Warm up this winter at Nevada’s authentic Basque dinner houses
From a Basque restaurant that survived prohibition to a sports bar with Basque-style tapas, here are eight places in Nevada to dine on this authentic European cuisine.
Flooding from their mountainous homeland on the border between Spain and France, Basque migrants first came to Northern Nevada during the Gold Rush. Many of the men ended up as sheepherders, while the women held roles in Basque boarding houses. Typically located above restaurants and bars, these boarding houses provided the feeling of home for those from this vibrant European region.
They were a place “where they could grab a bite to eat, drink, play traditional games, bunk together, and swap tales in their own language with their fellow countrymen,” according to Travel Nevada. Borders would dine as a group at long tables on hearty traditional feasts like sweetbreads, oxtail, tongue, tripe, and Picon punch (a 19th-century cocktail made with Amer Picon).
Not only are some of these boarding houses still standing today, but the menus are mostly unchanged. From a Basque restaurant that survived prohibition to a sports bar-style Basque restaurant, here are eight places in Nevada to dine on this authentic cuisine.
1. JT Basque Bar & Dining Room
1426 Highway 395, Gardnerville
A staple in the Carson Valley, JT Basque serves traditional Basque cuisine made from local products whenever possible. The family-run restaurant has served multi-course, family-style meals to locals and tourists for nearly 65 years. A similar version of the dinner served today originally cost $1.50, while the Pincon Punch (supposedly the best in the West) was only 50 cents.
Originally a saloon, hotel, and dining hall, JT Basque was opened in 1960 by Jean Lukemberry, a 1947 Basque immigrant. Housed in a vintage building that was relocated to Gardnerville from Virginia City in 1896, it has since been restored but still has the horse-hitching post out front.
The next generation of Lukemberry family members continues to run it today. JT Basque is “forever an institution,” according to a Yelp reviewer, who writes that it “is perfect for a late lunch with friends or for that family dinner of 20.”
2. The Star Hotel Basque Dining
246 Silver St., Elko
When the family-friendly Star Hotel opened in 1910, it had 11 rooms, one bathroom, and heat from wood stoves. Within two years, it doubled to its present-day size.
A gathering place for all Basques, Star Hotel continues to have a European atmosphere, long-term borders, family-style meals, and a dinner bell. All entrees, including chicken, steak, lamb, and fish, are served with homemade cabbage soup, tossed salad, freshly baked French bread, Basque beans, pasta, green beans, French-fried potatoes, and coffee or tea.
The restaurant and hotel welcomed new owners in 2004, who continue to carry on the original owners’ legacy and recipes. “The Star Hotel has all you want to see in a Basque restaurant,” writes one Yelp reviewer. “‘’Hotel’ in its name, a bar just inside the door; a crowd enjoying picon punch waiting for the dining room to open; a dining room with shared tables and Basque memorabilia.” Writes another: “Don’t think … just come here to eat ASAP.”
3. Louis’ Basque Corner
301 E 4th Street, Reno
Louis Basque Corner has celebrated Basque heritage since 1967 with family-style seating, a traditional menu, and servers wearing authentic Basque costumes. Dinners are served family-style with authentic specialties such as shrimp and tongue Basquaise, oxtails, lamb chops, sirloin steak, and fish.
Originally opened by a Basque immigrant and World War II veteran, the restaurant’s Basque tradition is carried on by the current owner, Chris Shanks. Housed in the 1906-built Lincoln Hotel, what was once boarding rooms for Basque workers upstairs has since been converted into a bar and banquet space with a full-service bar area, televisions, and a pool table.
Customers from out of town enjoy meeting locals and consider the dinner here a great value. As one Yelp reviewer writes, “Great food with friends is a win-win!”
4. The Martin Hotel
94 W. Railroad Street, Winnemucca
With original recipes, like a famous salad dressing, the historic Martin Hotel was opened by a Basque family in 1913 and was owned and managed by Basque families into the 1970s.
Meals are served with complimentary wine, homemade soup, salad, Basque beans, mashed potatoes, a Basque side dish, a vegetable, home-baked bread, hand-cut fries, and Martin bread pudding. Customers recommend leaving your cell phone in the car for “old school human interaction.”
While the original building burned down in a fire in 1920, it was reconstructed to include 25 rooms for borders and a restaurant. It thrived through prohibition, with the hotel and restaurant downstairs and a speakeasy in what is now the attic.
“The Martin should be on your bucket
5. Villa Basque Café
730 Basque Way, Carson City
The locally-owned Villa Basque Cafe boasts an extensive breakfast and lunch menu with authentic Basque, Mexican, and American dishes. Home of Pete’s World Famous Chorizo and other Basque specialties including paella and a sheepherder cheeseburger (one patty beef, one patty chorizo), the downtown cafe has an intimate, family atmosphere.
Owned by Pete and Martha Coscarart, the former immigrated to Nevada at age 16 to work as a sheep herder. His World Famous Chorizo originated in 1984 in Battle Mountain, Nevada.
“Villa Basque Cafe is Five-Star all the way,” writes one reviewer on Yelp. “You can dine in, carry out, or just pop in to pick up some of their famous homemade chorizo. It’s definitely a worthy choice if you’re in the area,” writes another.
6. Carson Valley Country Club
1029 Riverview Dr., Gardnerville
Chef-owned and family-operated, Carson Valley Country Club offers a large menu of traditional Basque and American cuisine, including hand-cut steaks, classic homemade side dishes, and Picon Punch.
Though it opened in 1965, Chef Norbert Kolitz has owned and operated the spot since the early 2000s. A well-traveled chef who has worked in fine-dining restaurants across the globe, he brings a unique flair to the menu. He settled on Basque cuisine for the country club because it reminds him of dining family-style back home in Germany.
“The flavor of the food and the Picons can’t be beat[en],” writes a reviewer on Yelp,” adding, “This Basque food was more flavorful than other restaurants in the area, and I would highly recommend it.”
7. The Fe
235 Lake Street, Reno
A sports bar with pintxos (Basque tapas), The Fe serves a family-style dinner that includes a glass of red wine, French bread, soup, salad, beans, a first course, fries, a choice of one entrée, and vanilla ice cream or manchego cheese. It’s a comfortable place to hang out and eat or grab a handcrafted cocktail, with pool tables, arcade games, and a jukebox.
“The menu maintains the Basque theme but with a modern spin,” one reviewer wrote on Yelp, adding, “There’s also a great happy hour over the weekend.”
8. Ogi Deli Bar & Pintxos
460 Commercial Street
Located in a historic building in downtown Elko, Ogi Deli is a Basque-style restaurant that provides a modern take on tradition with handcrafted Basque and American sandwiches, salads, pintxos (Basque tapas), and drinks. Owned by Elko natives Choch Goicoechea and Carolyn Walthe since 2022, the restaurant moved to its current location in 2016.
According to a Yelp reviewer, Ogi Deli is a good introduction to Basque food, and it inspires customers to learn more: “Next time I’m out there, I’ll be prepared with a list of Basque specialties and make a point to try them all.”
The deli is open daily for breakfast and lunch, and on Thursdays and Fridays, it hosts special drinks and tapas nights.
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