Keeping you informed of Reno-Tahoe’s local food-and-drink news.
Happy 2024! We’re celebrating the new year with a lot of good news. While the years keep coming, our goals haven’t strayed. We’re still here to keep you in the know on all that’s happening with the food-and-drink scene in Northern Nevada and beyond. Read on for updates on the region’s newest restaurants and bars, award-winning locals, and impressive neighbors. Plus, as always, we say a few unfortunate goodbyes to favorite businesses.
Openings
We count 15 new openings below. Think you can hit them all this month? We say, “Challenge accepted!”
Zephyr Wine Bar was the first location to sign a lease at the Meadow Creek shopping center across from Reno Ice. However, it took more time to open than first expected. In October, the long-awaited, high-end wine bar opened its doors with a long list of white, sparkling, rosé, red, and dessert wines, as well as a small menu of bites and shareables. As an added bonus, partnerships with surrounding businesses mean you can bring beers from nearby Piñon Bottle or pizza from Longboards Beach Fired Pizza into the lounge-like atmosphere, and there even are televisions routinely playing the night’s best games.
Underworld Distillery opened on Louie Lane, near Longley Lane, in Reno on Nov. 17. The craft distillery sells rum and whiskey and has plans to expand into gins and vodkas. Craft cocktails also will be available to enjoy in the tasting room or to go. The owner is an herbalist, craftsman, journeyman electrician, and he designed and built the equipment used to craft the spirits. The distillery became the first and only International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Union distillery in 2022.
Kuma Sushi opened at the Shops at Bartley Ranch last fall. It serves an array of all-you-can-eat sushi options as well as à la carte items.
Noodle Box Kitchen opened next door to The Discovery science museum last fall, and owner Perapol Damnernpholkul brought his original Reno restaurant, Rice Box Kitchen, to join it, moving away from the Midtown Reno address where he started. Both entities now operate under one roof.
Leaders behind a new commercial kitchen space plan to support small brands in Northern Nevada. Called Nourish & Flourish Kitchen and Market, the incubator will help locals with culinary dreams to get started. Once enough members are secured, leaders hope to open the commercial kitchen business this winter. The kitchen is part of the Local Food Network, which is a 501(c)(3). Chefs and Italian Hearts Gourmet Pasta Sauce owners Papa Sal and Mama Val, with 10 years of experience running a commercial kitchen, were hired to run the venture. The Valley Road location in Reno is the former site of Bavarian World. To become a member, email Info@nourishreno.com.
Hammer & Nails Grooming for Guys is more barbershop than bar, but the newest franchise location landing at The Summit in Reno will serve alcohol to clients.
Mt. Rose Wine Co. opened in The Summit in Reno on Nov. 14. Lacie and Doug Flannery, owners of the wine shop and tasting space, are excited to present their selections to the community.
Also at The Summit, Edelweiss Pizza Pub Pastries, an “après-style sports haus” opened Dec. 9 in the spot previously occupied by Noble Pie Parlor. The new restaurant, owned by Monika Marsh, offers Tyrolean-style pizzas, fresh salads, Austrian small and large plates, pastries (sweet and savory), a full bar, 14 beers on draught, and sports playing on the TVs.
DOPO Pizza & Pasta’s second location will open inside Reno Public Market. Chef Adam Bronson will oversee the stall, but the menu will be different than the Midtown dine-in Italian restaurant. Instead, RPM’s iteration will offer what Bronson calls “neo-Neapolitan” pizzas, appetizers, dessert pies, and a simple wine list.
Speaking of Reno Public Market, Beloved’s Bread, which usually appears at area farmers’ markets with long lines in front of the booth, will open a brick-and-mortar location next to the market, with its own front door and space, likely in early 2024.
Cosmo’s Snack Bar opened its doors on Arroyo Street in Midtown Reno in October with a menu of pizzas and other wood-fired dishes, plus a full bar. The emphasis is on Italian favorites, including wines and cocktails.
The Village at Rancharrah in Reno experienced a shake-up after the closure of Centro South was announced. Then news spread that the owners of Perenn Bakery had taken over the space. Not far from their bakery location, the new concept will be called Perenn Grocery and will focus on locally made goods. specialty foods, prepared meals, a curated wine selection, bread, espresso, and home goods. In addition, Sierra Water will feature plants, flowers, pottery, and workshops. As of press time, it was scheduled to open in late November.
Quincy is getting a new Main Street bar. Rich Bar opened ahead of the December holidays in what used to be Foley’s Gas Station. The taproom offers 14 rotating taps plus wines and hard ciders. It is open for lunch and dinner six days a week, with a seasonal menu heavy on hot sandwiches, bratwursts, gyros, salads, and build-your-own charcuterie boards. The space is both child- and pet-friendly, boasting a large, all-season outdoor seating area, complete with turf, firepits, and lawn games.
In Carson City, The White House, a cocktail bar and live music spot, opened on Oct. 28 during the Nevada Day Parade. It’s housed inside an 1898 Victorian home on the corner of Stewart and East Telegraph streets. Charlie Abowd, the previous owner of now-defunct Adele’s, gifted the former restaurant’s historic bar to The White House. The establishment also features a family-friendly patio and rotating food trucks in the parking lot next door.
Squeeze In started as a Main Street Truckee breakfast spot specializing in omelets and has since grown to seven locations in Northern Nevada, Las Vegas, and even landing in California and Idaho. The next location is slated to open in early 2024 in Fernley, owned by local businessmen Troy Blake and Jim Gurnea. Longtime Fernley residents, Blake owns and operates a shipping and logistics company, and Gurnea owns construction and hospitality locations in the area. According to the Squeeze In website, additional locations are on the horizon in Spanish Springs and Gardnerville.
Closures
The owners of IMBIB Eats & Drinks decided to close the business on Nov. 18, posting on social media, “[W]e picked the wrong time and place to launch this restaurant and unfortunately the numbers don’t add up.” IMBIB Custom Brews locations in Reno and Sparks will remain open.
Noble Pie Parlor at The Summit closed in October. Its Midtown location, however, remains open. The original location in Downtown Reno closed in 2021.
Francisco’s Mexican Restaurant announced it will close its Carson Mall location in April after 10 years in business. The Minden location of the business will remain open.
Last issue, we reported that a new brewpub concept was moving into the shuttered Wonder Aleworks location in Midtown Reno; however, as of late November, the location was available still for lease. At that time, no plans were in place for a new tenant.
In the News
We never cease to be amazed at what the talented foodies in our corner of the world can achieve. Whether they are creating award-winning spirits or making names for themselves on national television, the movers and shakers here are certainly keeping busy.
Brian Valencia is best known as the resident cake artist at Peppermill Resort Hotel in Reno. He’s recently expanded his presence, however, by appearing on Food Network’s popular Holiday Wars television show. As a member of the three-person team The Frostbites, Valencia and his teammates won for their ship-themed “Nauti or Nice” cake. As a winner, he received $25,000; the City of Reno honored him with the key to the city and declared Dec. 17 (the day of the win) Brian Valencia Day.
At the 150-year anniversary homecoming game at University of Nevada, Reno, J.J. Goicoechea, director of the Nevada Department of Agriculture, was honored for his contributions and dedication to the agriculture industry and communities within Nevada. Goicoechea completed his undergraduate studies at UNR.
Nothing To It! Culinary Center, the popular Reno culinary school and kitchen store, celebrated 25 years in business on Nov. 7.
Coffeebar opened its ninth location in The Hub at Northstar California on Nov. 18. The company also reached 13 years at its Truckee location on Oct. 11. Founder and CEO Greg Buchheister celebrated the milestone by offering customers $1 drinks for the day.
Dec. 7 marked 30 years in business for Great Basin Brewing Co.! The brewery/restaurant celebrated with beer dinners at all three of its brewpub locations in Sparks, Reno, and Carson City.
Leaders at Wolf Pack Meats announced a new line of beef jerky and fresh cuts of lamb. The items are for sale during retail hours, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. Tues. – Fri. Wolf Pack Meats is part of UNR’s Experiment Station.
Colby and Ashley Frey are racking up awards left and right. The couple behind Frey Ranch Distillery in Fallon traveled to New York to be honored with the “Spirits Brand of the Year” designation at VinePair’s Next Wave Awards in early November.
In other Frey Ranch news, the distillery collaborated with Nevada Brining Co. to produce its Boozy Pickles line. The owners of both local brands taste-tested combinations of whiskey and pickles and settled on the perfect blend. When you bite into a Frey Ranch Boozy Pickle, you taste the whiskey. The cucumber then mellows out the flavor and allows the smokey heat of Fresno peppers to come through. Each jar has about 3/4 ounces of whiskey, making each pickle the perfect Nevada treat. You can find the pickles at the Frey Ranch tasting room, along with locations where Nevada Brining Co. pickles are sold. In addition, Frey is working on collaborations with Dorinda’s Chocolates and Telegraph Coffee & Tap.
David Morriss is the new executive chef at Charlie Palmer Steak inside Grand Sierra Resort. In addition to his degree from Le Cordon Bleu culinary school, Morriss also has a trade degree from the California Sushi Academy. He has previously shared his talents with culinary institutions in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Mammoth Lakes.
Smiling With Hope Pizza in Reno extended its hours of operation and is now open on Sundays.
Tahoe-Truckee News
Tahoe and Truckee are making headlines as well. First, Shadyside Lounge celebrated a grand opening on Nov. 6. The Lake Tahoe West Shore business is open daily for lunch and dinner. A simple menu and creative cocktails are served in this cozy, cabin-style lounge.
Sunday brunch landed at Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort, Spa and Casino in Incline Village. The Bubbles by the Lake brunch experience at Lone Eagle Grille is prepared by executive sous chef Istvan Erdos.
A potentially very exciting new restaurant is under construction in Tahoe City. Savoie, touted on its website as being a home for alpine cuisine and slated to open soon, but, by the looks of the construction progress, the project seems a long way from completion. Although we aren’t sure when it will open, we know the location well. The historic building that used to house the 40-year-old Pfeifer House Restaurant (closed in September 2022) will be the setting for this new culinary experience. Savoie’s chef/owners are rumored to be Mark Sullivan — of Spruce in San Francisco (a Michelin-starred restaurant for 10 years until 2023), The Village Pub in Woodside (in 2001 at this restaurant, Sullivan was selected as one of Food & Wine’s “Best New Chefs”), Café des Amis in San Francisco, and Mayfield Bakery & Café in Palo Alto — and his wife, Alison Sullivan — whose experience is in regional French cooking (working with decorated chefs in France and the United States).
Mediterranean Café Tahoe in Tahoe City closed its doors at the end of September. The restaurant originally opened on Jan. 30, 2022. The owner said she is looking for a new location to reopen the restaurant.
Dorinda Vance, the owner of Dorinda’s Chocolates, is expanding her Truckee footprint. The family-owned company recently acquired Tahoe Oil & Spice.
Last summer, Christy Hill in Tahoe City changes hands. The business went from Ed Coleman and Robyn Sills, who owned it since 2010, to Alex and Amanda Looby, who between them have 35 years of experience in the hospitality and business worlds. Also, executive chef Andrew Shimer wrapped up his 12-year run to pursue his own eatery. His replacement is Luis Vallin, a grad of Gastronomic Institute in Aguascalientes, Mexico, and North Lake Tahoe local for more than 20 years who worked as sous chef at Pianeta Ristorante and Moody’s Bistro Bar & Beats, and most recently as chef de cuisine at Martis Camp.
Another two months, another round-up of worthy reads. We hope you’ll explore some of our new businesses and continue to visit the old favorites that make it the lively scene it is.
