Order Aged hanwoo sirloin, cooked tableside over charcoal and served with perilla wraps.
Maple Tree House in Itaewon serves premium hanwoo (Korean beef) and Jeju black pork belly over charcoal in a polished room frequented by international guests.
Order Plant burger with house-made patty, fresh aioli and seasonal greens.
Plant Cafe and Kitchen in Itaewon is one of Seoul's most established fully vegan restaurants, running a menu of American-leaning comfort food alongside.
Order Seasonal plant-based baked goods.
ByTOFU is a vegan cafe and bakery in Yongsan serving Western-style pastries and cafe food without any animal products, rated among Seoul's top vegan spots.
Order Halal Korean BBQ platter: marinated beef and chicken prepared according to Islamic dietary law by a Korean.
EID Halal Korean Food on Usadan-ro is one of Seoul's most respected halal restaurants, operated by a Korean Muslim family serving authentic Korean cuisine.
Order Nasi lemak: fragrant coconut rice with sambal, fried anchovies and hard-boiled egg.
Makan serves Malaysian and Indonesian halal-certified food on the Usadan-ro mosque strip of Itaewon, with nasi lemak, rendang and satay that draw a devout.
Order Aged hanwoo sirloin and Jeju heuk dwaeji (black pork belly) grilled tableside with full banchan spread and perilla leaf wraps.
Maple Tree House in Itaewon serves premium hanwoo and Jeju black pork belly over charcoal in a polished room frequented by international visitors to Seoul.
Order Vegan pizza: wood-oven cooked with seasonal vegetable toppings and dairy-free mozzarella alternative.
Nammi Plant Lab in Seocho brings vegan Italian to south Seoul: pizza and pasta without animal products, rated 4.5 stars across 86 HappyCow reviews.
Also on this listEID Halal Korean FoodMakan Halal RestaurantAlt.a
Order Filter pour-over from rotating single-origin board
gml Hannam runs an espresso-free filter-only program with more than 20 single-origin pour-overs from roasters like Prodigal, Dak Amsterdam and Hatch Ontario.
Order Country loaf sourdough and morning bun
The Seoul outpost of Chad Robertson's San Francisco bakery, in Hannam-dong since 2018, quickly setting the standard for open-crumb sourdough in Korea.
Seoul's first natural wine bar (2017). Bar Big Lights pours grower Champagne and small-producer natural wines alongside a Neo-French kitchen in Hannam-dong.
Drink 12-glass makgeolli sampler tray
Damotori is the definitive makgeolli bar in Seoul, stocking over 40 varieties of the unfiltered rice wine from producers across Korea and presenting them.
Drink Magpie Porter (Seoul's defining craft dark beer)
Magpie Brewing's Itaewon taproom is the craft beer entry point to Seoul, with the full range of Korean-brewed ales and lagers served alongside pub food.
Drink Gildong IPA and seasonal sours
The Booth Brewing on Gyeongnidan-gil pairs its own-brewed IPAs and stouts with a food menu, a full evening destination on Seoul's most international street.
Drink Bourbon sour with Korean persimmon syrup
Southside Parlor is one of Itaewon's most consistent bars: New Orleans-inflected, with live music Thursday through Saturday and a well-stocked spirits shelf.
Try Halal kebabs, falafel, Thai street food, South Asian snacks
The Itaewon strip around the main road and the side streets toward the Hamilton Hotel is home to Seoul's most international street food scene: halal kebab.
Magpie Brewing is South Korea's most recognised craft brewery, founded in Itaewon in 2011 with a taproom still serving the full range and rotating seasonals.
The Booth Brewing launched in Seoul in 2013, now with taprooms across the city making flagship IPAs and dark ales from its own recipes and facility.
Taste of Seoul is the city government's annual food week, with Seoul Restaurant Week, pop-ups and a Seoul Taste Market on Nodeul Island; the 2025 edition ran 27 October to 2 November.
The K-Food Festival on the Jamsu Bridge over the Han River is a one-day picnic-format event with food trucks, kimchi-making and traditional craft and performance stages.
Order Egg sandwich on country loaf with arugula and house aioli
Tartine Hannam operates as a full-service cafe from 07:00, making it one of Seoul's earliest and best options for a serious morning meal on house sourdough.
Usadan-ro 12-gil, known as Homo Hill, is the heart of Seoul's queer nightlife in Itaewon, a short cluster of gay bars, inclusive clubs, and drag-show venues uphill from Itaewon station. The area operates openly and gets busy after 23:00 Thursday through Sunday. Seoul Pride (typically held in June at Seoul Plaza) draws large crowds and the Itaewon district is the centre of the city's LGBT nightlife year-round.
Also on this listSouthside Parlor
