PLANTA has permanently closed all of its Canadian locations as of today, ending a nearly decade-long run in the city where the brand was born. The Yorkville and Queen West locations that helped put upscale plant-based dining on Toronto’s map are gone, and this morning the brand confirmed it will not be returning to Canada.
In a statement posted to its website, PLANTA cited sustained financial pressures and confirmed the closures are part of a broader strategic shift toward U.S. growth. The brand’s American operations, which run under a separate corporate entity, continue to operate across five cities.
For Toronto, this is a significant loss. PLANTA was not just a restaurant. It was a brand that started here, proved itself here, and used this city as the foundation for everything that came after it.
Chef David Lee and Steven Salm opened the first PLANTA at Bay and Cumberland in September 2016, taking over the former Pangaea space in Yorkville. Lee came to the project from Nota Bene, one of the most respected restaurants in the country, and brought the same sourcing discipline and technical rigour to a menu that was 100 percent plant-based. The room, designed by East Studio, turned heads immediately. The carrot hot dog. The watermelon ahi nigiri. The PLANTA burger. Dishes that became signatures before the brand had thought about a second location.
PLANTA Yorkville showed up on every list that mattered. Toronto Life. Enroute. International travel guides. It earned a reputation that extended well beyond the plant-based community because it was never really about converting anyone. It was about making a room so good that the absence of meat was beside the point.
PLANTA Queen opened in March 2019 at 180 Queen Street West, taking over the former Nota Bene space. Lee rooted the pan-Asian menu in the flavors of his childhood in Mauritius. The 7,000 square foot room was one of the more energetic dining rooms in the city. The Bang Bang Broccoli developed a following large enough that the brand put it on merchandise. Planta Burger arrived in 2017 in the Financial District. Planta Cocina followed in 2020. At one point Toronto had four PLANTA concepts running simultaneously.
PLANTA Toronto: A Complete Record
- PLANTA Yorkville 1221 Bay Street Opened: September 2016 Closed: May 19, 2026
- PLANTA Queen 180 Queen Street West Opened: March 2019 Closed: May 19, 2026
- Planta Burger (previously closed) 4 Temperance Street, Financial District Opened: September 2017 Closed: December 2022
- Planta Cocina (previously closed) 10 Temperance Street, Financial District Opened: September 2020 Closed: June 2023
The closure did not come out of nowhere. PLANTA’s parent company, CHG US Holdings, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the United States in May 2025. The Canadian locations were not part of that filing and stayed open. Lender Anchorage Capital Group acquired the chain out of bankruptcy in September 2025 for roughly $7.8 million, with Toronto among the locations intended to survive. That plan fell apart after litigation emerged involving former directors and officers. A Delaware judge approved a conversion to Chapter 7 liquidation in March 2026. Toronto outlasted two rounds of restructuring. The third was too much.
This morning PLANTA issued a press release framing the closures as a forward-looking decision, describing the exit from Canada as a strategic repositioning toward U.S. growth. The brand says its American operations continue to perform strongly and that expansion into additional U.S. cities is being evaluated.
PLANTA: The Complete North American Record
Currently Open
PLANTA Queen NoMad 15 West 27th Street, New York, NY Opened: July 2021
PLANTA Queen Chicago 413 North Clark Street, River North, Chicago, IL Opened: Late 2022
PLANTA Cocina Marina del Rey 4625 Admiralty Way, Marina del Rey, CA Opened: June 2023
PLANTA Queen Washington D.C. 1200 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. Opened: April 2024
PLANTA Bethesda 4910 Elm Street, Bethesda, MD Opened: February 2022
Previously Closed
PLANTA South Beach 850 Commerce Street, Miami Beach, FL Opened: March 2018 Closed: June 2025
PLANTA West Palm Beach CityPlace, West Palm Beach, FL Closed: May 20, 2025
PLANTA Queen Coconut Grove 3015 Grand Avenue, Miami, FL Opened: November 2020 Closed: July 2025
PLANTA Queen Fort Lauderdale 1201 East Las Olas Boulevard, Fort Lauderdale, FL Opened: April 2022 Closed: 2025
PLANTA Williamsburg 316 Wythe Avenue, Brooklyn, NY Opened: Late 2022 Closed: May 2025
PLANTA Brentwood 11754 San Vicente Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA Opened: Late 2023 Closed: 2025
PLANTA Atlanta, Krog Street Market 99 Krog Street NE, Atlanta, GA Opened: June 2023 Closed: 2025
PLANTA Queen Atlanta, Buckhead Village 3035 Peachtree Road NE, Atlanta, GA Opened: Late 2023 Closed: 2025
The two spaces PLANTA leaves behind in Yorkville and on Queen West will draw interest. Both are established restaurant corridors and good real estate does not stay dark for long in this city. What moves in will be worth watching.
Have a tip on what’s moving into these spaces? Reach us at [email protected]
Dustin Fuhs is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of 6ix Retail, Toronto’s premier source for retail and hospitality industry news. As the former Editor-in-Chief of Retail Insider, Canada’s most-read retail trade publication, Dustin brings over two decades of expertise spanning retail, marketing, entertainment and hospitality sectors. His experience includes roles with industry giants such as The Walt Disney Company, The Hockey Hall of Fame, The Canadian Opera Company, Starbucks Canada and Blockbuster.
Recognized as a RETHINK Retail Top Retail Expert in 2024, 2025 and 2026, Dustin delivers insider perspectives on Toronto’s evolving retail landscape, from emerging brands to established players reshaping the city’s commercial districts.