When Siete Tacos and Tequila opens next week in Marietta Square Market, it’ll be every inch a family affair.
The restaurant’s name is a nod to the blended family of seven Louie Kramer and his wife, Jessica, created when they got married late last year. The high school sweethearts – both Marietta natives – reunited after parting ways 25 years ago, with Jessica bringing with her two sets of twin boys and Kramer a teenage daughter.
“We always joke that we’re ‘Kramer, party of seven,’” Louie Kramer said. “That’s where Siete was born.”
Set to open Oct. 20, Siete will be an anchor eatery at Marietta Square Market, and the food hall’s only full-service restaurant. Louie Kramer developed the menu with executive chef Joey Wojtczak, who previously worked at Indian Hills Country Club and the now-shuttered Georgia Club, and also attended high school with Kramer and his wife.
Kramer said dishes were inspired in part by a trip he and his wife took to New York, with an eye toward recreating them at Siete “with a Latin twist.”
Look for starters including El Georgian Guac made with smoked trout, bacon, and salt and vinegar chicharrones; soups and salads; nachos and tortas; entrees such as ceviche tostadas and braised lamb enchiladas; a variety of tacos, including chorizo, and shrimp and guava-glazed pork; and signatures including beef birria tacos and pan-seared cauliflower steak. The menu, which notes vegan, vegetarian and Keto-friendly dishes, also includes a selection of sides, kids options and desserts.
Siete’s beverage offerings include seven specialty cocktails with a tequila focus, as well as tequila flights, frozen margaritas, beers in bottles and cans, wine, seasonal Sunday sangrias, and drinks served in pouches reminiscent of Capri Sun.
Cocktails will utilize a technology that creates infused bubbles that, when popped, release flavors that complete the drink. For instance, the Oaxacan Old Fashioned will have a smoke-infused bubble resting on top, while a fruit-infused bubble will add a burst of flavor to a classic Paloma.
A Mexican restaurant wasn’t Kramer’s initial plan when he decided to open a restaurant after being laid off from his medical sales job in March due to the economic impact of the coronavirus. Kramer considered an elevated meat-and-three to showcase skills he picked up while touring with a team on the professional barbecue circuit and marketing Pork U, his line of barbecue seasonings and rubs.
But when the space at Marietta Square Market – previously home to counter-service spot Street Taco, which closed earlier this year – opened up and market management insisted on a Mexican concept, Kramer decided it would be an easy pivot.
When surprise dishes would be requested at barbecue competitions, Kramer always turned to the taco as his barbecue delivery method of choice.
“Who doesn’t love a taco?” he said. “I knew when it came to creative tacos, I had them in my head already.”
He drew up what he called his “dream menu,” and asked Wojtczak and his kitchen staff, who he brought along with him from the Georgian Club, to bring it to life.
As for the Siete space, a colorful large mural on the back wall from the Street Taco days remains, but several changes were made to the interior, including turning an area that was previously used for counter ordering into a bar, and adding a wall wrap that shows a photo of the Kramer family and their story. Siete also features roll-up garage doors and a walk-up window that will enable customers to get to-go drinks.
Siete’s patio will offer shade panels, a sectional couch and an 8-foot tall grass wall with a pink neon “Taco Lover” sign. The space will be dog-friendly, with dog bowls and Siete-branded bandanas for visiting pups. Kramer also plans to feature live music most nights.
Siete will seat about 65 inside, with plans to place Plexiglass dividers between booths, and 30 on the patio. The restaurant will stick with Marietta Square Market’s “strongly encouraged” mask policy, although all Siete employees will wear masks at all times.
Kramer said he and Jessica will be regular presences at the restaurant, along with their three oldest children, doing everything from working the expo line in the kitchen to bussing tables.
“We’re all going to wear all of the hats,” Kramer said. “It’s a family business, and we’ll all be a part of it.”
Siete Tacos and Tequilas will join more than 15 other food vendors at Marietta Square Market, including the newly-opened Original Hot Dog Factory, Grand Champion BBQ, Lucky’s Burgers and Brew, Forno Vero, Ponko Chicken and Four Fat Cows Ice Cream and Bakery. Henri’s Bakery & Deli is slated to open in the coming weeks.
Siete will be open from 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Tuesdays-Sundays, with expanded evening hours coming later.
68 N Marietta Pkwy NW, Marietta.
Scroll down to see the full menu for Siete Tacos and Tequila
