Incredibly, Plant City didn’t open in Los Angeles. It opened up in Providence, in a vintage brick building on South Water Street. The all-vegan food hall might not raise an eyebrow in Venice Beach, but in Rhode Island, where pasta and seafood have long reigned supreme, Plant City is a revelation. The structure contains three restaurants, one cafe-slash-bakery, a small marketplace, and an outdoor patio. What’s more: It’s packed with patrons, every day of the week.
The creative force behind Plant City is Matthew Kenney, the celebrity chef and outspoken advocate for plant-based cooking. But the institution’s creator and co-founder is Kim Anderson, a Rhode Island native and socially conscious entrepreneur, who already had a history of investing in plant-based food companies before partnering with Kenney. It’s very possible that the Plant City in Providence will become the first of many; only time will tell whether or not additional locations take root.
FORAGER'S GUIDEBOOK
Breakfast
Each morning, regulars pour into the sprawling Make Out Cafe for locally roasted coffee, kombucha, a “build-a-bowl” station, and scenic views of the river and pedestrian bridge. The dining room is bright and spacious, and the breakfast options are plentiful.
Shopping
The Marketplace is a little alcove with shelves of organic dry goods on one side, refrigerators full of frozen goodies on the other. While small, like the tiniest Brooklyn bodega, the ingredients here can supply infinite recipes.
Burgers
The first floor of Plant City is also home to New.Burger, a burger joint and bar. More innovative than the Impossible Burger, the creations here use everything from butternut squash “cheddar” to beet ketchup. The bar is impossibly well stocked, and they even serve a scrumptious brunch.
Pizza
You had us at “truffle pizza,” but that’s just one of many Italian dishes to be given a plant-based spin at Double Zero. Find this spot on the second floor and give the raw lasagna a try!
Tacos
Most tacos are identified by the meats they incorporate – but just wait till you’ve tried a jackfruit taco, or the wild mushroom carnitas, or nachos with butternut queso at Bar Verde. “Elote,” also known as “street corn,” is a grilled ear of maize with chipotle crema and cilantro, and it’s a Southwestern trademark. Meanwhile, the margaritas and mezcal mules will knock your socks off.
Beyond Food
The food alone is reason enough to visit but it’s also becoming a community hub: Yoga classes and nutrition workshops are held in the Cellar, with events in the adjacent Plant City Annex, and the patio is abuzz all summer long. Saving the world never tasted so good.
Plant City • 34 South Water Street, Providence • @plantcitypvd
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