Plan Check

After my less than stellar review, Julie, the manager reached out to me to invite me back. She promised to make it right and she was true to her word. Not only did she redo my last order, she threw in extras — burgers and donuts. Everything was scrumptious and well enjoyed. I am impressed that Julie took the time to address the issue I had, and her actions show that this establishment is serious about customer retention. Thank you, we will definitely be back!

Although this place was nicely designed and the other Regular/​Normal food is very delicious. One of the Bacon Burger with sunny side up Egg was very delicious also the cris-​cut fries I believe.
The Promotional Sanrio Food was super adorable to look at and the Cap was a good deal for $ 40. However, the food itself wasn’t prepared all the way, I was a bit disappointed that the food was a bit cold and was more so warm than hot. The bun didn’t taste fresh, but it tasted as if it was there for a long time. The Vanilla soda was very disgusting and bitter and sour. The Chips were very stale and old. The Macaroni was pretty cold and wasteful. Overall, will never do it again.
Customer Service was decent.
Sat on the bar due to limited space and also was a hot day.
Price was over-​priced compared to the quality of food presented.

I normally go to the downtown Plan Check, but I decided to check out the Sawtelle one ! Food wise, it’s the same, but looking at the atmosphere and environment wise, it’s really different. The Sawtelle location is definitely more packed and loud — if you’re looking to have an intimate conversation, you probably want to choose a different restaurant. The Downtown location is a lot less busy, at least when I have gone. I love both though !
Because it was really busy we decided to just sit at the bar. The bartenders were really friendly and nice. Service wise, they were pretty slow and because we were sitting at the bar they were more focused on getting drinks out.
This time, I went with my friend and we both ordered the Southern Fry and other than it being really big (which is a good thing haha), it was pretty good, ⁴⁄₅. I always get the Sweet Potato Waffle Fries with peach ketchup ! Perfect balance of sweet with salty. :)
Parking: We just found street parking.
I might just stick to the downtown location !

Since I’ve been seeing Instagram posts about this place for the longest time, I’ve decided to take my sister here for her birthday. They have different locations but we decided to go to the one in Sawtelle Blvd for more Japanese feeling. We were so excited! Upon entering, we were greeted promptly and nicely.
The ambience is amazing, as well as the crowd. It has a very lively vibe, which I couldn’t really point out if it’s their lively music, interesting sports tv, their enthusiastic waiters & waitresses or all of the above. The have a communal table next to the bar for large parties and still have abundant of seats.
I ordered their Plan meal combo, which is $ 39 for a kimchi sausage burger, small Mac and cheese, a chococat cookie and a pompompurin vanilla ice soda as well as a cute cap. It was too cute to eat!!! However, the burger was a little chilly when it was served as well as the Mac and cheese. The cookie was cute but tasted nothing special. The vanilla cream soda was also served in the end, which I doubt it’s supposed to be. We also ordered smoked fried chicken, which was super good and fries.
Sawtelle Blvd is a very busy and narrow street so parking could be a challenge. We didn’t see and valet service in the area. We parked a block behind the restaurant.

Plan Check is my go-​to in Sawtelle for when my friends and I have had too much Asian food for the past week. This location gets pretty packed during peak hours, so be warned that you should call ahead for a larger group.
Service is usually pretty good, whenever I come. They allow me to switch tables, despite the annoyance I cause them, and typically fill up my water cup pretty regularly. I have noticed better service indoor vs outdoor, due to the proximity of the kitchen.
Ambiance is cool and casual at the same time. It’s a great place to catch up with a small group of friends or bring your dog to lunch (due to dog friendly outdoor seating).
As far as food goes, it’s good but nothing extraordinary. I typically get their chicken sandwich most of the time but have ordered one of the burger specials so I can successfully comment on how they rank in the search of LA’s best burger– it’s a good burger, fan of the buns they use. Definitely on the smaller side, but relatively filling… if you snack or drink beforehand. I would say it ranks as fairly good on the hunt for the best burger in LA, but nowhere near the top.
Plan Check uses ketchup leather, which has a funky texture to it that most of my friends like. Wish their burgers came included with fries instead of charging you extra but guess they can get away with it since half of LA has begun doing this.

Time for review 2007. I’ve been to Plan Check a few times and also had their food delivered both via Amazon and Postmates.
The basics: The burger here is good. It’s high fat content and well assembled structure with pickles, schmaltz onions, and ketchup leather is melt in your mouth good. Not sure how it blends with the cheese but I skipped the cheese as I usually do on burgers.
The burger is ridiculously rich in flavor, as if it’s a hamburger served at a French restaurant thanks to their extensive use of what I understand is beef tallow in the cooking process for most of the items on the menu.
My biggest problem with the burger is the lack of crunch. I want crunch in a burger and that is usually provided by raw onions (one of my favorite burger toppings), or at a place like umami burger by the parmesan cheese crisp. But the Plan Check Burger doesn’t have any crunch… unless you count the pickles… but to me I find them to be more on the chewy side.
What about the sides? Get the avocado spread and dip the sweet potato waffle fries with it. You won’t regret it. Unfortunately if you do get it to go watch out for the fries to become soggy as they put them in plastic containers which don’t allow the condensation to dissipate, but at their Sawtelle location you won’t have to deal with this.
Overall a solid ⁴⁄₅ for the food but I’m ignoring their horrendous parking situation here… but you’ve been warned!

It was alright, I had a normal burger that I thought was really good but kinda expensive. I would justify the price if it came with fries or something.
2 trendy 4 my taste

Tiny portion, but I really like the food here.
Plan Check is a gastropub that was originally started by Ernesto Uchimura. Los Angeles Magazine named Ernesto Uchimura as «Chef of the Year» in 2012 and he worked as the corporate executive chef of Umami Burger for about 2 years (2009 ~ 2011). Our group came here at 6 PM and it was already pretty crowded. On a side note, this is one of the three Plan Check locations in Los Angeles (one in Westlake and another one in Beverly Grove).
Once in awhile Plan Check will offer special menu like Gudetama-​inspired menu from half a year ago or $ 39 special menu to celebrate Sanrio’s Pompompurin & Chococat 20^th Anniversaries (from June 10, 2016 to July 10, 2016). I wasn’t interested in the special menu and got the two most popular items on their regular menu instead.
***
Smokey Fried Chicken (Jidori chicken, smoked milk gravy, yam preserves, spicy pickled okra, $ 13): It was one of the more expensive fried chicken I’ve ordered … I mean $ 13 just for few pieces of chicken? HOWEVER, this dish was also one of the best fried chicken I’ve had in Los Angeles … juicy, tender, and excellent gravy and yam preserves. (4.75÷5)
PCB (Plan Check Burger, Americanized dashi cheese, ketchup leather, schmaltz onions, mixed pickles, crunch bun — medium rare, $ 12.50): This is what I called the «McDonald-​style burger» — soft bun with more focus on sauces. Just in case you are wondering, ketchup leather is a square shape dehydrated house ketchup. Personally I liked this burger — good flavors and just the right burger size, but my other friend who also ordered the same burger didn’t like ketchup leather & bun as much as I did. (4.75÷5)
***
This is a great gastropub to hang out with friends & I like Plan Check better than Father’s Office. My recommendation? Definitely order any chicken dishes here (e.g. chicken sandwich or smokey fried chicken).
P. S. — I believe valet parking is available, but I was able to find few street parking spots just a block away from the restaurant.

Came here because of the cute Pompompurin x Chococat Menu Set they have. Theres tons or parking on the street, and theres also valet available (I believe it was $ 5). The windows and the door of Plan Check were decorated with the Sanrio characters– super cute. We walked in, and the inside of Plan Check was dimly lit, with a long table with high chairs, and a couple of booths on the side. Theres a bunch of outdoor seating as well, but my best friend and I decided to sit at a booth.
Our server came over and was super friendly and nice! He gave us some suggestions, and we opted for some fries and the Sanrio menu set ($ 40) which includes:
1. Mac n Cheese– a very small portion. Nothing stood out to both my friend about this. Very mediocre :(
2. Togarashi Chips– think a blank potato chip with some Togarashi (spicy seasoning) on top
3. Pompompurin Grilled Sausage Sandwich– this was DELICIOUS! it was our favorite of the course. By the time we tried this, we were so grateful as the other dishes were so underwhelming. The sausage, kimchi slaw, and kewpie cilantro mayo mix was super good.
4. Chococat Cookie served with Vanilla Ice Cream– Ice cream literally tasted like your typical Dreyers ice cream. nothing special. The cookie was decent, but got a little too sweet for me with all the icing on top.
5. Vanilla Cream Soda with Whipped Cream– this was really yummy! I’ve never tried anything quite like it. it was like a heavy cream soda. It was too sweet for me, so I only had a couple sips, but the Pompompurin design on top made for a super cute picture.
Another thing to note is one of the highlights of this place were the french fries. My best and I got it on the side, and were soon disappointed. They literally tasted like any other fry… and the ketchup wasn’t a redeeming factor for it either :(REALLY disappointed with that too.
I ended up paying ~$ 27 for the meal, which is a little steep only because nothing blew me out of the water. Granted my best friend got an exclusive hat out of the Sanrio menu set and the pictures of all the food were cute, I definitely wouldn’t drive another 45 minutes for this restaurant.

3.5 stars for their Plan Check X Sanrio menu
The choco cat Sanrio set is as cute as the photos you see on Instagram! The flavors were just ok though…
–the drink (vanilla soda?) ugh, its SO sweet with a bunch of whipped cream on top. If you have a sweet tooth you might like it, but my friends and I took a sip and stopped at that.
–the burger: the sausage burger was the best part of the meal, it’s juicy and flavorful
–the mac and cheese; standard mac and cheese, its a tiny portion
–potato chips: I mean… do they even need a review? it’s just a filler item.
–the cookie and ice cream: the choco cat cookie makes for a great photo op, but it tastes like a supermarket shortbread cookie served with supermarket vanilla ice cream lol.
the $ 39 price tag was a little high for this meal, but it does come with a limited edition sanrio snapback, so if you’re into that then you might enjoy it.
The ambiance of Plan Check is always nice and open, the service was friendly and fast. I’d probably stick to their regular menu though!
Parking: they have their own underground parking, just follow the signs

Came for the Sanrio collab. The food was ok but its reaaally cute! $ 49 for a set menu.
The food was alittle cold when it arrivedz The burger’s slaw and sausage reminded me of the flavors of a Vietnamese banh mi. The bun was soft so not toasted, shich is fine. This was my favorite! I would eat it again.
Italian cream soda was way too sweet. I didnt even drink more than a sip. The cookie was a shortbread cookie! It wasnt sweet at all and paired well with the vanilla ice cream. The frosting decoration top is really thick and not edible though.
The mac n cheese was ok! It was topped with breading, which was great. It was about ¼ cup. The bottom had a puddle of grease though.
The potato chips was good! I enjoyed it, typical homemade ones at a restaurant with some special asian seasoning flair.

FOOD:
Patrami + Beef Patty Burger
~ with Kimchi Mustard, Kombu Pickles, Swiss Cheese + Sunny-​side-​up egg (extra order)
~ Took my first bite and I loveeeee it. I’m very fussy with burgers cause I’m not a fan of burger. I don’t usually eat that much meat.
~ One of the best burger I have had. I usually can’t finish a burger, but I finished the entire burger that is double the size of my palm!
Chef’s Favourite Burger
~ Akaushi Beef, Bacon and Cheese, Sunny Eggs, Ketchup leather and hot sauce
~ Love the combination of everything that taste really delicioussss too.
Pickles is homemade (very yummy!), I asked for more ($ 0.50 extra charge). Even the ketchup sauce is homemade too!
SERVICE:
Our server is really sweet, constantly asking if we are ok with our orders and if we’re ok with her recommendations. I told her, great recommendation!
PRICE:
Kind of pricey, $ 14.50 without tax for just a burger? It is really good but for this price it will take me a while before I’m back again.

Need to definitely return to do more menu exploration. We came here for the first time specifically to check out the third Plan Check x Sanrio collab for Pompompurin and Chococat’s bday celebration. The set meal of sausage sammy, special mac n cheese, chips, vanilla cream soda, and Chococat sugar cookie with vanilla ice cream was divine and delicioso!
Other snacks we tried were calling us for a return trip!
I hope to up the number of stars based on their regular menu. The churros are a must on the next trip here!

If you’re looking for burgers and beer, you can’t go wrong with Plan Check. It’s a fun place with nice wooden tables and copious amounts of outdoor seating.
The burgers here are layered with lots of awesome fixins. You really can’t go wrong with the PCB, or even the Southern Fry if you’re feeling like having some fried chicken. The burgers come with ample protein that can satiate almost any appetite. For starters, the crab dip is solid, but the stuffed mushroom will be a welcome addition as well.
Beer selection is pretty good. They also have a decent list of whiskies as well, including the Macallan 18.
Street and valet parking available. Will definitely be back.

The PCB is definitely a very good burger but wouldn’t go so far as some to say that it’s the best burger in LA. It was a rather simple burger but it was cooked perfectly and the meat was flavorful and juicy. The ketchup leather was fine but I didn’t think it was anything to rave about — I prefer traditional ketchup.
Definitely will be back to check out happy hour and brunch. I do wish that this location had the same $ 6 lunch specials that the fairfax one does!
Parking is super easy — lots of meters or side streets with free parking. Service was great and enjoyed sitting on the outside patio. Will be back for sure!

First time here! Walked from Flores’ happy hour to check this place out and try their burger. With 5 minutes left on happy hour here, we quickly ordered some beers. No food on HH offered here. Great craft beer selection.
The guys working here aren’t overly nice, was my first impression. We were told we could sit at an empty table on the patio but then were told we couldn’t because someone was getting seated before us. No biggie. But when my husband took a step forward to check out the patio situation again, a male server snorted
(in a very queen-​like manner) .“Or you can just walk away from me.” I wanted to say ‘Hey I can hear you get all snappy, I have ears!!! ” Honestly, he needs to not be fresh! Great big bubble butt though. Chingy’s song came to mind… «How the hell did you get all of that in dem jeans?» …Anyway, we sat at the bar for a few, then a table opened up outside.
First thing we ordered was the stuffed mushroom with roasted portobello, swiss cheese fondue, crispy kale, roasted garlic steak sauce. –8 bucks.
I wouldn’t get it again OR I’d ask for the steak sauce on the side because honestly, it took away from the great flavor of the mushroom. Too over powering for me. Too sweet.
Oh, and I forgot about the crispy kale! I forgot because it was boringggg. Not even salted. Zero flavor. We hardly ate this dish.
Next up, got a lil’ duck breast ham — $ 6. Oh yeah. So good, I’d love it to be chewing gum. Probably uses the same purveyor as Medettaraneo.
Pickled Chorizo sausages (3 bucks). We’re playing cards at this point and the sun’s still up. It’s about 6:45 and there’s a line to get in. Oh yeah, and the chorizo. YUM. I’d get it again to munch.
Guessing I should get something «healthy,» I ordered the Butter Lettuce Salad. Boring right? Wrong! Really really good! $ 9. Egg, crispy cheddar, smoked almonds, apple, creamy mustard dressing. So good, in fact, I’m going to *try* duplicating this at home.
«Dessert» time! …And the real reason I’m here. CHEFS FAVORITE BURGER $ 14.00
cheese two ways, bacon two ways, KETCHUP LEATHER™, sunny fried egg, hot sauce. Ordered it medium rare. It came out slightly over-​done, more on the medium side. Other than that it was pretty darn good.
Our server was Roxanne who was perfection. Unfortunately, the queeny, bubble-​butt boy was flouncing around, waiting on tables besides us on the patio. He’s sooo in love with himself! Which is fine, but you don’t get to be rude to us. Which is the reason for a missing star. Keep your thoughts INSIDE your head, bubble boy. Also, the bar stools are hideous cold metal with no backs and the bar was cluttered to the point that I wasn’t sure I should sit there. All the male servers could have been nicer, and the burger was a little over done. About the stuffed mushroom, we didn’t like the steak sauce, but others may love it…
Would I come back? Possibly but I’m not in a giant hurry. I think there are four locations? I’ve been to the one on Fairfax and had a decent experience as well. So many gastropubs to compete with… This one is a solid three star so far for me. I’ll update if my next experience is much different.

Trying to take a break from going to Tsujuta and ROC… ventured further down Sawtella for Plan Check on Sunday
Place said no reservations, but hostess tried to reseat us to another table of 4 when we sat by a table by the window… the place was half empty and my husband asked why we are being asked to move… hostess said someone made reservation 48 hours in advance??? My husband refused to move, and asked why she is moving us from a table that seats 4 to another table that seats 4, she said the reserved table is better??? My husband said that was ridiculous, and she said we didn’t have to move… by the way, no one showed up for the supposed 48 hour advanced reservation.
Ok, on to the food…
Crab dip for appetizer $ 14. I thought it was tasty, but my husband said it tasted like canned blue crab mixed with cheese heated on a flat iron pan…3 stars
My husband got the Plan Check Burger, he said for $ 14, it was underwhelming, basically bacon, spicy cheese, burger with a sunny side up egg…3 stars
I got Smokey fried chicken plate $ 13, tender «tandoori» pieces of breaded chicken with 4 pieces of pickled okra and dollop of sweet potato mash… I enjoyed it but my husband said chicken was bland…4 stars
Homemade mango soda was refreshing $ 3.50. Server was adequate.
(Written by husband)

After coming here 5 or 6 times, I’m downgrading my previous review from a «4 star» to a «3 star».
Let me start off by saying the food here is pretty solid. But there are a few beefs I have with this place that keep me from wanting to come back.
First off, this place is always packed and waaay to cramped. The wait is usually 45 minutes, so we grab a drink at the bar while we’re waiting for our table. When you’re getting a drink at the bar, the place is so small that you’re always crowding people in front of and behind you while they’re eating dinner. So you’re usually standing at the bar for 10 minutes feeling uncomfortable because people around you are trying to enjoy dinner and probably can’t.
Then when you get seated after close to an hour, you think you’ll finally be able to just relax at the table and eat. Nope. You’re likely sitting shoulder to shoulder (unless you were lucky enough to sit outside or at the back table). The whole time I just feel stressed even with a few beers in me.
The food is pretty decent. The fried chicken is super moist and comes with a great sauce and nice sweet potatoes. The burgers are solid but I’m not a fan of their trendy toppings like their ketchup leather and crispy cheese disks or whatever. They’re trying too hard to be different and unique. Stop trying to make fetch happen, ya know?
They have some quality beers but they’re too expensive. I got a stone IPA and it was $ 9.81 not including tip. $ 12 for a 12oz bottle of Brother Thelonious. Tis madness!
Overall, the food is pretty solid but not good enough to compensate for the long wait time and stressful eating experience. A dinner here always ends up wasting our whole night and when my friends tell me «We’re going to Plan Check», I’m always thinking «Ugh!».

«Chef’s favorite burger» was delicious. Not overpowering and I can taste the ingredients. They have this neat ingredient called ketchup leather which is a dehydrated version of their house ketchup. The texture is kind of like the little rectangular fruit strips that kids eat for snacks.
Got a cruller donut for desert. It’s kind of like a churro that’s been twisted into a donut shape but that’s bit of an understatement for how good it tastes.
Servers are friendly. Outdoor seating is available if you like to sit by the street and watch people try to find street parking. The seats closer to the restaurant have heat lamps to keep you warm!

Plan Check adheres to the standard burger bar/​gastropub mentality — that is, gourmet burgers/​fries, libations, etc. It’s an all-​out assault on the arteries, so approach with caution:
_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​
+ Make no mistake about it — Plan Check is a bar in every sense of the word. It’s loud, lively and energetic. Not the best place to go to if you’re trying to engage in some intimate conversation, but definitely a great spot to hit up if you’re trying to down some drinks and watch a basketball game.
+ We visited right in the thick of the dinnertime rush on a weekday and waited about 15 – 20 minutes to be seated. The place was packed full of patrons seated at both traditional booths/​tables and more communal-​style counters that spanned the length of the entire pub. We figured that waiting it out for a table wasn’t that bad of a decision, given that we had the game on to distract ourselves with.
+ The servers were all exceptionally friendly and accommodating. While standing near the front doorway waiting to be seated (there’s no seating available for those waiting for a table), we were asked on multiple occasions as to how long we had been waiting for. One of the hosts helped speed our wait process along by offering a table to us that had been vacated by some other diners (They wanted to move to another table because it was just too «cold» for them… oh well. Their loss, our gain.)
_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​
+ The GF ordered up a Plan Check Burger (sans the bun) & I decided to go with the Chef’s Favorite Burger.
At the core of both burgers was a perfectly cooked burger patty (I went with medium-​rare) — and by perfect, I mean juicy, tender, and full of satisfying beefy flavor. I honestly would’ve been impressed by the Chef’s Favorite even without its assortment of fufu gourmet add-​ons. That being said, these same add-​ons did help elevate the Chef’s Favorite into the realm of «magical.»
According to the menu, the burger featured «bacon two ways,» though I only tasted one preparation among the burger’s contents. This being said, that bacon was decadent and perfectly crisped… gotta give credit where it’s due.
Plan Check’s famed «Ketchup Leather» wasn’t quite a dead ringer for its namesake condiment. To me, it tasted like more like a Fruit Roll-​Up with a savory twist — sweeter than traditional ketchup, but with a pronounced tomato flavor. The leather worked quite well in terms of balancing out the burger’s many savory elements.
The whole «runny egg on top of burger» is a bit conceptually played out in my opinion, but at least you know what you’re getting — i.e. a nice contrast of silky egg yolk, crisp bacon, and tender burger patty. The Chef’s Favorite featured all of the above.
+ The Cheesy Fries that we shared were some of the best fries that I’ve had in recent memory. The fries themselves had a distinct umami flavor thanks to the use of beef tallow in place of cooking oil. While it’s probably not the most health-​conscious option there, the tallow gives the fries a distinctly more substantial, savory flavor. Taste for yourself and experience the difference!
+ For the sake of partly alleviating the guilt that comes with dining at Plan Check, we ordered up a Butter Lettuce Salad that featured nice savory touches of smoked almond, sweet apples, and a generous portion of sliced up hard-​boiled egg. The portion size for the salad was quite generous and perfect for sharing.

Ok. Finally got here and understand why the raves keep coming. One of theeee best burgers ever. Perfectly cooked, texture and flavor. Perfect balance of meat to bun to condiments. Great fries and nice happy hour red. Only thinly holding it from 5 stars is noise and waiter who
Went MIA after service. Def a fast meal but no pressure to leave. A must try for burger fans.

Good food.
Probably won’t be coming back as there are closer locations. And I’m hardly ever in the mood to eat such heavy foods anymore.

Cool looking environment. I will rate 4 star for environment, very casual and hipster.
I order Southern Fry burger and French fry. Burger is not as good as what I expect by paying $ 12. It worth about $ 7 but it’s not bad. I can see they take effort to think about their food. Taste wise, I will give 3 star.

Finally found the time to make it to Plan Check. I am glad I did; however, areas of improvement needed. Tried the PCB, Pastrami Nosh, and Fries. I ordered the PCB at medium and it was delicious. The ketchup leather worked well with not overpowering the burger with sourness or even sweetness. The meat was tender, flavorful, and savory. Every bite progressively got better, especially with the Speak Easy Session IPA. The Pastrami Nosh was good too, but different. The pastrami were thick cuts with a nice cured taste. The Kimchi mustard was overbearing and salty. The pastrami was already salty, in a balanced way, so the Kimchi mustard was so eager to take over with each bite. The over medium egg on top was a nice addition to the nosh, but I felt it was unnecessary.
The Fries were average, but seasoned well. The homemade ketchup was definitely refreshing, especially from the Heinz processed crap.
Service was acceptable, but I was hoping for more smiley faces. Come on, smile a bit more! Parking sucks on Sawtelle, but we all know this… so you can valet, Über it, or get lucky and find some street parking. If you want to burn off the calories, consider parking at the Olympic Collection.

The fried chicken was delicious! Sweet jeebus me likes. Make sure you get the hot sauce my friends.

Service was super nice. Food was beyond amazing. Boyfriend got the Blueprint burger with egg & I got the special of the day spicy chicken sandwich with added egg. Its HOT but not so much that you can’t taste your food. Omg… It was soooooo good. Portions for burgers are perfect. If you get fries you could honestly split one, but we’re greedy so we got one sweet potato and one regular lol. Try the peach ketchup!!! It’s great for groups and families but seating gets limited. Outside seating is heated though.
Just go.

When I first moved to the Sawtelle neighborhood a few years ago, I had no idea Plan Check was so popular. Now that I come here on a regular basis, I finally understand what all the buzz is about.
I’ll be the first to admit that as a gluten-​free vegetarian, there’s not a ton on the menu I can indulge in. That being said, the staff here is excellent and super knowledgable about food allergies, and they’re always able to modify menu selections so that I can find something yummy to eat. They’ve even been able to make me a special batch of their waffle fries, cooked in veggie oil instead of the beef tallow that they’re usually made with. If you order their fries, be sure not to miss their homemade peach ketchup (catsup?). It’s amazing!
Whether you’re a vegetarian or not, order the stuffed mushroom. It’s bursting with umami flavor and the rich, creamy goodness of swiss cheese fondue. This is my favorite item on the menu — so good that I almost always order it! It’s an app, so try it out before your main course. If mushrooms aren’t your thing, the veggie chips are another solid app, and they come with a tasty, creamy avocado dipping sauce that’s a little different than regular guac.
Overall, Plan Check’s salads are above par from the other restaurants in the neighborhood. I’ve tried all of them on the menu, and my favorite is the salmon kale caesar. Also, the pomegranate molasses that comes on their pickled beet salad has an interesting flavor that really adds to the dish.
Plan Check is known for their burgers, but since I’m a vegetarian, it’s taken me until paragraph five to talk about them. While I’m not a huge burger fan for obvious reasons, my boyfriend absolutely loves them. His favorites are Blueprint Burger (loaded with blue cheese) and the Fried Chicken Burger (which even has duck breast in it). On occasion they even offer a veggie burger on their daily specials menu. They usually post a pic of their specials menu on their social media channels, so be on the lookout!
In my opinion, Plan Check has some of the most innovative mixed drinks in West LA. The Last Tango is my absolute favorite, and although it’s a $ 16 drink, it’s definitely worth it; I had no idea that adding balsamic into a drink could make it truly come to life. The Little Osaka Sour and Right on Brine (which has delightfully sour pickle juice in it) are also solid drink choices!
Awhile ago, I learned on Travel Channel’s Booze Traveler that Japanese Whiskey is a thing. Not only is it a thing, it’s outperforming Irish Whiskey made in the UK. Plan Check has a huge selection of Japanese Whiskey, so try one and see for yourself.
Plan Check has valet parking, but you can usually find street parking a block or two away. There are meters on most of Sawtelle, but if you’re willing to walk a street or two over, the parking is free. Since I live in the neighborhood, my boyfriend and I usually just walk over.
Over the weekend, my boyfriend and I discovered that you can order delivery from Plan Check through GrubHub. Sunday night was saved with a delicious late-​night delivery!
See what all the buzz is about and try out Plan Check’s original location on Sawtelle. I hear they’re opening one in Santa Monica soon, so I’ll definitely have to try that one out too!

Extremely disappointing. We did DineLA. This is not a good value, the meal was not worth $ 25. Had to send back the beast fries that were laden in salt. Not to mentioned, they just weren’t that great. Maybe a nice cheddar cheese instead of American cheese would have also made the fries better (0 Stars for the fries). The bacon hamburger, was nothing special, and for $ 15 you would expect something more. We also tried the fried chicken and greens. It was tasty, in fact I liked the crispy thighs and the greens. I wasn’t crazy about the sauce. (3.5 stars for the chicken). We substituted the beast fries for the fried cream puff. The cream puff was the highlight of the meal. I really enjoyed the light crispy puff with a candied ginger slice on top of a coffee flavored cream. 4 stars for the cream puff.
The service was very good. Everyone was friendly and attentive. This is a very trendy place. But the food and prices aren’t worth returning.

Plan Check is really overrated. I’ve eaten here more than a handful of times, and this is the third and my least favorite location (favorite being Fairfax). Everything on their menu is so salty and heavy. Don’t come here if you’re in the mood for something even a little bit healthy.
The seven of us were seated at a high-​top communal table and service was really friendly and efficient. I don’t think I ever had to ask for a water refill. Since I wasn’t in the mood to up my cholesterol, I got one of their specials — a poutine-​like dish, which was unsurprisingly very heavy and salty, albeit tasty. I could hardly finish it though, so I gave the rest to my friends.
Probably won’t be coming back as there are closer locations. And I’m hardly ever in the mood to eat such heavy foods anymore.

Several people I know have been talking about how much they liked the various Fried Chicken Sandwiches at Plan Check. They all particularly liked the Spicy Fried Chicken Sandwich, which is sometimes available as one of the daily specials.
I was lucky today, because when I went to Plan Check for lunch, the Spicy Fried Chicken was one of the daily specials.
I had one, and they were correct, it was very good. I am planning to go back to Plan Check sometime soon to try the Fried Chicken Sandwich that’s on the regular menu.

They have valet parking here and the space of the resteraunt itself is very small. The food is good but the pricing is pretty high. The chef special burger, stuffed mushroom, and crab dip were my favorites. The wait for the food is too long though.
Update: they had a new system and they compensated us for the wait with a 50% discount.

Seriously the Best VEGGIE BURGER ever! We usually go to the one on Fairfax but a group of us went hiking and decided to check out the Plan Check closer to where are cars were parked. This location is smaller than the fairfax one but the veggie burger is just as good. Considering it’s a special and not a permanent fixture on the menu, I called to make sure it was available before heading over too.
The beer menu is smaller than most gastropubs but they offer a decent selection of craft brews and everyone in our group was pleased with the selections. For appetizers we ordered a stuffed mushroom and a baked crab dip. They were done as soon as the waitress put them on the table. Both were excellent choices to start. The stuffed portobello smothered in steak sauce and topped with baked kale is very tasty. We also ordered regular fries and sweet potato fries. I order mine vegetarian so they are not cooked in beef fat. ( Unilocal, pro-​tip for vegetarians) Regular fries are served with homemade ketchup with a hint of sweetness and the sweet potato ones with an apricot jam or something that compliments the sweet potato nicely.
Let me break down the table right now: 5 people, 4 are carnivores 1 is vegetarian. 4 out of 5 decided to try the veggie burger based on the way I talked it up. And they were all very satisfied with their choice. My meat-​eating husband is still blown away by this burger every time he bites into one. I am not exaggerating when I say this is by far the MOST AMAZING and flavorful veggie burger I ever ate. The patties are so flavorful it’s mind blowing. I think it’s made with black beans, yucca root, and mushrooms — maybe I tasted a hint of truffle too? Whatever they did it seriously is a to die for veggie burger — the BEST one I ever ate. The texture adds to the experience especially how they prepare the final version. They layer 2 thin patties with 2 kinds of cheese (genius) then top the burger with butter lettuce and some thin battered crispy onions (a very nice touch).
It’s a filling burger especially when you add fries and appetizers so not everyone finished the entire thing. I took a half home and it tasted just as good the next day — cold. No lie. The only thing I don’t understand is why this veggie burger is a special and not a permanent fixture on the menu. Plan Check needs to advertise their vegetarian friendliness and make this signature burger one of it’s main items!

This review is for the recently-​concluded Gudetama-​inspired menu experience at Plan Check. We were planning to have a dog with us so this was the only viable location with its outdoor patio.
I called ahead to see how many Gudetama meal sets were still available (only a limited number were available each day) and then a couple of friends and I met up. The $ 39 meal set included a scottish egg type appetizer, a main course featuring two beef sliders with fried quail eggs, a dessert of pudding and an apricot thumbprint cookie, and an orange-​ginger egg cream soda. The set also came with a limited edition Gudetama x Plan Check t-​shirt (unisex sizes only).
I don’t think the food was great (plus it was more lukewarm than hot), but the meal set was definitely cute and that’s the experience we came for.

I’ve have this place book marked and decided to go on my lunch break since to close to work.
Parking: I noticed there are quite a few locations but this one was closest to me. I didn’t see that they had they’re own private parking so we parked in the streets. I would double check parking signs just in case but I didn’t see anything.
Service: Unfortunately there was a small wait, bummer for me because I only have a 20 min lunch break. I think we waited 10 mins. They do offer in door and out door service. It was a beautiful sunny day so outside wasn’t too bad even in the winter time. I ordered the chef’s favorite burger, it was so delicious and flavorful. Service was good and attentive. I want to try some of their other things so I’ll probably check it out at another location.
Enjoy, check out my IG page @foodgurula

I was on a mission to try the Gudetama 3 course meal. I always see a very long line outside during dinner hours, so I came early at 5:30pm and was seated right away.
Happy Hour is until 6pm, and $ 2 off your beer isn’t bad. The PCH Golden Milk Porter is AMAZING. Very unique in taste, but also very easy to drink for those of you who aren’t as into porters.
Drink: Orange Egg-​Cream Soda – ³⁄₅
Very good, but extremely sweet and overpowering. I ended up not finishing this even when though I was sharing.
App: Crispy Blanket Egg with Pork Belly Sausage and Miso Aioli – ⁵⁄₅
SO delicious! I wish this came with double or triple the quantity. The egg is surrounded by pork belly (YUM) and then fried perfectly. I slathered it with the aioli sauce and pretty much died.
Burger: Sliders with a quail egg and bacon – ⁴⁄₅
The burger was good, but nothing extraordinary. It’s basically the Chef’s burger with quail eggs.
Dessert: Chocolate custard pudding and a cookie – ⁵⁄₅
The dessert wasn’t anything too unique, but it did taste very good. The pudding wasn’t overwhelmingly sweet, and it was a nice finish to the meal. The cookie is very small but also good. My favorite part about this course was how they powdered the top of the pudding.
Overall, the Gudetama meal is pretty good, but way too expensive (I felt like I was mostly paying for the shirt). It’s also not as filling as you’d imagine. Would recommend for the novelty of the meal, and for the delicious appetizer!

Upon walking in, we were kindly greeted and were told there would be a 15 – 30 min wait, I think we were seated within 10 min actually! there’s both indoor and outdoor seating, but it was waaaaay too cold last night. The restaurant isn’t too big, it’s quite small and cozy. There are booths, tables, and long tables to share.
Definitely one of my favorite burger places and I’m usually not a burger person too. I honestly wanted to come here to try the Gudetama burger, but they only serve it as a set for $ 39. I wasn’t really down to drop $ 39 just for myself to Instagram it LOL soo, I decided to order the Plan Check Burger (PCB) along with my friend. My other friend ordered the Chef’s Favorite Burger and we all decided to share the Sweet Potato Waffle Fries to start off. The PCB was soooo juicy and tasty, my friend and I finished our burger! My friend’s Chefs Favorite Burger also looked really good too especially with the sunny side up egg! Presentable and edible. The Sweet Potato Waffle Fries are sooooo yummmmy too, I definitely recommend it!
Will be coming back and I really want to try their other burgers and maybe the Gudetama set if I’m back before it ends Friday. Overall, it is quite pricey, but well worth. I want to try their regular fries and wings next! I’l be backkk

Yes Unilocal,this place is hipster… thank you for asking!
While Plan Check is no food-​truck-​turned-​brick-​and-​mortar that serves kimchi tacos, this restaurant wins as the most hipster spot in the area by a landslide, and as an added bonus, is a nice reminder that mainstream food does in fact exist in Sawtelle Japantown (sidebar: I still prefer the moniker Little Osaka).
Eileen L.‘s REFVIEW for Plan Check Kitchen + Bar
RELEVANT INFO
* Hipster American comfort food with subtle hints of Asian inspiration
* A few months back, the bf and I discovered the PCH Golden Milk Porter, which for a porter, confusingly looks like a hefe in color but with a smooth butterscotch aftertaste… needless to say, it’s crack and we have been tracking this brew down ever since — currently, there are only 20 restaurants around LA that carry the PCH on draft until Santa Monica Brew Works opens a tasting room in a few years (I hide my addiction well.), and Plan Check conveniently happens to be on that list
* The Daily Shift Change HH: M-​F 3p-​6p
* A private nook carved out and suitable to accommodate one massive group in the restaurant at a given time
* This establishment practices seating at communal tables
* Dog-​friendly patio
EXPECTATIONS GOING IN
* Pricey, New American restaurant on Asia street of the Westside
FOOD
* Fried Chicken: my first time here I tried the Southern Fry ($ 12) — underwhelming with dry meat and lack of flavor; more recently, I returned and gave it a second chance by ordering the Smoked Fried Chicken ($ 13) — while not comparable to Plaza Inn’s superior fried chicken by a long shot, was much tastier and I thoroughly enjoyed the crispy battered skin
* Cruller Donuts ($ 6): I don’t have much of a sweet tooth, but it’s hard for me to resist anything deep-​fried — well complemented by the custard/​ice cream
VALUE
* Hipster food at hipster prices — even for HH, expect to spend at least $ 20 pp
IMPRESSION OVERALL
* Been here twice, and service have been subpar — nothing glaringly offensive, but not memorable either
ENVIRONMENT /​AMBIANCE
* Cool space with interior wooden accents and chill beats in the background
WOW FACTOR
* PCH Golden Milk Porter Float ($ 12) — PCH w/​vanilla bean ice cream… genius!

ORDER THIS: pastrami nosh and baked crap dip!
I adore this place. This is one of the best burger places in LA — the Chef’s Favorite, PCB and Bleuprint burgers are all solid burgers but ever since I tried the Pastrami Nosh sandwich, I’ve been unable to order anything else. Even though I’m very tempted to try the Southern Fry and Truffle burger.
The pastrami nosh stacks hefty pieces of thick pastrami chunks atop each other, sandwiched between the brioche bun and topped with an egg. It comes with kimchi mustard, which is a delicious addition that really complements the flavor of the double smoked pastrami. Plan Check knows what it’s doing with unique adds like kimchi mustard, pig candy (incredible!), ketchup leather, beef tallow…
If you’re looking for side dishes, I highly recommend the baked crab dip. It only comes with four pieces of bread so you can either double dip dunk each morsel, or pay an extra dollar for four more pieces of bread. For that price, I wish they didn’t skimp on the bread quite so much. The fries, both regular and sweet potato, are yummy but nothing memorable. The veggie chips are a really assorted mix but tastes just alright. I think the best bet is to try and save room for the crueller donuts, which I still haven’t had the self-​control to do.
As always I promise myself that I’ll get the crueller donuts next time. Cause with Plan Check, there will always be a next time.

I first learned about the lazy egg that is Gudetama in Asia literally less than a month ago. And although you can say it was pure coincidence that Plan Check — a restaurant only 15 minutes away from me and has been on my bookmarked list — is running a special featuring my new favorite character, I see it more as a sign from God that I definitely need to go try it asap.
I heard they only make a limited quantity every day, so call beforehand to make sure they still have this set menu. My friends and I came around 6:30pm on a Tuesday night and they said we were the last 3 to get it. Sooo lucky of us! It is $ 39 for 3 courses, a drink, and a t-​shirt.
Orange-​Ginger Egg Cream Soda: Most dominant taste is the ginger, then you get a slight hint of orange. Not sure where the egg comes into play. I liked it but couldn’t finish since it came in a huge glass.
Scotch Egg Appetizer: My favorite dish! The whole egg was breaded with pork belly sausage and then deep fried. The egg itself had good soy sauce flavor and the sausage was perfectly crispy. The aioli helped cut through the richness.
Beef Sliders: There was a lot going on here. And it was almost too cute to eat. First you see the quail egg with Gudetama’s face. Then apparently there were cheese 2 ways (only tasted 1), bacon 2 ways (also only tasted 1), hot sauce, and ketchup leather (imagine fruit leather that tastes like ketchup). The patty was cooked to a nice medium rare. Juicy, and combined with the runny yolk and sauce, it was quite messy to eat, but that’s how I like my burgers.
Chocolate Custard Pudding Dessert: I’m usually a fan of all things chocolate, but this was too rich after the meal we had. From first glance, I thought it would be a light fluffy mousse. It was actually quite dense and I could barely finish half of it. It also came with an apricot sugar cookie, which was a bit dry so I dipped it in the pudding.
T-​Shirt: Yes this was one of the highlights and made the meal worth $ 39. I wore it to sleep after when I felt like a lazy egg from food coma-​ing.

This second time we actually got to eat! No power outage this time haha… We went for dinner, and it was definitely worth being there for a good couple hours. No wait and they were able to seat us once majority (75%) of our table arrived.
We enjoyed:
Veggie Chips — $ 6.50 — exotic mix, avocado dip
Sweet Potato Waffle Fries — $ 6.00 — beef tallow, peach ketchup
Truffle Burger — Special Menu
Hot Wings Burger — Special Menu
Tropic Thunder — $ 12.00 — jalapeño infused tito’s vodka, mango, lemon juice, sugar
My favorite. and yes, I think its even better than Umami Burger. the Truffle Burger. AMAZING! I can’t even. It was juicy and filled with aroma — I wanted another one. That is definitely my favorite burger. The Sweet Potato Waffle Fries were delicious also! Especially with the peach ketchup. If you like spice, ask them to mix the peach ketchup with hot sauce… YUM!