I've never had known about Beefy's until now. One of my best friends who had moved their recently, started to let me know of all the great food places that he discovered and Beefy's was at the top of his list. So, the next time I was able to visit him, both him and I took a trip there for me to sample the local eatery.
The Place (3 out of 5) - Located on the S Virginia Strip, which is essentially Reno's main street, this place is considered a Reno staple. That being said, it's small. Bordering on, uncomfortably small. BUT, here's the good thing...it...doesn't...matter...not one bit, well at least to me anyways. What some people consider small, other's will label it as "intimate" or "quaint". While Beefy's doesn't necessarily scream elegant to begin with, it definitely has a "neighborhood staple" feel and that's exactly what you get when you walk in. There are seats at the counter top, a shared table or two, and a few other places to sit, but that's about it and it's all within REALLY close proximity to each other. I'm talking about, "if one person is walking down the aisle, you better stop, move out of the way, and let them walk by" type of thing. Even though I've given this a "3", it's subjective because for what it is, it's absolutely fine; however, the "3" is just based on the fact others walking into the place may be expecting something else or just is not really the type of place for them.
The Service (5 out of 5) - By far, some of the best service I've ever received in a restaurant and I've sat in a lot. There is just something about the folks that are working there that's warm and welcoming. While this is another subjective measurable because everyone's experiences are different and some may just walk in on a bad day for the serving staff, the service my friend and I received was nothing short of amazing and made us really feel like a part of the "regulars" or, at the very least, the local crowd. Despite the overall small place, the service definitely made me forget about it and let me enjoy the unique setting that Beefy's offers.
The Food (4 out of 5) - Ok, let's get something straight right off the bat...it's definitely not the best burger I've ever had, BUT for being a Reno staple, I would definitely recommend coming here to give it a shot and, heck, I would even say KEEP coming back to try out ALL their burgers. From "The Korean Burger" to the "Awesome, Awesome", they have many different types of creative, hearty, burger creations to satisfy all possible palettes that could potentially walk into the building and I wish my stomach was big enough to try them all. For my visit, I decided to order the "Surf & Turf" burger with Onion Rings. Here's the thing about Beefy's burgers, it's nothing fancy by any stretch of the imagination. You read the description of the burger's on their menu and that's exactly what you get. It's not dressed up in a special way, but they're able to get their point across. My Surf & Turf burger was presented to me on a basic rectangular plate and, including the shrimp INSIDE the burger, the burger itself was also skewered with 3 more shrimp into the burger. The first bite I took of it was amazing. The beef patty was juicy, not dry at all, and shrimp was cooked to perfection and I often found myself biting into the shrimp that was skewered outside of the burger to continue that grilled "surf" throughout my bite. The pepper jack cheese offered the great balance of creamy spice to the burger and was melted perfectly adhering itself to the beef patty instead of being cold, raw, and just placed on top of the burger. The onion rings had the crunch you would expect to have in a fresh serving and gave the texture balance needed to take your meal to the next level of satisfaction.
Overall (4 out of 5) - In a nutshell, I can't wait to be back in the Reno area so that I can make it a point to stop by Beefy's to continue my conquest of trying the other burgers they offer. Again, not the best burger I've had by far, but there's something about the menu that's just comforting and filling and definitely worth the trip out to at least dive into one of them. I definitely would've like to give them a higher score, but because I know it matters to other people, the place is just really small and on a busy day can get really overwhelming and annoying for some. For the others that don't mind, like myself, it's not that big of a deal and just adds to the overall atmosphere of a Reno staple. If you're in the area, need a break from casino food (and casinos in general), and are in the mood for a burger, you can't go wrong with popping into Beefy's for a good ol' fashion burger with some hearty twists! read more