The Seed

I went to Reno recently and it looked like The Seed had closed down. Not sure if they’ve moved location but this place was just wonderful. I loved Chef Cohen. Hoping they’re still around town!

If I lived in Reno, I would probably live here. One day into a weekend getaway, I asked my husband to go to The Seed with me for lunch. He’s not super into raw/​vegan food but being the sweet guy he is, he obliged. We had the kale salad (which comes with a delectable almond pâté), the falafel lunch special, and shared a Mela Mino P (Almond butter, Warrior Protein, cacao nibs, banana, date & almond milk). It was so delicious that we came back the next day.
The next day we had the kale salad, whatever the lunch special was, and the Warm Like Apple Pie (Apple, cinnamon, nutmeg, spinach, banana, hemp seeds, coconut flakes & almond milk).
Both days we took desserts to go. I can’t exactly describe how the food tasted so I will just list a bunch of words from
to try and come close: delicious, delectable, nectarous, mouth-​watering, tempting, luscious, yummy and heavenly.
That second day as my husband started eating his salad he had a moment of giddiness that was sort of scary and funny at the same time. I can only attribute it to the fact that what we were putting into our bodies was so good for us that he was overwhelmingly ecstatic and couldn’t stop laughing. And that, my friends, is the power of The Seed.
The vibe is cool, the art on the walls is informative (there’s a giant mural with facts about how food can heal you), and when we walked in the «chef» was playing Tupac (which she sheepishly turned off but we actually didn’t mind at all). The person who helped us on the first day gave us some details about the kale salad and when we got home to Boise we tried to recreate the recipe. We got close enough to massively increase our intake of kale, but it’s not the same as enjoying the salad at The Seed, surrounded by good feels and imbibing an awesome smoothie or indulging in a scrumptious dessert.
If I ever reach J Lo status, whoever came up with these recipes is definitely going to get a spot as personal chef in my entourage. For now, the best we can do is hope for another trip to Reno — and soon. Get thee to The Seed and godspeed!

Anyone who knows me knows I am NOT a vegan. But I was curious about The Seed and with the help of Groupon, I had my chance to try what the cool vegan people eat.
First of all, the space is very unique. It has a cool, yet calming vibe. Very hip. I think my hip factor just went up a notch just being here. It doubles as a store for some tea products, yoga outfits and local arts. There are communal tables and low tables where pillows serve as seats. There’s even an antique-​looking piano where I’m sure patrons are encourage to play. I dig it. I really do.
As for the food, I went for what I thought was the safest choice — THE kale salad. And boy, it’s the best I’ve ever had. Even the small portion is very filling. It’s packed with all these healthy stuff — shredded carrots and cucumbers, mushrooms, and a lot of nuts. The dressing is VERY good. I thought it was sugar, but the server assured me there’s no sugar in it. The sweetness came from the fruit they use in making the dressing. Amazing taste.
Today I also had the avocado soup. Yes, it is a thing. I love that it’s not brothy. It’s almost like a mousse, except it’s hot. I liked it. It’s thick and not sweet. I would’ve liked to have it hotter because it’s rainy today, but I’m not sure how the flavor would be if it’s too hot. Anyways, both the soup and salad were just what I needed and I’m very pleased with the meal.
They have other interesting stuff in the menu. They also serve healthy smoothies. Maybe I’ll have it in the summer.
Will this turn me Vegan? No. But at least my body would thank me for feeding for feeding it with healthy food every now and then.

Delicious, healthy food! My favorite is the tacos on red cabbage leaf shells with a walnut paté. Mmmm so yummy! Steve and Ivan are friendly, too. They really listen when you talk to them and they really know their ingredients. Ask them what’s in your food, they’ll know. This place spreads goods vibes and healthy living. I recommend it!

Not a lot of food choices, mostly smoothies. My soup was only a little over 5 dollars, I paid with a 20 and was talking to my friend when the guy gave me my change. Left and went to the store and noticed I only had 4 ones and that the guy had shorted me 10 dollars. I called him and he first said my bill was 16 and some change. I corrected him and said I only had a cup of soup for 5.35 he then said I told him to keep the change. (I said the lose change). He then did say he remembered me paying with a 20 and I could come back in and get the 10 I was shorted. Not sure if I want to give this place another try or not.

The Seed has the most amazing food, and it is a double bonus that it is so healthy! But whether you want vegan or just something packed with flavor and made with good intentions, this is the place. You won’t regret it. Every daily special I have tried is excellent, and their smoothies are fantastic, too!

First visit here. Came in at 1130am looking to have lunch & felt somewhat lost. There was one employee (the only employee there), who was busy preparing an order. He glanced at us multiple times without saying anything… We sat ourselves & he finally greeted us a little later. We find out that the food needs to be prepared & decide to place an order hoping that the wait isn’t too long… Which it isn’t… We have cream of spinach soup & falafel. Both are tasty! The crowd starts coming in at around noon. It seems the poor person working solo would have some help by then, but no… I hope this isn’t normal, as the stress of being a one man show somewhat permeated the atmosphere…

I had the special, which was the tacos. The «meat» was very flavorful, perfect blend of nuts and spices. The guacamole was creamy, but with chunks of avocado. The veggies fresh and crisp. I’m never let down by this place. It’s a local vegan favorite, but even my meat eating friends love it. Their salad bar is awesome and they have many different smoothies. Wonderful relaxing atmosphere. It’s zen.

Still the only #raw #vegan spot in town, and it doesn’t hurt the food is tasty either. I think my favorite thing about this place though is the slow pace and relaxed atmosphere, and the quaint and cozy ambiance and really chill staff. It all adds up to a spot that forces you to sit and savor, and take a break from the bustle of the outside.
Last week I was thinking that it had been a while since Id been in, and then this week, thanks to Unilocaltern Noelle, I found myself comfortably seated on a cushy chair in their dining room. Unfortunately they’ve done away with their full menu in favor of a daily special, which means you could still have that fantastic sushi but you’ve gotta catch it on the right day.
Today was mock tuna, a dish I’ve had before and enjoy. It’s creamy and seasoned with dill, topped with fresh avocado, carrots and pea sprouts, all served on a dehydrated onion cracker. I got that and added the «small» kale salad for a total of $ 13.99. The small salad is the size of a dinner plate… In other words huge! Plenty for two people to share.
I always enjoy coming here. The food is always so filling and delicious, and the experience is always a pleasure. This food is always so surprising in terms of the flavors and textures they can create, and I love that about it. Initially I was bummed about the abandoned menu, but in thinking about it, this just leaves more room for the surprise that I love so much. So I’ll be back. I just might call ahead to find out what’s on the menu that day!

We’ve been regulars at Laughing Planet and Greatful Gardens for a while now. We had just recently heard about Seed and had to give it a try. We couldn’t have been more satisfied!
It’s a little tucked away and hard to find. Which may hurt business a tad. However, once inside you’re at peace! It’s quaint and unique. The owners couldn’t have been more pleasant and helpful. We arrived prior to closing by only about 15 minutes, but you’d have never been able to tell, as the male and female running the place were still pleasant and glad to help and discuss their «restaurant» and menu items with us.
We had the kale salad and mock tuna. It was done to perfection and the juice was great as well. While we ate, the guy running the place told us he’d be happy to reveal some recipes and secrets if we so desired. They lent us their recipe book for a few minutes so we could see exactly what was in our dishes also.
Everything was done extremely well. Delicious food. Great service. Good ambience. We will be back often. It’s our new favorite! Just wish they stayed open a couple hours later! (9 – 4 are current hours)

I have had my eye on The Seed for months and months. They have great reviews and I was definitely intrigued by the raw, vegan, and healthy food options. I like supporting local businesses and try to eat organic at all times if its an option, and this place seemed to the fit the bill. Eating out without feeling guilty or disgusting? Sign me up!
Well. Or not. Maybe? Did I expect too much from them? I don’t know.
Like I said, this place has been on my radar since I moved to Reno, which was nearly a year ago. I FINALLY convinced my husband to come with me last week and I can say without a doubt I was disappointed. As other reviewers said, service is certainly lacking, and this was the biggest let-​down. The girl who took our order gave the impression that she definitely didn’t want to be there, and she was not friendly at all. Regardless, we ordered the Warm Apple Pie smoothie (12 oz for 6.10), a large kale salad (9), and a pizza (8). I’m unsure about the pizza, but the smoothie and kale salad definitely didn’t involve cooking (that’s the concept behind raw), so waiting 30+ minutes for food was a little unacceptable. Only one person is in the kitchen (with the exception of the girl helping to juice/​make the smoothies) but, really? The café wasn’t very busy either.
The smoothie arrived first and was good. I could taste all the different ingredients, although the spinach overpowered for about the first ¹⁄₃ of the drink. The Warm Like Apple Pie smoothie is made with apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, spinach, banana, hemp seeds, coconut flakes, and almond milk. The level of complexity was nice, as I could taste all the layers, especially the spices. I don’t think the price was unreasonable either. I would recommend this smoothie.
When our food arrived about 5 minutes later, I was a little confused. My husbands pizza came on a dinner plate, but my salad arrived on a paper plate. Not that I’m opposed to cheaper dinnerware, but it seems odd to serve both? I think it would make more sense to pick one or the other. Nonetheless, the presentation was beautiful. My kale salad was large and was definitely a great «bang for your buck» option. My husband’s pizza on the other hand, I’m not even sure I would consider that appetizer-​size at a normal restaurant (maybe a high-​end one for sure). He said it was different, but tasty, and was able to eat it in just a few bites. Like I already hinted at, the large kale salad IS actually a decent size. I am a girl who eats quite a bit and, even after giving my husband about ¹⁄₃ of my salad, I can say I was satisfied after eating my part and drinking a smoothie. The kale salad was lightly dressed, filling, tasty, and very fresh.
Overall, the service was the most disappointing part. When I think of joints like this, my mind immediately thinks hippy, welcoming, and peaceful. Don’t get me wrong, the space definitely screams that, but not necessarily the workers (or more specifically the girl taking orders). I did enjoy the food and love the concept of using wholesome ingredients and eating them raw. Another thing to note, however, is that I felt awful for the rest of the day after eating here. I ate absolutely nothing out of the ordinary for breakfast before coming here and I wasn’t sick before eating at The Seed. My diet was also not to blame (as sometimes these super-​foods can shock your system a bit if you aren’t used to them) as I eat things like this all the time. I’m not sure if the food is to blame, but definitely wanted to note it.
I think I would give The Seed another try, but I would order my food to go.

I hate to admit it but the smoothie I had was really good,
It had a yummy earthy taste.
but for $ 9.50 o. O it be better be good!
The staff was nice and they had this cool tea bar.
BUT, it was so hot in there! I don’t think they like air conditioning,
also I didn’t like the other customers, one guy was wearing skinny jeans and typing on an apple laptop, and another guy was pretending to read Kurt Vonnegut.
I may come back but probably not.

Took a friend to the Seed after trying it two weeks ago and ranting about how great the food and service was, what a mistake.
We ordered at 10:25, 2 hippie seed bowls and one Acai bowl. At 10:55 the food was delivered after getting up at 10:45 and explaining that we had to be somewhere at 11.
I’m not real sure why it takes 30 minutes to get raw food that requires measuring and no cooking? I’m also not real sure why the person in the kitchen had an attitude about bringing my food to me in a timely manner?
If im paying $ 8.25 and tipping 15% for bad service for a smoothie it seems like someone would be happy im keeping my money local and bringing in new people, but instead we were treated as if we were an inconvenience to him and the person he was working with in the kitchen.
I suggest this only for the food and not for the service, and if you go allow ample time for them to serve you.

The vegan dining scene is limited in Reno, so if you’re actually a vegan, I’m not sure how this would actually rate if you had a lot of options to compare against. I guess if you’re comparing the Seed against all salad bars across Reno, then the Seed would be at the top of the list.
The specialty is vegan, raw, gluten free, organic food (I probably missed some things, but you get the point… homeopathy is a large theme here). I’m not a vegan and don’t typically go out of my way for organic and don’t mind gluten. The main thing that intrigues me about this place is the raw aspect and how they emulate other foods that we all know with raw, nutrient dense options.
One time I had a sandwich here and they replaced the bread with (this is cool) a dried plate of onion paste. It was actually quite delicious! Who knew? And last night I tried the sushi rolls — the «rice» was this bizarre concoction of seeds, date paste, and other fine ingredients. Just real flavorful and imaginative foods. Check out the self-​serve tea bar as well — tea drinkers say «yay!».
If you’re thinking of dabbling in eating vegan/​raw, or are already a convert, or just want to try something different — check this place out.

The Seed was really enjoyable. Staff were warm and welcoming. The atmosphere was relaxed. Mellow music played at an appropriate volume. Seating included tables, a couch, some comfy chairs and counters along windows. If you’re in a shopping mood, there are some cool items, such as tie dyed scarves.
Food orders are placed at a counter, then you can wait at your table for a server to bring your selection. There’s a juice bar with lots of healthy juicabilities for those that need to cleanse or energize or whatever. And for those that can take it, wheatgrass *shudder*. And for tea-​ahollics, there is a tea bar with a boatload of options.
I tried the chocolate pie, it was pretty good. The «sushi» was awesome… very fresh and yummy.

I went in late in the afternoon around 3:30 pm. They was just one other person apart from me. The waiter/​cook was very nice. The décor seemed very apt for kind of the place. They had a great selection of loose teas in a salad bar set up.
I got the fresh young coconut (must try) red bell pepper soup (you need ask to make it hot if you want it to be hot, other wise expect room temperature) and the Kale salad — which I thought was good (not exceptional). I would definitely comeback.

With items like Mock tuna sandwich on the menu, I have been dying to stop in here and check it out. I have to admit it was a pain to get to and park at. I accidentally drove past the building and into the wrong parking lot. Mistake… had to go back around and drive all the way down and do it all over again. Once I got into the correct parking lot I found a spot with ease.
The small eatery is pretty cool. Has a very chill vibe and has yoga clothes and raw eating books to browse through while you are waiting for your food. The guy at the counter was really helpful telling me a little bit about the items. I decided to go with the kale salad (I have heard it is the best in town) and the mock tuna sandwich. The place was pretty empty so I got my meal pretty quickly. The kale salad came out first. It was amazing. I am not sure what all was on it but it was sprinkled with thinly sliced mushrooms and sesame seeds. There was some sort of candied walnut on the top as well. It was fantastic. I love Campo’s kale salad and this one is just as good as that one but in an entirely different way.
The mock tuna sandwich came open faced and was also great. It was on a crisp onion bread with sprouts and avocado over the «tuna spread». It was very fresh and tasty as well. I took most of it home with me and had another amazing meal with it at dinnertime.
Overall, I really enjoyed this place. I will definitely be back and want to try some of the juices or even the seed bowl as that sounded awesome. They were featuring veggie spring rolls yesterday when I was there. I hope to be able to try those sometime too.

Came here for the first time yesterday and I’m already back again today! Anyone who follows my reviews knows that my average review is 3 stars and that I rarely give out 5 star reviews.
The Seed is an organic, gluten-​free, local, raw, and vegan café that has great food, friendly staff, and an atmosphere inviting enough to make you want to return soon.
Yesterday, I ordered the young coconut for $ 4 which was pretty much fresh coconut juice that I could drink directly out of the coconut. It was an awesome drink and surprisingly affordable! For food I ordered the Acai Bowl, which was absolutely delicious. These two things together made for a good snack, but keep in mind if you are very hungry, you’ll want to order more food than just this.
Today, I ordered the Mock Tuna Sandwich and the small Kale Salad. The Kale Salad was delicious and the portion size larger than I was expecting. The Mock Tuna Sandwich was tasty as well.
I’ll go out of my way to come here again the next time I’m in Reno or passing through.

So I did cheat a bit on my first review given it was from an elite event. I finally made my way back in here today and guess what I had, my sushi roll ($ 7), described as carrots and cucumbers julienned, sun seed pâté, bell peppers, marinated mushrooms, sprouts and a dipping sauce. Today it was a peanut looking sauce with sesame seeds. I did ask for a side of their awesome gluten and sugar free and unicorn hair soy sauce which I enjoyed so much the first time. I also tried the creamsicle smoothie, after emphasizing I am immunocompromised and needed washed fruit skins. Made with juiced orange, pineapple, banana, vanilla and almond milk. As my friend Leone would say, «D-​Lish!»
The thing that really makes you want to come back is the service, everyone is chill, polite and friendly. Not pretentious hipsters!
I still love the mission behind this place, in sustainable, ethical food. You feel oh so good eating it.

March 29, 2014 Saturday — lunch 1:30 PM
2 adults
Atmosphere — 5 stars
Food — 5 stars
Service — 5 stars
Background — We were just here last week for the Unilocal Elite Event. Full disclosure I am a cow eating machine and I hate veggies. Okay I hate the «classic» veggies those bland limp green beans and broccoli, they just suck. This is not a place to get those kinds of veggies. They are very creative with what their meals consist of.
Atmosphere — A small place behind the Spy Shop. Warm vibe and a casual feel with wood furniture.
Food
Drinks — The plan was to split a smoothie. We wanted the Smooth Blue but they were out of acai powder. We went with the Warm Like Apple Pie. They serve it cold but you can ask for it heated. My wife and I were taken back by the green color. You think of apple pie and you think of that classic brown gooeyness. The first sip was that green tart apple taste, mmmm so good. Yeah I would drink this again.
Appetizer — none.
My Main Course — Being here before and getting a little sample of everything I had to come back for the sushi. Driving to the Seed I was hoping my memory of the sushi roll would not let me down. You know sometimes memories of food items are stronger than when you actually get the item again. Well that was not case here. I think it was actually better, I know strange. I was debating on ordering a second one but it is all about being health, so I will no gorging myself.
Dessert — My wife and I were talked in their last raspberry cheesecake slice. Oh my! If you did not tell me this was vegan gluten free I would have never know. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.
Service — We were in line to order our meal and an employee walked up to us. He asked if we were eating in, yes, and then he politely indicated to find a spot and we will take care of you. The service continued to be maintained at that high level.
Future — Duh! We will be back.