Villa Basque Café

Villa Basque Café: if you know, you know. In the heart of Nevada’s capital city lies one of the best damn Basque joints in the state, serving up tasty Mexican and American breakfast and lunch treats for visitors, locals, and anyone curious to try some tried and true Basque faves. 

Though a handful of Basque boardinghouses found across northern Nevada are a way to get to know one of our heartiest cultural influences, Carson City’s Villa Basque Café divvies up all the culture without a multi-course commitment. Situated just minutes from historic downtown Carson City, order up familiar American front runners including everything from pancakes to biscuits and gravy, to burgers and beyond, or get your hands on Mexican inspired menu items like Chile Verde Pork, Mexicali Omelettes, tacos or enchiladas. 

But of course, the real show stopper at Villa Basque Café is the specialty Basque items, and lucky for us, their menu brims with Basque cultural flair including everything from juicy steaks, to Basque burritos with gravy, hot lamb sandwiches, Basque-style beef stew, Txerria, and lots and lots of their famous chorizo. To be exact, Pete’s Famous Chorizo, a family recipe passed from generation to generation in the Battle Mountain region of northern Nevada. Think of the best pork sausage you’ve ever tasted. Got it? Now multiply the tasty factor by about a billion, and you’ve got Basque chorizo. The Basques have used chorizo in paellas, sandwiches and scrambled eggs—usually best when fried or grilled—for hundreds of years. If you’re in northern Nevada and see chorizo on any menu, take the liberty of assuming it’s locally made Basque chorizo and order it up. Chances are, it’s probably Pete’s.