KOLO ATE: Pinocchio’s Bar & Grill

RENO, Nev. (KOLO) - The first thing you notice when you step inside Pinocchio’s Bar & Grill are all of the nicknacks and collectibles hanging on the walls and from the ceiling. Including many signs, fixtures and keepsakes from other old-Reno restaurants and businesses.

“When I walk in here I think, oh I remember that. Oh, I remember that,” said owner and founder JP Pinocchio. “Those are moments in times and lives. And that’s what our restaurants are built on.”

It was built 25 years ago on the idea of comfort food with a heavy Italian influence.

“We serve good portions, we don’t want you to leave hungry,” stressed manager Jillian Pinocchio.

Or thirsty. There’s a “Wine Wall”, which is similar to what you would see inside a place like Total Wine. With prices listed that are similar to what you would pay at the store.

“You come up here you read the labels, you grab the wine, you take it back to your table and we come and open it for you,” explained Jillian Pinocchio.

It’s a family business that thinks of its customers as an extended part of the family, where visitors go to feel like a local.

“We know a lot of our customers because they’ve been coming in for a long time. And even the one’s we don’t know, we love to get to know them,” added Jillian Pinocchio.

They’re known for their drunken steak, grilled with a drunken sauce made with Jack Daniels. Or their salmon, broiled then grilled with Cajon spices.

“It comes with pasta or is served over a bed of vegetables, as a gluten-free option,” explained JP Pinocchio.

There’s also their apple-wood smoked prime rib, which is smoked for six-and-a-half hours. It’s the kind of food that kept people coming back, even when restaurants were struggling during the pandemic.

“The people that supported us, whether it was curbside, a phone call or pulling up and eating in the parking lot, you really learned about people in our community,” added JP Pinocchio.

The Pinocchio family has been giving back to people in our community for years. They founded Moms on the Run to raise money for women who are battling cancer.

“Never in our wildest dreams did we think 22 years later, we’re over $6 million dollars given back to our community,” said JP Pinocchio.

Moms on the Run is held on Mother’s Day, and is more important than ever after being cancelled the last two years.

“The need shrank a little bit, because a lot of women weren’t getting in and getting screened,” explained JP Pinocchio. “And now it’s coming back even more, and more women need our help.”

They’ve also added another fundraiser called Ride for the Tatas, which is a two-day event held May 14 and 15.

“This community gave me an opportunity when I was a young man, to get in this business. And I’ve tried to do my best to pay it back throughout my years,” added JP Pinocchio.

You can get more information about the fundraisers by clicking the link below.

Pinocchio’s is located at 5995 S. Virginia Street in Reno, and 4920 Vista Boulevard in Sparks. You can check out the menu by clicking the link below.

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