PLANTA Queen

D.C.’s Polished New Planta Queen Isn’t Your Average Vegan Restaurant | Eater DC

"At a bustling Northwest D.C. corner (1200 New Hampshire Avenue NW), Planta Queen — part of a Toronto-born, meat-free restaurant empire founded by Steven Salm — brings elegant nigiri, bao, noodles, herb-filled cocktails, and inventive plant-based takes on classic dishes (think Peking duck made with jackfruit). The opening menu leans heavily Asian: salads, dumplings, small plates such as fried mushroom bao and the popular Bang Bang Broccoli, dan dan noodles, and a “pretty epic” truffle fried rice, while the sushi program uses vegetables in place of seafood (eggplant for unagi, broccoli and spinach for a dragon roll, Hawaiian hearts of palm for baked crab, dehydrated watermelon for toro) with spicy mayo squeezed from aquafaba. Executive chef David Lee, who also oversees the Bethesda kitchen, brings a fine-dining background to the mood-lit, richly decorated space — dark wood, neon dragons, black-leather and “dusty rose” upholstery, and a massive glass storefront — and Salm emphasizes a systemic reinterpretation of vegan food without using meat substitutes (for example, dehydrated smoked mushroom for bacon lardon creaminess). Cocktails are herb- and spice-infused and garnished with greenery, with six to eight rotating signatures and elevated nonalcoholic options featuring culinary inclusions like red miso, snow peas, and verjus; the bar also offers cold-pressed juices, skin-contact and natural wines, and local beers. The restaurant will add lunch, brunch, and a 3–6 p.m. happy hour, and the team calls it “a fully-stacked program.”" - Evan Caplan