Best Basque Food in Reno: A Dinner Guide

The best Basque food in Reno arrives at a long table, one dish after another, with strangers passing bowls to each other. Basque immigrants came to Nevada as sheepherders, and many of their families opened boardinghouses and restaurants that still serve a fixed, generous dinner. A long-running family-style dinner room is the kind of place to look for.

What is a family style Basque dinner?

A traditional Basque dinner is a long meal with set courses, served family style. It usually begins with soup and a salad, followed by beans, bread, a side such as French fries or pasta, and then the main dish, which might be lamb, oxtail stew, chicken, steak, tongue or sweetbreads. Dessert and coffee close the meal.

At the table, bowls and platters are passed around. You serve yourself, and you eat until you are full. The format makes it a meal for groups.

Where can you eat Basque food in Reno?

Reno Basque restaurants are fewer than they once were, and the best known serves family style dinners at a communal table on East 4th Street. Order the oxtail stew, lamb chops or sweetbreads. Servers wear traditional Basque clothing.

Reno's original Basque hotels, including one on Lake Street, are part of the story.

What is a Picon punch in Reno?

A Picon punch Reno bartender serves is the Basque-American signature cocktail. It is usually made with Picon, a bitter orange liqueur from France, grenadine, club soda, a splash of brandy and a lemon twist. One Reno dinner room has long been known for its Picon punch.

The drink is sweet, bitter and fizzy. It is often served before dinner. Nevada legislators have discussed making it the state drink, though the status of that bill is not clear.

What else is on the Reno Nevada food scene?

Reno Nevada food has grown beyond the casinos in recent years, with a river district, breweries and a mix of cafes. The Basque heritage is only one piece, but it is the one that visitors find hardest to find elsewhere. Pair a Basque dinner with a walk along the Truckee River the next morning.

If you have time, drive to nearby towns. A Nevada magazine piece mentions J.T. Basque Bar and Dining Room in Gardnerville and Villa Basque Cafe in Carson City, both outside Reno. These are drives of an hour or less. For a different West Coast road meal, the Santa Barbara tri-tip guide covers oak-fired beef. See the Anchorage seafood guide for another regional dinner that depends on the catch.

How do you order at a Basque restaurant?

Many Basque restaurants offer a fixed dinner. You choose the main course, and the rest arrives. Tell the server if you have allergies, since the soup and the side dishes come with every meal. Ask about the main dish of the day, because some kitchens cook special items on certain nights.

If you are a small group, you may be seated with others at a long table. That is part of the experience. Pass the bowls to the left or the right as the table does, and take only what you will eat.

What makes the best Basque food in Reno special?

Basque cooking is simple and robust. Garlic, olive oil, peppers, lamb and beans are staples. Dishes are seasoned with care but not heavily spiced. Many meals include a spicy chorizo, a bean soup and a green salad with vinegar dressing.

Pace yourself. The meal is long and the portions are large. A glass of red wine or a Picon punch goes well. Do not skip the bread, which is used to soak up sauces. The meal also tells a story about the people who started it: sheepherders who came to the high desert for work, boardinghouse cooks who fed them and families who turned a hard-working kitchen into a restaurant. That history is why portions are generous and the table is shared, and why a visit feels less like dining out than like being invited to someone's home.

When should you go?

Dinner is the main event, and weekend evenings are busiest. Make a reservation for a group, and ask about the seating time. Some kitchens stop taking orders early. Check the restaurant's own page for days and hours, since Basque restaurants often close on a weekday.

Wear something comfortable. Bring an appetite and a sense of humor. The experience is more like a family gathering than a formal dinner. The US guides hub lists more pages about regional meals.

How can you remember the evening?

Write down the dishes, the cocktail and the people you sat with. A family style dinner is a memory made with strangers. The guide to finding good food in a new city explains how to keep a record of meals you want to repeat.

A quick rating in the Mosey app for each dish does the same job, and the list it builds is a short record of the Basque tables worth repeating.

After dinner, get the Mosey app, rate your favorite Basque dishes and build a list of the Nevada tables you would take a visiting friend to.