Urban Plates — Restaurant in Long Beach

Urban Plates has a nice interior and an outdoor seating area. As a first timer, on a seemingly busy night, in my experience, I don't find it's easy to navigate. I walk in, an employee asks if I'm dining in or picking up, I decide to dine in, the employee sets a card holder holding a card with a number on it on the counter, my hands are full, I ask if I can sit down to order since I'm not familiar with the menu options, an employee tells me I can order at the table, I sit down, I go to the website, I find a meal I want, I notice a sticker with a QR code on another table, I eventually order at the counter, an employee sets a different card holder holding a card with a number on it on the counter, I realize I have to bring the card holder with me, then sit down again.

I order the Meatless Loaf with sides of Red & White Quinoa Tomato and Organic Black Beans El Rancho. I enjoy the meal; the Homemade Tomato Jam and the Organic Black Beans El Rancho (mainly the sauce more so than the actual beans) are very good alone as well as with the Red & White Quinoa Tomato and the Meatless Loaf. The side bread complements the meal well. I like the Meatless Loaf with the sauces more so than by itself (otherwise it has a drier though tasty flavor). After finding a speck of a different sauce in the greens on my Meatless Loaf, I check with an employee about the ingredient to find it may be a type of Blue Cheese that's next to the greens.

I think it's a good idea to keep non-Vegan ingredients a good distance away from potentially primary Vegan ingredients. In my experience, the employees are nice though there seems to be a lot going on otherwise that doesn't make ordering easier for a first time guest especially if a table doesn't have a QR code. The establishment accepts...

Even with a few critiques, I have to say Urban Plates is hands down, one of the best places to get tasty, high quality, well put together foods. Hands down. That doesn't mean you will love it all, but there's a clear difference between how this food is being made, and the quality of the ingredients that leaves you feeling as if you made the purest organic meal at home. If you're sensitive, and can get sick easy from foods at fast food and even other restaurants, I can almost guarantee you will have no issues here.

Minor critiques:

1. I love the plates, and getting two sides. My only gripe is that while you get a good portion of say, asparagus (which doesn't fit into the tiny quarter sections of the box), things that can fit into the little quarter sections of the take out box, are utilized for things like the old bay potatoes ect. Which means you get a small amount. Which is a big bummer.

2. I love the chicken tender dish, absolute favorite and I don't know what I'd do without it and the honey mustard sauce. The last few weeks though, I feel like the chicken strips really have gotten smaller compared to a month ago. Perhaps they have no control over that, or I'm just unlucky, but some pieces have been extremely small instead of those long thick pieces I had got accustomed too.

3. It would be nice to have a rewards program for people that really spend a lot there. I almost exclusively go there to support the business and for high quality meals that don't get me sick. Something as simple as working up towards a free dessert would be a nice addition.

Thank you to everyone at the long...

First time dining at Urban Plates. Great location in the cute 2nd and PCH open air "mall" plus free 90 minutes of parking, no validation needed. You order at the counter and plates are highly customizable with a large selection (16 I think!!) of made from scratch sides; everything from side salads, fries, roasted brussels, mac and cheese, and more. We ordered with Victor, who was friendly, answered all of our questions and didn't make us feel rushed as it was our first time and they have an extensive menu. There were three in our party and our meals were brought out one at at time, not too long in between, but I like hot food so I appreciate them running the food when the plate is ready, not waiting for every item from the table to be ready. I got the Asian Chicken noodle salad and it was delicious, full of fresh greens, loads of chopped veggies and chunks of mangos and mandarins and I had it tossed, and the dressing was perfect, nice and light. Not too many noodles, and a mix of light and dark chicken. My dinner buddies had the classic buttermilk tenders with roasted brussels and fries (tenders were huge, juicy and the homemade ranch was so good!) and the grilled chicken club sandwich with chips. Service was great from the counter to the dining room. We can't wait to go back, lots of options for healthy eating, even plant based, or indulgent eating. I also noted we will be able to come with a group of picky eaters as everyone can customize their meal exactly as they like. We finished our meal with a slice of the mango tart, and a cookie. 5...