Allergy of Idaho building in Coeur d’Alene. In addition to massage therapy and skin care services, the new location will feature a salt therapy room, full spectrum infrared sauna suite, manicures and pedicures, as well as a couple's massage room and the ability to host spa parties. Expected relocation date is in early spring 2025.

•  A 7-Eleven is taking the place of the former Wells Fargo building at Government Way and Appleway Avenue.

• Look out for major updates on the Early Dawn Commercial Center. With opening planned for April, the Commercial Center is at the Highway 41 and Early Dawn intersection. Anyone interested in remaining commercial spaces should contact Danny Davis of TOKcommercial.com (208-691-6003).

• The Raising Canes restaurant company has applied for a site development at 201 Neider Ave. in Coeur d'Alene. Located in front of the At Home store off U.S. 95, the chicken-chain building will be 3,368 square feet with a dual-lane drive-through. Other potential businesses coming to this area include Nothing Bundt Cakes, Jersey Mike's and a Sleep Number store. 

• A four-story Residence Inn is proposed for Northwest Boulevard between Emma Avenue and West Davidson Avenue by CDA Hotel Inc., the same developer as the proposed Marriott Hotel on Sherman Avenue.

• A mixed-used building "Nonna" is planned for 102 E. Fourth Ave. in Post Falls. Mother-daughter Laura and Kelsey Horn will have commercial space on the main floor with a Miss Dazee's brunch restaurant. The three upper floors will house 33 apartments with 25 covered parking spaces and 18 on-street spaces. Developers include DCI Engineers, Kartchner Engineering, Facet Engineering, HDG Architecture with Michael Mannhard, Aubrey Plaisance and Monique Vang. 

• A new location for Relic Moon at 305 E. Locust Ave. is estimated to be completed in May. 

• A building with six commercial suites and 44 parking spaces is under construction at 9627 Government Way (the northwest corner with Hayden Avenue). Planned to open in the spring, units are still available through Kiemle Hagood Real Estate's Mary Kienbaum (208-770-2589 or mary.kienbaum@kiemlehagood.com) and Chad Burd (208-770-2597 or chad.burd@kiemlehagood.com).

• Coffee Warehouse will be in a 50,000-square-foot building under construction at 4291 W. Poleline Ave. off Pleasant View Road in Post Falls. Opening sometime in 2025, sales will be open to coffee stands and shops with business licenses and the general public. It will also offer delivery options. Check www.thecoffeewarehouseinc.com.

• A retail and manufacturing business primarily for outdoor products, Yozzy Overland will move in the spring from 9044 W. Prairie Ave. (Suite 107) to the new building off Huetter Road and north of Interstate 90. The new location will have a large showroom, warehouse and manufacturing space. John Yozamp is company founder and CEO and is assisted by Brady O'Neil and Morgan St. Onge. Phone 208-262-7216. Check www.yozzyoverland.com.

• Four commercial suites on each floor are planned for a two-story building under construction at Fourth Street and Birch Avenue. Three of the main floor suites are office-retail with a coffee shop-bakery-small restaurant. The upstairs has suites of 450-650 square feet. For information, contact Duffy Smock of Windermere Coeur d'Alene Realty at 208-699-5466 or Duffy@windermere.com.    

• With plans to relocate its administrative operations and Coeur d'Alene area lending teams within the next two years, Mountain West Bank has acquired the large Spokesman-Review building at 608 Northwest Blvd. The branch at the corner of Ironwood Drive and Government Way will remain where it has been since 1993. Check www.mountainwestbank.com.

• A new location for Indigo Urgent Care is under construction at 151 W. Prairie Ave. in Hayden. The new place will open sometime in 2025 as a joint venture between Kootenai Health and Multicare. Check www.indigohealth.com.

• Two new buildings for the Local Markets company are expected to open this year at the intersections of Best Avenue and 15th Street in Coeur d'Alene and Highway 41 and Hope Road in Post Falls. The Markets will have an emphasis on produce, fresh flowers, coffee and products sourced from local vendors with fresh-made deli sandwiches and pastry bars and premium espresso coffees with drive-throughs. Owned by Andy Singh, the stores are architecturally designed to fit the local landscapes and surrounding communities. They will include gas and electric car charging.  

• A new building at 4378 W. Selway Ave. in Riverbend Commerce Park will house Dragon Jacket Insulation.

• A proposed Marriott Hotel will be on about a half-acre at 602 and 612 E. Sherman Ave. The six-story hotel would include 131 guest rooms, 130 parking stalls among the main level and three levels underground, an administration area, a bar, kitchen, lounge, dining area, meeting area, laundry, fitness room and a rooftop patio bar.

• The Marcus Anderson building under construction at 8182 N. Wayne Drive in Hayden has commercial units to be occupied by Ascent Counseling and Marcus Anderson Family Foundation (now at 8382 N. Wayne Drive). A third unit of 1,508 square feet is available through Marissa McCreary at admin@maffidaho.com. The building should be done soon.

• The Thomas George building under construction at Third Street and Front Avenue downtown will be 18 stories. It will comprise 60 condominiums on floors 4-18 with garages, an on-site concierge, a 24-hour gym, golf simulator, an indoor-outdoor pool and a lakeview community terrace. The first floor will have a Union Roasters shop with coffees and pastries. For information, contact Hayden Anderl at 208-964-0234 or hayden@cbinw.com. Check www.haydenanderl.com.

• The Appleway Quarter new building at 295 E. Appleway will have businesses on the ground floor and 24 apartments on the two floors above. The 6,000 square feet remaining could contain one to three units. Contact Chad Oakland at 208-704-2000 or chad@nwidaho.com. Dan Stubbs shares ownership. The apartments (16 two-bedrooms and eight one-bedrooms) will have private decks and share common-area patios, an elevator and garages or carports. The building should be complete next fall by J. Meyer Construction with Momentum Architecture.

• With many options for food and beverages in an elevated space, Rooted Social House is planned for 310 N. Spokane St. in Post Falls.

• A four-story 151-room Hyatt Place Hotel is planned for the Millworx development on Fourth Avenue in Post Falls.  

• Suites are leased in a new building at 2420 Government Way. Ranging from 898 to 915 square feet, each unit is a shell with a fully finished bathroom with tenants finishing the balance of the space.

• Huetter Business Park, which is three flex industrial and office buildings owned by Etco Services, will open on Huetter Road north of Interstate 90 and Seltice Way. About 8,600 square feet and yard space are available in each building through leasing agent Jeffrey Simonds of Coldwell Banker Commercial Schneidmiller Realty at 208-518-8860.

• With buildings of 168,000 and 238,000 square feet, The Pointe at Post Falls is at North Beck Road and Pointe Parkway. Zoned industrial, the buildings have deck-high loading doors and eight ground-level drive-in doors. Check Darren Slackman for lease rates at dslackman@naiblack.com. Phone 509-622-3593.

• Two 1,550-square-foot suites with 2,500-square-foot shop areas will be available for lease in Anderl Plaza under construction at 8512 N. Wayne Drive in Hayden. For information, contact Hayden Anderl at 208-964-0234.

• U-Haul Self-Storage is coming to Seltice Way and Herborn in Post Falls.

• A new building under construction in Hayden is Lake Forest Interior Design (9245 Government Way).

• A commercial building with three suites is being constructed at 9041 N. Hess St. (just north of Walmart) in Hayden. The suites of 1,100 square feet each can contain retail or office places with easy access and visibility to U.S. 95. Contact Josh Beebe at Coldwell Banker Schneidmiller Realty at 208-699-7980.

• The neighboring Anthem Corners project has one of the three suites leased with two units available. They can be combined for a 3,920-square-foot unit. Contact Joel Johnson of Coldwell Banker Schneidmiller at 208-771-6068.

•  Prime IV Hydration & Wellness is set to open soon in Ironwood Square.

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Have a tip on happenings in the local business world? Contact Hailey Hill at hhill@cdapress.com.