Vegan Insa is a vegan korean restaurant in Jongno And Insadong, Seoul.
Vegan Insa in the hanok lanes of Ikseon-dong is consistently rated one of Seoul's best vegan restaurants: purely plant-based Korean food in a traditional.
Signature dishes: Vegan bibimbap, Banchan set
Must order: Fully plant-based Korean banchan and rice: the spread of side dishes is the kitchen's strongest statement, each prepared without any animal product.
Tip: Ikseon-dong is a 10-minute walk from Insadong and worth the detour for its traditional atmosphere.
Address: 33-18 Ikseon-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul
A traditional Korean lunch counter in Insadong serving plant-based kimbap and banchan, rated 4.5 stars across 400+ HappyCow reviews for consistent quality.
Signature: Vegan kimbap, Organic banchan
Order: Vegan kimbap (seaweed rice rolls) with seasonal vegetable fillings: no fish, no meat, just clean vegetable rolls at a counter price.
Tip: Arrive early; the seating is limited and the queue forms quickly at lunchtime.
Korea's first registered restaurant, open since 1904 in Jongno, serving one dish unchanged: 17-hour seolleongtang. Michelin Bib Gourmand recognised.
Signature: Seolleongtang
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.
Open 24 hours, Bonga near Dongdaemun cooks its seolleongtang in traditional cast-iron pots from ten beef cuts for 24 hours: the bowl that market traders.
Signature: Gamasot seolleongtang
Order: Gamasot seolleongtang from the iron cauldron: 24-hour broth from ten beef cuts, ordered at any hour of the day or night.
Tip: This is the best late-night beef broth in the city; order extra rice to soak the last of the bowl.
A traditional Korean lunch counter in Insadong serving plant-based kimbap and banchan, rated 4.5 stars across 400+ HappyCow reviews for consistent quality.
Signature: Vegan kimbap, Organic banchan
Order: Vegan kimbap (seaweed rice rolls) with seasonal vegetable fillings: no fish, no meat, just clean vegetable rolls at a counter price.
Tip: Arrive early; the seating is limited and the queue forms quickly at lunchtime.
EID on Usadan-ro near Seoul Central Mosque is the city's most respected halal Korean restaurant, run by a Korean Muslim family since the 1990s.
Signature: Halal Korean BBQ, Bibimbap
Order: Halal bibimbap or Korean BBQ platter: the same dishes as the mainstream Korean restaurant, prepared according to Islamic dietary law by a Korean Muslim family.
Tip: The mosque alley on Usadan-ro has several halal Korean options side by side; EID is the one with the longest-running local reputation.
Makan brings Malaysian halal cooking to the Usadan-ro mosque strip, with nasi lemak, rendang and satay that have built a devout following from Seoul's.
Signature: Nasi lemak, Rendang
Order: Nasi lemak: coconut rice, sambal, fried anchovies and egg, halal-certified and one of the most popular dishes in this stretch of Itaewon.
Tip: Usadan-ro climbing toward the mosque is the centre of Seoul's halal food scene; walk it end to end before choosing.
Yang Good in Gangnam is a halal-certified Korean BBQ restaurant specialising in lamb, one of the few halal dining options south of the Han River.
Signature: Halal lamb BBQ
Order: Halal lamb BBQ: lamb cuts grilled tableside, halal-certified, in a neighbourhood-friendly format rare south of the Han River.
Tip: Gangnam has far fewer halal restaurants than Itaewon; Yang Good is the most convenient option for visitors staying south of the Han.
Korea's first registered restaurant, open since 1904 in Jongno, serving one dish unchanged: 17-hour seolleongtang. Michelin Bib Gourmand recognised.
Signature: Seolleongtang
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.
