Lactobacillus plantarum, a member of the lactic acid bacteria family, is widely found in nature, especially in a variety of fermented foods. Since Lactobacillus plantarum is a member of the human intestinal microflora, the health benefits of fermented foods containing this bacterium have made it a model microorganism in genomic, proteomic, transcriptomic and metabonomic studies to clarify microbial environment adaptability and molecular mechanisms underlying probiotic health benefits. This review summarizes the recent advances in understanding the physiological functions and omics of Lactobacillus plantarum, with the aim of providing useful information for researchers.