Tag: La Semilla

Our 2023 Best of Atlanta picks for all things food-related—here's where you'll find great sushi, sandwiches, bread, vegan dishes, soul food, steak, desserts, and more.

A wave of closures at the height of the pandemic made sense. But as diners have returned in droves to sit-down restaurants—a 2022 survey suggests that more people are eating out now than before the pandemic—independent eateries have continued to struggle. What are restaurants up against these days—and how can they survive?

Any given evening, most of the with-it young clientele sitting down to dinner at La Semilla aren’t full-time vegans. But that’s a large part of the draw at this new Latin restaurant on a hot stretch of Memorial Drive: It’s for everyone. And everyone appears to be eating here. Every table is full. The noise level is just right—cheerful, not deafening. Your interest is piqued, your instincts are rewarded—if you follow them through the tall doorway, set off by garlands of large green leaves painted onto the brick.

Big dad energy in Virginia-Highland, a bustling oyster bar in Midtown, and vegan Latin fare in Reynoldstown.

Chefs today are building dishes around mushrooms that let their earthiness shine and allow their textures to reach their potential. Of course, if you’re watching HBO’s The Last of Us, mushrooms might be the last thing you’re craving, but, everyone else—let’s rejoice.

La Semilla is an expansion of Happy Seed, serving a dinner menu that features the pop-up’s greatest hits alongside new, equally shareable items. Expect familiar flavors with carne asada tacos, ham croquettes, and a Cuban sandwich. Everything on the menu is plant-based.

Old names, new restaurants; and pop-ups going permanent—those are the major themes of 2022’s most anticipated restaurants. Here's what to keep an eye out for this year.

Sophia Marchese and Reid Trapani have been hosting Happy Seed pop-ups for the past couple of years, primarily at A Mano and Buena Vida in Old Fourth Ward. After garnering quite a following, the duo have signed a lease for their first brick-and-mortar, a full-service vegan restaurant called La Semilla, slated to open in March 2022.