PLANTA Queen — Restaurant in Washington

Just a lengthy review, not to be taken too seriously, as it’s just food at the end of the day.

Coming in for a 5:45 dinner for 1, I was seated immediately. The restaurant at this point had few other patrons, and so service was prompt after sitting. I did have 3 different servers, which for the start of dinner service would make sense as the different areas start to open up. This only caused one problem towards the end of the meal. Overall, I was there for about 1 hour, taking time to decide on the next course rather than putting in an order all at once.

I started off with the watermelon nigiri. The actual watermelon brought an incredible texture and flavor, beyond any of my own attempts at making vegan sashimi have managed. With such a delicious topping, the actual rice lacked what I’ve come to expect in texture. The rice had dried out considerably, which was not remedied by the pool of soy sauce under the nigiri. I still recommend giving the watermelon nigiri a try, as what the restaurant is able to do with the melon is incredible.

I next ordered the bao slider. Disappointingly, the bao itself was slightly crunchy, dried out. I took apart the bao, and an audible crunch came from a renowned fluffy bread. Microwave or drying out, it again brought down the overall quality of a delicious and clear fried mushroom. There was not much distinction in the flavor. After saying this to one of the waitresses, she offered to have them remake one. I declined as I wanted to make sure I had room enough to try other dishes, but I appreciated the offer.

I then ordered the mushroom udon, and put in the order for their limited toffee pudding dessert. Due to having 2 servers at that point, I believe there was a bit of miscommunication and the toffee dessert came out first. Quickly remedied, I felt a bit bad about sending it back, but hopefully one of the staff enjoyed it.

The mushroom udon is a real star. The udon had a slight chew, and soaked the broth up fully, packing a real savory and rich punch. Of the dishes, the udon came out on top in terms of flavor and size. Each mushroom could be enjoyed on its own, and the dish had a great balance from all of its ingredients, with each having its own chance to shine. In fact, my only suggestion would be to add a small side of cabbage, thinly sliced, to help break up some the richness in the sauce between bites.

I finished off with the limited time toffee pudding. I was not expecting such a large dessert, but I managed it well enough after the mushroom udon. Just delicious, and inscrutable. Each bite felt like an evening by a fire on a cold night, and I couldn’t help but smile from it.

The total came to $60 for one person for 4 courses. The mushroom udon is about 6–9 $ above most other entrees, though I would highly suggest it. The overall service was great, and I don’t think the hiccups were due to incompetence, but slight miscommunication at the start of an expectedly busy dinner service. The staff were knowledgeable, lovely, and water refills were prompt. I believe the restaurant sits right under what I would consider a high level sit down restaurant. I think it could be at a higher level with improvements in consistency, plating design and intention, and communication, and with the want of middle-high end vegan restaurants after Radish’s closing, the niche is there to fill. The price point was a bit above what I would expect with what I had, though there were some real highlights. I believe it’s much more suited to groups and couples, where the sampling between dishes could bring an overall average of flavor up. Support vegan restaurants, and give the...

Planta is unfortunately a case study in a fantastic product being overshadowed by incompetent management and ultimately horrible service.

I placed an online to-go order for 2 people for $150-- keep in mind, these are veggies-- and the food was estimated to be ready at 8:25pm.

I arrived at 8:25pm and found nobody at the host's stand for over five minutes (nobody so much as indicated that someone was on the way). I eventually sought out a waiter and asked where to pick up to-go orders. The waiter sort of scoffed at me and said "the bar" and walked past me. Okay. So I went to the bar and asked if my order was ready. They said no.

As I'm sitting and waiting, I see another group of three come in and wait at the host's stand. They're clearly baffled that there are zero people greeting guests for several minutes also and they look ready to leave. Same thing happens to another group of two later on. Meanwhile, I see a group of three staff members just chatting together in another corner of the restaurant. One of them is singing along to the music... which I guess is fine if you're on top of things, but when you have a 1/3-full restaurant with guests sitting and waiting for you, singing and hanging out with your pals is a tough look.

20 minutes later, the bartender hands me a to-go bag. I take a look inside (because at this point I don't trust the staff to do much right) and find that two of the dishes that I ordered are missing. Good thing I checked! Instead of owning up to forgetting, they pretended that the other two dishes were almost ready. They ended up taking another 10 minutes.

All the while, I'm sitting at the bar for 30 minutes after the estimated time that the food would be ready and I'm not so much as offered a drink! As I was leaving, I noted pretty calmly that it was crazy that it took 30 minutes longer than expected (again, at a 1/3-full restaurant) and the response was "yeah I don't know what happened!" I'm sure this person was very kind and well-meaning, but when you're at a restaurant charging $75/person for take-out, I expect something closer to "I am so sorry we are short-staffed tonight and have just been struggling to keep up. I comped these last two dishes, so hopefully we'll see you soon and can make it up to you". That's just how it works. You don't shrug and let a customer walk out paying full-price with a bag full of cold dishes after they waited 30 minutes. All it would've taken is "can I get you a drink on the house while you wait" or "let me comp those last two dishes" and this would have been a 5-star review.

The saddest part about this whole thing is that the food is fantastic. I can't go back here again because my blood will boil-- any business with such abysmal customer service and incompetent management unfortunately deserves to fail. The product can only carry a business so far before poor management...

Planta Queen is a plant-based Asian-inspired restaurant in Washington, DC. I recently had the opportunity to dine there for the first time, and I was thoroughly impressed.

The atmosphere at Planta Queen is modern and inviting, with a large dining room that is both stylish and comfortable. The service was excellent, with our server being both attentive and knowledgeable about the menu.

We started our meal with the Friday special, Disco & Dumplings. The dumplings were filled with a delicious mixture of mushrooms, tofu, and vegetables, and they were served with a flavorful dipping sauce. We also enjoyed the Mapo Mushroom, which was a spicy and savory dish that was perfectly cooked. The Thai Lettuce Wraps were another highlight of our meal, with a flavorful filling of tofu, vegetables, and peanuts. The Thai Green Noodles were also delicious, with a rich and creamy sauce that was perfectly balanced with the fresh vegetables. We finished our meal with the Bang Bang Broccoli, which was a crispy and flavorful dish that was a perfect way to end our meal.

For drinks, I had the Lych Please, which was a refreshing and flavorful cocktail made with hibiscus-infused gin, lychee, lemon, and pineapple. My friends enjoyed the Mez-cal Me Maybe and the Herb Your Enthusiasm, both of which were also excellent.

Overall, we had a wonderful experience at Planta Queen. The food was delicious, the service was excellent, and the atmosphere was inviting. I would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for a delicious and plant-based meal.

In addition to the food, the drinks at Planta Queen are also worth mentioning. The cocktail menu is extensive and features a variety of creative and delicious drinks. I had the Lych Please, which was a refreshing and flavorful cocktail made with hibiscus-infused gin, lychee, lemon, and pineapple. My friends enjoyed the Mez-cal Me Maybe and the Herb Your Enthusiasm, both of which were also excellent.

Overall, we had a wonderful experience at Planta Queen. The food was delicious, the service was excellent, and the atmosphere was inviting. I would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for a delicious and plant-based meal.

Here are some additional things to keep in mind if you're planning a visit to Planta Queen:

The restaurant is located in the heart of Washington, DC, and it's easily accessible by public transportation. Reservations are recommended, especially on weekends. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner. The dress code is casual. The restaurant is wheelchair accessible. I hope you enjoy your meal at...