Duncan Mitchell opened Chapel Tavern in 2007 and 40 Mile Saloon in 2012 (which he’s both sold); in 2022, Chapel was named a semifinalist for the James Beard Award for Outstanding Bar Program. He also owned and operated the late, great Shawarmageddon and Von Bismarck. In October 2025, Mitchell bought Ryan’s Saloon, a bar that first opened its doors in 1974, with a simple goal: to preserve and respect its history while updating the food, drink and atmosphere for the modern era.
What’s the best thing you’ve eaten locally in the last month?
Considering it’s the middle of summer, I haven’t really been going out to eat all that much, but my wife and I met for a killer lunch at Buoy and Trap up in Truckee. We had a couple dozen oysters, the smoked trout dip and a bottle of Pepiere Muscadet. Good, fresh oysters on a beautiful day, paired with one of the best seafood wines ever, with my favorite person ever, is pretty hard to beat.
Your kitchen is on fire! (Metaphorically.) What are you cooking?
Ryan’s World Famous Burger with pastrami, aka the Mac’s Famous. Burgers are by far our biggest seller and what we’ve received the most praise on, but the crazy thing is I almost took burgers off the menu entirely. I’m really good friends with the owners of Royce Burger Bar and had it in my head that I didn’t want to compete with them, but as we were doing the remodel before reopening, every single person I talked to asked if we were keeping the burger—so I decided to keep it going, with some slight changes. Our buns are made fresh by Beloved Bread here in town, and our grind for the patties is custom-made just for us by Sierra Meat. The Mac’s Famous with pastrami is in homage to Mac, who is now retired but worked at Ryan’s Saloon for over 30 years. He still comes in a few times a week just to hang out, so you might see him sitting at the bar—be sure to say hello. And Royce’s burgers are different from ours but absolutely great, so check them out if you haven’t already.
Who is/was your strongest culinary influence?
My family is not at all what you could consider culinarily inclined, so it’s definitely not something I was born into. I’d say I initially caught the culinary bug from my best friend growing up in Lovelock, Josh Bordenkircher. I spent almost as much time at his house as I did at my own, and Josh was the type of kid who just did shit—if he wanted a chocolate cake, he made a chocolate cake, and I was usually right beside him helping out. Then as we got into high school-age and older, Josh wasn’t the type to hit fast food on our frequent trips to Reno; even as a teenager, he always wanted to go to real restaurants, Johnny’s Little Italy (now Johnny’s Ristorante Italiano) being a favorite back then. I think that’s what really sparked my curiosity in food in general.
What is your go-to midnight snack?
Quesadillas with sour cream and plenty of Tapatio or Valentina scratches that midnight itch, especially if the quesadilla in question is made by one of my sons. Just tastes better when they’re taking care of ol’ dad.
Which local restaurant deserves more attention, and why?
Malaya Eats in the former Von Bismarck location on Wells Avenue. Great food, friendly staff and, in my humble opinion, the best patio in Reno. The owners are some of the nicest people around, and, of course, that location will hold a spot in my heart forever.
How does food contribute to our community?
It’s cliché, but breaking bread with others around the table is the source of community. Whether at home or out at a restaurant, that experience is vital to connection and irreplaceable. What better way to get to know someone than to sit down for a good, long dinner? Even better when wine is involved.
What is the one thing you won’t eat?
Quinoa. It looks, smells and tastes like the sawdust in the bottom of a hamster cage.
Please share your favorite food memory from growing up.
The end of summer between sixth and seventh grade, I was with my father, who lived in Wendover, and on the way back to my mom’s house in Lovelock, we stopped in Elko and went to The Star Hotel for a late lunch. Anyone familiar with Basque restaurants in Nevada knows the insane amount of food that comes rushing at you, and as a growing boy, I was in heaven. I ate more than my share of every side that preceded the meal and finished off my lamb chops and part of my dad’s meal as well. The glass of house red my dad put in front of me helped wash it all down. He was definitely into free-range parenting, but that made the experience all the more memorable.
What is the one kitchen tool you can’t live without?
My Benriner mandoline. I threw the safety guard away almost immediately, so the rest of my family is scared to use it, but after shaving a knuckle a couple of times, I’ve gotten really good at not cutting myself. Makes food prep a breeze.
What has been your most memorable meal?
My wife has a ton of family in Chile, South America, so we try to make it down there once a year or so. A couple of years ago, we spent a few days in Santiago with just us—myself, my wife and our two sons. I had made reservations at Boragó, which at the time was No. 17 on San Pellegrino’s best restaurants list. The chef there is known for taking indigenous ingredients and food traditions and featuring them in fine dining applications. (It’s an) unbelievably beautiful setting in an amazing, modern building—everything one would expect from a restaurant of that caliber. They even put together a juice pairing for our two boys, a different juice paired specifically to each course of the meal so the boys could have the complete experience, as my wife and I both indulged in the wine pairing. Our youngest son, Frey, is a notoriously picky eater, but in this instance, he stepped up to the plate and tried every single thing that came out. It made it that much more of an amazing experience to see the boys take it all in.
Really great article and now we have two new restaurants in Reno to try!