Reno, Nevada, has a restaurant scene that stretches well beyond the casino floor. Along the Truckee River, French bistro cooking sits a short distance from Chinese clay pots and handmade pasta. Midtown adds Korean dishes, inventive tacos, Thai noodles, and vegetable-centered meals, while longstanding Italian and Basque restaurants connect the city to earlier generations of diners. These 15 selections stay within Reno, with specific branches identified where a business has several locations. The range includes a substantial breakfast at Rancharrah, a casual meal between downtown activities, and a steakhouse dinner worth reserving in advance. Sparks and Lake Tahoe have their own dining scenes and are not treated as interchangeable Reno neighborhoods.
The countdown runs from #15 to #1. Dishes and wines illustrate each restaurant’s cooking and selection; menus change, so check availability when booking.
Price guide: Representative food-only meal per person (dinner unless another meal is specified), excluding drinks, tax, and voluntary tips; identified mandatory charges included:
- $ – under $25
- $$ – $25-$49
- $$$ – $50-$99
- $$$$ – $100+
#15 Louis’ Basque Corner
Cuisine: Basque-American family-style
Neighborhood: Downtown, East Fourth Street
Price: $$
Best For: A traditional family-style dinner
Must Order: Roast leg of lamb dinner
Why It Made the List:
Louis’ grew out of Reno’s Basque community when Louis and Lorraine Erreguible converted part of the old Lincoln Hotel into a restaurant. The cooking connects that heritage with the American West, with specialties such as tongue Basquaise and oxtails alongside grilled meats. The attraction is as much the tradition of gathering around a generous dinner as any single dish.
Known For:
- Dinner packages include soup, beans, salad, and dessert.
- Sweetbreads are offered in two preparations.
- The restaurant has been part of Reno’s Basque dining scene since 1967.
#14 Great Full Gardens — Midtown
Cuisine: Vegetable-forward American and global
Neighborhood: Midtown, South Virginia Street
Price: $
Best For: A casual meal for a mixed-diet group
Must Order: Juli’s brown rice sauté
Why It Made the List:
Great Full Gardens puts contrasting textures at the center of its vegetable dishes. A soba salad combines crunchy cashews and vegetables with sesame-soy and ginger-basil dressings, while portobello tacos come with chipotle aioli, rice, and white beans. The breadth of the Midtown menu makes it easy to choose a substantial plant-based meal without limiting everyone at the table to the same style of cooking.
Known For:
- Juli’s sauté combines brown rice, white beans, vegetables, and avocado.
- The soup selection is described as vegan.
- The menu marks vegan options and available dietary modifications.
#13 Perenn — Rancharrah
Cuisine: Bakery café and breakfast
Neighborhood: South Reno, Village at Rancharrah
Price: $
Best For: A substantial bakery breakfast
Must Order: Turkish eggs with grilled bread
Why It Made the List:
Perenn’s Rancharrah kitchen gives a bakery breakfast enough variety to become a sit-down meal. Apple-butter porridge comes with roasted apples, pecans, and cultured cream, while sweet-potato hash adds sausage, apple, kale, and pumpkin seeds. The croissant French toast with vanilla-bean creme anglaise offers a richer route for a diner drawn to the bakery’s pastry work.
Known For:
- Turkish eggs include garlic-tahini yogurt and Aleppo-pepper butter.
- The traditional breakfast includes potato pavé, bacon, and toast.
- The Rancharrah location combines a bakery counter with café dining.
#12 Casale’s Halfway Club
Cuisine: Italian-American
Neighborhood: East Fourth Street
Price: $
Best For: Handmade ravioli in a longstanding neighborhood restaurant
Must Order: Beef or ricotta ravioli
Why It Made the List:
Casale’s offers combinations that let an undecided diner explore more than one pasta, including a half-and-half plate of ravioli and spaghetti. The smaller dishes are distinctive too: bagna cauda brings together garlic and anchovies, and the nine-inch pizzas include an unusual vegetable combination with cashews and Longhorn cheddar. Its compact menu suits a leisurely meal built around familiar Italian-American cooking with a few local twists.
Known For:
- Ravioli is hand-pressed daily.
- Pasta entrées include minestrone or house salad.
- The restaurant dates its signature ravioli to 1937.
#11 Johnny’s Ristorante Italiano
Cuisine: Italian
Neighborhood: West Fourth Street
Price: $$
Best For: An established Italian dinner with a broad menu
Must Order: Grana Padano-crusted petrale sole
Why It Made the List:
Johnny’s rewards a look beyond the main-course list. Polenta brings together artichokes, tomato, mozzarella, and white truffle oil, and the Angelina pizza pairs pancetta with leeks and two cheeses. A caramelized-almond cup filled with ice cream, strawberries, and zabaglione gives the meal a distinctive Italian finish.
Known For:
- Petrale sole is served with lemon cream and angel-hair pasta.
- Entrées include soup or salad and housemade focaccia.
- Housemade spaghetti, cannelloni, gnocchi, and fettuccine round out the Italian menu.
#10 La Strada
Cuisine: Northern Italian
Neighborhood: Downtown, Eldorado Resort Casino
Price: $$
Best For: A pasta dinner in a casino restaurant
Must Order: Signature mushroom ravioli
Why It Made the List:
La Strada’s pasta selection offers more than one reason to return to the Eldorado dining room. Gnocchi pairs roasted duck with a Merlot cream sauce, while orecchiette brings together sausage, broccolini, Calabrian chili, and ricotta salata. Cheese-filled focaccia with prosciutto and fig jam provides a rich shared opening before the main course.
Known For:
- Signature mushroom ravioli is served with porcini cream sauce.
- Uncle Willie’s meat ravioli is described as a family recipe.
- The restaurant is inside Eldorado Reno Resort Casino.
#9 Atlantis Steakhouse
Cuisine: Steakhouse
Neighborhood: South Virginia Street, Atlantis Casino Resort Spa
Price: $$$
Best For: A classic steakhouse occasion
Must Order: Tableside steak Diane
Why It Made the List:
Atlantis gives the seafood and vegetable courses as much detail as the premium beef. Yellowtail crudo comes with yuzu kosho and avocado, while potato-crusted salmon combines caviar beurre blanc with fennel and capers. The steak selection ranges from an eight-ounce filet to Japanese and Australian Wagyu, leaving plenty of room to tailor the occasion and budget.
Known For:
- Steak Diane is prepared tableside.
- The dish includes mushrooms, asparagus, and whipped potatoes.
- The steakhouse is inside Atlantis Casino Resort Spa in Reno.
#8 Washoe Public House
Cuisine: American gastropub
Neighborhood: Downtown, California Avenue
Price: $$
Best For: A dinner with game meats or substantial comfort food
Must Order: Wild-boar schnitzel
Why It Made the List:
Washoe Public House brings unexpected ingredients into otherwise familiar dishes. Kangaroo appears in a cheesesteak with mushrooms, peppers, and white cheddar, while a warm beet salad combines hazelnuts with brûléed Brie. Pork-belly egg rolls with kimchi and a hot-sweet mustard sauce offer another way to explore the kitchen before settling on a main.
Known For:
- Wild-boar schnitzel is served with rye spätzle and apple-cider onion gravy.
- The short-rib grilled cheese uses white cheddar and Swiss.
- Handhelds include French fries, with upgrades available.
#7 Brasserie Saint James
Cuisine: Brewpub and globally influenced comfort food
Neighborhood: Midtown, South Center Street
Price: $$
Best For: A casual meal in a historic industrial building
Must Order: Honey-harissa salmon bowl
Why It Made the List:
Brasserie Saint James puts a wide range of cooking into its brewpub menu, from a crab-and-artichoke skillet to a South American platter of picanha, sausages, and yuca. Vegetarian diners have more than a token choice, including gochujang cauliflower and a pesto pizza with mushrooms and roasted garlic. That breadth makes the restaurant useful for a group whose appetites run in different directions.
Known For:
- The salmon bowl combines harissa glaze with bulgur and vegetables.
- The menu includes Argentinian choripán with chimichurri.
- The building originally opened as an ice plant in 1930.
#6 Mexcal
Cuisine: Mexican tacos and small plates
Neighborhood: Midtown, South Virginia Street
Price: $
Best For: Mixing traditional and inventive tacos
Must Order: Quesabirria tacos
Why It Made the List:
Mexcal gives a taco meal plenty of contrast, from crisp mahi mahi with pineapple and chili crema to grilled mushrooms with avocado relish. Ahi ceviche adds a cold, bright opening before the cooked dishes arrive. Ordering several different fillings makes the most of a menu that moves comfortably between seafood, vegetables, and richer meats.
Known For:
- Quesabirria tacos combine braised short rib and cheese.
- Duck-confit tacos come with cabbage and pickled red onion.
- The menu also includes tostadas and enchiladas.
#5 Moo Dang
Cuisine: Thai
Neighborhood: South Virginia Street
Price: $
Best For: Thai noodles with a choice of heat and protein
Must Order: Drunken noodles
Why It Made the List:
Moo Dang offers several ways to explore Thai cooking beyond the usual curry-and-noodle pairing. Its Sukothai soup layers roasted and minced pork into a chili-lime broth with green beans, while grilled pork skewers come with jaow dipping sauce. A shrimp salad with fresh lemongrass, mint, and nuts brings a contrasting texture to a shared meal.
Known For:
- Drunken noodles use wide sen yai noodles and basil.
- Moo Dang fried rice includes red roasted pork and pickled ginger.
- Fresh rolls can be ordered with tofu or grilled shrimp.
#4 Arario Midtown
Cuisine: Korean and Korean fusion
Neighborhood: Midtown, South Center Street
Price: $
Best For: A sizzling rice bowl with traditional side dishes
Must Order: Dol sot bibimbop with beef
Why It Made the List:
Arario’s smaller plates show how freely the kitchen moves between Korean flavors and other cooking traditions. Slow-braised ribs are fried to finish and offered with sweet-spicy or garlic-soy sauces, while fried tofu is paired with crisp crab and miso aioli. Bulgogi pasta with mushrooms and Pecorino carries the same approach into a main course, making this a rewarding stop for diners who like inventive combinations.
Known For:
- Classic Korean entrées are served with seasonal side dishes.
- The beef dol sot bowl includes vegetables, egg, and gochujang sauce.
- Kimchee fries combine bulgogi with cheese and spicy mayonnaise.
#3 Liberty Food & Wine Exchange
Cuisine: Italian-influenced American
Neighborhood: Downtown, North Sierra Street
Price: $$
Best For: Housemade pasta and a shared starter
Must Order: Black spaghetti with seafood
Why It Made the List:
Liberty makes room for a meal that moves between small plates and a more substantial centerpiece. Wood-roasted beets arrive with goat cheese and pistachio-oat streusel, while octopus is paired with crisp gnocchi and Calabrian chili aioli. The pizzas take equally distinctive turns, including duck confit with chili crisp and a mushroom combination built on garlic cream.
Known For:
- Black spaghetti combines clams, scallops, and shrimp.
- The kitchen makes its own pasta and artisan bread.
- Wood-roasted cauliflower uses Calabrian chili oil.
#2 Kwok’s Bistro
Cuisine: Chinese
Neighborhood: Downtown, West Street
Price: $$
Best For: A reserved table for Chinese dishes to share
Must Order: Roasted duck over rice
Why It Made the List:
Kwok’s rewards diners who explore the less familiar corners of its Chinese menu. Eggplant with minced pork and plum sauce comes in a clay pot, while Singapore noodles bring together shrimp, barbecue pork, and yellow curry. House-made XO sauce in the green beans adds another reason to order several dishes for the table rather than repeat a familiar takeaway combination.
Known For:
- Roasted duck is offered with rice or as portions with wraps or buns.
- Pork-belly sliders use fried lotus buns.
- The restaurant requires reservations.
#1 Beaujolais Bistro
Cuisine: French bistro
Neighborhood: Riverwalk, Riverside Drive
Price: $$$
Best For: A French dinner beside the river district
Must Order: Hanger steak frites, when offered
Why It Made the List:
Beaujolais gives a French dinner a welcome range of contrasts, from duck-and-mushroom cigars with rouille to a phyllo-wrapped vegetable preparation with risotto and goat cheese. Richer meat dishes sit beside seafood and vegetable options, so a table can put together several different kinds of meal. It is a good choice for diners who enjoy choosing courses around the kitchen’s changing seasonal offerings.
Known For:
- Escargots de Bourgogne appear among the small plates.
- Steak frites comes with béarnaise and red-wine sauce.
- Chef Bill Gilbert changes the menu daily.
How we chose
We selected these restaurants for distinctive cooking, a clear sense of place, and a dining experience worth seeking out. Our editorial review considered current menus, official restaurant information, and local dining coverage, with attention to both special occasions and everyday meals. The ranking reflects editorial judgment rather than a numerical score.
Planning your next meal
Menus and seasonal preparations change; use the restaurant links to check the latest offerings and make reservations where available.
More dining advice
For help choosing a bottle with dinner, read our guide to ordering wine at a restaurant.
