Urban Plates Planning Fourth San Diego Site

Urban Plates, an American casual dining restaurant chain with locations throughout Southern California, appears to be working on a new site in Mission Valley at 1620 Camino De La Reina.

The company’s fourth San Diego location appears to be opening in the current home of Sammy’s Woodfired Pizza & Grill, according to a recent permit application submitted to the Department of Environmental Health and Quality. While the opening isn’t confirmed, the documentation proves the company is interested in expanding throughout San Diego, with sites already in La Jolla, Del Mar, and Carlsbad. The restaurant offers a variety of salads, sandwiches, soups, and more.

The proposed location proves the company is still hopeful to expand throughout the country, even after the pandemic. In 2018, the company announced massive expansion plans after receiving a $38 million loan from Goldman Sachs Specialty Lending Group, leaving the company ready to build an additional 25 units over the next three years. At the time, the restaurant was set to expand into Northern California, Washington DC, Illinois, and New York. For now, the company continues to expand throughout Southern California.

While it isn’t confirmed that the company’s fourth location will be moving into Sammy’s Woodfired Pizza, it wouldn’t be surprising, considering founder Sami Ladeki is working on opening a new Toasted Gastrobrunch in San Diego’s Imperial Beach at 800 Seacoast Drive. He is also working on reopening Roppongi Restaurant & Sushi Bar in the same space after it closed for good in La Jolla in 2015 after serving the area for 17 years.