Behind the Business: The Cove of Twin Falls

TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) —With natural decor and tiki hut vibes, a local restaurant can you help you forget about the winter cold and transport you right to the beach.

“You feel like you’re on vacation when when you’re here because, like, there’s a tiki bar in southern Idaho,” Debra Urrutia, owner of The Cove of Twin Falls, said.

Debra Urrutia is one of the current owners of The Cove of Twin Falls, she and her husband took over the local hot spot in 2005, “We were in a band called Sound County and we performed locally, you know, quite a bit and we thought that it would be really cool to if we just had our own place to play.”

But The Cove’s history goes back much further, all the way to the1950’s, “A man named Gene Kopp was the original owner in 1952 and then into the 60s. His son Richard took it over after that.”

Gene’s son worked at a shipyard, and when he moved back to Twin Falls helped give The Cove a new look, “Richard’s the one who made it into the tiki bar theme that we have today.”

And that’s the only history you’ll find here, “I believe historically that the Cove is the second place anywhere to have finger steaks on a menu.”

They’re dipped in a secret batter before they get that crispy goodness.

But that’s not all you’ll find on The Cove’s menu, there’s also their popular plank potatoes, as well as favorite lunch and dinner dishes.

John Fuss is part of The Cove’s management team, he says their real secret recipe, is the community, “We have such a rapport of regulars that have been coming here for years and years and you know, so it is a community feel and kind of a family feel.”

A tribute to a piece of local history, supported over the decades by a loyal fan-base, “We should honor everybody who came before us. Like I can’t take credit for what this looks like to a point like I can take credit for cleaning things up and refurbishing things. But you know, those were the people that came before me.”

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