Dining out in Reno has gotten expensive. A casual weeknight meal that used to run $25 now hits closer to $45. Entrees often start at $38; salads cost $15 or more; and have you yet met the $20 appetizer? The check can make you do a double-take.
That said, Reno’s dining scene still has plenty of places making great meals that won’t break the bank. Here are 10 restaurants where you can dine well for $40 or less per person. This list includes hidden gems, Reno institutions, ethnic restaurants offering amazing value, and upscale spots where smart ordering can help you and your date avoid a three-figure check.
My parameters:
- The all-in price is about $40 or less per person, including tax and a 20% tip.
- Sit-down dining is required—counter service is fine, but there must be a place to enjoy your meal on-site.
- A minimum of two menu items—an appetizer and entrée, entrée and drink, or entrée and dessert.
Prices are accurate as of this April 2026 writing, but can always change.
999 Phô Vietnamese Cuisine
9780 S. Virginia St., Reno
775-686-6599
On any given evening at 999 Phô, you’ll find the warm scent of star anise and slow-roasted bones in the air. The kitchen doesn’t take shortcuts—broth simmers for hours, and the menu goes beyond phô to showcase Vietnamese cooking at its best. This is a spot that’s earned its following.
What to order: Start with the spring rolls with grilled pork paste (#2, $8.75)—nem nướng cuốn, which showcase Southern Vietnamese technique and pay homage to the legendary rolls at Brodard Chateau in California’s Orange County. Follow with flame-broiled beef steak with lemongrass (#50, $18)—tender and fragrant with the edges of the meat caramelized to perfection.
The alternative: If you came for phô, pair those spring rolls with a large bowl of rare beef phô (#12, $16). The broth shows hours of patient roasting and an abundance of fresh herbs.
Pro tip: Don’t sleep on the Thai iced tea ($5)—it’s the perfect complement to spicy dishes. 999 Phô shares parking spaces with IHOP, and it can be tight, but the nearby WinCo lot provides easy overflow. Come prepared for a wait during peak dinner hours.
PJ & Company
1590 S. Wells Ave., Reno
775-323-6366
Walk into PJ & Company on a Saturday evening, and you’ll understand why this Wells Avenue institution has thrived for more than 30 years. With sports on multiple screens, bartenders who greet regulars by name, families squeezed into booths and solo diners at the bar, PJ & Company stays packed. It’s boisterous in the best way, the kind of place where everyone seems welcome, and nobody’s trying too hard. Steve Erickson has run this family-owned restaurant and saloon since 1987, and the rustic Americana vibe remains: checkered floors, wood paneling and portions so generous you might be taking half your meal home. This is old-school comfort food—juicy beef burgers cooked to order, huge sandwich platters, and the kind of no-fuss meals that keep three generations coming back.
What to order: The biker burger ($18.50)—a bacon burger with jalapeño jack cheese, sliced jalapeños and mayo-Dijon dressing, served with French fries. Add a soft drink ($4). It’s bold, satisfying and exactly what you want from a neighborhood pub.
The alternative: The chicken taco salad ($19)—grilled chicken, black beans, mushrooms, tomatoes and cheese served in a crisp flour tortilla bowl with guacamole and sour cream.
Pro tip: The full bar features creative cocktails like the Bitchin’ Bloody Mary (PJ’s house mix with bacon vodka in a pint glass) and the Mexican Holiday (Peerless Coffee, Sauza Conmemorativo Anejo Tequila, Bailey’s Irish Cream and boozy whipped cream).
Bistro 7
7111 S. Virginia St., Reno
775-851-9463; www.bistro7reno.com
Bistro 7 feels like the kind of place where the food should cost more than it does, with high ceilings, thoughtful lighting and a sophisticated vibe that lets you settle in with a glass of wine and relax. A wood-fired oven anchors the open kitchen, and there’s a sense of occasion here without the pretense.
What to order: The lamb lollipops ($22)—grilled medium rare with chimichurri sauce—paired with a glass of Argentine malbec ($10). It’s a complete dinner that feels indulgent without the guilt of blowing your budget.
The alternative: If you’re not in a lamb mood, the beet salad ($19)—greens, roasted beets, fennel, orange, pistachio and goat cheese, with a whole-grain mustard vinaigrette—with that same Malbec delivers something lighter but equally satisfying.
Pro tip: Bistro 7 has a thoughtful wine program with bottles and by-the-glass options that won’t wreck your budget. Request the patio when the weather’s nice—it makes a regular Tuesday feel special.
Thali
148 West St., Reno
775-470-5898; thalithalireno.com
Thali’s regulars keep coming back, for very good reasons: The thali plate format gives you multiple dishes to explore, and you can ask for refills of anything. The food is vegetarian, often vegan, and it blends northern and southern Indian. The menu changes daily based on what’s seasonal and local—and yes, it’s organic—but that’s almost beside the point when the food tastes this good.
What to order: The limited thali ($21.99)—you get two vegetable entrée, one lentil or bean entrée, two roti flatbreads (wheat or corn), roasted cumin basmati rice, yogurt sauce and dessert, plus salad, chutney and pickled vegetables. Top it off with a chai ($6.99) or a lassi ($5.99).
Pro tip: The menu changes daily, so ask what the three main dishes are before ordering. Even the “mild” options run spicy by some standards. Thali is in West Street Market with shared seating. Street parking can be tight.
Moo Dang
1565 S. Virginia St., Reno
775-420-4267; www.thaimoodang.com
When Vipawan “Opal” Rahm opened Moo Dang, she wanted to cook the vibrant, spicy, memory-laden dishes from her middle-class Bangkok upbringing—the street food she grew up eating and couldn’t stop thinking about. Rahm uses tamarind, palm sugar and fish sauce from Thailand, because shortcuts don’t exist in her kitchen. The menu is authentically spicy, never too sweet and built around fresh ingredients. It’s Bangkok street food served in a Midtown strip mall with ample parking and old Thai movie posters on the walls.
What to order: Start with the moo ping ($11.99)—three skewers of marinated grilled pork with tangy, funky jaow sauce. Follow with the moo dang soup ($14.99)—ba-mee egg noodles with red roasted pork, minced pork, bok choy and bean sprouts in a broth that shows patience and care. Those chewy, springy noodles make the dish.
The alternative: Swap the soup for the lemongrass salad ($17.99)—grilled shrimp, fresh lemongrass, mint, cashews, peanuts, red onion and cilantro tossed with fresh chili lime sauce. It’s all acid in the very best way: tangy, tingly, with just a touch of sweetness. Addictive.
Pro tip: The spice levels run slightly milder than at other places. If you like heat, don’t be afraid to bump up your order by a level. The Thai iced tea ($4.99) is excellent and can be made vegan with coconut milk. Order the mango and sticky rice ($8.99) for dessert if it’s mango season. It’s a satisfying classic.
Skyline Kitchen and Vine
2995 Skyline Blvd., Reno
775-507-7377; skylinevine.com
Since new ownership took over Skyline Kitchen and Vine in April 2025, it’s earned fresh buzz for good reason. The team behind Sierra Street Kitchen brings their food-serious approach—hand-crafted cocktails, attentive service and a menu that doesn’t phone it in. Entrees run from $26 to $45, but here’s the insider move: The small plates are generous, expertly prepared and plated with care.
What to order: Start with the pork pot stickers ($14)—vegetables, garlic, onion, and ponzu that arrive beautifully plated. Follow with the chicken tacos ($14), which are far more than bar food, topped with house slaw, cheese and chipotle aioli.
Pro tip: The wine program is well curated, and one can often find smaller labels or unique varietals at a very good price.
Cosmo’s Snack Bar
253 E. Arroyo St., Reno
cosmosreno.com
If you drive too fast down Arroyo Street, you’ll miss it—which is exactly how the regulars like it. Cosmo’s Snack Bar sits tucked in a refurbished Midtown house with Depeche Mode on the sound system and industry folks unwinding after their shifts. Tony Costa built Cosmo’s around a few pizzas and small plates done exceptionally well. The wood-fired pizzas show perfect leoparding. Build-your-own spritzes, draft negronis and soft-serve ice cream flavors change every couple of weeks. This place gets the little details right.
What to order: Start with a margherita pizza (small $16; large $21; $5 off both sizes on Mondays)—you can add toppings like garlic ($1) or Calabrian chilies ($2)—and pair it with soft serve ($6). The limited menu means everything gets attention. Specialty pies change, but the classics deliver every time.
The alternative: If you’re not in a pizza mood, the kale Caesar salad ($13) and meatballs ($14) make for a delicious dinner.
Pro tip: Wednesday’s Pizza Lambo deal is exceptional—a two-topping pizza and a bottle of Lambrusco for $55. The affogato ($9) pushes the budget slightly but is worth it—it’s espresso over rotating soft-serve flavors. Grab your own plates and silverware from the self-serve station; settle into the refurbished house vibe; and let the evening unfold.
Casale’s Halfway Club
2501 E. Fourth St., Reno
775-323-3979; casaleshalfwayclub.com
Walk into this unassuming building on East Fourth Street, and you’re stepping into history. The dining room holds just 10 tables with checkered tablecloths; the walls are lined with family photographs and vintage advertisements; and an arched doorway bears the motto: “If Mama Ain’t Happy, Ain’t Nobody Happy.” Generations of the Casale family have rolled ravioli using the same wooden presses Elvira Casale brought from Genoa, Italy, in the 1920s. What started as a Depression-era fruit stand became a ravioli takeout counter, then a full restaurant. Every morning, someone stands at that press making ravioli by hand—the same motion, the same filling, the same care.
What to order: Start with the Kellames special ($10)—garlic bread served with Mama’s signature red sauce for dipping, and follow with the “small(ish) lasagna” ($17), a still-generous portion. As every entrée includes minestrone soup or house salad with vinaigrette, this is an exceptional value.
The alternative: Ravioli with meatballs ($20.50)—Casale’s signature dish, with soup or salad included.
Pro tip: Reservations are essential.
DC Cafe at Tamarack Casino
13101 S. Virginia St., Reno
775-852-3600; www.tamarackcasino.com/DC-Cafe
Finding a quality steak dinner for under $40 in Reno? Nearly impossible. Casino restaurants today can be pricey—when tourists are willing to pay, why charge less? But at DC Cafe in the Tamarack Casino, a 12-ounce New York strip with mashed potatoes or fries, vegetables, and soup or salad costs $21.99 total—not a typo. DC Cafe sits under the same roof as Nevada Steak, one of Reno’s better steakhouses, and the quality connection shows. DC serves great beef in a clean, comfortable diner setting with railroad-themed decor.
What to order: The 12-ounce New York steak ($19.99) grilled to order with seasonal vegetables and your choice of mashed potatoes or fries. Add a cup of soup or house salad ($2), and you have a complete steakhouse dinner that would cost much more anywhere else.
The alternative: Steak and eggs ($17.99)—an 8-ounce steak with two eggs any style, hash browns and toast. It’s breakfast for dinner, generous and satisfying.
Pro tip: Friday and Saturday bring a prime rib special—10 ounces for $19.99, served with a baked potato, vegetables, au jus and creamed horseradish. The Classic Plates menu (available 11 a.m. to close) offers exceptional variety; selections include chicken parmesan with spaghetti and garlic bread ($12.99), Southern fried chicken with mashed potatoes and country gravy ($9.99) and chicken enchiladas ($7.99).
Dahlia’s Mexican Grill
9570 S. McCarran Blvd., Suite #113, Reno
775-357-8671; dahliasmexicangrill.com
Finding cheap Mexican food in Reno? Easy. Finding elevated Mexican food that’s still a great value? That’s the challenge. At Dahlia’s Mexican Grill in northwest Reno, beautiful murals line the walls; colorful decor fills the space; and the dining room feels alive with energy. But what sets Dahlia’s apart isn’t just the atmosphere. It’s their approach to value: dedicated “dinners for two” designed to be shared family-style.
What to order: La Parrillada ($40.99)—a family-style platter with flank steak, chicken, carnitas, chorizo, shrimp and grilled vegetables, served with rice, beans, guacamole, pico de gallo, sour cream and six tortillas.
The alternative: Solo diners aren’t forgotten. The vegetarian Dahlia’s burrito ($15.99) becomes something special when you order it enchilada-style ($3). Green tomatillo sauce and melted cheese add complexity and richness. Pair it with horchata ($4.99) and tres leches cake ($7.99) for a complete meal.
Pro tip: Parking is plentiful, and the margaritas are excellent.