The building at 180 E. First St., a short walk from the ballpark, was easy to spot for years because of its bright orange paint. This month it has a new sign and a new kitchen. This Is Reno reported on Oct. 11 that Guadalajara Grill, a family-owned Mexican restaurant that started in Fernley in 2021, has opened its second location there.
Before that, the building was home to King Sushi, and before that to Vistro. Three restaurants in roughly three years sums up downtown Reno this fall. The news is in the buildings more than the brands. One storefront after another is getting a new tenant, and so far only half of the announced arrivals are serving food.
One building, three kitchens
Here's how This Is Reno has tracked 180 E. First St.:
- 2023: Vistro moved its underground dining experience up to street level.
- 2025: King Sushi opened in the space.
- Fall 2026: Guadalajara Grill brought its Fernley following downtown.
Every confirmed opening near the river this season moved into a space with a history, and the same goes for most of the announced ones.
The walk-up on Ralston
One West Kitchen opened Oct. 1. Its address is listed on West 1st Street, but according to Edible Reno-Tahoe, the storefront actually faces Ralston Street, between First and Second, among several apartment complexes. It's in the space Schwarmageddon used to occupy.
Google lists it as a cheesesteak shop, but the menu goes further than that. It has burgers, sandwiches, salads, wings, onion rings, and chips and salsa. All-day specials include Beef Saltado, fajitas and an Umami Bowl, and there are kids' meals and desserts too. Seating is outdoors only, and the owner is 22-year-old restaurateur Walter Caceres. If you live within walking distance of First and Ralston, a walk-up with outdoor seating works best on the milder days left before winter settles in.
Sushi by the piece, across from Silver Legacy
Yuzu Sushi and Bar is at 440 N. Virginia St., across the street from Silver Legacy. Reno News & Review's Sept. 5 Taste of the Town column said it breaks from Reno's all-you-can-eat sushi tradition. Long rolls, deep-fried rolls, nigiri and sashimi are ordered à la carte, and there's a large sake list plus wine, cocktails and Japanese beers.
The closing time is the one thing to check before you go. A server told RN&R that most nights the kitchen serves until 11:30 p.m. and the bar pours cocktails until midnight. Yuzu's online ordering page shows 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday. An earlier soft-opening listing gave 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. If you're planning a late dinner after a show, call the restaurant or check yuzusushibar.com that day.
Signed, papered, not yet serving
Three more downtown and Midtown spaces have new tenants lined up but no confirmed opening as of mid-October.
| Address | Previous tenant | Announced tenant | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 243 S. Sierra St. | Old Granite Street Eatery | Taqueria Los Primos | Announced as a 24-hour taqueria; no grand-opening date |
| 681 S. Virginia St. | Finbomb | EZ Pot & Skewers Bar | Official opening date TBD |
| Polo Lounge, Midtown | Polo Lounge | Polo Lounge, reimagined as a speakeasy | New ownership targeting October; exact date TBD |
The Reno Gazette Journal reported on July 31 that the Old Granite Street Eatery building would reopen as a 24/7 taqueria. By Aug. 11, Reno News & Review noted that four months had passed since Old Granite closed and that Los Primos had announced on Facebook it would open soon, with no grand-opening date yet. A round-the-clock taqueria on Sierra Street would fill a real gap downtown. For now it's a plan, and taqueria-losprimos.com is the place to watch.
The Polo Lounge closed for maintenance on May 26 and never reopened under its previous operator. Edible Reno-Tahoe reports that the new owners plan a grand reopening as a nostalgic speakeasy in the same location, aiming for October but without a set date. With October nearly over, check the lounge's channels before planning a night there.
The address that outlived its first tenant
Downtown also lost an institution this summer. The original Peg's Glorified Ham n Eggs at 420 S. Sierra St. closed suddenly in late July. Fred and Joanna Lee, known to regulars as "Pops" and "Peg," came out of retirement to open it in June 1999. Their children and grandchildren later grew Peg's into multiple locations across Northern and Southern Nevada. The family's other restaurants are listed at eatatpegs.com.
Reno has watched a downtown building outlast its restaurants before. In September, Reno News & Review covered a reunion for Bailywicks, a burger joint that opened in 1981 and had a 10-year run at 124 Wonder St. That historic building is now home to The Fox Restaurant and Brewery. David "Smitty" Smith, Bailywicks' first bartender, described what lasted after it closed:
Bailywicks was "a melting pot for Reno," and the original owners were responsible for the roof-deck music and dining that has lasted through several owners.
So the roof deck at Wonder Street has outlasted several owners. The same logic applies to this fall's turnover. Tenants change, and the buildings at 180 E. First, 243 S. Sierra and 420 S. Sierra keep their place on the downtown map.
Outside the core, a different kind of opening
Away from the river, the fall's new spots look different. They're established local names adding locations rather than new concepts moving into old downtown buildings. Full Belly Deli opened in August at 9333 Double R Blvd. in South Reno. Tom Marrin and Eric Barton opened their first store in Truckee in 2007, and this is their fourth location and third in Reno. Menu items like the biscuits and gravy burrito and the nacho pollo loco sandwich have been featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.
In northwest Reno, The Roost opened its third location at 1675 Robb Drive in September. April Clark owns the business, and her daughter Gabby Clark is a co-owner. These are the kinds of places you work into a weekday routine. Downtown is where the open-or-not-yet question matters most right now.
On the downtown calendar
Día de los Muertos, Oct. 30–31. The two event listings don't agree. The City of Reno's events calendar lists a two-day celebration at Locomotion Plaza, with Saturday, Oct. 31, running 2 to 11 p.m. The Eventbrite page from producer High Sierra Entertainment lists Reno City Plaza at 30 N. Virginia St., with sessions Friday, Oct. 30, 6 to 10 p.m., and Saturday, Oct. 31, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Check both before you head out.
Holiday Lights Festival, Nov. 30. From 4 to 9 p.m., the festival runs from City Plaza to the Reno Arch. It includes the City's tree lighting, holiday train rides, Santa photos and a Christmas Village. Guadalajara Grill on First Street and Yuzu on North Virginia are both close by, if dinner before or after fits your evening.
Here at Frick n' Blazer Group, we keep an eye on which downtown addresses change hands and how fast, because it shows how a neighborhood is really changing. If you're curious what downtown Reno's turnover means for a place you own or are considering, let's talk it over during a Private Tahoe Consultation.
