It didn’t take long for The Spot: Riverwalk Bar & Tavern to open in place of the old Smee’s Alaskan Fish Bar & Market Place (which is rumored to be reopening in a new spot on Kietzke Lane, potentially later this year). Tucked into a corner of Sierra Street on the pedestrian pathway along the Truckee River, The Spot calls Smith & River and Ole Bridge Pub neighbors.

With large glass windows and doors, the bar and restaurant that opened last month takes advantage of foot traffic, especially on weekends. It’s closed Mondays and Tuesdays but operates from 11:30 a.m.-midnight Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday, and stays open until 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights.

We assume The Spot is drawing in exactly the crowd it intended to on the Riverwalk. Here, college students and young twenty-somethings can drink late into the night and also grab some pretty darn good pub food while they are at it. For lunch, it’s a central location for those on the job to stop in for a quick bite.

And when we say quick, we mean it. I’d be remiss to mention that the food did come out promptly. It wasn’t particularly busy on our Friday lunchtime visit, and our service was both friendly and fast.

The menu is made up of bar food staples. You have a short list of appetizers like mozzarella sticks and chicken fingers, but there are also a couple of seafood specials that perhaps whet the palates of those missing Smee’s. The Fried Calamari (with lemon aioli and marinara sauce), for example, or the Revision Beer Battered Shrimp.

Both the food and drink menus reflect a partnership with Revision Brewing Company and Lead Dog, two local breweries that are connected to each other. On draft, these two labels are served exclusively, while traditional options like Budweiser and Michelob Ultra come by the bottle or can.

The pretzel bites happen to come with a Revision-branded beer cheese (plus spicy mustard). This is a great starter to any meal, cooked a little crispy and delicious when dipped. And if you look down the menu, you’ll notice a few mentions of Revision beer being used in the ingredients.

For entrees, a smash burger always catches my eye, so it’s no surprise I had to try one. I will say, I think of a smash burger by its definition, patties flattened down on a hot surface like a griddle. The final product is a crispy exterior with a juicy interior. The double smash burger should have been outfitted with two of these thinned patties, when what I got in reality was a standard double cheeseburger. The flavors of the melted cheese and other toppings were still delicious, but I wouldn’t go into it expecting a smash burger because it simply isn’t that.

The tacos are another stand-out menu item, in large part because they take up a third of the menu. While there aren’t a lot of options overall, there are several ways to enjoy your tacos. There is everything from shrimp to carne asada offered on your choice of corn or flour tortillas.

They aren’t traditional street tacos, though they are served in trios. There’s a bit more flavor and variation than the standard carne asada topped with cilantro and fresh onion.

Again, the tacos are full of flavor and have plenty of marinade. The meat is cubed instead of sliced, and the tacos are served full.

Of course, in addition to the beer selections, there are a few bottles of wine and a full bar, which offers happy hour well drinks for $5 and a Stateside Vodka cocktail for $9.

And happy hour also sees food specials on a few of the selected items.

If you’re bouncing between The Eddy and Ole Bridge Pub at night or looking for a good place to drink with plenty of space and a central location, The Spot is just the spot for that. Instead of the food being that can’t-stop-talking-about-it draw, you’re going to be raving about the location and the view.

Stop in for a wild time and enjoy a bit of grub if you get hungry. There are televisions broadcasting the must-watch sporting events throughout each day, and that promises to add to the atmosphere as we head into football season.

More

• 50 North Sierra St. #106
• 775-384-1170
• The Spot on Facebook