Trader Dick's

For being the only decent tiki bar in Reno, this place is not bad. The ambiance is great, the decor is pure tiki, and the drinks are good. They're located inside the Nugget casino, which itself is not a bad place, probably the second best place in town next to the Grand Sierra Resort. We'd definitely stay there next time.

The only down side is the restaurant is closed during most of the week, opens on Thursdays.

I have traveled from coast to coast visiting Tiki Bars and collecting mugs, but I must say I have never been treated as badly in any restaurant than I was treated at Trader Dicks in the Nugget casino in Reno NV.

On December 26th 2009, I went in to Trader Dicks with a large party and we wanted to order drinks and appetizers.
While looking at the menu to order our drinks and appetizers we were told to leave the restaurant because someone had complained about us. The bar and restaurant were empty since it was the day after Christmas so there was no one there to complain about us. A member of our party overheard that the manager of the restaurant threatened to call security to have us removed if we didn't vacate immediately. We were given no reason and considering that we were a very quiet group, the only explanation we could come up with was that we had some Asian people in our party.

I can't believe that in this day and age that this kind of prejudice still exists. The bartender and the waitress shared our disgust at this treatment. Since I collect mugs, I went back later to order a drink and when I told the bartender that I would give the place a bad review, he said "Please do, our manager is a jerk". I have considered filing a class-action law suit, but I decided that letting people know about this awful management via my review was more serving to the public.
I will still give two stars because the Bartender and the waitress were really on our side and the drink I had was great and reasonably priced.

We discovered Trader Dick's during a week-long stay at the Nugget for a juggling convention in July, 2010, and it really made our week! We sought out the "Noodle Hut" fast-food outlet in the Nugget for lunch one day, and found Trader Dick's right next to it. Once we sat down behind the main bar with our Noodle Hut lunch, we were very impressed with the Tiki vibe and the cool, retro atmosphere of Trader Dick's. Even the music was Tiki, with a nice mix of Tiki, Hawaiian and exotica playing at a comfortable volume.

We returned for drinks and lunch two more times during the week and enjoyed each visit. The cocktail service was fast and friendly while we enjoyed our $1 Margaritas and $1 Coors Lights each afternoon (4-7 at any bar in the resort!), and really dug the impressive aquarium, the neat bamboo dividers, and even the excellent Karaoke night they had one night with a very funny and talented karaoke DJ.

In all, Trader Dick's, the bar it includes, and the Noodle Hut restaurant are a hidden gem inside this old-school (but very nice) casino and resort in Sparks.

Strong Drinks (a plus for alcoholics), but a pretty unfriendly staff. Sometimes you get free mix of Asian crackers!-So there's that.