I’m sure you still don’t think vegans only eat grass. Here are six restaurants that prove that vegan and vegetarian cuisine can be just as colorful.
1. Baidubu
A short walk up the hill through the streets of Liberation Village, lined with quirky bars and eateries, you’ll find Baidubu. This restaurant serves 100% vegan dishes made with tofu as the main ingredient. It’s not uncommon to find sandwiches that are half-hearted and unsatisfying, but Baidubu’s creative and thoughtful flavors never fail to impress.
The signature Broccoli Tofu GangjeongBowl’s gangjeong is oven-baked, not fried, so it’s light and flavorful. The Bai Tofu Wrapis playful and appealing, with a spicy mayonnaise flavor that cuts through the mild ingredients. For vegans who don’t even eat eggs, the eggless eggsandwich dispels the notion that alternatives are tasteless. Baidubu is committed to zero waste and offers a 10% discount for multi-serving containers.
📍10, Sowol-ro 20-gil, Yongsan-gu
2. Chick-fil-A
If you haven’t tried falafel and hummusyet, Chick-fil-A is the place to go. Chick-fil-A offers vegan and non-vegan options based on Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine. The accompanying bread pita is a great way to open up your pockets, fill them up, and take a bite. With branches in Sinsa and Seongsu, Myeongdong, Gangnam, Wangsimni, and Magok, it’s already a haven for vegans who often worry about where to grab a bite to eat.
📍Sinsa Branch, 69, Gangnam-daero 152-gil, Gangnam-gu, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
3. Perments
If you don’t want to venture into the crowded Triangle, head to the other side of the city to find the laid-back streets of Sinsaemun. In between is the vegan kitchen and bar Perments. Once you enter through the narrow entrance, you’ll be immediately enchanted by the spacious and warm space, proving that even a seemingly nice (?) vegan place can be cool.
There are threesavory hummus and fermented noodle dishes with a generous drizzle of olive oil, the best of which is the pizza-like Veggie& Curry. A variety of veggies, including tempeh and lotus root, are sautéed to perfection, with just the right amount of crunch and just the right amount of softness. Kombucha and natural wines are also available to pair with the food, and the occasional DJ sessions and tasteful playlists from the music-minded staff are a bonus.
📍22, Hangangdae-ro 7-gil, Yongsan-gu
4. Balu Gongyang
You can’t talk about vegan cuisine without mentioning temple food. Regardless of the popularity of Chef’s Table’s monk Jeong Kwan-nim, it’s a meal you’ll want to visit often because it’s just so delicious. If you go to Jogyesa Temple and Insadong neighborhood, there are several temple restaurants with their own history. Balugongyang is a restaurant run by the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism. The food is delicious, but the table filled with a variety of side dishes is a great way to impress your foreign friends, and the somewhat unassuming setting makes for a meditative meal.
📍56, Ujeongguk-ro, Jongno-gu
5. Kun
Located between Hyo-dong and Cheongnyun is Kun. The neighborhood is quiet, and in the middle of it is where people gather to wait to enter. At Kun, you can enjoy fragrant dishes that look and smell great among the dried vegetables laid out neatly. You can buy the ingredients for KUN’s dishes at the in-store grocery and at KUN’s Wednesday vegetable market.
📍17-2, Jahamun-ro 26-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul
6. Food the Matter
Seochois home to Food the Matter, a vegan restaurant. They don’t use any butter, eggs, or milk. Experimental new dishes, such as cream noodleswith bean sprouts and cappellini seaweed puree, are offered occasionally, and the restaurant is recognized by those who have mastered Seoul’s vegan scene.
📍55 Seocho-daero, Seocho-gu