From mild to wild: 6 Nevada restaurants that have a salsa bar

Sometimes it’s the little things that make eating at a restaurant special like a basket of warm bread and butter or free refills.

When dining at our favorite Mexican restaurants, we all look forward to the bottomless chips and salsa. The ones with a coveted salsa bar — a smorgasbord of self-serve salsas of varying spice levels, hot sauces, veggies, and other condiments — take that tradition up a notch.

It’s not as common to find salsa bars at Mexican restaurants in the post-COVID era, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any left in Nevada. From Henderson and Las Vegas to Reno and Sparks, the salsa bar at these six Nevada restaurants will turn any meal into a fiesta of flavors.

The Taco Stand

Las Vegas

Inspired by taco stands of Tijuana, The Taco Stand adds a taste of the Baja peninsula to Chinatown Las Vegas.

This small sit-down cantina, which also has locations in California, Texas, and Florida, serves tacos, burritos, quesadillas, and other Mexican specialties, like carne asada fries, paletas (Mexican popsicles), churros, and imported beer. The corn tortillas are made in-house, as are the daily-made guacamole and salsas.

As for the salsa bar, the choices include la salsa macha (hottest), habanero salsa (very hot), mild salsa, verde salsa, cilantro salsa, chipotle salsa, lemons, pickled veggies, and pico de gallo. Yelpers compliment the variety and cleanliness of the salsa bar, noting that it’s always well-stocked and “has everything you could want on your tacos.”

Photo courtesy of The Taco Stand via Facebook.

Tacos El Compita

Las Vegas

Tacos El Compita recreates the vibrant flavors of South America with a varied menu of Mexican street food ranging from shrimp burritos to quesabirria tacos, as well as many plant-based and vegetarian options.

Not only will the chef work with you to prepare the meal you crave but the salsa bar is always stocked with a variety of salsas, jalapeños, radish, fresh onion, pickled onions, limes, lemon, and more, so you can customize your dish to suit your tastes.

Yelpers are fans of the salsa, calling it “thick and flavorful.” Yelper Mindy T. writes that the salsa bar has “one of the best hot sauces I’ve had a chance to taste,” adding “I would make the four hour drive [from Southern California to Las Vegas] just for those pickled onions.”

Taco Y Taco

Henderson

Latina-owned taqueria Taco Y Taco is a modern Mexican eatery with tacos, burritos, bowls, and other Mexican delights. Traditional favorites at this counter-service cafe are handcrafted with several meat, fish, or vegetarian options–from shredded beef to grilled cactus — so you can customize it how you like it. The trompo (vertical rotating spit of al pastor pork) is especially tempting.

Top off your order with a trip to the salsa bar, which contains three types of salsa, radishes, limes, pickled veggies, and beans. Yelpers say the salsa bar had a good selection, though some say the salsa could be spicier. They especially like the crunchy sliced radishes, which are habit-forming according to one Yelper. Since all the ingredients at Taco Y Taco come from the local Los Compadres Meat Market, you know your food is fresh.

Photo courtesy of Taco Y Taco Mexican Eatery via Facebook.

Burrito Bandito 

Sparks

A fast-casual Mexican eatery with colorful murals and an upbeat vibe, Burrito Bandito keeps your meal simple by focusing on two traditional products: tacos and burritos. You can create a giant burrito with your choice of meat, beans, rice, cheese, and more, or trade-in your flour tortilla for a loaded burrito bowl. The restaurant expanded to Sparks from California, where it has four locations.

Along with a salsa bar with mild, medium, and hot salsa made fresh daily, there are tons of hot sauces to choose from. Yelper Ricky D. writes that Burrito Bandita has “the best green salsa I’ve had in a while.” If you find a hot sauce you especially enjoy, the cantina has several shelves over two walls containing countless bottles of hot sauces for purchase.

Photo courtesy of Burrito Bandito – Sparks NV via Instagram.

Los 4 Vientos

Reno

A casual and colorful Mexican restaurant in Midtown (as well as a food truck), Los 4 Vientos has a large menu of authentic dishes, including traditional snacks, beer, wine, and desserts, There’s something for everyone — breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Portions here are large so be sure to come hungry.

Yelpers describe the salsa bar as “abundant” and “fresh.” It’s packed with several salsas, hot sauce, pico de gallo, limes, radishes, pickled red onions, carrots, and grilled jalapenos so large that one Yelper described it as a “menacing green monster” (but in a good way).

El Paisano

Reno

A family-friendly Mexican and Salvadoran restaurant, El Paisano is especially known for its affordable prices and humongous pupusas (El Salvadoran flatbread). The casual eatery also serves breakfasts like chorizo with eggs and huevos rancheros, Salvadoran tamales, as well as soups, sides, and seafood.

The salsa bar is truly a treat with six types of salsas, including mild, chunky, medium, and hot, as well as fresh onions, limes, pico de gallo, and a classic El Salvadorian spicy cabbage mix. El Paisano’s salsa is well-liked by Yelpers, who call it “the bomb” and especially commend the avocado sauce.

Photo courtesy of El Paisano Reno y Sun Valley via Facebook.

This article first appeared on Good Info News Wire and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.