Tahoe Natural Café is new to Reno with a casual, counter-serve breakfast and lunch spot now on Veterans Parkway. While the café location at 10105 Veterans Parkway is new, the brand is not. It’s an offshoot of Sprouts Natural Café in Lake Tahoe, operated since 1990 by the same owner, Tyler Cannon.
Cannon opened the Tahoe spot after returning to his hometown. His mother operated a health food store and juice bar on the same property in the 1970s and ’80s but called it The Fresh Apple.
Fast forward 33 years, and Tyler, alongside his wife, Cheryl Cannon, decided to open a Reno location of the café. While the concept is essentially the same, Cannon chose a different name for the Reno location to avoid confusion between the restaurant and the Sprouts Farmers Market grocer less than two miles down the road.
The eatery itself focuses on fresh, local, healthy foods. The menu is a collection of sandwiches, burritos, soups, salads and similar items for breakfast and lunch.
If you come in the morning, fresh-squeezed juices pay homage to the café’s—and Tyler’s—roots. There are a variety of flavors, made fresh to order, including simple options like fresh-squeezed carrot or orange juice, as well as blended creations, such as Tahoe Turmeric Juice (turmeric root, celery, lemon, black pepper, carrots) and All “Green” Juice (spinach, kale, cucumber, celery, parsley, apple).
Smoothies are also on the menu, using many of the same ingredients as the juices.
The lunch items are sweet and simple, made with whole foods and minimal fuss. “Burritos” are typically served more like a loaded taco, using a wheat tortilla folded over the mass of ingredients. There is, however, an option for any burrito on the menu to come as a more traditional wrapped flour burrito.
The open-face version is delicious. The breakfast burrito, best eaten with a fork and knife, is stuffed with nourishing ingredients such as brown rice, beans, steamed cage-free eggs, melted jack cheese, green onions, avocado and a generous helping of salsa.
Every bite provides a mix of savory flavors only complemented by the slightly sweet whole wheat wrap.
Other breakfast standouts are the melts. Open-face bagels come with various options for toppings, including the traditional Egg Melt with avocado, tomato, red onion, cage-free steamed eggs, melted jack cheese and green onions. The towering Breakfast Special is loaded with avocado, tomato, red onion, melted jack cheese, egg salad—made with nonfat yogurt instead of mayo—sprouts, salsa, guacamole and green onions, and comes with a 12-ounce juice.
Other bagels offer a simpler meal: bananas, honey and peanut butter, or cream cheese and avocado.
Most menu items are served with tortilla chips, which makes sense considering the recipes draw inspiration from California-style Mexican fare.
Come lunchtime, those cold sandwiches look mighty appetizing. Vegetarians can fill up on the Vegetable Crunch, made with freshly grated cabbage and carrots. Meat eaters with a big appetite may prefer the Tuna Works, made with premium albacore tuna and nonfat yogurt.
Several healthy substitutions throughout the menu help people dine on delicious cuisine without compromising healthy eating habits. Those without many diet rules will find a healthy alternative to other favorites.
The nonfat yogurt for mayo is one such swap, as is the whole wheat tortillas. Wheat breads are available for sandwiches and the sauces and dips are homemade instead of processed.
While the smoothie and juice menus are both robust, canned beverages are also available. And mornings can start with fresh coffee or mimosas using the café’s fresh-squeezed orange juice.
The shop stocks treats from My Favorite Muffin for diners who want to start the day with a pastry.
The restaurant officially opened in August, so it’s still new to Renoites who haven’t been to the Tahoe location. Despite the recent opening, the service is already dialed in.
At last check, Google was misrepresenting store hours, so keep in mind that Saturdays and Sundays start at 10 a.m. and call ahead if you have doubts about opening and closing times.
