Great food and great service. Chef Gerardo Italiano was amazing and the quality of everything was beautiful and kenton was amazing too everything was awesome I love this place read more

Tried Urban Plates and got the Steak Chimichurri Sandwich, and it was honestly SO delicious! The meat was cooked to perfection, and the garlic butter on the bread was exquisitely good. The flavors all complemented each other really well, and every bite was packed with flavor. The sweet girl bagging the cookies also recommended their chocolate chip cookie, so of course I had to give it a try! I'll admit, I might be a little bit of a cookie snob because the flavor wasn't quite my favorite. BUT the texture had that nice soft, fall-apart quality if that's the kind of cookie you're into. Overall, I really enjoyed my meal, and the Steak Chimichurri Sandwich is definitely something I'd order again! read more

Urban Plates - Grilled Grass Fed Steak Sandwich - New American Near Me - Irvine, California

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We like Urban Plates. But both my husband and I felt that quality and quantity have gone down somewhat over the past few years. We recently visited Uban Plates again and were surprised how much it has improved. As far as service, it's more of a self-served restaurant and no one is available to serve other than just bring the food to the table. I had the grass-fed steak with broccolini and Moroccan chicken stew and hubby had the same grass-fed steak but he wanted mashed potatoes and mac & cheese. The steak was perfectly grilled and seasoned. Sesame broccolini had great flavor and tasted so good. Wish portion is a bit larger for the sliced steak. Hubby loved his selections and the lemonade. All was great! read more

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There are plenty of parking spaces. You order first and then dine in. They have plenty of seating both inside and outside. I ordered the Chimichurri Grass Fed Steak with 2 sides: Sesame Broccolini and Basmati Rice. The Sesame Broccolini was okay, not my favorite 'cause it was hard to eat (tough to bite down). The Basmati Rice and Steak was super good though! Recommendation(s): - Chimichurri Grass Fed Steak - Basmati Rice Service: 5/5 Tip(s): - Plenty of parking - Plenty of seats inside and outside - Accept Apple Pay - Restroom available - Order first and then dine in read more

Urban Plates - Chimichurri Grass Fed Steak with two sides: Sesame Broccolini and Yellow Basmati Rice - New American Near Me - Irvine, California

The food is good enough, but I must say you lose a star for the absolutely repelling walkway next to the patio. The smell permeates into the patio and it is disgusting. Please address this. It has been like this for years. read more

Service was great and staff were friendly but unfortunately the food just wasn't good. I wish I'd gone to In and Out instead. I would've saved myself about $8. I got the burger - single and the meat was overcooked and something hard and sharp was in the patty - had to pull it out / spit it out. Quality just wasn't there for the price point. Again, wish I'd gone to In and Out - same portion size/things included on the burger. After 3 bad experiences I don't think l will visit an Urban Plates again. read more

Ordered the grilled herb chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy. The gravy was ice cold as if it just came out of the fridge. The bread was slightly burnt on the edges. The chicken had sort of a plastic texture on the edges. I would order the mash potatoes again. The staff was friendly. read more

It's been so long since my last and first visit to Urban plates they've changed their whole ordering system as well as layout! It is no longer a cafeteria style assembly line of choosing what looks good but a regular extensive menu with a combination of entrees and burgers, salads.. and tons of alluring desserts with calorie counts on EVERYTHING just to make your life a little more "maths". I love and hate it because it does distract me in what I choose to order but also very good to know, everything is portioned out and has their standards. Which means consistency and regularity. The ambience is casual but as a vegetarian your buffet lies in the side dishes. Or the tofu plate plus sides. None of which were better than anything else I've had around here with similar price point and caloric convenience. Broccolini was overcooked and watery. The truffle fries were good but salty. Definitely needed the ketchup. Beet salad is beets! Not much there to say. Basmati/yellow rice was fine but dry. The tofu entree were pretty good but kind of sad looking on its own with the sides. Mac and cheese were fine and incredibly gelatinous once it's been a minute. Mushroom was plentiful, buttony yet greasy. You can also request to sample their specialty drinks if you'd like. read more

I thought I had I written a review about this place when I was coming regularly 8-10 years ago, but apparently I didn't. It's just weird because there was a time I was coming at least once a month despite living 30-40 miles from this location. Urban Plates has always been good at providing more upscale meals at a fair price and with a modicum of wait. It's almost cafeteria-style, with the food being prepared beforehand, except now they put together your tray and bring it to your table instead of scooping it out in front of you as work your way down the line like it used to be. The change didn't even make a difference. The barramundi was still excellent and of good size. That seafood chowder I wish was an option at every restaurant because I love chowders, stews, and chilis as sides as opposed to most places that only offer soup as an appetizer. And my mashed potatoes with gravy was great. The service was still good. I think the counter jockey had my order and total up in less than five seconds and I was fine paying in less than twenty. That's efficiency especially when you don't waste time trying to upsell the customer on every knick or knack on the menu. I appreciate that. The space and ambience is still great in there. I still like it feels like you can breathe for a second in there without fear of being kicked out in the name of turnover. In summary, this place still rocks and I should've reviewed it sooner to let folks know. read more

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Friendly service. Wide variety and foods for every diet. I eat gluten free and got the surf and turf. The shrimp was just okay. The steak was pretty good. Brussels sprouts I wouldn't order again. Mashed potatoes with gravy were tasty. My kids both got chicken tenders plates- one of them is the kid size and you can see they're about the same size so just get all your kids kids meals. They both liked the chicken and fries and the Mac and cheese was good too. My mom got the barramundi sea bass and it was pretty good but the toast and asparagus were mediocre. She also got the hummingbird cake and found it to be too nutty. read more

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Update Wed 1/28/2026: + Love the Surf & Turf entrée for the yummy, well-seasoned crunchy shrimp on a skewer and the flavorful steak cuts. + Urban Plates' meal options are packed with various healthy courses to keep the entire experience enriching and enjoyable. . Crowded yet ample parking and seating. - Still 3% surcharge. - Redeeming the restaurant's Wednesday offer for a free dragonfruit replensher today was awkward for some reason. The cashier didn't mention it, so I asked for it. She said, "I have to charge you." I said, "Oh, the replenisher." "You want a sample?" "Yes." She handed me a replenisher. I verified, "It's free, right?" Her "Yes" was barely audible. "Thank you," I walked away, confused why she was gonna charge me for the freebie. I enjoyed: $25.95 Surf & Turf w/ Beet salad (goat cheese) and Quinoa tomato & rustic bread + 3% surcharge + tax = $28.80 Wed Jan 14, 2026: + The salmon w/hollandaise meal was abso-tively scrumptious. - A surcharge of 3% - The cashier didn't know what the asterisks on the menu were and simply told me it meant nothing. After a lil more perusing I found the description in the menu's end corner: the universal statement about foodborne cross-contamination. "I'm not sure, I'll have to check" would've been a more suitable response than "It doesn't mean anything." + Yummy, healthy Wednesday dragonfruit wellness replenisher. Thanks Yelp for the tip! - The price was pretty extortionate for a meal that left me only half full. Within a couple hrs I was starving again! + Good clean restrooms. + Crowded yet ample parking. I had: $21.95 Salmon with broccoli + potatoes + tax = $24.36 Jun '24: I like the variety of American-style food here. I enjoyed one of their seafood meal plates that comes with a couple sides. Delicious and nutritious. I appreciate that they welcome the Japanese-American cultural MeetUp group here every Tuesday evening. Nice venue to meet new people, learn Japanese language and culture, and introduce Japanese natives to the English language and American culture. The staff are very nice and helpful. Even at closing time, they are patient with our gradual migration outdoors. read more

Urban Plates - Thanks Yelp 4 the dragonfruit! [yelp.com/events/irvine-urban-plates-celebrates-the-new-year-with-a-free-giveaway-for-wellness-wednesdays-2] - New American Near Me - Irvine, California

I hosted a small gathering for alumni. On a Sunday afternoon, which is usually very slow There is a nook in the patio. Kept warmer due to the 2 heaters and half covered roof and windows. Love love this design compared to the other locations We asked the staff to turn down the music a bit because we can't hear our speakers and they did so thankful for that. Service was great. thank you to all the staff. read more

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It was OK. Decent food. Fast service. Some unique drink like thr dragon fruit and strawberry drink. Food in be hit or miss. Bis portion, enough for a really full meal. I tried the garlic shrimp plate. This was great. But steak plate was dried and no flavor read more

Urban Plates - Garlic Shrimp W. Parmesan Butter - New American Near Me - Irvine, California

I order here a lot and it's always the same mistake. I'm done giving service here. I get the steak every order. They say it comes medium rare. You can't even specify how you want it cooked. Numerous times it comes well done. In restaurant, I can have them remake it. But when ordered Door Dash, I'm simply stuck with leather steak. No more. read more

Urban Plates - Grilled Steak - New American Near Me - Irvine, California

My daughter loved the kids Salmon plate with mash potatoes!! She said it was buzzing!!! read more

I have visited Urban Plates as a regular customer before, but today, August 25, I came in as an Uber Eats delivery driver. After today's experience, I honestly don't want to return as either a driver or a customer. The employee working at the pickup area was extremely rude and disrespectful toward delivery drivers. Before me, there was another driver waiting for an order, and I watched this employee dismiss him in a very rude tone, telling him his order wasn't ready and gesturing with his hands where he should go and where he should stand, as if he were ordering people around rather than speaking to them respectfully. Then the same thing happened to me. When my order was handed over, I had already started confirming the pickup in the Uber app. I pressed the first confirmation button but simply hadn't had time to press the second one yet. Instead of politely saying, "Could you please confirm the order?", this employee grabbed the bag back from me, held onto it, and pointed at my phone, telling me to press the button. He refused to release the bag until I completed the confirmation. I understand that restaurants need drivers to confirm orders before leaving. That is absolutely fine. What is NOT fine is treating delivery drivers disrespectfully or physically grabbing an order back instead of simply asking for confirmation like a normal professional interaction. I told him that the way he was behaving was not okay. He did not apologize, and nobody else apologized or addressed the situation. Delivery drivers are people doing their jobs and trying to earn a living, just like the employees working inside the restaurant. Being an Uber Eats driver does not make someone less deserving of basic respect. I hope the management of this Urban Plates location sees this review and addresses this employee's behavior. Someone working with customers and delivery drivers should know how to communicate with people respectfully. Treating regular customers politely while treating delivery workers as if they are beneath you is unacceptable. read more

Fatima was very helpful and has great customer service! Food was fantastic with so many options! Great atmosphere.

Came here with a large party - about 30 of us. Completely understand that you don't take reservations but we managed to save tables for our water polo players. Because you have to walk up to order, we decided to order online. THAT WAS DISASTROUS!!! In our party, 3 people ordered online. Out of the 3, - One couldn't finish the transaction because it kept saying "error." (The next day, that person got an email that her food was waiting for her in the cart.) - Another person was successful, but the food took FOREVER - longer than people who stood in line and also did not get everything. She had to ask for her soup. Soup given, then 15 min later, another soup arrived. - Last person ordered, paid, and never got his order. After talking to someone to refund his money, he was informed that it would take 5 days for him to get his refund. Moral of the story: Don't order online. I ordered in line. I asked for a Chopped Caesar with salmon. The lady was going to charge me for a Turkey Caesar Salad and sub it for salmon. I said, "No. I want the chopped Caesar with salmon like the menu shows." She didn't know what I was talking about until I showed it to her on the Giant menu displayed behind her." Moral of the story: double check your order. The real moral of the story is: EAT SOMEWHERE ELSE By the way, the salad was really good but not worth the hassle. read more

Had a nice lunch here, food is good and made fresh to order. Servings are a good size. I tried the chicken caesar salad and my friend had the french dip with fries and a cup of soup. We were both pleased with our choices and food came out fast. Staff was very friendly, and the patio was really nice to sit outside on a warm afternoon. Lots to choices to pick from. read more

Love urban plates for a lunch out with colleagues or friends if I'm feeling something on the healthy side. It's a more casual restaurant, service is good and found is brought out directly to you. I've gotten the chimichurri steak, Cobb salad and salmon here as well and the food always turns out great read more

Urban Plates - Thai Chicken Noodle Salad - New American Near Me - Irvine, California

Urban Plates in Irvine really exceeded expectations. For being a chain, this location feels anything but cookie-cutter--super clean, thoughtfully designed, and just a great overall vibe. It's located in a plaza, so parking was easy. I went with the grilled portobello sandwich and added a little of their house hot sauce--game changer! It gave it just the right kick without overpowering the flavors. The sandwich was hearty, fresh, and full of texture. We also ordered the rib plate, which was generous and tender. Everything we tried felt well-balanced and fresh, and the menu leans healthy without being boring. There's a great variety of options here, especially if you're vegetarian or trying to eat cleaner. Whether you're in the mood for a protein-packed plate or something plant-based, you'll find something solid. The service was quick and efficient (we didn't wait long at all), and the ambiance was a nice surprise--both indoor and outdoor seating looked recently updated, with modern, stylish decor and a comfortable layout. Great for a casual lunch or a relaxed dinner. Highly recommend if you're in the area and want something satisfying, quick, and a little elevated from your standard fast-casual fare! read more

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Always a great place to go for variety of healthy food choices. You get your choice of protein and sides and there are a lot of options! Even fried chicken/chicken tenders. Service is quick and prompt (you order at the register, they give you a number, and they bring it to your table). Food tastes fresh and well seasoned. They also have a condiment bar at the corner for ketchup, salt, pepper, and some hot sauces. A must try! read more

Urban Plates - New American Near Me - Irvine, California

The great thing about Urban Plates is that they offer veggies in a quick, no frills way. If you eat fast food, it can be a challenge to find vegetables that aren't fried in some way. Urban Plates quietly and efficiently fills that hole. This visit, I ended up getting tempted by the new mushroom offerings so I didn't get any broccolini or Brussels sprouts as I usually would but I always enjoy the beets salad every time. Great spot for meeting friends here for catching up as the staff are especially chill about customers hanging out and chatting. Very easy to get up and order more food if you decide you want another drink or dessert. read more

Urban Plates - 4 sides combo - New American Near Me - Irvine, California

Pros: I do like how you can order on your phone and they'll bring it out to your table with everything. I thought the convenience is a huge plus. Also, their menu is pretty large so it is suitable for multiple dietary restrictions. Cons: the flavors were just okay for the price. I believe my meal was over $20 and the Brussel sprouts were a miss for me. Overall, there were some great items like the friends and the burger, and it is a great place to catch up with friends, but it isn't a spot I'd regularly would go to/suggest. However, if my friends want to go, I wouldn't be opposed to trying again. The place can get pretty loud but dies down quickly. It seems that people just eat and leave, so not much socializing going on. Staff is very nice and amazing! read more

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This is my go-to place to eat. The food is so good and I feel good after eating it. It's much better than some of the junky food places out there. read more

Ordered the Chimichurri Grass Fed Steak. The meat wasn't juicy and of low quality. Just kind of a "meh" flavor. Small portion size. The macaroni and cheese was hard with little flavor and the mashed potatoes tasted like they were made from a powdered mix - watery. Ordered their $5.50 lemonade drink and specifically asked if there were refills. Casher said yes. They make the drink for you so it came in a small mason jar with plenty of ice. Didn't last very long, so I requested a refill and was informed "no refills". Pretty pricey for a small drink with no refills - almost every restaurant I know provides refills. They do have a 1.95% service charge listed to offset California labor costs. AH....no! A chickensh*t charge. They should cover all their employee costs. Guess they really didn't want to provide some labor cost and decided to have the customers pay for it. Not a good reflection on the company. For most orders this service charge is less than a buck - raise the prices a tad bit to cover this and get rid of the tacky service charge. A small issue but it shows how much the company values it's employees. Our server was excellent! Gave her a well deserved additional gratuity! Others in my party ordered chicken and fish. None were impressed with the quality. Place seems to have alot of positive feedback but we were disappointed and will not be returning. read more

Loved the food. It's so delicious and plentiful. Very nice comfortable seating. Would definitely go again read more

The service was great & the food was simple & delicious. We loved it & will definitely be back

The Grilled Steak Salad, Nicoise Salad, and Chili Glazed Grilled Tofu was a nice meal throughout. The food arrived well-packaged and maintained its quality. read more

Urban Plates - Grilled Steak Salad, Nicoise Salad, Side Chili Glazed Grilled Tofu - New American Near Me - Irvine, California

Gave the chicken Cobb salad another try and it was delicious as I'd remembered it to be. This time they remembered the eggs and tomatoes! Chicken has a great marinade that makes it very flavorful once cooked. Will be back soon for more. read more

Food tasted pretty good, service was fast, ambiance was nice. For the price the food was worth it. 5 stars Grass Fed Steak. Steak had nice seasonings, rice had good flavor, veggies nicely cooked. Surprised that it didn't need any seasonings. 5 stars Tzatziki Grilled Chicken. Chicken was flavorful, hummus was good. This was a pretty good plate. 3 stars Chicken Tender. The breading was a bit tough. Chicken without the breading tasted good. read more

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Mi lugar favorito para un delisioso y saludable almuerzo en Irvine ,se nota que son alimentos frescos y de calidad y la atención maravillosa y con amor ! Gracias por hacerme sentir en casa. Mariana de Perú read more

Urban Plates - Urban Plates - New American Near Me - Irvine, California

I got a tuna nicoise salad for take out. The dressing was not mixed in. The salad was on the smaller side but protein heavy so it was actually quite filling. Great amount of tuna and cooked well, not too chewy. Also had some green beans, cherry tomatoes, and potatoes. The dressing was more of a champagne vinaigrette so it was light and tangy. read more

We chose Urban Plates in Irvine for our Sunday supper this past weekend and loved every bite! Their menu is full of healthy, flavorful options, all freshly made to order with great-quality ingredients. We enjoyed the seared tuna plate, steak chimichurri, Thai chicken salad, surf & turf plate, and a steak sandwich with chicken tortilla soup. Everything was delicious, but our favorites were definitely the Thai chicken salad, the tortilla soup, and the surf & turf platter. Dessert was a showstopper--beautifully decorated and absolutely to die for. The Mango Tart and Hummingbird Cake were standouts (and yes, the flowers on top are edible!). The restaurant itself is warm, cozy, and stylishly modern. Service was quick and kind, and a big thank-you to Izzy, the manager on duty, and her team for their attentive, welcoming hospitality. We'll definitely be back soon for another relaxed, flavorful meal and those unforgettable desserts! read more

Urban Plates - New American Near Me - Irvine, California

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My second time visiting Urban Plates, this time at the Irvine location within the Barranca shopping center. The interior of this location was spacious, and they also offered a few table outside as well. In comparison to the Yorba Linda location it is a bit smaller but, spacious never the less. Atmosphere is casual, and the staff is consistently friendly. I ordered the roasted chicken plate with a side of macaroni and cheese, and truffle fires (and additional $2 side upgrade) and everything was delicious! The chicken was tender and moist, the truffle fries were amazing (although I will say the portion was a bit small considering the upgrade charge) and the Mac and cheese was always very good. **Ordering the truffle fries stand alone, is the same portion size and what you get as a side to a plate. Definitely not a sharing portion, see photos for reference. My friend ordered the beet salad (another crowd favorite and I could see why, I snuck a few bites and it was delicious!) came with both red and yellow beets. It did not however come included with a protein, that is an extra add on as well. We ended the meal by sharing one of their chocolate chip cookies which was admittedly to die for. Crispy edges, and a gooey center (almost undercooked but, in a enjoyable way) Great location to stop by if you're already in the area running errands! read more

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Tasty food with a lot of gluten free options, efficient ordering system, and a cozy contemporary ambiance. This place used to be a favorite, but I was really put off by a sign at the register stating that they add a 3% surcharge to all orders because of California mandated benefits. Urban Plates doesn't even have the number of locations required to pay their workers California minimum wage, so this surcharge is deceptive. There's no guarantee their staff is better paid because of it. Unfortunate. I will not be returning. read more

Yesterday (just a regular Thursday evening), I put in an online takeout order for 3 meals. Only after getting home and unpacking everything did we realize that there was no surf in my mom's surf & turf. I immediately called Urban Plates to notify them, and the woman on the phone asked if we wanted a refund or replacement. I said replace and my dad headed back to the restaurant to pick up the missing shrimp. He told me to eat first before my food got cold. As I got ready to eat, I realized they forgot the truffle aioli sauce for my chicken tenders. Since my dad had already left to go back to the restaurant, I called Urban Plates again to let them know. I spoke with the same woman, who promised to include the sauce with the replacement shrimp. Sadly, when my dad returned, he had the shrimp but no truffle aioli :( We weren't about to call or go back to the restaurant for a third time. He said the person packing up the to-go orders wasn't aware that there was an issue, but after asking around in the back, she got the replacement shrimp. So the woman who I'd been talking to on the phone had not communicated directly to the person packing up the orders. I don't know if she bothered to tell her about the missing truffle aioli. It was just so so disappointing. And everyone's food was so cold by the time we ate. I don't get to have dinner with my parents often, so it's a bummer when an avoidable issue like this puts a damper on the night. They did give us a couple of cookies on the house, but I would've just rather had the orders right the first time (or even the second time!) read more

I am a loyal customer for the urban plates brand, but this is the first time I came to this location. The food is great, I give them that. But the service is sub par. I always order the chicken tender with 2 sides and I will get 2 cup of sauce at the market place location. So I made the same request but this time the cashier said it bluntly with a condescending tone that it's going to be an extra dollar if I want an extra sauce. Normally I would have no problem giving them the extra bucks for the sauce. However she really rubbed me the wrong way. After the meal, I went to the cashier again and ask for take out boxes. Another cashier looked down on the floor without looking at me saying the take out box is the other way. It's like don't waste my time, the box is at the other direction!! Normally I would not comment on Yelp but I really feel mistreated. Just want to say sometimes really it's the small things that matter the most and they didn't do their job to make their customers feel comfortable and accepted. I probably will not go back to this location again!! Ps let me give you a piece of advice. If you want to sell two big piece of chicken tender with just a small cup of sauce and then charge your Customer an extra dollars for another cup then you may as well raise the price and give them as many cup of sauce as they want!! You are losing or irritating your customers for just a small cup of sauces?! read more

I had urban plates catered for work. The cage free chicken was not the best. There were a lot of fatty parts and it just didn't seem quality. The herb roasted potatoes were pretty good, spiced and cooked well. The flourless chocolate cake was the star of the show. Incredibly rich, creamy and delicious. The Caesar salad had very large pieces of lettuce- they weren't chopped up at all. It was very hard to eat. Overall, not the best food I've ever had but the dessert is worth it. read more

Urban Plates - Flourless Chocolate Cake- half eaten since it's so yummy - New American Near Me - Irvine, California

I love urban plates never had a bad experience the few times I have been here. The service is phenomenal. And everyone was really nice and food came out pretty quick. I ordered the grass fed steak and the grilled shrimp with a side of mac & cheese and seasoned herb fries Instagram: credible.eddieble read more

Urban Plates - New American Near Me - Irvine, California