Planta Cocina is a chic vegan restaurant on the Marina Del Rey boardwalk, serving inventive Latin-inspired dishes that wow even the most skeptical palates.
"Planta Cocina’s waterfront patio is glamorous enough to charm even the most outspoken meat-eater in your friend group, but they won’t leave disappointed with their meal either. The grab bag of vegan Japanese and Mexican-ish dishes at this sceney chain from Toronto does a solid job of capturing the essence of their inspirations, like the miso-glazed eggplant nigiri that tastes better than a lot of fancy sushi rolls we’ve had in LA, and a poke bowl loaded with watermelon "ahi" and karaage-style fried mushrooms." - sylvio martins, garrett snyder
"Meet MDR’s best option for a waterfront dinner that just so happens to be vegan. Planta Cocina's glitzy space is right on the boardwalk, and it feels like the West Coast version of the Versace mansion. Expect vegan sushi, pasta, and bar snacks that, for the most part, hold up against their meat-and-fish counterparts. We especially love the miso-glazed eggplant nigiri, which beats whatever you’d find at your average sushi spot. Book a table on a “Maki Monday” (AYCE rolls) or “Pour Decision Wednesday” (half-priced wine bottles) to make the most of Planta’s weekly specials and hopefully impress that vegan DJ you met on Hinge. " - nikko duren, garrett snyder, sylvio martins
"It’s probably one of the more beautiful, if not the most beautiful, restaurants in LA that is vegan. They really do try to make it a bit more upscale. You can dress up if you want to, but you don't have to if you don't want to. The way they present the dishes makes it feel really fun. When I took some of my friends there, they ordered the vegan sushi and said, “I can't believe how much this tastes like fish.” I really enjoy seeing those reactions to good vegan food that's been thought out and curated in that way." - brennan carley
"Guest: Tig Notaro “Tig is vegan and this was a choice of hers. I had never been. We went to the one at Marina Del Rey, which is just fun to go eat by the water. The first thing I saw on the menu before she arrived was a sushi section. And I was really leery about ‘vegan sushi’ with ‘salmon’ and watermelon—obviously, salmon is in quotation marks. And there was an eel, an unagi, which is my favorite sushi. They had an eggplant unagi. I guess internally I might've been rolling my eyes a little bit, but I really shouldn't have been because it was absolutely incredible. We also tried their street corn, and I can only do a little bit of corn because it gets all over my teeth and it drives me crazy. But that was also wonderful. And then she insisted that we get the big cookie at the end. I love that they just call it exactly what it is: it's a big cookie and it was delicious.”" - brennan carley
"Meet the Westside’s best option for a fancy vegan dinner. Planta Cocina's glitzy space is right on the Marina Del Rey boardwalk, and it feels like the West Coast version of the Versace mansion. They serve vegan sushi, pasta, and bar snacks that closely replicate their meat-and-fish counterparts. We especially love the miso-glazed eggplant nigiri, which tastes better than a lot of the sushi we’ve had in LA. If you’re looking for a restaurant to bring that vegan DJ you met on Hinge, book your table on a “Maki Monday” or “Pour Decision Wednesday,” when you can make the most of Planta’s specials like unlimited rolls and half-priced bottles of wine." - Brant Cox, Arden Shore, Sylvio Martins, Nikko Duren
