Here are the 20 best Reno restaurants to debut in 2018
Johnathan L. Wright
Scores of restaurants opened in Reno in 2018; @RGJTaste has chosen the 20 most exciting to debut.
We selected restaurants that added something compelling to the Reno restaurant scene: a famous name, a cuisine we need more of, an outstanding product, an engaging story and more.
Hit the video for the tops in local eats and drinks in the past year. For a more in-depth look at the top 20, read on below. Here's to the tasty in 2019.
Best new Reno restaurants for 2018
ĂN - ASIAN KITCHEN & BAR, 7499 Longley Lane. Ăn is the Vietnamese word for "eat." The restaurant carries on the tradition of Asian food (in this case, pan-Asian) in the architecturally distinctive wedge building occupied for many years by Café de Thai.
MORE:Fall 2018 brings 12 new eateries to the Reno area
BRAUHAUS 701, 713 S. Virginia St. There aren't many plances to get German or German-inspired food in Reno, so this Midtown take on a German beer hall makes a welcome addition. Plus, this being Midtown, there are vegan tacos, too.
CAFÉ DE THAI, 760 S. Virginia St. In its original digs on Longley Lane (see Asian Kitchen above), the café was the first in Reno to offer a modern twist on Thai food and one of the first to serve craft cocktails. Now, the restaurant has taken the Massaman curry and chili-crusted calamari (addictive!) to Midtown.
DUTCH BROS COFFEE, 7250 and 4555 S. Virginia St. To judge by local online buzz, Dutch Bros was the second coming of sriracha when it arrived in Reno in 2018. Who knew folks were so wild for Dutch Bros energy drinks?
ESOTERIC WINE BAR AT THALI, in West Street Market, 148 West. St. Wine enthusiasts shouldn't have worried when West Street Wine Bar closed in 2018 after a decade. Esoteric Wine Bar at Thali now occupies the space, with one of the most creative, intelligently sourced wine lists in the region. Go, drink. learn.
MORE:Welcome, Haru. Reno needs your real Japanese food
HARU, 5210 Longley Lane. The opening of Haru makes up a little for the dearth of real Japanese food in Reno (no, AYCE sushi doesn't count). Drop by for ramen, donburi rice bowls and plates of estimable karaage. There's also a bonito flake IPA that seems worth a sip.
HAVELI INDIAN CUISINE & BAR, 287 Los Altos Parkway, Sparks. Yes, Haveli is in Sparks, but we'll claim it for Reno, in no small part because of its wedding-ready appeal: slipcovered chairs with gold sashes, embroidered tablecloths, cut glass centerpieces, gold flatware and windows swagged with gold valances.
Oh, and the biryani is worth a trip, too.
HOMEGROWN GASTROPUB, 719 S. Virginia St. After much anticipation, Spencer Shea finally opened his gastropub in the Midtown space that once housed Midtown Tacos, Midtown Eats and Süp.
The restaurant (open until 2 a.m.!) excels at elevated pub food (much of it organic) like chicken and waffles, Korean street tacos and, from the brick pizza oven, a shrimp scampi pie.
THE KITCHEN BY GREAT FULL GARDENS, 5220 Longley Lane. Great Full Gardens expanded its healthful eating empire (and also returned to its roots) with a grab-and-go spot. At this fourth Great Full Gardens, there's a salad bar, hot soups and entrées, and Gino the Soup Man line of frozen vegan soups and meals.
KWOK'S ASIAN BISTRO, 275 West. St. Chef Kwok Chen, arguably the region's finest Chinese chef, sold his interest in Jazmine to open this lively (yet intimate) restaurant in the old China Diner. From the start, customers have praised the lotus pork belly buns, clay pot curry and head-on salt and pepper prawns.
MONACIELLO, 190 California Ave. Reno has plenty of Italian places, but it can always use another when it's as stylish as Monaciello, with its cool aqua dining room, trapezoidal walnut panels and decorative screen of patinated steel (those last two from Hause of Reed). One dish to try: nicely rendered beef and Italian sausage lasagna.
MORE:7 new, newish and upcoming Reno restaurants
PERENN BAKERY, 20 Saint Lawrence Ave. Perenn comes courtesy of the owners of Butter & Salt, one of Reno's best caterers. Perenn reflects an attention to the art and craft of baking with rustic breads, crashingly flaky croissants and kouign amann that should be named a Reno treasure.
PINE STATE BISCUITS, 200 S. Center St. Pine State headed south from Portland to bring its buttery, flaky, gravy-draped (or chicken and cheese-stuffed) Southern biscuits to downtown. The Reno biscuitery marks the first time Pine State, with four PDX locations and one on the way, has expanded beyond its home city.
THE PIZZA COLLECTIVE, in West Street Market, 148 West St. At this downtown pizzeria, pies fashioned from sourdough crust and local ingredients emerge from a 900 F Italian wood-fire pizza oven. The pizzas are best when eaten on the spot, blistered and bubbling.
PIZZAVA, 1043 S. Virginia St. A fun, freewheeling spirit animates this Midtown pizzeria opened by two cousins with roots in the Boston pizza business. "Let's go crazy" pies like American cheeseburger or french fry-bacon aren't strictly traditional, but who cares? And Pizzava delivers until 2 a.m. (to sate the post-bar munchies).
A LOOK BACK:Quick-delivery Pizzava pizza opens in Midtown Reno
RUE BOURBON, 1401 S. Virginia St. After the closing of Jazz in Sparks, Northern Nevada offered very little New Orleans food until Rue Bourbon opened in Midtown in early October.
The restaurant features a small menu of classic New Orleans dishes, craft cocktails, live jazz, a host of art purchased in New Orleans, and a mural showing its namesake — Bourbon Street — at evening twilight.
RUM SUGAR LIME, 1039 S. Virginia St. This bar has quickly become one of the buzziest in the city. The name pays homage to the Holy Trinity of tropical cocktails. Classic drinks are shaken or stirred, depending. RSL's daiquiri testifies to the eternal truth that, in skilled hands, less is very much more.
RUTH'S CHRIS STEAK HOUSE, in the Silver Legacy, 407 N. Virginia St. After a year or so of playing coy about its timeline, Ruth's Chris finally opened in early December in the former Sterling's. As far as name recognition goes, this outpost of the national steakhouse chain was the biggest opening of the year.
SEVEN TROUGHS SPEAKEASY, in the Basement shops, 50 S. Virginia St. The bar, from the folks at Seven Troughs Distilling, only debuted about three weeks ago. Though in its early days, the speakeasy shows promise with its shareable plates and craft cocktails made using spirits from the distillery.
Having Seven Troughs in the Basement also helps maintain the shops' food and drink mix after the departures of Chomp and Rawbry (whose old space the speakeasy occupies).
WHISPERING VINE WINE CO., 772 S. Virginia St. Whispering Vine, the leading independent wine retailer in Reno, celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2018 by opening a Midtown branch (the fourth Vine).
Although some questioned if Whispering Vine culture would transfer to Midtown, owner Curtis Worrall savvily reworked the wine list and increased attention to cocktails, all to attract the district's younger drinkers. It worked; Whispering Vine Midtown is flourishing.
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Johnathan L. Wright is the food and drink editor of RGJ Media, part of the USA Today Network. Join @RGJTaste on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.