I worked at Harrah's Reno for six years in the 1970s, and at that time, it was the newest and nicest casino in town.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Harrah's Reno was closed on March 17, 2020, to prevent the spread of the virus. In June 2020, Caesars announced that it would not reopen Harrah's Reno.

Caesars announced that it would sell Harrah's Reno to CAI Investments. CAI said that it will rename the property Reno City Center. After years of work, CIA filed for bankruptcy last year.

The new Revival Reno project is finally looking to do something with the old Harrah's Building in downtown Reno.

The previous casino floor of the Harrah's is looking be packed with restaurants and bars. Johnathan Fine, Co-Founder of Fine Entertainment, will be handling all of that on the first floor. 

The plan is to also bring a grocery store to the project, along with housing and hotel rooms.

Recently, Fine Entertainment announced plans to launch a 180,000-square-foot entertainment and dining complex in downtown Reno.

“This project will bring an entirely new energy to downtown Reno,” said Jonathan Fine, CEO of Fine Entertainment. “We’re curating a collection of experiences that rival major entertainment capitals, while celebrating Reno’s unique spirit.”

Fine Entertainment is a leading hospitality group behind some of Nevada’s award-winning bars, restaurants, and nightlife venues. It is known for blending high-energy sports bars, innovative restaurants, and entertainment-driven nightlife experiences with exceptional service, immersive design, and strong community connections.

Decades ago, the showroom was the stomping grounds of Rat Pack member Sammy Davis Jr., who performed at the venue that bore his name until 1982. Today, the former Sammy’s Showroom is an integral part of the vision that the Fine Entertainment co-founder and CEO has for a huge entertainment complex inside the downtown Reno property.

The new complex will host large-scale entertainment and events seven days a week, making downtown Reno a vibrant, all-hours destination, the news release said. This will include everything from live music and DJ sets to themed nights and community events.

The complex will debut with a diverse lineup of culinary and nightlife concepts, including:

• The Mint: A retro-inspired cocktail lounge blending timeless style, inventive mixology, and live music.

• The George Sportsmen’s Lounge: A stadium-style sports experience with gourmet dining and community-driven entertainment with local marching bands, singers, and dancers.

• PKWY Tavern: A locals-first bar and restaurant known for its craft beer selection, rewards app, and community sponsorships.

Additionally, the complex will debut these concepts:

• Smelly Cat: A karaoke and music venue with live band and DJ-led singalongs.

• The BLVD Grille: A refined yet welcoming venue with premium steaks, cocktails, and live music.

• Speakeasy lounge: A hidden, intimate cocktail bar with soulful live performances and a mysterious ambiance.

• Future country bar: A country-themed bar with line dancing, live music, and authentic honky-tonk charm.

• Underground nightclub: A high-energy, state-of-the-art nightclub designed to attract world-renowned DJs and top-tier musical acts, positioning Reno as a serious player in the global nightlife scene.

A signature burger brand and a Mexican restaurant, plus additional food concepts, will be announced over the coming months, the release said.

Typically, Las Vegas-style entertainment conjures images of impressive scale and over-the-top extravagance. Think Cirque du Soleil’s Michael Jackson ONE show in Mandalay Bay, the Sphere in Paradise or Las Vegas’ slew of celebrity chef restaurants.

In contrast, the vibe in Austin, Texas, and Nashville, Tennessee, can be described as energetic but more intimate, revolving around live music, trendy food and drink, and arts and culture.

Fine is aiming for something closer to the latter.

“We’re building something for the locals, we’re building something for the college crowd, we’re building a reason for parents on weekends to stay downtown again and visit with their kids,” Fine said. 

“We’re building a reason for date night to be downtown again.”

Fine Entertainment will first construct The Mint bar. It will have slot machines, which will help satisfy the Nevada Gaming Control Board requirement to keep its gaming license active.

“This one should be open sometime in October 2025,” Fine said. “It’s just a small, nice bar with great viewing for football.”

Up next will be PKWY Tavern and BLVD Grille, expected to open in the first quarter of 2026.

Fine Entertainment will also take over the former Harrah’s Reno plaza. Its plans for a 25-foot tall awning with a giant LCD screen.

If Fine Entertainment builds it, will they come?

With multiple venues planned for the initial phase of the Reno Revival, the question is whether there’s sufficient demand to fill it. In Las Vegas, Fine pointed out, the market is segmented between locals and tourists. Fine believes downtown Reno can do both.

A good number of the local traffic that Fine is counting on will hinge on how quickly the project gets moving on its planned residential and office spaces. 

In March 2026, the project estimated that it would have about 300 residential units and 120,456 square feet of office space across all three of the Harrah’s towers. It will also have an estimated 390 hotel rooms.

A historic downtown Reno building that started as a bank will be the site of the first project to open as part of Reno Revival in downtown Reno. Fine Entertainment confirmed that it plans to soon open The Mint - a sports bar with gaming - at the Reno Bank Building in the former Harrah’s Reno hotel-casino.

The Mint Bar is expected to open in October, according to Fine Entertainment co-founder and CEO Jonathan Fine. “It will be a 24-hour property,” Fine said.