Chef David Lee’s Plant-Based Asian Concept Restaurant, PLANTA Queen, Opens in NYC

PLANTA Queen is bringing delicious plant-powered food to the heart of New York City. The restaurant first opened in May 2021 and features a fully vegan Asian-inspired menu.

PLANTA Restaurants opened its first restaurant in 2016 with the mission to expand the accessibility and acceptability of plant-based dining. Founder and CEO Steven Salm and Co-founder and Executive Chef David Lee have opened over nine PLANTA restaurants in Toronto, Maryland, Florida, and most recently, New York. They have five new restaurants set to open soon across the U.S.

PLANTA reimagines and reinvents plant-based food and shows customers that plants can change the world! PLANTA’s mission is to expand the power of plant-based living by creating dining experiences so good customers are driven to let loose and feel nourished.

Before the NYC opening, Steven Salm, a proud New York native, said, “We’re excited to finally share PLANTA with the greatest city in the world. We believe the power of plants can change the world, and that power begins with our plates. For our health, for the health of our communities, and for the wellbeing of our planet—plants are key. Every PLANTA experience is a step toward a greener future. Our dedication to environmental sustainability is interwoven throughout every part of our business, from our sourcing to our restaurant design to our packaging to our partnerships, we seek to put more back into the world than we take.”

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Driven by Chef Lee, the PLANTA Queen menu features impressive and unique dishes, including sushi (chilled and raw), dumplings, small plates, wok, and noodles. Their signature dishes include the Ahi Watermelon Nigiri, Rainbow Roll, Pad Thai Slaw, Crispy Wontons Bang Bang Broccoli, General D’s Cauliflower, Spicy Seoul Noodles, and Pineapple Fried Rice- and all of it is made with absolutely zero animal products!

The beverage menu features quirkily named cocktails, including Herb Your Enthusiasm to Mez-Cal Me Maybe. They also offer cold-pressed juices, sake, beer, wine, and hard cider. You’ll always want to save some room for dessert when you’re dining at PLANTA. PLANTA’s dessert menu deserves all of the hype and includes vegan chocolate cake and house-made mochi.

“I attended a tasting with a group of well-known New York City chefs. It was a full house and we walked right into a vibrant community of plant-forward enthusiasts eating, mingling, and having a wonderful time over wholesome plant-based grub. It was great to see how Planta Queen brought out people from far and wide even on a wintery cold Monday night!” said Preeta Sinha, Founder of One Green Planet.

The location offers 140-seats in a bi-level space designed by award-winning studio ICRAVE. There is a long bar, an open kitchen, front lounge seats, the main dining room, and an underground ‘dumpling speakeasy’ doubles as a private dining area. The design features Candice Kaye wall-covering, Asian-themed metalwork, woven pendant lights, and ebony-stained wood. The main dining floor uses a simple and modern design with custom plaster artwork by artist Sanaa.

PLANTA wants visitors to experience the true power of plants, and they strive to create a plant-based experience like no other. They are a paperless and reduced-waste environment. Their delicious and colorful wide-ranging menu always reflects the seasonality and availability of local produce to reduce the impact of long-haul transport. They want to change the perception of what it means to dine plant-based. PLANTA always seeks to surprise and satisfy.

“PLANTA is for the planet,” said David Lee. “At PLANTA, we create dining experiences as they should be – an unguilty pleasure – and PLANTA Queen is no different. Bold, dynamic, full of flavor and spice. Come visit us and see for yourself.”

They are unique in that they focus on health, long-term impact, and positive plant-based living for communities and the planet.

PLANTA Queen is located at 15 W. 27th Street, New York City, in NoMad (North of Madison Square Park) and is open Monday-Sunday from 11:30 am to 11 pm with reservations and outdoor seating available through RESY.

Asian inspired vegan recipes:

• Coconut Curry Ramen with Crispy Tofu
• Sesame Cauliflower Bites
• Black Sesame Vegetable and Tofu Stir-Fry With Chili Sauce
• Tofu Broccoli Stir Fry
• Baked Sticky Orange Cauliflower Bites
• Spicy Tofu and Brussels Sprouts Stir-Fry With Korean-Style Sauce

Related Content:

• Black Vegan Chef Tamearra Dyson Beats Bobby Flay with Zero Animal Products
• 8 Southeast Asian Plant-Based Bloggers You Should be Following
• Celeb Chef Marco Pierre White Introduces Plant-Based Steak to His Menu
• Tabitha Brown to Open First Vegan Restaurant
• 12 Black-Owned Vegan Restaurants and Black Vegan Chefs in NYC

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