Walden’s Coffeehouse opens second location near Midtown

Chef Michael Barone and his family have operated Walden’s Coffeehouse off of Mayberry Drive in Reno for almost five years and kept the eatery as busy as ever.

The Barone family, which includes Michael’s wife Mandy and his parents Anthony and Karen, on Dec. 5 opened a new location at 1170 S. Wells Avenue in Reno. It at the site of the former Dandelion Deli & Café that recently closed after 20 years in business.

Mandy Barone said the success of the Mayberry location prompted the family to expand to a second location. She felt the new location on Wells Avenue is ideal for expansion.

“The area around Wells has grown a lot and it is close to the Midtown District,” she said recently in between working her duties at the Mayberry Drive location. “We are so blessed to have that location. It’s a good spot for us.”

The Barones employ a staff of about a dozen people at the Mayberry Drive location, and are transferring a few employees to the Wells Avenue location. They are also currently going through the hiring process for staff at Walden’s Wells location.

Chef Michael, Mandy and Karen Barone, at least in the interim, will lead the development of Walden’s Wells Avenue location, while Anthony Barone, who serves as a cook, will stay behind on Mayberry.

Chef Michael Barone said the approximately 2,300-square-foot space needed minor renovations, including new carpeting and fresh coats of paint.

Walden’s serves gourmet breakfast and lunch items including breakfast burritos, as well as pasta-style items. Michael and Mandy Barone said the menu will primarily be duplicated at the second location, although they may be open to some alterations in the future.

“The menu will be similar to what we are doing at the Mayberry location,” said Michael Barone in a phone interview.

Michael Barone studied at the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco as well as the Italian Culinary Institute for Foreigners before working in a few restaurants in his family’s native land of Sicily.

Michael along with his three other family members purchased Walden’s Coffeehouse in 2012, which has been a staple in the shopping center off of Mayberry Drive and South McCarran Boulevard in northwest Reno since the 1990s.

Mandy Barone admitted it is a hectic time trying to get the new location started while still operating the busy Mayberry location, but says it’s well worth it.

“It’s stressful,(but) much more exciting than stressful,” she said.

For more information on Walden’s including a full menu, go online at www.waldenscoffeehouse.com.