Canada’s Cactus Club Cafe Replacing Planta in South Beach

Canadian-owned restaurant chain Cactus Club Cafe is replacing Planta in South Beach after it filed for bankruptcy.

The Canadian hospitality group is taking over the 9,000-square-foot restaurant space at 850 Commerce Street in Miami Beach’s wealthy South of Fifth area in South Beach, according to a filing with the city. 

The change comes a month after Planta filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The vegan outpost, which had 13 locations in the U.S. and two in Canada, opened in South of Fifth back in 2018. Several Planta locations have remained open following the bankruptcy filing.

Cactus Club has already finalized a lease agreement to occupy the two-story building, which Limestone Asset Management purchased for $12 million in 2022, per the application. The cafe will seat 226 people, 200 fewer people than what’s allowed in accordance with the fire code.

Andrew Latchford, president of the Cactus Club Cafe, is seeking to “renovate the façade of the property” and add “new faux wood horizontal planking,” among other upgrades, per the application. The buildout is estimated to cost just under $3.3 million. 

The Miami Beach Design Board will hear Cactus Club Cafe’s application July 10. 

The restaurant will be the latest high-end dining option from out-of-state operators to descend on the neighborhood. Since the pandemic, Carbone, Catch and Gordon Ramsey’s Lucky Cat have opened, while San Ambroeus remains under construction. 

For Cactus Club, the South Beach location would mark its second outpost in the Miami area. Two years ago, it signed a 10,000-square-foot lease at Citigroup Center in Downtown Miami, and the cafe is expected to open later this year. 

A representative for Cactus Club Cafe did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson for Limestone Asset Management could not be reached for comment.

Julia Echikson can be reached at [email protected].