Keeping you informed of local food-and-drink news.
Lulou’s Restaurant
The first casualty of 2026, Lulouโs Restaurant announced its closure after more than 26 years in business. The Midtown restaurant, owned by Chef Troy Cannan and his wife Coleen, was known for fine dining and a creative menu.
The owners announced their plans to focus on their other two Reno restaurants, neighboring businesses Kauboi Izakaya and Willieโs Pasta Shop, which previously shared staff with Lulouโs. Photos by Shea Evans.
Wave Sushi Bar
Wave Sushi Bar is opening across the street from Greater Nevada Field in Reno in spring of 2026. The restaurant comes from a team of owners: Maria Ruiz-Tinajero, Brian Hernandez Gonzalez, Norma V. Martinez Quintana, and Oscar A. Martinez Carrillo. Oscar and Norma also own Mr. Crab Seafood Boils in Reno.
Since 2024, the two couples have been perfecting their menu and sharing roles with their family members. The location, at 300 E. Second St., will be Wave Sushi’s first. It will be inside the former Mellow Fellow space.
Next Pour
A new wine-and-cocktail bar is coming to Northwest Reno. From the owners of Bighorn Tavern, Next Pour will open next door to the original Bighorn location in early to mid-2026. Next Pourโs will specialize in bourbon but staff members also offer wine, cocktails, and mocktails.
The owners want to create a space that is accessible to the general public and celebrates the people in their lives, with each drink named after someone they know personally such as The Megan, The Nic, The Karen, The Natalya, and The Robert.
Construction is currently underway but an opening date isnโt available at this time.
Ferino Distillery
After a hiatus, the Ferino Distillery tasting room reopened on Dec. 13. While the tasting room on Fourth Street in Reno has been closed for much of 2025, the distillery never stopped operating and has, in fact, been expanding in part due to Ferinoโs takeover of production of Toraniโs Amer liqueur used in the popular, and Nevadaโs official state cocktail, Picon Punch. For the foreseeable future, visitors can visit and taste Ferinoโs products โ and other sippers โ 4 โ 8 p.m. Thurs. โ Sat.
Frey Ranch Distillery
Frey Ranch Distillery landed on Food & Wineโs Best New Bourbons of 2025 list, published on Dec. 5. There were only nine spirits recognized and Frey Ranchโs Harvester Series Second Harvest was ranked No. 7 of those nine. The writeup praised owners Colby and Ashley Frey for their grain-to-glass operation and consistently quality products. The Harvester Series bottle was made from several single barrels, using mostly 100% wheat whiskey.
According to the author, Dylan Ettinger, โThe finished whiskey starts with a gentle nose of honey and nutmeg. On the palate, rich butterscotch and dark chocolate fade into a berry-like finish. Itโs a very complex pour that takes you on a unique journey from start to finish. Itโs a great expression of Frey Ranchโs creativity as whiskey makers.โ
R Town Pizza & Smiling With Hope Recognized as Top Pizza Spots in the U.S.
Reno is no stranger to good pizza, and The Biggest Little City is getting national recognition for its standout pies. When Yelp unveiled its top 15 pizza spots in the U.S., two Reno locations made the cut. A slice above the rest, R Town Pizza, owned by Marvin Kinney, and Smiling With Hope, owned by Andrew Silvaroli, were both honored.
In other Yelp news, R Town Pizza also hit spot number 44 on Yelpโs national Top Places to Eat in 2025 list. The recently closed Noodle Box Kitchen was number 86.
Batch Cupcakery
The South Reno location of Batch Cupcakery has closed after owner Ann Archer chose not to renew the lease on the South Creek address. Her Midtown Reno location, however, is still up and running with plenty of baked goods available for sale and classes and other events planned for the future.
Great Basin Brewing Co.โs Red Nose Holiday Wassail
As of Nov. 28, Great Basin Brewing Co.โs Red Nose Holiday Wassail is back in stock. And not only is the favorite holiday ale a hit amongst locals, it also took home gold in the herb and spice category at the Great American Beer Festival for the first time. The win was an honor not just for Great Basinโs owner, Mark Estee, but also for Brewmaster Aaron Halecky.
Los Chilaquiles Mexican Breakfast
A second location of Los Chilaquiles Mexican Breakfast is opening at the old Playfield location on Arlington Avenue in Reno. The announcement comes four years after their first location on North McCarran opened in December 2021. The family has yet to make an official announcement on social media, but a sign has gone up on the outside of the building announcing the second address.
Zagol
The owner of Zagol, Northern Nevada’s sole Ethiopian restaurant, announced plans to close the establishment on Jan. 28. After years of being unsuccessful in finding a successor for the business, Shita Yenenh, who has been operating Zagol alone for 15 years, has decided to close her doors for good. Stop by for one last meal 4 โ 8 p.m. Tues. โ Sat. in the Mira Loma shopping center in Reno.
Photos by Shea Evans from our story on Zagol in our Fall 2013 edition.
Asi Es Mi Terra
Tierra y Sazon is under new ownership. The Salvadoran restaurant at 1020 S. Wells Ave. in Reno, which operates under the name Asi Es Mi Terra, is part of the Reno Taco Trail and also serves pupusas, stewed chicken, tamales, and more. The new owners, according to Reno City Council meeting notes from Dec. 10, are Josue, Lillian, and Eva Guiterrez.
Segara Coffee
Reno resident Esther Singer is celebrating the grand opening of her new coffee company, Segara Coffee, on Dec. 14 at 1 p.m. at Sierra Nevada Bakery and Creamery in Reno. She focuses on sourcing single-origin beans from Southeast Asia.
Singer has a PhD in environmental science and applies her knowledge to work closely with farms in Indonesia and other locales, bringing her coffee products to the U.S. to sell at local events, online, and inside of Sierra Nevada Bakery and Creamery, where you can also get a fresh brewed cup. Segara is the Indonesian word for ocean.
ZLINE
ZLINE, headquartered in Reno, is expanding its Northern Nevada footprint. The kitchen appliance manufacturer creates ranges, hoods, refrigerators, microwaves, and accessories.
The expansion is the newest in a series, dating back to 2016 when ZLINE first opened on Parr Circle. Since then, several acquisitions have grown the company to a total 176,000 square feet of industrial space, including the newest 84,400-square-foot industrial building at 400 E. Parr Circle it just acquired. Its headquarters are on South Meadows Parkway.
ZLINE employs 150 people in Northern Nevada and 260 people nationwide with facilities in both Tennessee and Ohio.
The new space will allow for more inventory to be kept on site as well as an area to house returns, a process that previously took place at the Tennessee facility.
The new building not only increases the companyโs footprint but also decreases its carbon footprint. The additional space also aims to reduce costs related to tariffs.
Biggest Little Steakhouse
On Dec. 1, the owners of Biggest Little Steakhouse opened a second location at Northstar resort in Truckee. The first location is located on South Virginia Street in Midtown Reno.
Biggest Little Steakhouse is part of a larger restaurant group that also owns all Inclined Burgers + Brews restaurants in Reno and Incline Village.
Reno Food Systems
On Nov. 26, Reno Food Systems leaders announced a big expansion at the farm. Managers of the five-acre farm leased an additional 15-acre portion of Betsy Caughlin Donnelly Park on Mayberry Drive, and they now operate their nonprofit business on 20 total acres.
The additional acres procured by managers of the urban, regenerative demonstration farm will not only be used to grow perennial crops and fruit trees but will also include animal husbandry, regenerative grazing, and regenerative ranching.
The owners thanked Washoe County leaders for supporting their vision and announced that contributions to its annual campaign would benefit education surrounding best uses of the new land.
