Rawr

The food and the service was amazing! This place was an amazing find in Reno. I went to expecting only terrible late night fried food, but found this place and highly recommend it. Even to those who do not typically eat raw food, which my boyfriend and I do not. It was a pleasant experience and we wish we had a place like this close to us at home.
It can be confusing to find because there were no street signs where we were walking but it is connected to BOWL, so use that as a landmark.
The food was awesome… raviolis were great and any dessert is a must.

For a non-​local, this place was a little hard to find. It is inside the West Street Market building. From street-​side, just go into either restaurant and keep going through the door in the back. There are a few hidden restaurants back there.
I was sure I had some criticisms for this place, but after my first bite, I forgot them all. This place reminds me of the dinner prix fix at Greens in San Francisco, but with bigger portions and *much* smaller prices. I went here looking to eat something light and healthy while planning a ridiculous food orgy brunch buffet the next morning, so this was perfect, and far more memorable than expected.
The food is beautiful, masterfully complex, and created in such a way as to provide a lot of interesting combinations of flavors and textures in each bite. The skill required for making some of these dishes is really impressive at such a low price.

Good, healthy, fresh, and beautiful clean eating. Love the owner, he knows what he’s doing and he’s very experimental.

Fantastic! We had the beet ravioli, the avocado apple & jicama tartare, and the ‘scallops’. I’m vegan and it was a homerun. They also serve fish & meat so there’s something for everyone. Awesome place!

We experienced some incredibly artful food which took WAY too long, and was served by less than helpful staff. While the chef is great, the bartenders were rude and tried to tell us the kitchen was closed when we came in 40 minutes before close. I didn’t think the hamachi roll was great at all, too much lemon that overpowered the fish. The mushroom ravioli was interesting but also not great. Prices are too high, portions are small. If you come here be prepared to spend a fortune and be hungry afterwards. I appreciate the artful way the chef presented his food, and I love the atmosphere;however, the food was mediocre at best. Definitely creative and beautiful presentations.

Kirk and I had the best dinner ever Friday night at Rawr.
Pure artistry, color, texture, design, oh right, then there was taste like you have never had before and it was raw. Who knew the stem of a Japanese mushroom could have the taste and texture of a scallop, then placed on a thin slice of Asian pear with a little sea blossom and a dab of ginger sorbet to top it off. I will never forget my first bite of beet ravioli, you have to try it to believe it. My life is complete… well not complete until we go back for more and then Brett will change the menu and we will have to go again and again.

You must try this place at least once. I recommend you sit at the bar and watch the chef prepare everything and ask all the questions because he’ll tell you how everything is made. fabulous and beautiful food. A unique experience

I was hesitant at first to review Rawr, because I’m neither vegan nor vegetarian. Then I realized I enjoy plenty of raw foods, and ended up being delighted, entertained, and utterly fascinated by this tiny island of haute cuisine located in the West Street Market.
To start off we ordered a couple bottles of Kronenbourg 1664 Blanc ($ 3.00 each), a spiced, French wheat brew. It paired quite well with the creative dishes we were served by one of Reno’s most talented chefs and his friendly assistant.
The menu is organized into Garden (vegan), Sea (fish), Land (mammals), and Flowers (dessert). From the Garden we went with curried, pistachio-​crusted «scallops» (actually scallop-​shaped chunks of trumpet mushroom stalk), with sprouted lentils and a cardamom chia sauce ($ 10.00). The texture was very similar to a cooked sea scallop, but the flavor combination was earthy, tangy, and delicious. The sprouted lentil concoction was so good my wife wanted just a bowl of that.
That is until she tried the avocado-​jicama-​yuzu tartare, served towering atop rapini leaves, held together with spicy chayote crisps, caramelized onions (dehydrated), and a cilantro-​apple chutney on the side ($ 10.00). This dish was impressive both for its flavors as well as sheer engineering prowess in the construction. I’m still not sure what was holding the whole thing together, but it didn’t take us long to demolish it. Of everything we tried, my wife loved this dish the best.
There are many items from the Sea on this menu, but I knew I had to try a pair of Connecticut Blue Point oysters, topped with shiso (an Asian herb of the mint family), yuzu (a small citrus fruit with a flavor somewhat like lemon-​lime), and pink peppercorn mignonette sauce ($ 3.00 per oyster). Although I did enjoy the oysters, I guess I’m a bit of a purist. I love fresh, raw oysters, and I think the complex mix of flavors detracted more than added to this bivalve. It wasn’t bad at all, but the oyster’s melody was a bit lost amongst the other notes.
Having said that, the Nantucket scallop ceviche (combined with cilantro sorbet & jicama) was mind-​blowingly good ($ 13.00). The acid of the marinade gave the scallops a texture somewhere between raw and lightly cooked, with all the flavors combining extremely well. When I return, that dish will be first on the list.
By the time we got to Land, I knew I had to try the antelope carpaccio with indigo tomato chips, pickled mushroom, and calabrese pepper, served with dehydrated fennel crisps ($ 13.00). My wife, who enjoys a short list of raw sushi items, was not exactly excited about trying this. Yet, she was pleasantly surprised by how much she liked it. As for me, I was stunned by the buttery texture of the meat and the perfect composition of flavors. I didn’t mind a bit that my wife only ate one slice.
To finish we tried both of the available desserts. First, a plate featuring small wedges of Barinaga Ranch txiki (a semi-​hard cheese made from raw sheep’s milk), served with small clusters of red grapes and dehydrated onion & fennel crisps ($ 9.00). Next, two dainty balls of vanilla bean ice cream were served on a bed of thinly-​sliced apple, topped with walnut pralines and a sprig of fresh mint ($ 7.00). Very refreshing.
The portions aren’t very big, and I may have paid more for less food than I would normally be comfortable with. Yet, I feel like I came out way ahead in this equation. The experience & deliciousness was worth every penny, and the atmosphere was sophisticated yet casual. Want to impress a date? Take her to Rawr and she’ll never forget you, although she might fall in love with the chef. It’s a risk worth taking.

I have a standard caveat that, for me, 5 stars mean perfection and are not something I hand out willy nilly.
Rawr earned it.
Some friends and I were in town for a conference being held at a local casino. Wanting healthy food and not wanting to give more money to the casino than I had to to attend the conference, I turned to Unilocal and was excited to find a raw food joint within walking distance. My three companions were skeptical, and one was brave enough to join me.
She had the beet ravioli, which were delicious. So delicious, she was shocked afterward when I reminded her the «ricotta» filling was vegan. The ravioli were topped with a delicious concentrated sundried tomato sauce and local pea shoots.
I ordered the sashimi, which was served atop a spicy daikon slaw. It was the perfect antidote to the bagels and peanut butter sandwiches I have been living on and had just the right amount of spice.
We each ordered oysters to start, which I highly recommend. I have already forgotten what was added (a mild green tapenade and a sweet/​sour drizzle sauce), but not the taste (mild, sweet, a bit piquant, and faintly of the sea). The presentation was top notch… the two oysters were nestled atop large granules of sea salt and uncracked peppercorns.
The chef was very friendly, engaged, and clearly passionate about his food. This review doesn’t do that passion justice because of my forgetfulness.
Portions are small and the flavor is big. I walked away happily full, feeling like I had treated myself and nourished my body.
In a nutshell: Highly recommend. Don’t let the idea of «raw» scare you off. The food is brilliantly tasty and nutritious and the interactive experience is one any foodie will enjoy.

Playful, inventive, delicious. Seriously unbelievable. What Chef Brett is doing here is absolutely delicious AND cutting edge. For me, on the whole raw food in restaurants tend to often be uninspired, you know, a lot of the same date/​nut crusts and nut pestos and cheeses. Where other restaurants seem to merely provide a place for raw foodists to eat outside of their homes, Rawr is thoughtful, new, tasty. In fact, if I hadn’t known it was a raw restaurant, I’m not even sure I would’ve noticed.
Rather than sticking merely to fruits, veggies, nuts, etc., here chef incorporated raw fish, dehydrated fruit (persimmons were in season and were fabulous), even cured fois gras. Rather than sticking to tried and true flavors, here there were new ideas, wonderful sauces, great textures, beautiful colors. FANTASTIC!

Delicious
The food was so delicious and flavorful! Chef Brett cooks behind a small bar counter and sends out amazing food that Is beautiful in looks amazing in flavor. We tried the beet raviolis, mushroom avacodo rolls, vegan pot stickers, blood orange sorbet, beans and tempura bowl and my dad tried the shishimi, and every bite was amazingly full of flavor. Is is not just going out to eat, it’s an adventure in dining. Brett the chef came over to us making sure everyone was enjoying the food and made sure of any allergies, making it very comfterble and personalized. After you eat, the goodness continues from the feeling you get. After leaving my family and I agreed that we all felt so nourished and not full of air like chain restaurants make you feel. I would highly recommend eating here

Went on a Saturday night, they took over an hour to bring all our food to us. There were two of us eating, so we ordered on the same sheet. Turns out they rotate through order sheets, so if we had placed 2 separate orders we could have gotten our food twice as fast. Instead they would make one item from our order then put us at the end of the queue and make something for everyone else that showed up after us. We had people that showed up 40 minutes later than us getting served while we sat and waited and waited. This gave them 1 star.
The food was very good. My favorite was the mushroom avocado roll. Presentation was beautiful. For the food I would give them 4 stars.
But taking 1.5 hours to finish serving a light meal to couple is ridiculous. Not sure if I will go back. Averaging out the review to two stars cause I am still kind of cranky about how long they took.
We kept asking about our food as each dish seemed to take longer to get and they would simply explain that they were backed up. Not understanding why we could be upset they were serving people that showed up well after we did.
If you have multiple people in your party have everyone order on their own sheet!

Went here for my Birthday and was thoroughly impressed!
The food is fresh and as the name suggests everything on the menu is raw and/​or prepared with raw ingredients.
My favorite by far was the oysters on the half shell topped with lavender granita. I could have eaten 40 if it wasn’t for my desire to try everything else on the menu.
You order a la carte from several categories of food, such as vegetable, meats, etc. which makes for a fun experience because you can mix entrees to suit your preferences or just try one or two plates from a single group.
Wine selection was nice and the server was quick to make recommendations.
The chef’s name is Bret, and he was delightfully friendly and stopped by our table to check on our opinion of the meal. That was a nice touch!
Very reasonable for the wallet too. Each menu item ranged from $ 8 to $ 12 and you really only need 1 to feel comfortably full. My wife and I ordered 4 different choices though and as they encouraged, shared a little of it all.
I will frequent this fun and creative restaurant for sure. A+

I love the food. Every single dish is very special and unique. Menu changes every week. Portion is small, I won’t say its a place where you will eat and get full, but it will definitely satisfies your taste buds. Wonderful presentation.
Taking off one star for the hidden location. It’s very hard to find and it’s located inside a market place. Took me awhile to locate this place. This is not exactly a restaurant where you can enjoy the atmosphere, it’s actually a bar that is inside a food-​court!
Overall, it’s a good place to eat at, great food, great taste, bad locationu

This was a return visit for me and a first for my husband. I continue to be totally impressed and awed by the food at Rawr. This is food like nothing else I have ever eaten.
We decided to start off with the beet ravioli — I had had it before and knew it was a save bet for my meat and potatoes guy. Solid hit here. It has texture, flavors and spice that mingle delightfully. It tastes like pasta stuffed with ricotta but this is pure vegan — totally nuts and veggies.
We then went with an animal based product and had the pâté. I am not a huge fan of pâté, but this was amazing. Small discs of light, slightly sweet, rich, creamy pâté with persimmon slices (one dried to a chip and another pickled) and lentil crisp. Sweet, spicy, crunchy, and velvety all in one dish.
We finished up with a final vegan dish — trumpet mushroom «scallops» on sprouted lentils and a sauce that I could have sworn was made from caviar. The mushrooms are soaked in a brine that makes them mimic scallops without the adverse reaction I get with eating mollusks.
Every dish was beautifully presented and very much lend themselves to sharing and savoring. We washed all of this down with a nice light sauvignon blanc by the glass.
This is not cheap. Our total tab, with three glasses of wine, was just under $ 70, but so worth the cost. I got my food skeptic to try it and he loved it. We will most certainly come back again.

Who knew raw food could be so amazing? And who knew that Reno could have something like this?
This was my first time to Reno, and dammit if i wasn’t going to find something interesting to eat here (no, we didn’t end up here; we came on purpose to see Ron White perform this past September). We came during the shoulder season in early September, so the the place was quiet and we sat right down and started conversatin’ with Chef Brett. It’s always nice when there’s a bit of space and time to bond a bit with the person making your food.
Just loved the creativity and ingenuity of Brett. A few things we tried that were just wonderful: beet ravioli, fresh spring roll, hamachi w/​watermelon, scallop ceviche, quercia prosciutto. Dessert: farmer’s market peaches picked up that morning, vanilla bean/​pecan praline ice cream.
Hooooooo! Eat this food!

Really smart food. The chef is awesome and combines some great flavors.
The carpaccio is amazing. A little heavy on the oil, but still amazing. The onion crackers (which take 3 days to make) are things that dreams are made of.
— the avocado mushroom roll was equally delicious. Never missed the fish and the «rice» was really unique and had a great texture.
— watermelon hamachi dish was again incredible deep and smart combinations. Would have preferred a dab of the oil on the fish but the sesame seeds and fish were a really unique combo that played off each other really well.
Bottom line is I have had 6 dishes here and each one was great. The chef really pushes the limits of our imagination with the combo of raw foods. Certainly not your carrot and celery stick raw restaurant.

I was with a group of people, and we initially wanted to eat at this restaurant because of how good the reviews were on Unilocal.We went inside, and walked past Bowl and sat down. I guess the bartenders were the ones in charge of taking the orders for Rawr, and they were rude. My friend politely told them, «we have a table of 6» … and the male bartender mocked her for some reason. The female working at the bar just handed us a piece of paper of the menu and told us to hand it to her when were done in an annoyed tone.
NO THANKS. We decided to order food next door at Bowl (which is a great restaurant).

The Greater Reno Grub and Gripe Group gathered at Rawr for what may be the best GRGAGG meal yet. All eight of us gave the food at Rawr enthusiastic thumbs up. One of the group called during the meal and scheduled a get together there next week with a fellow foodie friend.
Rawr serves food that has not been cooked. It may have been cured or pickled, just not cooked.
With a group of eight of us there was much sampling going on among all the small plates we ordered. Just about everything was delicious, so the quantity of good food plus all the wine consumption makes it hard to remember the details.
A couple of things stood out for me, though. One was the scallop ceviche. I’m usually indifferent to what is considered good ceviche by others, but this was tasty. The scallop had great flavor and it was complemented by peppers and a cilantro sorbet. Another excellent dish was the Van Norman beef carpaccio. Rawr found some especially tasty olives to go with it and it made the whole thing full of interesting flavors.
The quality of the ingredients seem to be the key here. There was another dish, a vegetarian dish, that had these black things on top. Again, everything else on the dish tasted good, but the black things were just a nice kick. Linda decided it might be fennel and I can’t say she’s wrong. But this not like ordinary fennel, It’s like fennel with the good flavor squared.
Over all, Rawr is the kind of place where you could throw a dart at the menu to order and you’d get good food.
There was one thing I didn’t like. The smoked «sturgeon» nigiri had too strong of a fish flavor to it, even though there was no fish in it. Maybe that’s others might like it, but I didn’t.
I’d say there was one other minor misstep. The last dish brought out for Linda and Bill was wonderfully prepared, but it was probably one of the more delicate dishes of the evening. It should have been brought out first instead of following the intense flavors of many of the other dishes.
We pushed three tables together in the common area of the West Street Market for our group. One group member noted it’s not the best atmosphere, but it worked well. If you’re interested in innovative, fresh, tasty food, Rawr is the place to go.

So many things to like about this place. It’s in West Street Market, in the area that the Reno eNVy store was in, before they moved over to Sierra. They’ve set up tables in the large open area. Nick’s Greek Deli looks out over the area, and West Street Wine and Bowl both have access, as well as the large opening to Se7en in the back. With the addition of all the tables and the various food choices, I was feeling like I was in a miniature Public Market Emeryville.
The actual «kitchen» is tiny — it’s basically a prep area behind a large counter for customers. The counter is deep, on both sides, and seats maybe 10 to 12? Deep enough that the reach to serve food from the prep side to a customer seemed a bit awkward.
When I told the GF we were going to a raw food restaurant, she was like «but can’t we just go to Bowl instead?» It seems she was afraid that we were just going to be eating carrot sticks and celery with salads. I honestly didn’t know what we were getting into ahead of time, but my expectations were much higher, as I’d heard a foodie friend of mine rave about the place, as well as knowing that Larry Dunning (formerly of Sezmu and now Bowl) was involved.
We were a bit confused when we walked in, and had to ask where to sit, at which point the hostess suggested we just sit at the counter — fabulous option and I’d highly recommend this, as the guy prepping the food (I didn’t get his name), who is apparently a partner in the venture, was quite friendly, and did a great job of answering questions. It also let us see dishes (and ohhh and ahhh in lust) as they were staged to go out.
The menu was a simple half-​page, with maybe 20 items total on it, ranging in prices from $ 5 to $ 13. We asked how many items people usually order, and were told that for the two of us, starting with 3 items was a good place, and we could add more as we went. Great advice! Notes on what we had:
* Trumpet mushroom «scallops» ($ 7) — large mushroom stalks (that looked like scallops) served on a bed of citrusy couscous, and an amazing harissa (which I had to look up to learn is a Tunisian hot chili) based sauce
* hamachi sashimi ($ 13) — excellent cuts of sashimi served over spinach namul. When I first saw this on the menu, I had no idea what namul was, but when I saw it, I realized right away that it was a Romanization of a Korean word for seasoned vegetables (generally bibimbop has a few different namul items on top). The flavor was excellent, and I forgot that I was eating raw food, and I was reminded of the spinach namul that was a staple while I was growing up. Apparently the spinach is soaked (in oil?) for days, to give the leaves a cooked texture.
* mushroom avocado roll ($ 8) — apparently the «rice» was a mixture of jicama and kohlrabi, but the texture and mouth feel were like brown rice, and the GF commented on how much like sushi the roll was.
* beet ravioli ($ 6) — another amazing example of creativity, with super thin slices of somehow softened beet (pickling maybe?) acting as the ravioli wrappers for these amazing flavor bombs
Definitely check out the pictures I posted — the presentation for these dishes was amazing. The food was definitely a labor of love — we got descriptions of ridiculous amounts of prep work (maybe all hand work?), and it seemed as if it was mainly the work of the one guy behind the counter — who was making everything for us and the half-​dozen tables that must have been occupied in the open area.