Last Updated on October 13, 2019 by travelingwithsunscreen
Korean food is delicious, and vegetarian Korean food is even better! We spent our time in Korea searching out the best vegan and vegetarian restaurants in Seoul. (And we totally managed to avoid vegan fast-food monolith Loving Hut, as a bonus.) Here’s what we discovered!
Vegetarian restaurants in Insadong
We had two top-favorite vegetarian restaurants in Insadong. The first, Maru JaYeonSik Kimbap, is tiny, informal, and shockingly cheap. Dishes ranged from 2,000 to 4,000 won (all less than $4 USD for a large plate). This restaurant serves only vegan versions of traditional Korean food, and it’s sooo good. Expect to sit outside, under an awning (no AC, but fine in the rain). You order off an English vegetarian menu, and your food is presented to you over the counter. There are only about four tables, but we never saw them all fill up, as many people prefer to get take-out instead.
We definitely went back more than once, and we tried essentially everything on the menu. Don’t miss their tteokbokki (spicy Korean rice cakes), their fried dumplings (vegetarian mandu, yumm), or their gimbap (also spelled kimbap – this is essentially Korean sushi.) We ordered several noodle dishes that we also loved, but sadly never had a chance to try the vegetarian ramen – next time! Order a few dishes to share. You won’t regret it, and your wallet will be barely the lighter!
Also in Insadong was Osegye Hyang, another vegan food restaurant specializing in Korean temple food. Don’t be surprised to see a lot of Westerners there; this is definitely on the tourist circuit. The food was excellent, though! You sit on the floor while eating, traditional Korean-style. Dishes are a little more expensive, around $5-$10 USD each. The tofu soup was fantastic; definitely the best thing we ordered!
Vegetarian restaurants in Hongdae
Our top favorite Korean food was (obviously) bibimbap, and nowhere better to get vegetarian bibimbap in Seoul than Bibili in Hongdae! This is an all-you-can-eat bibimbap buffet. Upon entering, you buy a ticket from a machine for 7,000 won (less than $7 USD). You hand your ticket to a lady when you enter, take a giant bowl, and fill it to the brim with just as much rice, veggies, and spicy sauce as you want! There are even all-you-can-eat side dishes; kimchi, anyone? Just be careful not to over-fill your bowl. There is a 2,000 won fee for any food left uneaten. Did we end up having to pay this fee? Yes, we did.
Our other favorite vegetarian restaurant in Hongdae wasn’t actually Korean at all. Mexican food is surprisingly popular in Korea, and the vegetarian options available at Gusto Taco were tasty as can be. This is definitely more pricey than the Korean options, but it’s worth it! We ordered the vegetarian dinner combo for two, which costs a little over $30 USD. It included a vegetarian quesadilla, two vegetarian tacos, a vegetarian taco salad, and two beers. (At dinner, you can only order set combos, but at lunch you can order a la carte). The owner was a super friendly American from New York who gave us tips on other veggie-focused restaurants in the area and on things to see and do in Seoul.
What are your top-favorite vegetarian foods in Seoul or in Korea? Let us know in the comments!
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I think it’s great that you guys visited Korea and have enjoyed some good veg food in Korea. I have some reservations about calling your post “Best of the Best” because it is far from comprehensive. “Veg restaurants we enjoyed” may be a bit less misleading. This post is a great start and for anyone wondering, happycow.net has a lot of listings with rankings in Seoul so you can see what is most popular. Also Vegefeed(채식한끼) app has really improved a lot and is great for in-depth Korea info.
Happy Travels and thanks again for the post.
Thanks for reading, and thanks for the info! We love Happy Cow, but we’ll have to try out Vegefeed next time we’re in Korea!
For special events and visitors, Sanchon in Insadong. Also, don’t write off Loving Hut. Each branch is different and the food quality is excellent. Not sure how you write them off as fast food and then praise, well, real fast food!
Haha, fair point. As Americans, maybe we’re a little too quick to write off chain restaurants – we have way too many of them! And Sanchon is going on our bucket list, thanks!