New Restaurant Serves Lots More Than Pastrami

Marc Sanchez had an enticing display of fresh fruits, miniature iced mochas drizzled with chocolate, and miniature Pastrami sandwiches for the guests at his official Chamber Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for Alheli’s Restaurant last Thursday.

For the correct pronunciation of the name, think of lilies, as in the flowers. It’s not Hawaiian but Hispanic and is pronounced just like one was saying, “a Lily(s).”

Alheli’s Restaurant and Drive-thru opened last November in the former Kentucky Fried Chicken/A & W Rootbeer location on West A Street featuring Pastrami sandwiches and a variety of Tex-Mex type foods that included breakfast burritos and gourmet coffee drinks. Friends, family, and many other Chamber business members helped to welcome the business to the community.

Also present at the event was Sanchez’s special friend, Alheli Barbosa. Not only is the young woman named after the pretty white flowers that are painted around the inside of the restaurant, the restaurant is named after her, said Sanchez.

Sanchez has worked in the restaurant business for many years and may have garnered special restaurant know-how from his father, Tony who owns the Dixon McDonald's. He joined the Chamber “mainly because everyone told me I needed to,” he said with a laugh. “I joined for the networking and the exposure.” It must be working as the parking lot is usually full. His most popular selling item seems to be cheeseburgers although it can change from week to week.

“When we first opened, it was pastrami sandwiches, then it went to carne asada tacos, then it was carne asada burritos and sometimes it’s nachos,” he said. They are open seven days a week and are located at 2500 West A Street in Dixon. Their number is (707) 693-6929.