Reno travel: The Biggest Little City’s best restaurants, according to a Reno-based food writer

Reno’s reputation as a foodie destination is on the rise. Once known as a mini-Sin City escape, the neon-lit “Biggest Little City” has suddenly become a culinary player, racking up gastronomic awards and diner shout-outs. There’s certainly plenty to savor, whether you’re here for Reno’s classics — the lavish casino buffets and western-themed steakhouses — or all-you-can-eat sushi, riverfront dining or delicious food-centric events.

Casino appeal

Reno’s glitzy resorts offer more than slots. They’re home to some star-studded eateries, too. Over at The ROW, which includes hotels, casinos and restaurants, Gordon Ramsay has extended his Caesar’s Entertainment contract with two new eateries. Gordon Ramsay Fish & Chips opened in May in a London pub-meets-fast-casual setting, while his fine-dining Ramsay Kitchen began welcoming guests in July.

Charlie Palmer has long been a staple at the Grand Sierra Resort, where his eponymous steakhouse offers a half-priced happy hour menu (4-6 p.m. Sunday-Thursday) boasting prawn cocktails, wedge salads and lobster bisque. If you’re here for a steak or seafood dinner, don’t miss the Glazed Thick Slab Bacon appetizer ($24) with grilled peach and a pickled mustard seed gastrique.

Food and wine lovers will also want to check out the Atlantis Casino Resort Spa, where the Atlantis Steakhouse and Bistro Napa have been on a Wine Enthusiast awards streak for the last two decades. Bistro Napa’s “social hour” — 4 to 6 p.m. daily — offers half-priced drinks and dishes, including $11 roasted bone marrow, $10 prime rib sliders and discounted oysters. And the more casual Asian-fusion Red Bloom, which opened in 2020 on the main casino floor, offers flavorful chow mein ($16), tender pork belly adobo ($22) and bao buns ($12).

Small surprises

Small business owners are at the heart of the Reno food scene, though, where newcomer Wings Korean Chicken arrived in neighboring Sparks in May. It’s a strip mall stop with a hip-hop attitude, and the second location for this casual Nevada-based spot that serves Korean chicken wings, Korean corn dogs and bibimbap. If you’ve never had a Korean corn dog ($4-$5) before, this is your chance to bite into a panko-crusted, cheese or sausage-filled “dog.”

If Asian fare is your fave, you should also check-out Ijji Noodle House, Ijji 4 Korean Bar-B-Que, Arario and Kwok’s Bistro, whose chef and owner, Kwok Chen, was a James Beard semi-finalist in 2022.

Lili’s Restaurant & Bar, which serves breakfast and lunch, offers a specialty island menu, as well as diner fare. Think chow fun noodles ($7.50) and deep-fried Crack Chicken ($15.75), Spam musubi ($4.25) and Maui-style hot dogs ($15.75).

Riverfront dining

The Truckee River runs through Reno’s downtown, creating a walkable hub dotted with riverfront restaurants and bars. Open since 2022, the upscale Smith and River offers a seasonal menu that showcases local ingredients and handcrafted cocktails, including a bourbon-centric Smoke on the River.

The modern American Wild River Grille is a longstanding favorite with outdoor seating, live music on select nights, and a Broadway-inspired menu that riffs off the lineup at the nearby Pioneer Center. Expect to dine on “Some Like It Hot” and “Book of Mormon” inspired prix fixe menus this season.

And The Shore, inside the Renaissance Reno Downtown Hotel & Spa, is a fine dining affair. Head for the terrace upstairs where you can enjoy the view as you dine on small plates — Spanish octopus ($18) with a lemon-garlic vinaigrette, perhaps — or Verlasso salmon ($34) served with squash, eggplant and a puttanesca sauce.

All-you-can-eat sushi

The all-you-can-eat buffet is a casino staple. But Reno is known for its extension of the AYCE concept to nearly every sushi restaurant in the city. The sushi bar ($30-$40) at Sky Terrace at the Atlantis is one option.

Other favorites — including Pisces Sushi, Hinoki Sushi and O’A Sushi — are tucked in local strip malls. Menus typically run about $25 to $30 per person and include not just rolls but appetizers, as well.

Italian inspiration

If grape stomping and ravioli consumption are more your taste, head for The ROW for The Great Italian Festival Oct. 12-13, when the 42nd annual celebration takes over several blocks. Taste through  the sauces — slathered over fresh pasta — competing for top prize. There’s even a grape stomping competition.

The festival is fun, but you can dine like a Roman, a Neapolitan or Florentine here year round. Everything at Pasta Fresca — my favorite — is made fresh by the Italian staff, with pasta, as you might imagine, taking the starring role. Whether you dine in or get the sauces and noodles to go, don’t miss the cannoli.

Now run by the fourth generation of the Casales family, Casale’s Halfway Club dates back to 1937. Dive into plates of saucy ravioli or try the beef or vegetarian lasagna. You’ll need reservations to score a table any night of the week, but the bar is first come first serve.

Drinks about town

Head for Calafuria, an Italian restaurant tucked inside a century-old house. But what’s really interesting is what’s behind it: a new speakeasy dubbed No. 731. Expect classic and Italian style cocktails  — the Rosemary Old Fashioned is hard to pass up, as is the refreshing Limoncello Spritz — plus Calafuria-prepped small bites including charcuterie and Roman supplì.

Midtown’s popular, speakeasy-style Death & Taxes specializes in rare whiskeys, as well as stylish craft cocktails, served amid moody decor. Think black-painted walls, candle-filled fireplaces, big leather couches — and vibrant sippers, made with egg whites for froth and dehydrated fruit garnishes. (Its sister bar, Amari, is right next door serving up spritzes and amaro flights.)

If you prefer your bubbles with a side of sweets, Champagne & Chocolate opened this summer with a confectionery pedigree — it’s owned by the folks behind Carson City’s Chocolate Nugget Candy Factory. Selling their own branded chocolate goods and offering make-your-own chocolate bars, the brunch and bar concept flaunts more than drinks and dessert.

If You Go

The ROW: Restaurants at this trio of hotels include Gordon Ramsay Fish & Chips and Ramsay Kitchen. Admission to the Great Italian Festival, Oct. 12-13, is free. 345 N. Virginia St. in Reno; www.caesars.com/the-row-reno.

Charlie Palmer Steak Reno: Open for dinner daily at 2500 E. Second St. in Reno; www.charliepalmersteak.com.

Atlantis Casino Resort Spa: Find the Atlantis Steakhouse, Bistro Napa, Red Bloom and Sky Terrace at 3800 S. Virginia St. in Reno; www.atlantiscasino.com.

Wings Korean Chicken: Open for lunch and dinner daily, except Wednesdays, at 2134 Greenbrae Drive in Sparks.

Lili’s Restaurant & Bar: Open for breakfast and lunch daily at 2325 Kietzke Lane in Reno; www.lilisdining.com.

Smith and River: Open for brunch on weekends and dinner Wednesday-Sunday at 50 N. Sierra St. in Reno; www.smithandriver.com.

Wild River Grille: Open for lunch and dinner daily at 17 S. Virginia St. in Reno; www.wildrivergrille.com.

The Shore: Open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner at 1 S. Lake St. in Reno; www.shoreroom.com.

Pasta Fresca: Open for lunch on weekdays and dinner Monday-Saturday at 6135 Lakeside Drive in Reno; www.pastafrescanv.com.

Casale’s Halfway Club: Open for lunch and dinner Tuesday-Saturday at 2501 E. Fourth St. in Reno; www.casaleshalfwayclub.com.

No. 731: Opens at 4 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday at 725 S. Center St. in Reno; www.calafuriareno.com.

Death & Taxes: Opens at 2 p.m. daily at 26 Cheney St. in Reno; www.deathandtaxesreno.com.

Champagne & Chocolate: Opens at 10 a.m. daily offering bubbles, cocktails, sweets and weekend brunch at 550 W. Plumb Lane in Reno; www.champagnechocolate.shop.