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Denio Junction Restaurant is one of the typical roadhouses that you find while traveling the back country of northern Nevada and eastern Oregon. It's a combination restaurant, gas station, motel, bar, along with a small convenience store, selling all the basics, a few souvenirs, and lots of beer. If you're looking for great food or gas, it would be a great idea to pay them a visit, as they offer the only services for 100 miles in any direction! However, you won't be disappointed with the delicious food, along with the friendly service that Denio Junction Restaurant has to offer... As with all of reviews that I publish, I have no affiliation with the restaurant reviewed, and there is no monetary gain on my part, as I am simply a person who likes to eat, and I love to write-up, and publish my dining experiences.
Photo: It's a little after 10:00 in the morning, Thursday, July 08, 2021, and I've arrived at Denio Junction Restaurant for breakfast. The restaurant gets it's name, as it's located at the junction of Highways 140 and 95. Besides the fine bar/restaurant, Denio's sports a gas pump, a tiny convenience store and a small motel. It is such a pleasure to publish a review on my web site about such a fine Nevada roadhouse as Denio Junction Restaurant!
Photo: This obvious home built put-put is in front of the restaurant, near the gas pumps. I wonder if this thing ever ran? If it did, it would be quite a thrill to ride this thing.
Photo: As you enter the restaurant, you'll be greeted by a friendly staff member, and you'll note the small convienience store at the front of the restaurant, and at the rear where you place your order. The full-service bar is to your right.
Photo: The full-service bar offers any kind of mixed drink your taste can imagine. I'm not much for mixed drinks, but I love the bottled ice-cold beer. A drink cooler is in the rear, where you grab the soft drink of your choice and pay for it at the bar.
Photo: Hot and cold drinks, smoothies, milkshakes, along with food choices are posted on the wall, at the rear of the restaurant. There is no printed menu, so you make your choice from the posted menu boards.
Photo: The food menu features breakfast, sides, paninis, burgers, sandwiches and more. The food menu is small, but consider the fact that Denio Junction Restaurant is around 100 miles from any civilization. This is truly remote country! Denio's uses the Nevada version of what I call the "taqueria format," in that you choose your selection from the overhead menu, pay for your order, choose your seat, and your order will be delivered to you when it's ready. "Semi-full" service, if you will, but I always leave a generous tip for friendly and hard-working staff.
Photo: I love this sign, as it says it all, when it comes to the political view of Denio Junction Restaurant. Rural Nevada is "Trump country," any way you look at it, and Denio's embraces the political view of the region. Note that "Clark County" is blue - politically speaking - and the "real" Nevada is "red." Well said!
Photo: I took a peek into the kitchen and photographed the owner of the restaurant, Penny, performing today's chef duties. Penny is a super friendly person and an outstanding chef.
Photo: As Penny was preparing my breakfast, I sat at the bar, sipped a Sol michelada, and enjoyed the mounted mule deer and pronghorn antelope. Antelope and mule deer are abundant around Denio, Nevada.
Photo: Meet Penny, the amazingly friendly owner of the restaurant, and today's chef, who delivered my breakfast to me with a smile. She's a very friendly and charming person! She remembered me from my visit from last year, which you'll see as you scroll down.
Photo: Thanks, Penny for snapping my photo, as I get ready to enjoy what is most likely the best chicken fried steak breakfast in Northern Nevada!
Photo: From the "Breakfast" section of the menu board, I ordered "Chicken Fried Steak and Eggs." The menu simply describes this delicious breakfast as, "Two eggs with chicken fried steak plus hash browns." Such a simple description for an amazing breakfast, 100 miles from the nearest town or restaurant! The foundation of the meal was the chicken fried steak, and it was a good size of steak; I'd guess about 6 ounces, which was perfect for my hungry appetite. Like all good chicken fried steaks, the meat was pounded flat, seasoned, juicy and tender. The meat was battered and deep fried to a golden brown. The batter-to-meat ratio was perfect, so the batter enhanced the steak, rather than overpowered it. The meat was covered with rich, thick country gravy, made in-house, using Penny's secret recipe. The gravy was so thick that you could eat it with a fork, and simply delicious, with lots of chunks of sausage. Penny, the owner and chef, knows how to make a delicious chicken fried steak! The menu listed "Two Eggs" as the first part of the meal, and I always order my eggs fried over easy, and that's how my eggs arrived, over easy, exactly as I ordered them. The trademark of a great chef is how he or she fries eggs, and Denio Junction Restaurant "nailed" my eggs. My breakfast was complete with a helping of hash brown potatoes, perfectly deep fried to a golden brown on the outside, and a chewy white on the inside. My choice of toast was sourdough, and my breakfast arrived with two pieces of sourdough toast, cut in half, and arranged to make a stunning presentation for a wonderful breakfast. My breakfast was simply delicious, as everything was cooked to order, seasoned "just right" and everything worked together for a fantastic breakfast, 100 miles from the nearest restaurant. Denio Junction Restaurant may have a "monopoly" on fine dining in this remote corner of Nevada, but the prices are very fair, the quality and quantity of the food is outstanding, and it's just good food, any way you look at it. Highly recommended! I might add that it's simply a joy and a pleasure to take the time and write-up an article about such an amazing and friendly restaurant as Denio Junction Restaurant. Contrast this amazing restaurant to the used-to-be-great restaurant at Rome Station, OR, where I "enjoyed" average cuisine and unfriendly service. Let's go back to Saturday afternoon, June 13, 2020, when I paid my first visit to Denio Junction Restaurant...
Photo: Denio Junction Restaurant is located at Denio Junction, Nevada, which is at the junction of State highway 140, and U.S. 95, about two miles south of Denio, Nevada, which straddles the Oregon state line. Photo is of the restaurant, bar and store building; the gas pumps our out of sight to the left, and the motel is out of sight to the right. It's 2:00 in the afternoon on Saturday, June 13, 2020, and I've arrived at this fine Nevada roadhouse to enjoy an amazing burger, along with a couple of beers.
Photo: As you enter the front door, you'll be greeted with the rustic atmosphere, which is in keeping with this remote part of Nevada. The menu is located on the wall, taqueria style, in the center of the room, and the full-service bar is to the right. The small store is to the left, out of the photo, but items for sale are placed everywhere in the room. Note the large beer cooler in the rear, next to the menu.
Photo: Penny, the owner of the restaurant, takes customer's orders. The dog's name is "Diesel," he's the de facto "mascot" of the restaurant, as he belongs to Amanda, one of the servers/bartenders. Penny has owned the restaurant since 2017 and has made very little change from the previous owners, with the exception of expanding the menu, as the nearest restaurant to Denio is in Winnemucca, 100 miles distant. Needless to say, Denio Junction Restaurant is an oasis in the high, Nevada desert.
Photo: The full-service bar features beer, and every kind of mixed drink you can imagine. Note the mounted deer and antelope on the wall. Northern Nevada is hunting country for mule deer and antelope. The friendly gentlemen seated at the bar are all locals. Don't you love the knotty pine walls and bar?
Photo: Denio Junction Restaurant does feature Wi-Fi, and the password is posted on the piano, but the connection is very slow, so if you're in the mood to surf the web, be prepared to be patient. I love the cowboy hats on the piano, as this is ranching country.
Photo: The menu is posted on the back wall. You look at the menu, make your selection, take a seat, and Penny or Amanda will greet you to take your order. As can be expected at this remote location, the selection is limited, but the prices are extremely reasonable.
Photo: Amanda, who waits tables and tends bar, rings up a customer who has just finished her meal. The gentleman behind her has grabbed a couple of beers from the cooler, and is waiting his turn at the register.
Photo: Diesel, who is Amanda's dog, is as friendly as it gets, and is the restaurant's "mascot." He seemed to wander from table to table, looking for hugs and pets, and was obliged by everybody. This young gentleman pets him, as Diesel enjoys the attention.
Photo: Northern Nevada is Trump country, and this "Make America Great Again" hat is at the bar.
Photo: A mule deer and an antelope, two of many such trophies, on the wall behind the bar. Note the vintage, double barrel shotgun. This corner of north-central Nevada is definitely big game hunting country. It's also ranching country, as most locals are ranchers.
Photo: A peek into the kitchen shows Chef Jai working her magic. On this Saturday afternoon, she was the only chef on duty, but my lunch was delivered to me in a very timely manner. This fine chef has talent!
Photo: Meet Amanda, who at the moment, was tending bar and ringing up orders, but she also waits tables. She brings me another beer, and engages me in friendly conversation. I commented to her about the many mounted trophies on the walls, and asked her if she shot them, and she laughed and said, "I shot them all." All of us seated at the bar got HUGE laugh out of that!
Photo: Meet Jai, the talented chef, who not only prepared my "Famous Denio Burger" but brought it to me with a smile.
Photo: Thanks, Jai for snapping my photo, as I prepare to enjoy me delicious lunch. Note the "MAGA" hat at the bar, and the television monitor in the background. Denio Junction Restaurant and Bar is pure "Americana."
Photo: From the "Burgers" section of the menu, I started at the "top" and ordered the "Famous Denio Burger." The menu states, "All burgers are 1/2 pound hand-formed patties. Served with choice of chips, fresh cut fries, tater tots OR side salad." Yummy! Specifically about the "Famous Denio Burger," the menu states, "Swiss and Cheddar cheese, bacon, and our own secret Denio Sauce." Such a great, "old school" burger! The burger arrived "open face," which makes for great photography. The burger starts out with a half-pound beef patty, which was cooked medium, which is just the way you like it. I'm guessing when you place your order, if you prefer your burger cooked another way that the friendly staff would be glad to cater to your tastes. The patty was juicy, tender and cooked perfectly. On top of the patty was a slice of melted Swiss, along with a slice of Cheddar cheese, along with two slices of bacon, and Denio's "secret sauce" which is suspect is simply Thousand Island dressing. The cheese was melted, the bacon was cooked perfectly, and the "secret sauce" added a little "tang," and lots of creamy goodness. You can't have a burger without a bun, and the patty was placed on a large, fresh bun. It's critical to have the correct meat-to-bun ratio, and Chef Jai "nailed it," as the ratio was perfect. The menu didn't mention the fact that the burger is topped with lettuce leaves, a tomato slice, white onion and dill pickle slices. Such a pleasant surprise. I assembled both sides together, took a bite and I enjoyed the taste sensation of this exceptional burger. The lettuce, tomato, pickle and onion were cold, while the meat, cheese, bacon and sauce were hot, which made for the kind of burger experience that brings a smile to the face of anyone who appreciates an amazing burger! The tater tots were perfectly deep fried, and weren't salty or oily, as they were cooked perfectly. They made a perfect side dish to this amazing burger. I did use come ketchup for dipping the tots, but I ate the burger without any addition condiments, other than the "secret sauce," as the burger was stand-alone delicious. No wonder the restaurant has named this burger as "Denio's Famous Burger," as this burger is simply delicious! If you love a superior burger, you'll love this burger!
Photo: My assembled "Famous Denio Burger," along with the side of tater tots, and some ketchup for dipping. Such a great lunch!! Denio Junction Restaurant may be the only restaurant/motel/gas station for many miles, but the staff is friendly, the atmosphere is both priceless and rustic, the prices are reasonable, and the food is delicious. It's a great place to enjoy delicious food, and friendly hospitality! When you're visiting northern Nevada or the Oregon outback, you owe it to yourself to pay a visit to Denio Junction Restaurant, located at Denio, Nevada. You'll love the delicious food, and the friendly staff. Denio Junction Restaurant Copyright(c) 2021 eRench Productions. All rights reserved. We've been on the web since December 22, 2002.
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