San Diego-based vegan fast-food restaurant replacing Aji Dori in R Street Corridor

A vegan fast-food restaurant with outposts across Southern California will open at the R Street Corridor’s mouth later this year, according to a source familiar with the deal.

Plant Power Fast Food will replace Aji Dori at 1100 R St., and an official announcement is expected next month.

Plant Power’s menu is part Sweetgreen, part vegan McDonald’s. There are the breakfast burritos, nuggets and faux fish sandwiches one expects to find at a typical fast-food restaurant, made with plant-based proteins in this case. Burgers are made with “beefy” patties, though black bean patties are available upon request.

It’s the size of Plant Power’s menu, though, that makes it stand out from local vegetarian or vegan fast-food places such as Sunflower Drive-In or Burger Patch. The 37 menu items include a kale/quinoa salad and Southwestern avocado wrap, not to mention drinks such as dairy-free milkshakes and kombucha floats.

Plant Power has opened seven restaurants in San Diego, Riverside, Long Beach, Redlands, Encinitas and Fountain Valley since launching in 2016, with several more locations on tap for the next year. Based in San Diego, it also has a roving food truck.

Nine months after fast-casual Takata-Ya opened at 1100 R St., owner Daniel Takata enlisted Aji Japanese Bistro owner Russell Okubo’s help to rebrand it as the more elevated Aji Dori in June 2019. Aji Dori has been closed indefinitely since Aug. 14.

This story was updated Aug. 28, 2020.

This story was originally published August 27, 2020 at 5:00 AM.