A Foodie’s Paradise: Highlights of Great Eating in Carson City

Calling all foodies! If you are planning your next gourmet journey or want to treat your taste buds while visiting Carson City then you are in luck. Carson City is a foodie’s paradise!  Welcome to an eclectic food scene that offers a multitude of dining choices and options. Each eatery has its own unique taste and atmosphere. Take a peek at these highlights and discover the varied and distinct dining experiences Carson City has to offer. Chances are high you will find a place that will make your mouth water and even make you hunger for your own foodie adventure in Carson City!

Latin American

First up are Latin American eateries. Carson City has several restaurants which add their own creative flair to Latin American cuisine. La Santaneca is a Salvadoran eatery that consistently gets high reviews and is noted for its authenticity. Locals like their pupusas, thick flat bread stuffed with your choice of fillings. Pupusas can contain a variety of delicious choices such as fresh beans, rice, onions, carne asada, and chicken. Experimenting and trying different combinations is all part of the fun!  Give this joint a chance and you will have a taste of El Salvador while still being next to the Carson Range of the Sierra Nevada.

San Marcos Grill is a Mexican cantina that’s located “right in the heart of Carson City.”  The restaurant offers traditional Mexican cuisine such as enchiladas, tamales, and fajitas while providing several, unique, seafood dishes. For the adventuresome, Caldo 7 Mares is a seafood medley soup with seven different types of seafood and for the truly adventuresome, Camarones A La Diabla is the spiciest dish on the menu as it contains 10 shrimp with San Marcos Grill’s special Diabla sauce and served with rice and refried beans. In addition to quality Mexican food, San Marcos Grill provides a welcoming atmosphere. The restaurant is family owned and loves big gatherings. Fiestas are welcomed. 

Carson City is a foodie’s paradise because there is so much variety. Latin American eateries alone comprise a large number of restaurants. You can get your Mexican food fix at El Charro Avitia, El Torito, Hacienda Market & Grill, Juan’s Mexican Grill (2 locations), La Capital Cafe and Grill, La Enchilada, La Posada Real, La Salsa Grill, Tito’s Mexican Restaurant, and many more. So many foodie adventures to Carson City are needed to try them all!

Asian

Pho Country’s specialty is Vietnamese cuisine that is vibrant, fresh tasting, and artfully presented to guests. The restaurant also provides vegetarian meals along with Vietnamese and Chinese fusion dishes. Pho Country lives up to its name by serving pho, a gluten-free rice noodle soup containing meat, fresh broth made daily and comes with sides of cilantro, bean sprouts, basil leaves, jalapeños, lime, and condiments. The mixture of fresh ingredients and warmth of the broth are sure to go smoothly down your belly! Combined with artful presentation, diners are sure to remember their meal and time at Pho Country.

Carson City has chefs that are fearless, ready to innovate, and open to producing original menus. Right near the Nevada Governor’s Mansion is Cactus Jack’s Casino and inside the casino is Tee Jay’s Corner Café, an eatery that focuses on making bold American and Indonesian dishes or as Tee Jay’s Corner Café, effectively states it, “East Meets West Home Cook’n.” The café serves traditional hamburgers and grilled cheese sandwiches with fries along with, Asian street food, curries, eggplant, and noodle dishes (called “noods” on the menu). Their Drunken Noods are the café’s most popular dish and are sure to let your taste buds know that you are alive! Drunken Noods consists of rice noodles, egg stir fried in spicy soy sauce, mixed vegetables, onion, bell pepper, and you can choose to further this wild flavor mix with tofu or meat. Eating here is a must for those who enjoy bold flavors! 

Lots of Asian dining options are available in Carson City. Ming’s Restaurant, King Buffet, Kim Lee’s Sushi, Bamboo Garden, China Chef Buffet, China East, China Jade Horse, Golden Dragon, National’s Café, The Basil, Thai Thai, PokeDoke, and Kei Sushi. With so many choices for Asian food, you are sure to find one to fit for your palate!

Americana

Carson City, like all of Nevada, is right in the heart of the golden west. You will find plenty of Americana eateries that will remind you of Carson City’s rich western traditions and history. Likewise, who doesn’t want to have a nice hearty meal after exploring the Kit Carson Trail or coming down the mountain after a fun-filled day in Tahoe?  Americana eateries are solid bets and reminders of why Americana classics are essential to a Foodie’s Paradise.  

Betsy’s Big Kitchen can be found inside the SlotWorld Casino. An Americana vibe is present the moment you walk in as a large neon sign welcome you then you quickly gaze upon humorous retro pinups and off-beat western imagery decked on the walls. The restaurant’s atmosphere is so self-aware of its Americana feel that it will melt even the hardest of hearts. A wall image exclaims, “OMG, I’m so retro!” Indeed, it is. The food reflects this nostalgia unabashedly. Hamburgers, southern fried chicken, steaks, and spaghetti & marinara are proudly part of the menu. Betsy’s Big Kitchen really shines during breakfast hours when the smells of bacon and sausage suffuse through the air. Breakfast is competitively priced and it’s even possible to get country-fried steak with eggs, biscuits and gravy for $6.99. Of course, the gravy makes each bite a delight! Give Betsy’s Big Kitchen a chance and you will know this Americana joint has locals coming back.

Glen Eagles is a restaurant located off of North Carson Street. Glen Eagles’ exterior looks a lot like a saloon from Carson City’s historic past but don’t be fooled, the place specializes in fine dining and offers pasta, seafood, and steak. Inside, the country chic atmosphere makes you feel as though you are dining in style. Definitely it’s a fine place to impress a special someone. Additionally, patio dining is available for those clear blue Carson City days.  Locals give the restaurant rave reviews.  You can create your own pasta dish while some foodies may prefer the Southwestern Ravioli which is stuffed with jack cheese and jalapenos, deep fried, and served with a special Pomadoro sauce made from onions, herbs, garlic and tomatoes. Deliciousness guaranteed!  A word of advice, this restaurant is open during Wednesday through Saturday so plan ahead and reserve your table. 

The newest restaurant in town, Nashville Social Club, is serving up the best of the midwest. While the Nashville, TN-inspired eats fill up your belly, let your ears take in some of the best musicians in the area. The initial reviews from the locals are in and this place is a hit. It’s only a bonus that there’s something for everyone with this allergy-friendly menu.

You probably see a pattern. Carson City has choices! There are so many options for Americana and family dining that you will most certainly want to keep coming back.  Carson Piazza Bar, Eve’s Eatery, Flat Earth Pizza, Mom & Pop’s Diner, Palm Court Grill, Peg’s Glorified Ham n Eggs, Red Hut Café, Red’s Old 395 Grill, Squeeze in, The Cracker Box, Great Basin Brewing, and more will give you a proper dose of Americana eating.

Offbeat Dining Options

Carson City is also filled with offbeat dining options that don’t fall precisely into a single specialty and like to march to the rhythm of a different drum. Paul Schat’s Bakery

is one such rebel as it’s a full-fledged bakery that sells cakes, bread, and sweets while also providing lunch and breakfast. Paul Schat’s Bakery knows how to leverage its strength as most breakfast/lunch options come with freshly baked bread that’s made with care. After you are done eating lunch and breakfast, pick up a pastry or sweet! You most certainly have to because each one is a small culinary showpiece just waiting to satisfy your appetite. 

The Basque people, a group from a region located between France and Spain, have made their mark in Carson City history and continue to share their unique culture across all of Nevada. Carson City is lucky to have Villa Basque Café.  At first, Villa Basque Café appears like a regular deli but the smell of spicy chorizo is in the air and lets you know this is not your usual deli fare.  Basque Chorizo is made from pork, garlic, salt and resembles a traditional sausage. The eatery offers Basque food while also making American, Mexican, and Latin dishes with a Basque spin. The dish Chili Basque Home Made is a great introduction to Villa Basque Café, it contains chili beans, chorizo, a side of garlic bread and cheese and onion toppings. Warning: this taste explosion is powerful! 

 

Carson City is truly a Foodie’s Paradise. There are so many offbeat eateries with atmospheres that ooze personality and menus that prove variety is the spice of life. Some notable examples are Sassafras Eclectic Food Joint, Comma Coffee, Great Basin Brewing, L.A. Bakery, Piazza, Coco’s Taqueria y Pupuseria, and Fox Brewpub.

Finally, the only way to understand why Carson City is a Foodie’s paradise is to visit and taste it for yourself. Paradise awaits!