by Heather Korbulic, Stephanie Martin, Laura Rich, and Alissa Surges
Reno. A place that evokes the sounds of slot machines, makes you sing Johnny Cash, or has you doing some new-boot goofin’. As an ISM attendee, you might be thinking your only food and drink options are bad fries and a Miller Lite while playing yet another round of Keno.
But lucky for you, Reno is where a few of us Vimo® locals live – and we’re here to get you out of the casinos and into our favorite restaurants, bars, walks, and landmarks. With this list of recommendations and helpful tips, we hope you’ll see that Reno is a lot more than what you’ve seen and heard and that, more than anything, you’ll enjoy visiting our Biggest Little City.
Pre-Game
- Go beyond endlessly intoning “I shot a man in Reno” – try Jonathan Richman instead.
- After bingeing Reno 911, listen to Lt. Dangle’s homage to Reno.
Helpful Tips that’ll Make You Look More Local
- It’s Ne-VAD-uh. Like, please don’t be that person.
- The mountains are the Sierra Nevada range and are in the west – you can orient yourself anywhere in town by looking for them.
- With a Convention Center at 4,450 feet and humidity that’s at 11% as of this writing, you’ll need to bring Chapstick and hand lotion and drink a lot of water.
- Baby’s in Reno with the Vitamin D: Wear sunscreen. Everywhere. All day.
- Most nights you’ll feel what Mark Twain called the Washoe Zephyrs, which “blow flimsy houses down, lift shingle roofs occasionally, roll up tin ones like sheet music, now and then blow a stage-coach over and spill the passengers; and tradition says the reason there are so many bald people there is, that the wind blows the hair off their heads while they are looking skyward after their hats.”
Bars
Reno bars make strong drinks. Also, keep in mind that the altitude will make alcohol hit harder than it does at sea level.
- Death and Taxes – Just off Virginia street, hip and fun. Artisanal cocktails in a place that looks like a speakeasy. This is the kind of place that makes the perfect drink, all the way down to the impeccable ice cubes.
- Amari – Italian-style aperitifs and cocktails, right next to Death and Taxes, owned by the same people. Pretty patio.
- Chapel – Great people-watching right on Virginia Street, and if you see a bartender with a mullet, have her make your drink – she’s one of the best in town. Their in-house Negroni is very good. Wide range of high-quality liquors you won’t find in a lot of other bars.
- The Emerson – Great bartenders and a lovely cocktail menu.
- Craft – Wine, beer, and liquor picks you won’t get anywhere else and a giant beer cooler. It’s a neighborhood hangout and a good place to pick up quality wine and beer to bring back to your hotel. (Right across the street from The Emerson!)
- Belleville – Wine bar run by Nico, who hand-picks the wine choices and has created a French-based menu. A great place for sitting on the patio and relaxing – no one will pressure you into moving along. Very charming.
- The Fireside Lounge in the Peppermill – A wonderfully kitschy lounge that hasn’t updated itself in four decades. Currently slightly renovated as a Tiki theme, you can sit in velveteen booths and space out on the fire pits filled with water and spewing flames. You have to see it to believe it. Not far from the Atlantis but might require an Uber if you don’t want to walk on a busy street.
If you must stay in the Atlantis…
Bistro Napa – Good food and drinks that are evocative of Old Reno. If you want to get there for happy hour, you’ll need to join the line that starts forming at 3:30pm and muscle your way through a lot of aggressive retirees who know how to secure a table.
Coffee
- Perenn – THE BEST pastries, from a couple who studied in France. The Midtown location is small and cute (open from 7am–12pm each day), and the Rancharrah location (7am–2:30pm) offers a more extensive menu. Top pastry picks: the Kouign-Amman, the plain croissant, the Golden Toasty.
- Pangolin – Heather’s personal fave – they give you a free piece of homemade Turkish delight with every cup of joe, which is probably some of the best in Reno. If you’ve never liked Turkish delight, this place will convince you otherwise.
- Coffebar – Good coffee, great neighborhood atmosphere, lots of homemade baked goods – we’re weirdly attached to their Energy Balls. Take your coffee to go and wander around the 1940s-era neighborhood (more info below).
- Hub – Good coffee, nice staff, and it’ll get you away from the cling-clang-bloop of the slot machines. This location is walkable from the Atlantis – although not a fun walk, since it’s on a busy street.
Restaurants
- Beloved Bakery – The best bread in town. A great spot for lunch and breakfast. Excellent pastries and pizza slabs too. Closed Tuesdays.
- Rancharrah – Not far from the Atlantis, this center has several restaurants to choose from depending on the time of day. Armando & Sons Butcher Shop has a very good burger (closed Mondays; open until 6 on Tuesday), while Perenn Rancharrah (open from 7am–2:30pm) offers an excellent breakfast and lunch. Dorinda’s has high-quality chocolates and rolled ice cream (open until 10pm) with both dairy and non-dairy options.
- Kauboi Izykaya – They don’t have a website, but it’s a cowboy take on Japanese Izykaya.
- Claio – Greek-style restaurant run by the same people who own Perenn.
- Madein – Homemade pizzas and pasta.
- Maharaja Roya Bites – Some of the best Indian food anywhere.
- Moo Dang – Sooooo good – Thai food. Also, a great place for anyone who’s gluten free – they easily accommodate.
- Wild River Grill – Outside table for the win.
- Cosmo’s – Homemade pizzas, nice patio, also does homemade Soft Serve and Dole Whip. Negronis on tap.
- Kwok’s Bistro – 2022 James Beard Awards semi-finalist and featured on Andrew Zimmern’s show. A pocket of a place that doesn’t take walk-ins, so you’ll need to call and get a reservation – they don’t accept them online. Very friendly staff. Favorites: Salt and Pepper Tofu, Kwok’s Chicken, XO Shrimp, but they also have an in-house menu that changes regularly. Closed on Monday.
- Arario – Korean fusion. Also, right across the street from Death & Taxes and Amari (see Bars, above) and upstairs from Pinon, a beer place. The pizza place down there is meh.
- Royce – Probably the best burger in town, good patio, good drinks. Prepare to wait 45 mins to an hour if you get there after 5:30pm, but the drinks will keep you company.
- Grateful Gardens – A vibrant, healthy restaurant offering a diverse range of options, from pizza and burgers to Buddha bowls, salads, and tacos. They have three different locations – Midtown is closest to the convention center.
If you must stay at the Atlantis…
- Purple Parrot is a solid breakfast and is open 24 hours a day.
- Manhattan Deli offers a surprisingly good cheesecake and a Reuben that is very good as long as you don’t live anywhere near a real New York deli.
Nice Walks
Sometimes you just need to escape a conference and get outside. A couple of our favorites:
- Reno Riverwalk – The path along the Truckee River goes a long way. A favorite routine is to start at the Hub on Riverside, get a tea or coffee, and then walk another half mile to Idlewild Park. Around downtown, you’ll see Burning Man art, including the Space Whale.
- Old Southwest/Midtown – Start from the Coffeebar on Mt. Rose and walk west, take a right on Nixon Avenue, and wander around cute old houses and see what it’s really like to live here. Bonus points for spotting a 1930s divorce house, where women would live for six weeks to secure Nevada residency for a quickie divorce.
Landmarks
- Reno Arch – Take a pic under the lights – and then get the hell out of there because that part of town lives up to the stereotypes. The original arch is also close by, and if you look carefully, you’ll see a plaque for Reno’s Chinatown, which was started by the people who built the railroad.
- Lake Tahoe – If you have time, you will not regret it. If you go, hit any of us up for the best recs. A good time to go is at 5pm – the beaches are pretty much empty, and you can just sit and enjoy the lake and the quiet.
- Chickadee Ridge – If you’re heading up to Tahoe, get some birdseed and stop at Chickadee Ridge, where the birds eat out of your hand.
