Coming soon

Spokane has enough sports bars, at least in the mind of Chris Hale. So in anticipation of opening the new Hale’s Bar & Grill, Hale gutted and remodeled the old Parker’s Bar & Grill locale on Broadway.

Hale is keeping the Kokanee, the pool leagues, the NFL package on HDTV and, of course, the bar food. He also plans to offer healthier deli sandwiches and salads for lunch, plus a full (vegetarian-friendly) dinner menu and wine list.

Sports bar dudes may feel squeamish about their buffalo wings so close to vegetables (other than celery) in the kitchen, but Hale insists it’ll be OK. “There’s no reason why they can’t coexist,” he says.

No greasy bar food, however, is allowed at the The Local Pub. Brenda Mowry signed the lease for the old Merq Café building “on a whim.” They’ll exclusively offer local foods, local microbrews, local music and local art.

Mowry’s booking philosophy is a case study in “super-laid-back” — “Anyone, basically, if they wanna play here or they wanna have a good time, they’re welcome to hang out here and jam,” she says.

The food at Los Tacos Tumbra is authentic down to the lengua and cabeza — tongue and brain — tacos. “It has the flavor of Mexico City,” says owner Carlos Zuniga.

Five years ago, Zuniga and his sons were working in the fields in Walla Walla. Now the family operates three taco trucks, along with one restaurant in the Valley (and soon, a second one downtown).

“It’s hard to find an opportunity like this to open a business,” says Zuniga. The new Second-and-Cedar space (previously Cruiser’s Cuisine) comes equipped with a full kitchen, so he only had to spring for tables and chairs.

Which brings us inevitably to the 500-pound gorilla in any discussion of casual fare near downtown. Principals in the long-rumored, hotly anticipated, still-to-be-named Elk-owner-owned taco joint in Browne’s Addition aren’t ready to make any announcements.
Elk Manager Marshall Powell would only say that, yes, there will be a “taco shop” in the next-door space but didn’t have anything else to add. “I’d say we should know within a month,” Powell says, laughing, “but I’ve said that for about eight months.” — ERIKA PRINS AND LUKE BAUMGARTEN

Hale’s Bar & Grill is set to open in mid-October at 1011 W. Broadway Ave. Open 10:30 am-2 am every day. Contact halesbarandgrill@yahoo.com. The Local Pub is expected to open in mid-October at 706 N. Monroe St. Open 11 am-2 pm every day. Contact thelocalpubandpatio@yahoo.com. Los Tacos Tumbras may open as early as this weekend. They’ll be open for lunch and dinner (exact hours pending) every day — and until 2 am on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Call 927-8220.