RENO , SPARKS area (mostly vintage) bars and Restaurants

Ok, where to go in the Reno area.

Some of the hours listed are weekend only-weekday hours differ. CODE- (R) is restaurant (B) is bar. (R/B) Means both bar and restaurant are worth checking out. Area code is (775)

SPARKS;
TRADER DICK'S is gone -the Jerks at John ASScuaga's Nugget tore it out -stay FAR away.
This restaurant building at 495 Greenbrae Drive is in the shape of a boat-as of 2016 it seems to be empty.(Once The China Clipper and later The Pirate Ship)

RENO;
(R)The Little Nugget Restaurant in Little Nugget Casino 233 N. Virginia 323-0716 The "Awful Awful" is a great burger!

(r/b)The Peppermill Hotel Casino, Fireside lounge is tacky, tacky , tacky! (A good thing)

(R/B) Santa Fe Hotel (Restaurant) 235 N Lake St, Reno, NV 89501 (775) 323-1891 Great vintage bar and restaurant, a couple blocks off the action. Food is Family style Basque. Picon Punch is their popular cocktail.
(r) Bavarian World (German) http://www.bavarianworldreno.com/ This great restaurant and deli is a favorite of ours. We love their breakfast! 595 Valley Road, Reno Nevada 89512 Not far from the Casino center. (775) 323-7646 Closed Mondays and Sundays.
(B) Wonder bar 1195 S Wells Ave. (775) 322-7965 Just a nice little dive bar.
Ok, we need more on this list.

I'm the most thirstiesterest of all!
TRADER VIC'S stuff for sale on EBAY 1957SPUTNIK
http://shop.ebay.com/1957sputnik/m.html
If you like it, it is ZAZZ! If you don't it is RAZZ!

[ Edited by: mrsmiley 2016-07-14 21:59 ]

One of my favorite places in Reno is the Peppermill Hotel & Casino. Essentially it's a large scale version of the Peppermill Fireside Lounge in Vegas. It's a total throwback to the wacky over-the-top casinos of the 1960's.

It vibes giant purple bordello !!

(Oh wait, I see you just added it. Great minds think alike. :))

[ Edited by: JOHN-O 2012-02-03 08:15 ]

updated

Bruce,
I just just saw this post. Nice job and I couldn't agree with you more on your choices. I have a brother that lives there and I go there several times a year. I have been to all the places you mention and enjoy them all.
My nephew, a young Reno firefighter has taken me to a few of his favorite places.

The FLOWING TIDE PUB 2 is located at 465 S. Meadows Pkwy. #5, Reno, NV. 89521, (775) 284-7707. There are three of these in the Reno area but this one is my favorite. The drinks are stiff and good and lots of good beer on tap. The grub from their grill is pretty good. I enjoy their bloody Mary and I have them make it with Tito's Vodka.

My favorite breakfast place is the Gold N Silver Inn. Lots of good food on your plate so go hungry. 790 West 4th Street Reno, Nevada 89503.They Never Close! They have been featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.

I enjoy walking thru the Antique shops on Virgina Street near downtown. I occasionally locate a rare find at a reasonable price.

Any updates?

Any updates?

Sadly, The Santa Fe Hotel has closed and The Peppermill as had a makeover to look like a cut-rate Venitian. The Fireside Lounge is still there, and still wonderful!

Updates to Bruce's list:

Sparks:

(R/B)Coney Island (http://coneyislandbar.net/ 2644 Prater Way Sparks, NV 89431 * (775) 358-6485) is one of the oldest bars in the Reno area. It started in the 20's as a tamale factory. Every Weds night they have a family style spaghetti feed.

(B)The Elbow Room. (http://www.elbowroomsparks.com 2002 Victorian Ave, Sparks, NV 89431) is a divey old bar in downtown Sparks. It has had renovations, but still retains a lot of that old charm.

Reno:

(R/B)Casale's Halfway Club (2501 E 4th St, Reno, NV 89512) Mama Casale has been making ravioli by hand since 1941. This place is incredible! Some of the best Italian food I've ever had. If you plan on going on a Fri/Sat night make reservations! It gets VERY crowded. I like popping in during the afternoon for lunch.

(B)The 40 Mile Saloon (http://www.40milesaloon.com 1495 S Virginia St, Reno, NV 89502) has been a bar since 1935, under many different names. I love this place. Cheap drinks and a killer beer selection. It, like most old places has been renovated, but the vibe is still great.

(R)Gold n Silver(790 W 4th St, Reno, NV 89503) has been there for 50 years, and the place hasn't changed much. There's still a counter to sit at and a refrigerated case with pie.

(R)Miguel's Mexican Restaurant (1415 S Virginia St, Reno) right next door to The 40 Mile, has been there since 1959. The food is OK, but I prefer Bertha Miranda's or El Adobe.

(R/B)Louis' Basque Corner (301 E 4th St, Reno) has been in operation since 1967. I've spent a few hazy evenings here drinking many a Picon Punch (the state drink of NV!)

If you start on W 4th St. and head east, you'll come across all sorts of great motel signs and googie architecture (but more are getting torn down every day) as well as old bars. The area east of downtown headed toward Sparks can be kinda sketchy, but it's worth the trip (don't walk!). I'm sure I can think of more, but it'll have to wait for when I have more time. And you can always PM me if you want to drop by my little basement bar, No Bikini Atoll.

Reno Bars

Hello all... here is a few bars and lounges in the Reno/Sparks area that may be worth a visit. Unfortunately, no actual Tiki bars survived in the area, hopefully we will see a resurgence in the future.

Midtown area of Reno has been developed quite a bit in the past few years. Lots of bars, boutique shops, restaurants and more specialty shops.

The Public House is a usual go-to for me. Friendly bartenders, great beer selection and strong cocktails. There is an outdoor patio area as well as an outdoor bar which serves as an event bar and usually has a few beers on tap and a specialty cocktail promoted by different alcohol companies. DJs spin actual vinyl records on Friday and Saturday nights... and next door there is a curio store called Natural Selection that sells a wide selection of plants and taxidermy animals (a bit odd but fun to browse). Located on Saint Lawrence Avenue

Next is a fairly newer bar called Rum, Sugar, Lime... which I have yet to visit. But, it looks promising. Here is some text that I got from their website. Rum. Sugar. Lime. The Holy Trinity of tropical drinks.
Nearly all tropical cocktail recipes are some spin on these three ingredients. You’re invited to experience Reno’s newest contemporary cocktail bar with a decidedly tropical flavor.

I believe they do a Tiki Tuesday or something along those lines. Located at: 1039 S. Virginia Street

Down the street from there is the Z Bar (formerly Zephyr). It has been continuously operating since 1953. I use to frequent years ago while the bartender, Boyd, was concocting new drink recipes... mostly using fresh fruit and fire. I was happy to be the taste test pilot. Boyd moved on but I believe he left his craft cocktail recipes in the hands of the new bartenders and taught them how to properly make them. Also located on S. Virginia St.

Other notable bars in the midtown area...

Death & Taxes - Sophisticated speakeasy with luxe leather couches & vintage furnishings pouring inventive cocktails.

Chapel Tavern - Cozy watering hole with a diverse selection of drinks including wine, beer & signature cocktails.

Brasserie Saint James - The restaurant opened to the public on October 17, 2012 on the site of an old icehouse with its own water supply. Over one hundred emptied wine barrels are kept for maturing their beers. The brewery acquired space in San Francisco's Mission District for a second location in 2015, which opened the following year. They also have a great selection of booze and food.

Next off to the River Walk area.

Ole Bridge Pub - has a great craft beer selection as well as craft cocktails. They even make a mai tai and have tiki mugs (although, I usually drink beer when here).

West Street Market has a few food and drink options. Most notably the DeLuxe and West Steet Wine Bar if that’s your thing.

Also on the Riverwalk is Sierra Nevada Taphouse, Campi, and Wild River Grill. All of which have cocktail selections and outdoor seating overlooking the Truckee River.

There is a few in Sparks that might be worth checking out. Aside from the bars on Victorian Square and throughout the rest of town which are fairly standardized watering holes, there are these two that somewhat stand out...

Atomic Bootlegger Lounge - inside Sierra Sid's Casino, features Spark's first craft cocktail bar and the only known craft bar inside a 24/7 truck stop. Disclaimer: I have not been yet, but will hopefully do so soon and report back.

And the kicker that actually surprised me...

Mariscos El Bar Co (The China Clipper/The Pirate Ship)

Again; skeptical of what might have became of this place, I haven’t ventured in. But, after some research, I think I need to visit and support this operation.

The Pirate Ship opened originally as Cap'n Bill's Fish and Chips in 1971. From 1972-1981, it was known as Neptune's Gallery. In 1982, it became the China Clipper. I'm not sure when it became the Pirate Ship. The restaurant has been closed since around 2008. In 2017(?) it reopened as Mariscos El Bar Co., here are some photos...

There’s quite a few other great bars in Reno... I will update soon. Cheers!

Ooh, thanks for this. I have a couple of gigs in Reno in the next month or so - this is extremely helpful.

HopeChest... glad I could help out. Let me know if there’s any points of interest in particular that you’re looking for and I’d be glad to dish out the info. Cheers!

Rum, Sugar, Lime is pretty good. The small menu has about 8 drinks on it, and not all of them have rum in them. The bartenders are really nice and will go out of their way to knock out classic rum cocktails not on the menu as well.

Rum Bullion's inside the silver legacy has dueling pianos and a "DJ" on fri/sat nights. I used to avoid this place like the plague, but they've instituted a new cocktail program and the navy grog is killer!

Posted on a local site about a year ago. Going to drive by tomorrow and do some recon to see if it’s actually coming to fruition... fingers crossed.

ISLES TEA SHOP ON CENTER STREET TO BECOME TIKI BAR by Mike Van Houten | 3 Comments
From the cool hills of Ireland and Scotland to the warm tropics of a paradise breeze, 809 South Center Street will soon be transforming from what was the center of everything Irish and Scottish, to a tiki bar from the people who brought you Midtown Eats and Death and Taxes.

A permit has been filed for 809 South Center Street, which reads'

TIKI BAR
REMODEL & ADDITION. INTERIOR DEMO & REMODEL OF EXISTING BLDG. CONSTRUCT 1,437 SF ADDITION AND 535 SF DECK. PLUMBING, MECHANICAL & ELECTRICAL.

So it sounds like a sizeable addition will be added, along with a deck. The backyard of Isles was a magical place to chill...I hope the addition doesn't consume too much of it, but it also wouldn't be much of a tiki bar sipping cocktails in a 45-degree magical garden in the winter lol. Not quite the same effect as imagining you're in the Scottish Highlands.

So, stay tuned!

On 2018-09-26 00:10, TheBoozehounder wrote:
Posted on a local site about a year ago. Going to drive by tomorrow and do some recon to see if it’s actually coming to fruition... fingers crossed.

ISLES TEA SHOP ON CENTER STREET TO BECOME TIKI BAR by Mike Van Houten | 3 Comments
From the cool hills of Ireland and Scotland to the warm tropics of a paradise breeze, 809 South Center Street will soon be transforming from what was the center of everything Irish and Scottish, to a tiki bar from the people who brought you Midtown Eats and Death and Taxes.

A permit has been filed for 809 South Center Street, which reads'

TIKI BAR
REMODEL & ADDITION. INTERIOR DEMO & REMODEL OF EXISTING BLDG. CONSTRUCT 1,437 SF ADDITION AND 535 SF DECK. PLUMBING, MECHANICAL & ELECTRICAL.

So it sounds like a sizeable addition will be added, along with a deck. The backyard of Isles was a magical place to chill...I hope the addition doesn't consume too much of it, but it also wouldn't be much of a tiki bar sipping cocktails in a 45-degree magical garden in the winter lol. Not quite the same effect as imagining you're in the Scottish Highlands.

So, stay tuned!

It will be called Curse of Cane. At this time, there is no projected opening date.

Thanks for your input Cavemoai... any idea in the progress of it? Right down the street from my old place.It’s a bummer I just bought a place in Sparks. Old Southwest was getting too expensive. If I knew then what I know now.