Inside Plan Check's New Santa Monica Digs, Opening This September

Time to check in on Plan Check Santa Monica. First announced back in August of last year, it’s been all quiet on the Westside front since then, but now these in-progress photos indicate that work is coming along quite nicely. In fact, you could be eating inside by sometime in September.

As one can tell, this Marshall Group-built Plan Check is shaping up to look terribly similar to the others around town, from the open footprint to the wood and steel beam industrial look. One nice addition will be the ample patio seating (this is Santa Monica after all) to soak up all that sun, and a full alcohol license to soak in everything else.

Things are now tracking for a fall arrival, which is good news for that stretch of Ocean Avenue, as the area could always use more comfortable, relatively inexpensive fare. Co-owner Terry Heller spoke last year about the upcoming fourth concept, telling Restaurant News at the time that the Santa Monica outlet would rely more on seafood and other fully composed plates, without completely foregoing the burgers and fried chicken sandwiches that have made the place a household name.

In the year since the company’s first beach-adjacent location was announced, chef and co-founder Ernesto Uchimura has stepped away from the brand altogether. That would slow down anybody’s expansion plans, but it’s likely that the city of Santa Monica’s sometimes arduous red tape hasn’t helped much either. For now, target mid-September as a possible opening date, though that could certainly change.

Plan Check Santa Monica
1401 Ocean Avenue
Santa Monica, CA