Nevada’s senators and members of Congress may not advertise the places they like to eat — but Federal Election Commission (FEC) disclosures shed light on some of their regular haunts. 

The list includes many high-end restaurants where you might expect to see Silver State politicians. But it also encompasses more casual spots and local favorites.

For this analysis, The Nevada Independent pulled the spending of all six members’ principal campaign committees from their various inception dates, beginning in 2011 through mid-2025 and compiled every line item expense described with the words “food,” “meal” or “catering.” 

After excluding payments to individuals and apparent duplicate transactions, The Indy standardized venue names and used a relational database to examine the data. The analysis reflects where the politicians might dine, but also the vendors they trust to cater donor events and the eateries where staffers grab their grub.

FEC rules allow candidates to spend on food and drinks, as long as they are for fundraising efforts, campaign-related travel or other campaign activities, and not for personal household consumption that would happen even if they weren’t running for office. Politicians can usually justify their restaurant spending without running afoul of campaign finance rules, but sometimes face scrutiny or take reputational hits — examples include former Sen. Kyrsten Sinema’s (I-AZ) penchant for wine country and a Minnesota Republican Senate candidate’s spending at a strip club where he said he liked the food.  

The Nevada delegation has avoided those sorts of scandals; records show their campaign accounts have recorded spending only about 1 percent of their budgets on food.  

The place where the campaigns most often spent on eating and drinking, by far, was Starbucks. The five Democrats’ campaigns made nearly 500 purchases amounting to more than $14,000 at Las Vegas, North Las Vegas and Reno locations between 2018 and this year. They weren’t breakfast-exclusive with the Seattle-based chain, though; the Democrats recorded spending money at Einstein Bros. Bagels and Makers & Finders in Sin City, at Corner Bakery in D.C. and, for Rep. Steven Horsford (D-NV), at the local Coffee Religion. 

Besides Starbucks, the next most-frequented spot in Las Vegas was Classic Jewel, boasting almost a hundred visits, largely from Horsford’s campaign, which spent a total of $13,000 there. The glitzy cocktail lounge’s owners belong to the progressive group Battle Born Progress and visitors have included former President Joe Biden, former Gov. Steve Sisolak, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) and Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford (D), the Las Vegas Review-Journal previously reported. 

Other popular Las Vegas haunts for Nevada’s congressional Democrats include old-school power lunch spot Triple George Grill ($4,800 across 23 transactions), Nittaya’s Little Kitchen (which serves Thai bouillabaisse and Fresh Off the Pineapple Boat rice, $3,400 across 18 transactions) and Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop ($3,300 across 13 transactions.) 

Within his party, Horsford had the most adventurous palate (or longest list of restaurants unique to him), likely because of his role as chair of the Congressional Black Caucus between 2023 and 2025, which can require extra wining and dining. His regular spots in Las Vegas included cocktail bar and hookah lounge Cork & Thorn, Barry’s Downtown Prime, Letty's de Leticia's Cocina, and the Pepper Club. In Washington, his campaign sampled Wharf hotspots Limani, Ilili, and Willowsong, as well as Ocean Prime and Lydia on H, an African restaurant that serves curry chicken and oxtail and boasts a “members-only speakeasy serving Black-owned spirits.”

Cortez Masto’s D.C. haunts were more traditional, and included Bistro Cacao, a French restaurant adorned with scarlet curtains and glass chandeliers, and the Riggs, a lux hotel in the heart of town. 

Rep. Susie Lee’s (D-NV) spots included Summerlin’s farm-to-table Honey Salt and Il Villaggio Osteria near Jackson Hole, Wyoming, not far from where she once owned a vacation home. Sen. Jacky Rosen’s (D-NV) and Rep. Dina Titus’ spending was less distinctive, although both favored Bistro Bis, a French spot in the Kimpton George Hotel that closed last year.

The senators did tend to spend more often in key fundraising cities outside of Nevada, such as Palo Alto, Los Angeles, New York and Aspen. 

As the delegation’s only Republican and the only one who solely represents Northern Nevada, Rep. Mark Amodei (R-NV) had particularly unique spending. The Carson City native’s most-visited spots for “contributor relations” include Villa Basque Deli, known for its chorizo, Mi Casa Too Mexican Restaurant, Ming’s and Glen Eagles in Carson City and The Twisted Fork, La Cucina Italian Eatery, Pinocchio's Bar & Grill, The Grill at Quail Junction and the Gold ’N Silver Inn — which once appeared on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives and is temporarily closed for renovations — in Reno. Amodei has also spent nearly $19,000 over the years at Carson City BBQ. In D.C., Hunan Dynasty and Bullfeathers, no-frills spots just blocks from the House office buildings, frequently popped up. 

Before its closing in 2019, Adele’s, where Indy CEO Jon Ralston noted “many major Carson City deals had been consummated, so much secret Nevada history made” was a bipartisan favorite for the senators, Titus and Amodei, who spent a combined $12,000, or an average of $333 per visit. 

The list of venues where Amodei and Democrats cross over largely encompasses steakhouses such as Charlie Palmer, Flemings, Capital Grille, Del Frisco’s and Chart House, as well as hotel restaurants such as Wild River Grille and the Grand Sierra Cafe. In Washington, there’s bipartisan receipts across the delegation on the see-and-be-seen Georgetown restaurant Cafe Milano, José Andrés’ Oyamel, the Capitol Hill pub Hawk N Dove, We The Pizza and RPM Italian.  

As for the casinos where the delegation dropped campaign cash, those include Peppermill Reno’s Biscotti’s, Casino Fandango and Tamarack Junction for Amodei. The Aria, with its trendy restaurants, appeared on all of the Democrats’ filings. 

The campaigns’ biggest sums, five- or six-digits, largely went to catering provided by professionals and political consulting firms for the senators and Horsford. Otherwise, the members spent the most at partisan social clubs on the Hill — the Capitol Hill Club for Amodei, where his campaign spent nearly $80,000 over 208 visits and 11 years, and the National Democratic Club, where the Democrats spent a combined $54,000 across 182 transactions. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee frequently handled catering for the House members as well.