Plant Food and Wine

Our experience at plant was mind blowing! Eating at plant is something to anticipate and savor. It is a truly excellent dining experience. It is in my top three of vegan meals (other two were at Vedge in philly and Dirt Candy in NYC). Patio out back is lovely spot. Cannot recommend enough!

I had originally heard about this place opening up from happycow a couple years back (?) and was excited to try it. Since I've eaten here several times. Was here again this week. Here's my Plant Food and Wine review update.

Of all the meals I had, the best one was the most recent, a multi-course set dinner extravaganza. From starters (mock caviar, beets & citrus, sweet and spicy butternut carpaccio, spaghetti squash with mushroom) through main (ravioli) and to dessert (green ice cream and chocolates), everything was artfully presented, creative in combinations, and tasted good. Bravo.

I am happy to see that the kitchen continues to evolve, and that the food is getting better.

This is causal-elegant dining, suitable for all occasions from easy dining to fancy dinner out. Price-wise, it's more than a typical vegan restaurant but moderate for Venice.

Updated from previous review on 2017-01-01

We just finished a three day vegan food tour of LA and this was the only restaurant we had to go to twice because it was so good the first time. The Christmas tasting menu was incredible, beautiful to look at, and even more beautiful to taste. If you ever get a chance to try the sunchokes and arcadia broccoli or the roasted red cabbage with parsnip puree, you will understand why I am raving. Off the regular menu, the raw lasagna is a work of art--so fresh and melt-in-the mouth deliciousness; and I was in taco heaven with the cauliflower tacos (although a bit less creative). More relaxed atmosphere than Crossroads and the food was just as or even more impressive.

I had a tamale for the first time here. It was very good. Great guacamole.

The seating in back is beautiful.

One of our favorite spots on Abbott Kinney. I'm originally from New York and lived in the city for about 6 years. Living in NYC, I was a fan of Pure Food and Wine; this is the Pure Food and Wine of Santa Monica, except taken up a notch to be even better! We're told both were originally created by Matthew Kenney.

The menu changes seasonally; we've liked this feature a lot, as while there's always something new, the general flavor palate doesn't shift too much. Another plus for me - while I enjoy eating vegan, the true "raw" thing can be a bit too harsh for me; Plant Food is vegan and still feels fresh and healthy without being over the top. I wish I've tracked everything we've eaten there, but I do know we've had:

* "avocado" (basically a massive bowl of guacamole with homemade crackers)
* roasted brussels sprouts (delicious glaze, small-ish portion)
* roasted cauliflower (we've had this dish two different ways, but it's always bathing in a full-bodied creamy sauce with pomegranate seeds and sometimes a nut garnish - spectacular flavor profile)
* socca (very carby but nice and filling with good but not overwhelming flavor)
* mushroom freekeh bowl (massive mushrooms in an almost gravy-like sauce)
* zucchini cacao e pepe (lighter entrée of zucchini "noodles" with a great tang to it)
* smoked cheddar cheese (we've had vegan cheese that is gross, but you truly couldn't tell the difference between this and real cheese - and it had a great smoked flavor!)
* delicata squash (great size portion of chunky pieces of squash, again with a terrific and bold sauce covering the squash and black beans complementing the squash with a saltiness)
* Our true favorite is the banana split! It's served with chocolate, vanilla and strawberry acai ice creams. I'm not usually a strawberry fan, but all of these are delicious, with the chocolate being the most rich and creamy. Fantastic plating with the sauces all dotted around the main event. Each ice cream flavor is separated by a dried maple and banana crisp (looks dehydrated), and it has authentic and slightly sweet banana flavor. A truly unique twist on the classic banana split!

Service is always extremely friendly here. The restaurant is decorated sparsely, but we like the overall look and feel, and they have a terrific outside area (outfitted with heat lamps as well), next to a garden, in which they grow much of their own food! Prices aren't cheap, but you're getting quality food and a warm dining experience.

I expected to love this place; I loved Pure Food and Wine and all of MK's previous establishments. I heard wonderful things from people who have eaten at Plant Food and Wine... But I was sorely disappointed. Yes, the restaurant itself is lovely and comfortable, especially in the back garden. But the service was soooooo slow! We ordered a bunch of things to share and it all came out soooo slowly that by the time something came, we had forgotten that we had ordered it and were no longer excited. The food itself was just so-so, or maybe it was that I was too annoyed to enjoy it. There was zero fluidity with our meal. Our simple meal ended up lasting 3 hours, and we had an exorbitant bill.

This is hands down the best vegan restaurant I've ever been in. The food is refined but filling yet it doesn't leave you feeling heavy afterwards.
The service is so attentive and nice I would come back again simply because of that if the food was generally just ok. Luckily though the food is outstanding and I'll always come back again and again.

COME and try it. It's amazing.

All I have to say is this Resturant is by far the best vegan food in LA.

The restaurant offers a wonderful venue with great food and ambiance. Like the prior Matthew Kenney restaurant in Santa Monica, this place offers an original menu. We enjoyed the cheeses as appetizers. The Wild mushroom - Freekeh Bowl was good. I especially enjoyed the Butternut squash - chanterelle Ravioli. Our choice of dessert, Chlorella Olive Oil Cake, was surprising, and great. This was well worth a visit.

Service very slow. Food trying to be too fancy without really getting it right. Menu does not accurately describe the food. Very pretty place. Hope they get the menu together. More of a novelty right now

I started eating raw about 8 years ago, thanks to a event in San Francisco where I met Matthew Kenney. His work has always been on the cutting-edge, artfully prepared, and as healthy as it comes.

Plant Food and Wine is the first of his restaurants that offers amazing flavors, paired with spectacular wines and serves cooked plant-based cuisine. The new space on Abbot Kinney blvd. has clean and slightly rustic decor with his school of plant-based culinary arts situated on the top floor.

The menu consists of fresh raw vegan cheeses, Kenney's specialty, artfully arranged with pickled veggies and mustard seeds to balance the savory flavor such as smoked cheddar and truffle.

At lunch, a healthy and hearty black bean burger with a soft, chewy flat bread bun and crispy sweet potato chips or Eggplant Bahn Mi hit the spot.

Desert is one thing that should not be skipped. Homemade ice creams with suprising flavors of ginger or carrots, or meltly warm gluten free vegan chocolate chip cookies are a sweet treat that is guilt-free.