Restaurant owner brings horseman's flair to new Pateros eatery

PATEROS – There is a new cowboy in town, and he is wasting no time stamping his brand on the former Rivers Restaurant.

When new operator Adolfo Sahagun is not astride one of his show-stopping parade horses you can often find him running the show at Cowboy River Restaurant, the newest dining spot in the city known as the Gateway to Okanogan County.

The new eatery shares the building with the Chevron station super stop but offers diners its own warm and cozy atmosphere with large windows offering unobstructed south and west views of the confluence of the Columbia and Methow rivers.

The American-style menu features full breakfast dishes until noon, an ample lunch choice, and full dinner selection until 8 p.m.

Sahagun has been a business fixture in nearby Brewster just six-plus miles east on Highway 97, where he owns and operates Camperos, the Mexican Restaurant that has anchored the corner of Main and Third streets for more than two decades. 

For many, Sahagun’s business presence is overshadowed by his memorable appearances on magnificent dancing horses in parades and celebrations around the region. Mounted on either his all-black Cuafrisian or white Azteca horse, Sahagun and a select group of fellow riders perform from Apple Blossom in Wenatchee to Apple Pie Jamboree in Pateros and points between and beyond. 

Sahagun got his introduction to the restaurant business with his brother in the mid 1990’s in Des Moines, Washington, before sinking roots in Brewster. Together with the good food and ample servings that are Sahagun’s trademark, an invaluable asset is family involvement in both locations.

Daughter Mili Arteaga, 20, is among a half dozen family members who help run the businesses. With a new baby, online college courses, and work, efficiency is a requirement.

“We are really good at communicating,” said Arteaga. “And we are really good at working with each other.”

Together with waitress duties Arteaga functions as business secretary helping maintain paperwork and planning including the application for a liquor license the Cowboy River has in the works.

Cowboy River has been open barely three months since its Dec. 9 debut but already the buzz on the street is promising. Patrons are commenting on favorite burgers and breakfasts that foretell return visits.

Cowboy River at 245-B Lakeshore Drive is open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week. Find them online at cowboyriver.org or call 509-923-9570.

Mike Maltais: 360-333-8483 or michael@ward.media