Imun Seolnongtang is a korean traditional restaurant in Jongno And Insadong, Seoul.
Korea's first registered restaurant, open since 1904 in Jongno, serving one dish unchanged: 17-hour seolleongtang. Michelin Bib Gourmand recognised.
Signature dishes: Seolleongtang
Must order: Seolleongtang: the 1904 recipe unchanged, ox bones for 17 hours, a bowl of opaque white broth with sliced beef and wheat noodles.
Tip: The breakfast crowd is small; a morning bowl before the palace opens is one of the best starts to a day in old Seoul.
Address: 38-13 Ujeongguk-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul
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.
Signature: Vegan pizza, Plant-based pasta
Order: Vegan pizza: wood-oven cooked with seasonal vegetable toppings and dairy-free mozzarella alternative, one of the few credible vegan Italian options in Seoul.
Tip: Book ahead on weekends; the room is small and fills quickly.
Vegan Kitchen in Jung-gu serves Korean cuisine in the temple food tradition: no meat, fish, dairy, and in the traditional style, often no garlic or spring.
Signature: Korean vegan set, Temple food dishes
Order: Vegan Korean set meal: a full spread of plant-based banchan built on the Korean temple food tradition, deeply flavoured without any animal products.
Tip: Ask whether the kitchen follows the strict temple food convention (no alliums) or uses garlic; it affects the flavour profile significantly.
Alt.a between Itaewon and Hannam serves a vegan Korean-Chinese menu that works off the jjajangmyeon and mapo traditions without animal products, rated 4.5.
Signature: Vegan mapo tofu, Korean-Chinese vegan dishes
Order: Vegan mapo tofu: silken tofu in a gochugaru and doubanjiang sauce that has no meat but loses nothing in the process.
Tip: The set lunch is the best-value entry point; the a la carte is worth the price for the full menu.
The Bangi branch of Byeokje Galbi serves premium charcoal-grilled hanwoo short ribs from in-house butchery, the same quality as the flagship since 1986.
Signature: Charcoal galbi, Hanwoo ribeye
Order: Galbi (short ribs) over charcoal: top 1% graded hanwoo, butchered in-house, charcoal-grilled at the table in the Bangi branch's large dining room.
Tip: Lunch is less crowded than dinner; the quality of the beef is identical.
BLU Seoul in Jung-gu runs an organic, vegan and gluten-free menu, rated 5 stars on HappyCow across 85 reviews: one of Seoul's most comprehensive plant-based.
Signature: Organic vegan dishes, Gluten-free plates
Order: Organic vegan set: seasonal ingredients from local farms, prepared without meat, dairy or gluten in a clean, light kitchen near Chungmu-ro.
Tip: BLU is one of the few options in Seoul that caters to both vegan and coeliac requirements simultaneously.
The most visited samgyetang restaurant in Seoul, set across several traditional hanok houses near Gyeongbokgung Palace with a long daily queue before 11:30.
Signature: Samgyetang, Black chicken samgyetang
Order: Samgyetang: whole young chicken packed with glutinous rice, ginseng and garlic inside renovated hanok buildings with courtyard seating.
Tip: Come at opening on weekdays; queues are shortest before 11:30.
