Seoul in South Korea can be difficult to travel to as a vegan. But among all the meat-eating places, you can find a handful of vegan and vegan-friendly restaurants that serve great vegan comfort food.
You can find a good range of vegan offerings, from burgers and cakes, to vegan bibimbap and other traditional Korean cuisines.
Seoul Travel Information For Vegans
Best Time To Visit Seoul
Travel in October to November to see the beautiful Autumn leaves in Seoul. In Summer, Seoul is pretty hot and rainy; and in Winter it gets very cold. Another thing to consider is to visit Seoul when the Vegan Festival Korea is happening.
Where To Stay In Seoul For The Best Food
I recommend staying in the Hongdae or Myeongdong areas for the well-connected public transport and shopping.
Recommended Tours & Activities
To make your trip to Seoul even more memorable, these are some of the activities I'd recommend:
- Full day sightseeing tour Iicluding Gyeongbokgung Palace, N Seoul Tower, and Namsangol Hanok Village
- Night walking tour with a local
- Nami Island and Petite France & Italian Village Day Trip from Seoul
Internet & Data
Using an eSim for internet access is probably the most convenient way. I recommend this eSim brand where you just need to download an app and install the eSim to get internet overseas.
PLANT
This all-vegan cafe in Itaewon is a vegan gem in Seoul. You can find burgers, pasta, cakes, smoothie with whipped cream, and more in the menu.
The chili cheeseburger has a bean patty with ingredients like fried onion, cashew cheese sauce, sriracha aioli. A delicious and hearty burger. It also comes with a kale salad on the side. I opted to add tempeh on the side as well.
The smoothies are also great. This power green smoothie tastes like peanut butter! And the vegan whipped cream is light and smooth.
I usually don’t like salads, but this sesame peanut soba salad bowl is surprisingly good. The sauce is very flavorful, though a bit spicy. And all the noodles are coated with it. Mix everything in for a tasty and healthy bowl.
You can find the vegan cakes next to the cashier. The sponge cake is soft and not dry. Both the chocolate cookie and red velvet flavors are great.
For the environment, the cafe is decorated by wooden accents and plants. The place is cozy and homey. The staff is friendly, helpful and speak great English.
The cafe can get quite busy especially in evenings during the weekend.
PLANT also has a bakery (also in Itaewon) that sells cakes, muffins and other baked goods.
Address:
PLANT Cafe and Kitchen:
2nd Floor, Itaewon-dong 130-43, Yongsan-gu, Seoul
PLANT Bakery:
Itaewon-dong 63-15, Yongsan-gu, Seoul
Hours:
PLANT Cafe and Kitchen:
Mon-Sat: 11am - 10pm (L.O. 9pm)
Closed on Sun
PLANT Bakery:
Mon-Sat: 11am - 6pm
Closed on Sun
Oh Se Gae Hyang
If you’d like to have vegan traditional Korean cuisine in Seoul, Oh Se Gae Hyang is a great choice.
This vegan restaurant has traditional decor with wooden pillars and roof supports. The seats are cushion seats on the floor. So you’d need to cross your legs while you eat. This is a Loving Hut franchised restaurant although it’s not in the name.
The bibimbap set comes with a bowl of rice (with shredded veggies, sprouts and kichi radish) and 7 little dishes. And it only costs 10000 won. You can choose to enjoy the side dishes separately or mix it all in for a big bibimbap. The taste is great and it’s a smart idea to use tofu to replace the egg in a traditional bibimbap.
The restaurant also has a small shop section by the counter selling both Korean groceries, like noodles and canned veggie meat, and some Western imports.
Address:
14-5 Insadong 12-gil, Gwanhun-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul
Direction:
Go to Anguk station, exit 6. Go down the Isadong shopping street and turn left when you see the sign Isadong Gil 12 sign. Walk straight down to the last shop.
Hours:
Mon-Fri: 11:30am - 3:30pm, 5 - 9pm (L.O. 8:20pm)
Sat-Sun: 11:30am - 9pm (L.O. 8:20pm)
Monk's Butcher
This restaurant is one of the most impressive places I’ve visited in Seoul in this trip. The food is some of the best I’ve had and the service is also top-notch, though the prices can be a bit high.
At the time of visit on a Sunday evening, the restaurant is fully booked. The staff says it’s usually this busy especially on a weekend. However, they can do takeaway. And that’s what I got.
The menu has both western and Asian flavors. Most of the items are vegan or can be made vegan. And they are clearly marked.
The presentation of food, even though it’s takeaway, is amazing. Both dishes are intricate and well put together. I ordered a Beyond burger set and a Tom Yum fried rice.
The beyond burger has a generous amount of flavourful sauces, including a sriracha mayo and a cheese sauce. It also has a thick slice of vegan cheese, sweet sauteed red onion and some other veggies. The burger is bursting with flavours from the first bite. The burger set also comes with a mix of 3 fried snacks (fries, potato bites, and onion rings) and a salad side. The fried snacks are seasoned perfectly and still crispy after a 35 minute trip.
The other dish is a Tom Yum fried rice. It comes with a handful of side dishes: tofu topped with mustard leaf pickled in olive oil, spiced satay chicken skewers, a thai salad with sliced cucumber and red onion, and also a slice of banana. Everything tastes great, especially the thai salad which has a great balance of sweetness and pickle sourness. The fried rice is a little bit spicy at the end. So be careful if you are not into spicy food.
The only downside is that this place is on the pricey side. The 2 main dishes and a drink cost 54000 won. But if you don’t mind spending a bit more on great vegan food, Monk’s Butcher is the place to go.
Address:
228-1 Itaewon-ro, Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Hours:
Tue-Thu, Sun: 6-10:30pm
Fri-Sat: 6-11:30pm
Closed on Mon
Vegetus
Vegetus is about 15 minutes if you walk from Noksapyeong Station. On the way, you will pass the all-vegan grocery store, Vegan Space.
The cafe is all vegan with a western menu including pasta panini, and burger. There are some cakes and cookies in the fridge.
The cafe uses plants and wooden furnitures as decor. There are some outdoor seating as well. A small shop section is located by the counter with some local and imported stuff. The staff is nice and speaks good English.
The lasagna tastes pretty good. The cashew cream sauce is creamy. They use a pressed tofu pasta, which has a similar texture to gluten-free pasta. Inside are some veggies like mushroom and spinach. Overall the taste is on point. It also comes with a salad drizzled with balsamic vinegar and olive oil.
Address:
59 Sinheung-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, Korea 04338
Hours:
Tue: 5 - 9:30pm (L.O. 9pm)
Wed-Fri: 12 - 3pm, 5 - 9:30pm (L.O. 9pm)
Sat, Sun, Holiday: 12 - 9:30pm (L.O. 9pm)
Closed on Monday
Loving Hut Cafe
This Loving Hut Cafe serves both Korean and Western style food, with some hard to find items like ice cream and pizza. You can find the menu later in this section.
The place separated into a cafe section and a groceries section. You need to order at the counter (and ask for an English menu if you need one). The staff will call out your order and you need to take it at the same counter. And after finishing your meal, bring the tray to the collection place by the counter.
The bowl of udon has tempura mushroom, seaweed and veggies inside. It also comes with two sides: rice ball and kimchi radish. But the sides may change from time to time. Be careful as the pot is very hot when it comes out. Overall the taste is pretty good, and the portion is great for its price.
The fried dumplings are deep fried until crispy. Comes with a spiced soy sauce.
This matcha frappe is a bit too icy and sweet.
The shop section sells a good selection of local and imported vegan food. Also you can find some hard-to-find items like vegan cream and cheese.
Address:
35, Gaepo-ro 22-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Korea
Hours:
11am - 10pm
Veg Green Buffet
Veg Green is an all vegan buffet style restaurant. The place is not big and has a nice homely feeling to it. The buffet has a decent selection of Asian and Western style food, including some traditional Korean items.
Overall the food tastes good with some tasty choices In general, the Korean and Asian-style dishes are more impressive.
My favourites are the bulgogi beef and the whipped cream on bread.
The staff there is very friendly. Although English is not their first language, they do their best to welcome you and make sure you have what you need. One of the ladies even make the cold noodle soup for me after seeing me struggle!
There is also a small shop section by the cashier. On the day of visit, there are some bread and cookies as well.
The lunch buffet only costs 12000 won.
Address:
24-10, Gaepo-ro 20-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea, 06307
Hours:
12 - 2:30pm, 6 - 9pm
Fell+Cole
Fell+Cole is an ice cream shop with a few vegan sorbet flavours daily. The vegan flavours are clearly marked. Overall the taste is a bit on the mild side, but the texture is pretty good.
Out of the two flavours I've tried, the blueberry banana flavour is better than the strawberry thyme one.
Address:
39-21 Wausan-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul, Korea
Hours:
Sun-Thu: 12 - 9pm
Fri-Sat: 12-10pm
Yummyyomil
This bakery cafe in Hapjeong is kind of a vegan heaven. It offers a wide range of burgers, sandwiches, bread and drinks. If you are a fan of bakery items, you will be in love.
This avo bean curd sandwich is one of the highlights. With avo, marinated bean curd, almond, apple slices, tomato, mayo and more, the sandwich has a strong umami teriyaki flavour.
This bulgogi beef burger is also great. Just remember that burger only starts at 11am.
The baked items are fantastic, I especially love the almond crispy and brownie. And there are some creative items like meringue and buns with red bean/cream filling.
The only downside is that everything is in plastic, though they use stainless steel straw for drinks.
They have some tables at the cafe which you can sit and enjoy your food with a drink. The staff is nice and can speak good English.
Address:
6-5, Yanghwa-ro 7-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Hours:
8am - 9pm
Burger available 11am - 8:50pm
The Bread Blue
Another great vegan bakery cafe in Seoul. This one is near Sinchon station. On the Happy Cow listing, it says it’s vegetarian, but according to the staff, everything is vegan including the drinks (soy and almond milk).
The cookies and cream cake is delicious. The sponge cake is airy and not dry. And the cream has cookie chunks in it.
Other items are great as well. The staff can heat them up for you if you are eating in the cafe.
For drinks, if you are dining in, make sure to ask them to use the glass and skip the plastic straw.
The sweet potato latte (it’s a popular drink in Korea!) is excellent. The consistency is a bit thick with some sweet potato chunks. Definitely give it a try if you’re feeling a bit more adventurous than iced latte.
Some breads and cakes of the shop:
Address:
54-58 Nogosan-dong, Mapo-gu, Nogosan-dong, Seoul, South Korea
Hours:
Mon: 10am - 9pm
Tue-Sat: 10am - 10pm
Sun: 8am - 9pm
Sunny Bread
Sunny Bread is a small bakery cafe with some vegan options. The vegan options are labeled VG, and everything is gluten-free. At the time of visit, there are 1-2 cakes that are vegan (but they were sold out). They also have two vegan menu items: Sunny Sandwich and Garden Pizza. Vegan milk is also available.
The cafe is pretty small with only less than 10 seats.
Address:
736-49 Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, South Korea, 140-210
Hours:
Wed-Sun: 11am - 8pm
Closed on Mon,Tue
Lee Sung Dang Cafe
This bakery located in Lotte World Mall has some vegan items. At the day of visit, the red bean and charcoal (check filling and ingredients) mochi are the vegan options. They are reasonably priced at 1300 each. The mochi skin is soft, thin and chewy. A great snack after going to Lotte World Adventure.
Address:
Lotte World Mall, 5F, 300 Olympic-ro, Songpa-gu, Seoul
Hours:
10:30am - 12am
SF Bagel
SF bagel is a small bakery near Hongik University station. The bagels except the cheddar one are vegan. The price is about 2800 won for a bagel. There are also a few seats inside and outside the bakery. The taste is good, but could be a bit dry if you don’t have a drink.
Address:
385-1, Yeonnam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul
Hours:
Mon, Thu, Fri: 11am - 9pm
Sat-Sun: 9am - 9pm
Closed on Tue, Wed
Vegan Space (Groceries)
Vegan space is the first all vegan grocery store in Seoul. The selection is pretty great, with milk, cheese, frozen meat, and more. Some products are on the expensive side, but it’s understandable as they are imported. It’s great to be able to find all vegan products in one place as they are pretty rare/non-existence in other places in Seoul.
Address:
26 Sinheung-ro, Yongsan 2(i)ga-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Hours:
Tue-Fri: 12 - 9pm
Sat-Sun: 12 - 7pm
Closed on Mon
