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CLOSED: Planet Raw
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4
Closed
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Vegetarian
Raw food restaurant located a short walk from Third Street Promenade shopping area. Suitable for both casual and semi-fine dining. Except for bee products in some items, food is mostly vegan. Dine indoor or al fresco. Juliano is the man that people love to hate because of his unconventional characteristics, plus he is a celebrity in the raw food world. MARCH 2013 Confirmed closed by HappyCow. REOPENED ANOTHER LOCATION FALL 2013 IN WEST HOLLYWOOD.
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609 Broadway Ave (at 6th St), Santa Monica, California, USA, 90401
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- Outdoor seating
- Wheelchair accessible
- Accepts credit cards
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Last update on 04 Dec 2013 by Guest
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21 Reviews
First Review by No1_Vegan_Goddess
Blind_Mary
Points +44
WARNING: DO NOT ENTER! - Edit
I'm not sure which restaurant you all are referring to, but surely not this establishment. I went there with three of my friends, and it was one of the worst experiences I've ever had. The service was slow (understandable), but they were out of ingredients (and did not know ahead of time, making my friend wait an additional 45 minutes for her dinner after having to re-order), and the waitress we had was completely rude. The only upside was the food, but only slightly. The cost out weighs the food itself. Overall I'd say find somewhere where they appreciate your business and don't waste your money or time here.
Read moreCons: Wait staff is rude, Over priced, Small portions
Guest
zgeist
Points +40
Which Restaurant Are People Reviewing - Edit
This Is The Best Vegan / Raw / Restaurant I Have EVER Eaten At.
Read moreThe food is absolutely incredible! To die/live for! It looks amazing, tastes outstanding, and when your'e done eating it you feel estatic. I have never had a bad meal there. It's incredibly consistent, and every component is dialed in to a tee.
This is a Health food restaurant, yes they do use honey istead of agave and I absolutely love that about Planet Raw. I hate when agave is the only option which is almost always the case, agave has no health benefit. Juliano doesn't use bananas or any other hybridized fruits or vegetables.
I must say I have only one complaint, it's small and it is almost always recurring in restaurants, I imagine because they are hard to staff. The food highly outweighs it. The servers can be "strange" at times. That and they have this strange relationship with the kitchen, sometimes one server can get something one way, and the other server can't because the kitchen workers don't like them. Other than that, I have zero improvements to even recomend, even the hours are incredible. I think they are open till midnight on the weekends and are open early enough for a late breakfast everyday.
If you want healthy food, this is the healthiest restaurant I know of, anywhere and you won't know it by the taste.
The cheezy kep, nachos and chocolate shake are my favorites.
Pros: Best Food Anywhere, Healthy and you feel amazing after, Dazzling Presentation
Cons: Staff can be strange, There's only one location, I don't live close enough to it
Guest
StacyOwens
Points +273
Amazing! - Edit
Awesome eats.
Read morePros: Outdoor seating, Unique store
Cons: Pricey
Guest
Chia
Points +3635
Original raw cuisine - Edit
I had read about this place on happycow, and here's my Planet Raw review.
Read moreOver the years I've eaten at Planet Raw several times and have had mixed experiences. My first tries were so-so, though the last 2 meals here have been good.
The food prices are average, not out of the ordinary for dining in this part of Santa Monica (high end). It is creative raw cuisine, in a very nice part of Santa Monica.
The presentation is incredibly attractive and colorful, like art. And the different sauces used in the food is pretty awesome. Eating this food is like an extraterrestrial adventure for my taste buds.
I like the pumpkin tortellini, apple tortellini, spring rolls, pumpkin "salmon" sushi, kleem smoothie, and there is an delicious chai smoothie with goji berries and cacao nibs garnish.
Yes, I agree that Juliano is a controversial figure, but I don't care. I never see him there anyway. If you are curious about or like RAW food and you are in the Santa Monica area, definitely give it a try. At least once.
Pros: original raw cuisine, nice location, good food
Guest
whosmeggyn
Points +155
Decent - Edit
For my overpriced, scant meal, it was decent. The presentation was great. Most of my meal was the salad the put on the side. I ordered the lasagna and I was still hungry after. The pumpkin ravioli was good. Overall, it was not worth the price. The seating was cramped and it was full of people with their nose in the air.
Read morePros: presentation, location, freshness
Cons: honey? (not vegan), too expensive, cramped
Guest
Rolandmh
Points +64
Santa Monica raw - Edit
Solid raw cuisine. Excellent quality. Was there a couple of years ago so I don't recall the specifics.
Read morePros: Good food, Healthy cuisine
Guest
Its_Just_Me
Points +30
Nice but dont think I be in a rush to go again - Edit
The restaurant was ok, there was seating inside but it was so cramped and dark it didn't feel very inviting. It was a beautiful day so we chose to sit outside. The hostess who sat us didn't seam thrilled about our presents and asking to be seated out side. Kind of odd might have just been her personality.
Read moreThe menu was nice yet the prices reflected a meal that should come with a much higher level of service and ambiance.
The food was good and the plating ok it just wasn't worth it.
The service was friendly enough but again at the price. I am vegan and enjoy raw food but this restaurant really wasn't worth it for me.
If someone were to take me there I might suggest another place in the area. Not that I wouldn't try it again I just wouldn't be up to paying for it and really wouldn't want for someone else to treat me to it unless they insisted we go there.
Pros: they have food? , the company I was with, The outside seating
Cons: The value, The inside seating
Guest
West Side Vegan
Points +69
Planet Snob - Edit
Despite the horrible service, my husband and I eat here fairly often because we just LOVE certain menu items (Macho Nachos, Cheesy Kelp, and the Endive appetizer). As long as you stick to the menu, and avoid the specials (which are usually around $18.95 - $23.95 for no more food than you would get for $12 on the menu) the prices are generally higher than most, but OK. We have always been of the opinion that the quality of the food made up for the absolutely terrible service and ambiance. As for the service they get two big thumbs down and a big ol' :-PpppPppppp There is ONE helpful employee there. Her name is Chalyse and you will recognize her by her cute platinum blonde bob, facial piercing, and her SMILE (the only one in the whole place who is friendly and helpful!). If she isn't your server, I'd get up and leave and try again later. Seriously. For your health, don't let anyone else serve you. We were there on Sunday and Ariel, Ariana, and Ally were working. Ally was our server. Ally and Ariana were busy stuffing their faces on the floor, using the wine rack by the register as a table, taking huge, unladylike mouthfuls which caused them to have to use their fingers to get all of their bite into their mouth all while facing those of us dining there, and then licking their fingers. They were doing all of this in between running food to tables, and they DID NOT WASH THEIR HANDS between bites and running food! Juliano didn't care or didn't notice. He's too busy being pretentious to care about silly things like hygiene and good service. To top it off, we then saw Ally wipe her nose with her sleeve while talking to customers at another table! Not to mention she was dressed in daisy dukes, 4" wedges, a tank top and a sweater. Not appropriate server-ware at all. On another occasion, Ariel was serving us. She never once noticed when our water glasses were empty. We'd sit for what seemed like ages trying to get her attention to ask her for more water. Then she saw some friends of hers on the sidewalk through the side door and ran to the door to call after them to come see her. Then she and Juliano and their friends stood around several inches from the tables and gabbed while she continued to ignore her tables. As far as the vegan issue, they are not 100% vegan. They use honey. From what I've been able to learn, it's only in the desserts, smoothies, shakes and kale chips. Smoothies & shakes can be made with agave.
Read morePros: Yummy!
Cons: Pretentious, Poor Hygiene, Expensive
Guest
RawMatt
Points +48
Juliano's is Alive! - Edit
This place is a close second to my favorite raw food restaurant. I had the lasagna and apple pie. WOW! If you are within 50 Miles of this place it is a must do.
Read morePros: Outstanding Food, Service is top notch, Hey It's Santa Monica
Cons: Not \
Guest
Cubbyg
Points +31
Beautiful Food, Abundant Attitude - Edit
This restaurant is set in the shabby chic motif. Open ceiling, lotsa artistic designer touches; Love it. The food selection is wonderful, very beautifully prepared and presented, a signature of Juliano. I agree with the other posting, the service has serious attitude. Hey, all I want is good service and a wonderful meal. Service was fair, I found the flavors to be a bit conflicting in the dishes. Pricing is a bit expensive, to go with the attitude throughout. I hope next time they cheer up!
Read morePros: great menu selections, beautiful presentation
Cons: Lotsa Attitude, Fair service
Guest
The Veggie Cook
Points +1201
Creative Cuisine - Recommended - Edit
Two friends and I ate at Juliano's Planet Raw restaurant today. We all had been here a few times before separately though a long while back. Our past impressions varied (good and not so good), but we were eager to give it another try.
Read moreToday was a nice sunny day, so we sat in the back patio area. We took a while to examine the menu, and our waitress was very patient with us. All the other staff (waitress and kitchen people) were also very gracious with us.
The prices are average/typical to Santa Monica sit-down dining, not expensive not cheap. The fact that it's pure veg and organic is worthwhile to me.
I had a Chai smoothie which was an interesting blend of berries and chai spices topped with bits of walnut, cacao, goji (very tasty - I especially enjoyed the topping bits).
For appetizers, we shared the Spring Rolls, which had interesting wrap and filling accompanied by a creamy sauce (attractive, okay taste) and the Bruschetta which was olives and baby tomatoe halves over a savory nut cheez on top of cracker/bread (rich, delightful, but salty for my liking).
For main, a friend and I shared the Thai Salad (very delicious dressing, nice greens, avocado) and the Monster Wrap (many flavors in a nori wrap, filling, tasty, spicy).
Overall, we all enjoyed our meal. The presentation of the food was artful, attractive, and colorful. The portions were good (fair), and the taste somewhat complicated and very interesting though a few things a bit on the salty side (I usually eat low salt at home).
I definitely would recommend Juliano's Planet Raw to anyone interested in gourmet raw food cuisine.
Pros: friendly service, beautiful and flavorful cuisine, fair prices
Cons: gossip about owners
Guest
Hugo
Points +53
Miss... - Edit
I have been to Juliano's Raw a few times since I have gone raw. Peculiarly, their menu indicates that they don't use Agave, Carrots, Kiwi, Bananas, Dates, Pineapple, Navel Oranges, and several other foods, citing that these items contain disaccharides. You do your own research. I did mine, and I don't feel that the presence of disaccharides in these foods merit their omission from our RAW diets. If you maintain a balanced Raw+Vegan+mostly alkaline diet, you WILL have a strong and healthy small and large intestinal tract to overcome indigestion. I tried the Hot Cacao (which for some some reason WAS actually hot, way abover 118 degrees). I was expecting a RAW Cacao drink you know. Since it is a RAW restaurant. The jalapeno poppers were OK. But the red dipping sauce in the middle of the plate needed salt. We asked (3) different waitresses for salt. It took literally 12 minutes before it was brought to our table. Big no no. I tried the fat cheeze melt next. It was pretty good. But didn't merit an $11.09 price tag given its portion size. Had the chocolate bliss balls which were good. And topped off my meal with their 'best ever cheeze cake' which came almost frozen for some reason (had to wait several minutes before being able to sink my fork into it). The best item I had which I failed to mention, was the strawberry smoothie. It was very good. I noticed a pervasive use of buckwheat on the menu. Word of caution: avoid - at all cost - any buckwheat cracker or any item on the menu containing their buckwheat crackers. It tastes awful. The looks, the texture, and the taste of their buckwheat cracker is repulsive. In summation: This is why RAW restaurants have such a bad stigma. RAW restaurants do NOT have to be 'hit or miss'. Moreover, the vibe of the restaurant is VERY L.A. Very cliche. Too trendy. I think people patronize this restaurant because its trendy, and because people want to say they have eaten there. I definitely don't think that someone can ever gloat about having a really delicious lunch or dinner here. I highly doubt it. It was probably my last visit to Juliano's. I definitely would not recommend this restaurant to one of my friends. Sorry guys!
Read morePros: Questionably Vegan (use of Honey), RAW (except for near boiling temp Cacao), Strawberry smoothie
Cons: Horrible tasting buckwheat crackers, Service
Guest
ShantiDass
Points +24
Not sure what is vegan - Edit
I have the recipe book and a lot of items contain honey. The waitstaff didn't seem to know which items contained honey. I also don't eat soy so no Nama Shoyu, liquid aminos or miso for me. Again, blank looks from the staff. The restaurant is commonly referred to as being raw vegan but because of the honey is not. I went down the street to RFD for some truly vegan food.
Read moreCons: Not sure what is vegan, Not sure which meals are soy free
brainyblonde
Funny I found Real Food Daily's food to be bland and definitely soy. Most "vegans" I eat (and many raw foodists who eat no dairy meat eggs and only eat 100% raw) still eat honey. Juliano explains in a little pamphlet there why they use the honey candles and to me (even though I eat honey) which foods had honey in them. Sorry it was not a good experience for you (It wasn't for me but for other reasons) but still WAY better than RFD.
Read moreGuest
gr8vegan
Points +2369
Eel Sushi is good! - Edit
I have to admit I'm not a fan of raw food restaurants, but its a fun novelty (INSULT! j/k) for me every once in a while. We went to Julianos for some raw sushi! Its basically fat rolled in nori with mustard on it, but the "eel" roll was tasty. The rest were sort of repetitive. They serve honey there so I wouldn't call them vegan. I had some wine based drink w/o the honey... vomit! However if you are into raw or just want to experience it this place is really nice, you can sit outside and enjoy a nice evening. Don't order the bottled water because their filtered water is really good and free!
Read moreCons: honey, fat, sugar
Guest
judacia
Points +37
visited once, unsure about a return - Edit
I went in to only have dessert & a beverage. Their brownie was very small and covered with sour fruit. Their macadamia nut milk was tasty, but the serving was too large. They were expensive, and not what I would serve to anyone as it was served to me.
Read moreGuest
leafekat
Points +244
Not as bad as the reviews say - Edit
We read the review before we visited.
Read moreYes, it is a couple of dollars more than other raw eateries in the area.
Yes, the portions are smaller (we only ate desert here).
Yes, the staff was not as polite as they should have been.
But, the food tasted great and the menu is huge.
We will eat here again, but not for a 3 course meal.
Pros: variety, taste
Cons: staff, portion size
Guest
Mimi710
Points +640
disapointing - Edit
I finally got to eating here after many times in SF. I should have saved my money and gone to Real Food Daily (my favorite restaurant in the world). The food was mediocre, even the desert wasn't that good, the portions were small, and it was expensive. The blood drink however was good. But seriously --- save your money and go to RFD. I believe they have one raw dish, but if you are just looking for vegan, seriously go to RFD!
Read morePros: the blood drink
Cons: expensive, small portions, food not good
zgeist
RFD is greasy and heavily processed. You leave feeling overly stuffed and lethargic. The service is better I'm sure, but its definetly not even remotely as healthy, your wallet may thank you as your body curses you. Madelines Bistro in Tarzana is basically right between these two places when it comes to taste and price and from what I hear is the only non raw restaurant Juliano will eat at.
Read moreGuest
brainyblonde
Points +104
Not what I expected :( - Edit
I suppose I've been spoiled by raw restaurants in Florida, but when I went back to California (used to live there for 8 years) I figured this would be the best raw food ever. I was disappointed. I did like the soups and the "blood drink" (forget the exact name, but admit that was good) but the entrees and desserts (I even went back a second time to see if it would be better) weren't up to par. The raw version of the burger that my friend got wasn't too tasty. The sushi rolls were so so.
Read moreWe ate two deserts (usually the best part of the meal right?) but neither were that great. They weren't especially nice to us either (though at least Juliano did say hi) I give it 2 stars and am willing to try it again only if in Los Angeles and very in need of a raw meal out... but won't hope for too much. I'll probably stick to a soup and salad :(
Pros: soups were good, servers were polite, liked outdoor seating
Cons: entree wasn't that good
Guest
ChristinaZ
Points +32
Snobby service, small portions and great lattes - Edit
[edited - see Terms] The prices were fair until I saw the portions (75% of the plate was covered in mixed greens as a way to make portion look larger, LAME). I loved the spring rolls and the latte I ordered and also my sister in laws strawberry shake. The other stuff wasn't anything special and if I go back I will just get the latte and spring rolls. Worth a visit to see Juliano wearing insane bell bottoms. I'd still rather go to Real Food Daily down the street.
Read morePros: the lattes are awesome, my water was good
Cons: staff sucks, over priced, baby sized portions
Guest
eric
Points +20624
Inconsistent - Edit
A few days ago I ate here and was truly impressed. Prices have come down and all of the dishes we ordered were beautifully presented, fresh, and delicious.
Read moreHowever, if today's lunch was my first experience I would not return.
I must state that I understand that this cuisine is very labor intensive and I do appreciate that Juliano personally shops at the local farmers market to buy the best ingredients.
Today I ordered a couple of the very same dishes which we had last Saturday,.. pumpkin tortellini, spring rolls, and the pumpkin sushi. Tortellini came out today looking and tasting like 4 stale potato chips, hard and crispy (rather than soft and slightly chewy). Spring rolls tasted ok, but the size of the plate and the rolls appeared to be half what it was the previous time, also with little presentation. Sushi was ok, but left an uncomfortable after-taste.
Perhaps Tuesday is just a bad day to visit, as the big market in on Weds., or maybe as the kind server suggested, their are different food preparers working on different days. Nonetheless, the discrepancy in quality was extremely disappointing to me. I was thrilled when this place opened in Santa Monica, as I live locally. My first 3 visits during their early months I had a similar experience of inconsistency which upon my visit last Saturday I thought had been sorted out. Sad to find out I was wrong. I'll give it another try before I make a final judgment.
Pros: Lower prices-reasonable, Gourmet Raw Santa Monica, Local Ingredients
Cons: Inconsistency
groovyvegan
Looks like they've decreased the pumpkin tortellini appetizer from 6 pieces in November '06 to 4 pieces in January '07.
Read moreGuest
No1_Vegan_Goddess
Points +55
Beautiful, delicious AND quite pricey!! - Edit
A beeeeeeeeautiful and fresh-smelling place to eat!!
Read moreGreat food presentation! I love the "Alien's Blood", "Raw n' Roll", and the "Pizza". Unfortunately, the pizza is only about 2x3 inches in size and cost almost $15!! You need about 4 just to feel like you've had an appetizer!! But still, the food IS good, just pricey...
I've been there when the staff was friendly and actually DID acknowledge my presence but, then, two other times, SOME of the staff members were friendly and patient.
The food taste PERFECT (5 cows) but they need more costumer service training so I'll give'em 3 cows...
Pros: DELICIOUS!!, Great food presentation, healthy and guilt-free
Cons: $$$$, tiny portions, sometimes rude staff
Guest
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