Urban Plates Menu Prices 2026: Plates, Catering & Calories

Urban Plates is a California chain that sells chef-made plates, salads and sandwiches at a counter, a bit like a cafeteria line with a grill behind it. You pick a protein, pick two sides, and it’s plated in front of you. The menu leans on labels you’ll see everywhere on it: grass-fed steak, cage-free chicken, sustainable salmon and scratch-made sides.

Most menu-price sites for Urban Plates show figures that are a year or more out of date. This guide doesn’t need them. Urban Plates publishes its own menus as PDFs, with prices and calories, and the current ones are dated October 2026. Every price below comes from those menus unless we say otherwise.

Urban Plates Plates Menu: Prices and Calories

An Urban Plates plate is one protein, any two sides and a slice of grilled rustic bread. On the October 2026 Southern California menu, plates run from $15.50 for Chili Glazed Grilled Organic Tofu to $27.99 for Surf & Turf. The Grilled Cage Free Chicken plate is $17.99 and the Grilled Grass Fed Steak plate is $22.99.

The calories in the table are for the protein alone. Your two sides add anywhere from 50 to 530 calories more, and the bread adds 150. Ask for no bread and most plates become gluten-free, according to the menu.

So which plate is the best deal? The Grilled Cage Free Chicken. It’s $5 cheaper than the steak and carries similar protein-only calories (270 against 250). And your two sides and bread come with it either way, so the gap is all in the protein. If you want fish, the Seared Wild Ahi Tuna at $19.50 undercuts the salmon by $3.

Urban Plates Sides: What You Can Choose

Urban Plates lets you choose two sides with every plate, from vegetables, starches, grains and side salads. The lightest is the Seasonal Green at 50 to 170 calories. The heaviest standard choice is French Fries with herb seasoning at 430 calories, and Truffle Parmesan Fries reach 530 calories for $2 extra.

The side choice matters more than most people think. A Grilled Cage Free Chicken plate with Seasonal Green and Marble Potatoes comes to roughly 590 to 710 calories with bread. Swap those for Fries and Mac & Cheese and the same plate passes 1,200. That’s our own arithmetic from the menu’s figures, and it’s the single biggest lever you have on this menu.

Urban Plates Salads Menu

Urban Plates’ entrée salads cost $13.50 to $20.50 on the October 2026 Southern California menu and come with grilled rustic bread. The Chopped Caesar is $13.50, or $16.99 with grilled chicken. The Niçoise with grilled salmon is the priciest at $20.50, and the Soup & Salad Combo is $9.99.

Salad calories here are higher than the word “salad” suggests. The Southwest Grilled Chicken salad, at 940 calories, has more than a Grilled Grass Fed Steak plate with two light sides. Dressing does much of that work, so asking for it on the side is the easy fix.

You can add a protein to a salad or other dish: grilled chicken for $9.50, grass-fed steak or salmon for $10.99, seared ahi for $9.99, garlic shrimp for $6.99, a crispy jumbo chicken tender for $5.50, or organic tofu for $5.99. Those are the add-on prices printed on the menu.

Sandwiches, Wraps and Burgers

Urban Plates sandwiches cost $12.99 to $16.99 and come with chips. The Grilled Cage Free Chicken and Grilled Organic Tofu sandwiches are $12.99. Grass-fed cheeseburgers are $13.50 single or $15.99 double, with herb seasoned fries. Half Sandwich Combos with soup or side salad start at $10.99.

Half Sandwich Combos

A half sandwich with a cup of soup or a side salad and rustic bread costs $10.99 for Grilled Cage Free Chicken or Grilled Organic Tofu, and $11.99 for Grilled Grass Fed Steak or Turkey Avocado Club. That’s the cheapest way to try the steak sandwich, at $5 less than the full one.

Gluten-free bread is available on sandwiches for a small upcharge. Urban Plates’ nutrition page puts that swap at $1.50, and the menu notes gluten-free bread adds 420 calories.

Bowls, Braises and Soups

Urban Plates’ braises are slow-cooked and served with mashed potatoes or yellow basmati rice. The Moroccan Chicken Braise is $15.50 and the Beef & Mushroom Braise is $16.99. The vegan Beets + Avocado Bowl is $13.50. Tomato Basil and Chicken Tortilla soups are $5.50 a cup or $7.50 a bowl.

The Tomato Basil soup is made with coconut milk and vegan pesto, which is why it’s marked vegan and dairy-free despite tasting creamy. Skip the croutons and bread if you need it gluten-free, as the menu notes.

Urban Plates Kids Menu

Urban Plates kids’ meals cost $8.99 to $13.99. Each comes with any side, grilled rustic bread and organic milk or apple juice. Macaroni & Cheese is $8.99, Crispy Jumbo Chicken Tenders and Grilled Cage Free Chicken are $10.99, Grilled Grass Fed Steak is $13.50 and Grilled Sustainable Salmon is $13.99.

The kids’ steak plate has gone up the most of anything we tracked: from $8.50 on Urban Plates’ 2021 menu to $13.50 now. More on that in the price history section.

Desserts and Drinks

Urban Plates bakes its desserts from scratch daily, per the menu. Cookies are $3.99 each or three for $11. Banana Cream Pie and the new Chocolate Peanut Butter Cream Pie are $7.99, and cake slices are $8.99. Drinks run from $3.50 for Cafe Moto organic coffee to $7 for kombucha.

Urban Replenishers are Urban Plates’ house drinks. The October 2026 menu lists six: mango ginseng mint green tea, organic lemonade, dragon fruit & strawberry, pineapple coconut lime, blueberry lemonade and strawberry basil lemonade. The Hummingbird Cake slice, at 1,100 calories, has more than most of the plates.

Family Meals To-Go

Urban Plates family meals serve 4 and include one protein, any two family-size sides and grilled rustic bread. On the October 2026 Southern California menu they cost $64.50 for Crispy Chicken Tenders or Grilled Cage Free Chicken, $77.50 for Barramundi Seabass, $81.50 for steak or salmon, and $83.99 for Chimichurri Grass Fed Steak.

Here’s what the per-person column shows. A family chicken meal works out at $16.13 a head, only $1.86 less than a single chicken plate at $17.99. The steak family meal saves a little more, $2.61 a head against the $22.99 single plate. So the saving is real but small; the bigger benefit is one order instead of four. You can add a family House or Caesar salad for $10.

Urban Plates Catering Menu and Prices

Urban Plates catering covers boxed meals, sandwich trays, salad bowls, protein trays and per-person plates. On its October 2026 Southern California catering menu, a small sandwich tray (5 sandwiches cut in half) is $85 and a large is $170. Catering plates with one protein and two sides start at $16.50 per person for tofu and $18.99 for chicken.

How catering ordering works

According to the catering menu, you order online at urbanplates.com for pickup or delivery, or talk to a catering consultant at catering@urbanplates.com or 1-800-652-4788. Delivery runs within a 10-mile radius for a $25 fee, through a third-party courier. For larger orders, the menu says, a manager may deliver in person depending on availability.

Every catering order comes with disposable plates, cutlery, napkins and serving utensils. To keep food hot, a wire chafing rack with base pan and two 4-hour Sterno fuels costs $9.50, and a spare set of two Sternos is $4.50. Urban Plates’ catering page suggests 24 to 48 hours’ notice for most orders, and 3 to 7 days for large events.

Planning a team lunch? Individually boxed plates suit offices where everyone eats at different times. Group trays are cheaper per person on the protein, but they need a table and someone to serve.

How Urban Plates Prices Have Changed Since 2021

Comparing Urban Plates’ own menus, the Grilled Grass Fed Steak plate went from $16.75 in 2021 to $18.50 in 2022 and $22.99 in October 2026, a 37% rise. The chicken plate rose 29%, from $13.95 to $17.99. Braises and kids’ plates rose fastest, by 40% to 59%.

No other Urban Plates guide we found tracks this, so we built it from three of the chain’s own menus: an October 2021 San Diego/Orange County menu, an October 2022 Southern California menu, and the 21 October 2026 Southern California menu. They’re the same chain’s printed prices, a few years apart.

Two patterns stand out. The salads and sandwiches rose least, about 17% to 18%. The things that rose most are the slow-cooked braises, the family meals and the kids’ steak. If you used to order Urban Plates for the family, you’re paying about half as much again for the same steak dinner.

One caution: the 2021 menu is labelled San Diego/Orange County and the newer two are labelled Southern California. They overlap heavily but may not be the exact same price zone, so treat the percentages as close, not exact.

How to Order at Urban Plates

You can order Urban Plates at the counter, online at urbanplates.com for pickup or delivery, through the Urban Plates app, or through delivery apps such as DoorDash. The menu says delivery prices are generally higher than dine-in and takeout. Catering is ordered online, by email or by phone.

1. At the restaurant: Urban Plates is counter service. Choose a plate, salad, sandwich or bowl, then pick two sides if you ordered a plate. Food is made in front of you.
2. Online or in the app for pickup: pick your restaurant first, because prices vary by location. Pickup orders get dine-in and takeout pricing.
3. Delivery from Urban Plates: the chain’s site and app take delivery orders, at delivery menu pricing.
4. Third-party apps: DoorDash lists Urban Plates stores. Expect higher prices, and note that Plate Pass savings don’t apply there.
5. Catering: order at urbanplates.com, email catering@urbanplates.com or call 1-800-652-4788, with 24 to 48 hours’ notice for most orders.

Our advice is simple: order pickup in the app. It’s the dine-in price, you choose your store so the price is accurate, and it’s the only channel besides walking in where a Plate Pass discount works.

Plate Pass: Is the Urban Plates Membership Worth It?

Plate Pass is Urban Plates’ paid membership. It gives 20% off dine-in and takeout orders, including orders on the website and app, but not third-party delivery, catering, gift cards or holiday meals, according to Urban Plates’ Plate Pass pages. It can’t be combined with other discounts.

Urban Plates’ own pages list monthly and longer plans, but they disagree on the tier prices, and some of those pages are years old. So check the current price in the app before you sign up. The maths is easy to run yourself: 20% off an $18 chicken plate saves $3.60, so a plan costing around $5 a month pays for itself after two plates.

Urban Plates Locations and Hours

Urban Plates operates in California. Its locations page groups restaurants under Los Angeles, Southern California, Orange County, San Diego, Northern California and Sacramento. The chain opened its first restaurant in the San Diego area in 2011. Hours vary by store; the store listings we saw open at 11 AM.

Restaurants mentioned on Urban Plates’ site and in local news include Del Mar, Carlsbad, La Jolla and Mission Valley in San Diego County; Irvine, Tustin, Brea and Fountain Valley in Orange County; Pasadena, Long Beach, Torrance and Playa Vista in Los Angeles County; and Sunnyvale, San Jose, Pleasant Hill, Dublin and Sacramento in Northern California. The list changes as stores open and close, so use the locator at urbanplates.com/locations for your nearest store and its hours.

When Morgan Stanley Expansion Capital announced an investment in Urban Plates in August 2023, its release described a 17-restaurant chain across San Diego County, Orange County, greater Los Angeles and Northern California. We didn’t find a newer official count.

Finding an Urban Plates near you

The quickest route is the app or the locator on urbanplates.com, which shows each store’s hours and its menu with local prices. Searching “Urban Plates near me” in Google Maps also works, but check the hours on Urban Plates’ own page, since third-party listings can lag behind changes.

Allergens, Gluten-Free and Dietary Options

Urban Plates marks menu items as Gluten Free (GF), Dairy Free (DF), Vegetarian (VEG) and Vegan (V). Most plates become gluten-free when you ask for no bread. But the menu warns it can’t guarantee items won’t touch others during preparation, so people with celiac disease or serious allergies should talk to staff first.

• Gluten-free: all the grilled proteins and most sides are marked GF. Ask for no bread. Gluten-free bread is available on sandwiches for a small charge.
• Vegan: Grilled Organic Tofu plate, Beets + Avocado Bowl, Tomato Basil soup, Classic House salad, the Grilled Organic Tofu sandwich, and vegan sides such as Organic Carrots & Beets, Quinoa and Basmati Rice.
• Dairy-free: grilled chicken, grass-fed steak, grilled salmon and ahi tuna are all marked DF. The blackened salmon and barramundi come with lemon hollandaise and aren’t.
• Raw or undercooked: the steak, salmon and ahi tuna are marked with an asterisk, meaning they may be served raw or undercooked.

Full nutrition and allergen details are on Urban Plates’ nutrition page, and the menu has a QR code linking to its allergen information.

Comparing healthy chains? See our Salad and Go menu, the Chipotle menu with prices, the First Watch menu and nutrition guide, and our Panera breakfast menu.

Why Other Urban Plates Price Lists Look Cheaper

Many Urban Plates price lists online are out of date. One widely copied list shows a Grilled Grass Fed Steak plate at $20.25 and a Chicken Cobb at $16.50. Urban Plates’ own October 2026 menu prices them at $22.99 and $17.50.

Those lists also include items that aren’t on the current menu, such as a Mediterranean Chicken Bowl, an Urban Superfood Salad and a Chicken Tender Family Meal. And some carry calorie figures that don’t match Urban Plates’ menu at all. If a list doesn’t say where its prices came from or when, assume it’s old.

Urban Plates Menu: Frequently Asked Questions

What to Know Before Your First Urban Plates Order

How We Researched This Urban Plates Guide

Every current price and calorie figure comes from Urban Plates’ own menus, downloaded from the chain’s server: the Southern California restaurant menu dated 21 October 2026, and the Southern and Northern California catering menus dated 19 October 2026. The price history uses two older Urban Plates menus from October 2021 and October 2022. Urban Plates’ main website blocks automated reading, so for Plate Pass rules, ordering and locations we relied on what its own pages show in search, and we say where those pages disagree.

What we couldn’t confirm: current Plate Pass plan prices, a current total store count, and individual store hours. The calorie totals for whole plates are our own sums of Urban Plates’ figures.

When Urban Plates prints a new menu, this page gets the new prices and a new date.