Reno seems to be bursting at the seams with new food options. Next time you head over the mountains, here's where to sample some new nosh.
RAWBRY serves cold pressed juice in the basement of a former post office.(Courtesy of The Basement Reno)
Art Deco Breakfast
If you like to start your day off fresh, head to the edgy RAWBRY juice bar for a cold-pressed juice. RAWBRY is located in the newly renovated Basement, the bottom floor of a 1930s post office located downtown by the Truckee River. The Let's Not Talk About Last Night juice ($8) has fresh coconut water, watermelon and lemon. Kitty-corner from RAWBRY is Global Coffee where you can fuel up with the cold-brewed Reno Mocha ($5, tall) with D&W chocolate and breve made from steamed milk and cream. If you desire artisan coffee, Magpie Coffee Roasters in Midtown hand roasts their beans for classic drip coffee. For a full breakfast, Daughter's Cafe (located in a restored Victorian house) serves shirred eggs baked in cream and parmesan cheese or beignets with sausage and fruit ($15).
// RAWBRY, The Basement, 50 S Virginia St., rawbry.com
// Global Coffee, The Basement, 50 S Virginia St., facebook.com/globalcoffeereno
// Magpie Coffee Roaster, 1715 S Wells Ave., magpieroasters.com
// Daughter's Cafe, 97 Bell St., daughterscafe.com
Try comfort food with a classy twist inside the Whitney Peak Hotel. (Courtesy of Roundabout Grill)
Out-and-Roundabout Lunches
The Battle Born Cafe near the Downtown courthouse has both a "guilty" and "not guilty" menu—throw caution to the wind and indulge in the "guilty" menu, which includes a bacon bouquet ($4) with five different bacon options on one plate. Liberty Food and Wine Exchange is an artisan wine bar and shop that serves arepas, Colombian flatbreads topped with such flavorful ingredients as pancetta and roasted corn. Roundabout Grill at the Whitney Peak Hotel serves lunch Friday through Sunday and features comfort food with a twist; try the turkey burger with apricot chutney ($14). Shawarmageddon dishes up shawarma wraps with lamb or chicken ($9) or falafel ($8) and a heavy metal vibe complete with Black Sabbath on the speakers. Choose from a variety of Middle Eastern sauces such as cool zhug from Yemin, or spicy charif from Israel. Finish up your lunch with delicious Arabic doughnuts topped with orange-blossom frosting ($3).
// Battle Born Cafe, 205 S Sierra St. #104, facebook.com/Battle-Born-Cafe
// Liberty Food and Wine Exchange, 100 N Sierra St., Reno, libertyfoodandwine.com
// Roundabout Grill, 255 N Virginia St., roundaboutgrill.com
// Shawarmageddon, 501 W. First St., shawarmageddon.com
Feed the Camel happens on Hump Day under the Keystone Bridge near the Truckee River.(Courtesy of Feed the Camel/Reno Bites)
Snackin' on the Streets
Street food is also a more popular sight in Reno. Dozens of food trucks buzz around the city daily or gather together for party nights a la Off the Grid. Follow the various trucks on Facebook to find out where they will be parked. Most make it easy by sticking to Downtown or Midtown locations. Check out the vegan choices from Nom Eats, vegetarian options from Electric Blue Elephant, pizza from Fire on the Mountain and freshly made gelato from Bibo Freddo. Anyone with a sweet tooth should stop by the Simple Ice Cream Sandwiches shop in Midtown. Build an icy hoagie with your choice of cookie and ice cream for only $4.
// Feed the Camel, 3594 W Plumb Ln. A, facebook.com/Feed-The-Camel
// Nom Eats, renonomeats.com
// Electric Blue Elephant, electricblueelephant.com
// Fire on the Mountain, facebook
// Bibo Freddo, bibocoffeecompany.com/bibo-freddo
// Simple Ice Cream Sandwiches, 960 S Virginia St., simpleicecreamsandwiches.com
Reno's Feast serves both fresh poke and lobster tail in their Downtown brick building(Courtesy of Feast/Facebook)
Dinner Feasts + Small Plates
Dinner in Reno has gone global. Start out with an aperitivo at Midtown's Calafuria; the Italian inspired dinner menu includes wild boar ($19) and a four course prix fixe dinner on the weekends for only $39. The Depot Craft Brewery Distillery, located in a restored railroad building on 4th Street has dishes such as striped bass crudo ($16) and the Depot Burger with Russian dressing ($15). Downtown's Sierra St. Kitchen & Cocktails specializes in small plates and group menus with raw items such as poke ($14) and steak tartar ($13.5). For a gourmet option, Feast, located in a former art appraiser's building, presents the ever-changing Feast ($85) with a choices of filet mignon, lobster tail, or gamier meats such as pan-seared or grilled venison, ostrich and kangaroo served on a wooden cutting board.
// Calafuria, 725 S Center St., calafuriareno.com
// The Depot, 3594 W Plumb Ln A, thedepotreno.com
// Sierra St. Kitchen & Cocktails, 50 N Sierra St. #103, sierrastkitchen.com
// Feast, 516 S Virginia St., feastreno.com
