Photos by Eric Marks
I’m still unsure how I made it more than a decade living in Reno before ever going to Pinocchio’s Bar & Grill. The South Virginia restaurant seems to be a well-known but kind-of-kept secret amongst long-time and life-long Reno residents. The sign is visible from the freeway and South Virginia Street, yet the eatery is somehow unassuming at the same time.
That doesn’t deter from the fact that Pinocchio’s is often busy. Plenty of people seem to know about the eatery, and I’ve heard many say it’s a go-to spot.
I’m not sure what I expected when I walked in, but it wasn’t what I got. Pinocchio’s gives Applebee’s vibes if Applebee’s was a family-owned restaurant in Minnesota. I don’t know how to explain why that makes sense, but to me, it just does.
The walls are lined with odd memorabilia from carousel horses to beer signs and even a few license plates or explanatory framed news articles. The ceiling is covered in hats, many from sports teams or local companies. There doesn’t seem to be much rhyme or reason to the décor, but I’m convinced that’s part of the charm.
Despite the hometown casual restaurant vibes, the food at Pinocchio’s is pretty delicious. There’s also a wide variety of options. And I’ll be damned if I’ve ever seen a glass of Duckhorn Merlot cost less.
I hesitate even to tell you what to order because the menu is a list of solid options for lunch or dinner. There aren’t any particular over-the-top standouts, but I didn’t eat anything that wasn’t tasty either.
I settled on the parmesan-crusted lemon chicken. The breaded chicken breasts were juicy and crunchy in all the right ways. The lemon flavor was evident, which is a plus; sometimes, you order meals where the advertised ingredients don’t shine through. On this plate, you also get a heap of pasta topped with marinara sauce and a side of roasted vegetables.
Everything looks and tastes like grandma made it; it’s fuss-free without lacking flavor. You don’t come here for the white tablecloth fine dining experience; you come here for good food at a reasonable price and a place where you can take the kids without worrying too much about their table manners.
Many of the menu items also have hearty servings of vegetables. There are entire dishes where you can skip the pasta and throw the vegetable-heavy toppings on top of more vegetables. And the vegetables are good, too, cooked until they are soft but not soggy. Those dishes might be a hard sell for the kids, though.
The ravioli are another stand-out menu item, but the offering changes daily from mushroom-stuffed to four-cheese and plenty of other renditions. It offers an excellent opportunity for regulars—and I gather there are many—to try something new. The extensive menu isn’t short on options, including long lists of pasta dishes, entrees including steak and salmon, burgers, sandwiches, salads and more.
A full kids menu also assures the youngest diners will leave with a full stomach, dining on easy pleasers such as hamburgers, pasta, chicken tenders and grilled cheese.
Before you leave, satisfy your sweet tooth with a serving of 1644 Tahoe Creamery ice cream. The flavors include everything from Campfire Cookies and Cream to Chickadee Ridge Black Cherry, adding an extra dose of local love to your dining experience. But that’s not the only dessert option, of course.
While the food is the main draw, as I mentioned, the drinks are very well priced for both beer and wine, and a list of specialty cocktails includes everything from an Ammunition Old Fashioned to a Cucumber Cooler, $7-11 each.
