A Survival Guide for Being Vegetarian in South Korea

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It’s no secret that South Korea is a meat-lovers paradise. Here’s how to navigate being a vegetarian in South Korea!

Guest Post by Jess Sealey

Meat and fish are a huge part of Korean food culture and it’s a reason why such a small number of Koreans are vegetarian. No matter where you are, the smell of endless BBQ, meat and fish restaurants fills every town and city. But being vegetarian in South Korea is actually doable, so don’t worry!

A bit of a disclaimer: before I came to teach English in Korea, I would never eat anything that had been cooked in the same oven as meat or had touched meat, and would never eat something by just picking the meat out of it. However, I quickly had to change that when I moved here.

Sometimes, it’s just much much easier to pick meat out of something than to struggle communicating with someone in a foreign language that you don’t eat meat – especially in a place as meat obsessed as Korea! Thankfully it’s usually pretty easy to do with Korean dishes. I eat school lunch in my school cafeterias, and I usually just pick meat or fish out of the side dishes that aren’t veggie.

In this post, I’ll share with you some restaurant suggestions for Daegu and Seoul, as well as some survival Korean language for when you need to communicate your dietary needs to help you survive being vegetarian in South Korea!

↠ Read more: An Ultimate Korea Itinerary: Where to Go, What to Do, and What to Know

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General Tips for Being Vegetarian in South Korea

• Most Korean restaurants specialise in a certain type of food and it’s typically meat – things like raw fish, samgyupsal, bulgogi, bbq etc. But they also always serve rice with the meal as well as some kind of side dishes, which are 90% vegetables. If there’s nothing you can order on the menu in a meat restaurant (very likely), just ask the waiter for a bowl of rice and vegetables, which you can then turn into bibimbap with a bit of gochujang sauce! Another option you could have at meat restaurants is a type of jjigae – a kind of soup/broth. Your best option is a soft tofu soup (순두부찌개).
• If you ever need a quick snack, kimbap (김밥), Korean ‘sushi’,  is your best bet. If you just ask for kimbap, they will give you the original one, which is the safest bet for veggies. Search 김밥 in your Naver/Kakao maps, and it will show you your nearest kimbap shops!
• If you see a restaurant serving Bibimbap (비빔밥) – this is always the safest bet for a vegetarian in South Korea! Bibimbap is a dish of mixed rice and varying vegies and it rarely has meat. There are countless restaurants in cities and towns that will serve this dish, you just have to look out for the signs or go in and ask what they serve.
• Koreans have an interesting view of meat and you’ll want to confirm that they fully understand what you want when you order if you request to modify a dish. For example, if you don’t eat fish, you’ll want to make sure that after you say ‘no-meat’ that they know it also means fish. Sometimes they don’t even think of deli ham as meat so you’ll really want to confirm to drive the point home! They might even give you a strange look when you ask for no meat because it’s just so rare here.
• Happy Cow is a great resource that helps vegetarians and vegans find good places to eat all over the world!
• Restaurants in Korea open and close quite frequently, so always double check the below recommendations are still open before going. It’s also very common for restaurants to move locations. The restaurant scene here is fast paced!

Useful Language for Vegetarians in South Korea

• Just rice and vegetables please = 밥이랑 야채만 주세요 (bap-e-rang ya-chae-man juseyo)
• I’m a vegetarian = 저는 채식해요 (jeo-neun chae-shik haeyo)
• I don’t eat meat = 고기 안 먹어요 (gogi an mo-geo-yo)
• Please take out the meat = 고기는 빼주세요 (gogi-neun bbae-juseyo)
• Please take out the fish = 생선은 빼주세요 (saeng-seon-eun bbae-juseyo)

↠ Read More: 25 Exciting Things to Buy in South Korea

7 Delicious Vegetarian Korean Foods

One of the biggest things you’re probably wondering is – what foods can I eat in South Korea if I’m vegetarian? Here are some of the most common vegetarian Korean foods you should consider when visiting South Korea.

But be warned, just because these options can be traditionally vegetarian-friendly, doesn’t mean they always are. Many of the below dishes can be served with meat too, so it’s always a good idea to confirm and let your food servers know if you don’t eat meat.

1. Bibimbap 비빔밥 – A rice bowl with an assortment of veggies, seaweed, and a fried egg. I think it’s best in a hot stone bowl, which makes the rice crispy.
2. Gimbap 김밥 – Korean “sushi”, traditionally made with veggies.
3. Kimchi 김치 – fermented, spicy cabbage.
4. Banchan 반찬 – side dishes often served alongside entrees, especially at BBQ joints. These side dishes more often than not are a variety of veggies, rice, and pickles, but sometimes meat dishes like dried anchovies, chicken gizzards, etc may be served as banchan.
5. Vegetable Mandu (dumplings) 소만두 – Korean mandu are like any other potstickers or dumplings you’ve probably had, and are available as veggie. However, they also serve meat-filled ones, so beware.
6. Savory Pajeon (Korean scallion “pancakes”) 감자전 – Korean Pajeon are savory “pancakes” that are made with  eggs, wheat flour, rice flour, and of course scallions. This is the most common way it’s served, but it’s also served sometimes with seafood or other meats.
7. Mung bean pancakes 빈대떡 – Mug bean pancakes can be both vegetarian friendly and gluten free because they’re made with ground up mung beans, rice flour, and veggies. However, this is another dish that often has meat added.

Other dishes like japjae 잡채, stir-fried glass noodles, and a variety of soups like soondubu jjigae 순두부찌개, a spicy tofu soup that is DELISH, can be vegetarian as well, but it may be cooked with meat products like animal stock, or have seafood added.

Korean Street Foods that Are Vegetarian-Friendly

During winter, food stalls are everywhere in Korea. A lot of the food they serve is fish or meat. However, here are a few of my veggie favourites:

• Egg bread (계란빵) – my all time favorite!
• Hotteok (호떡)- a hot cinnamon filled pancake (호떡)
• Bungeo-ppang (붕어빵) – Red bean-filled pastry, shaped like a fish but don’t worry – it has no fish inside
• Tteok-bokki (떡볶이) – rice cakes
• Baked sweet potato (군고구마)
• Roasted chestnuts (밤)

There are other veggie street food options too, like peanut-filled pastries and traditional candies. There’s lots of things to keep you warm in the Korean winter.

↠ Read More: Diving Deeper: How to Order Korean Food in Korea

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Vegetarian Restaurants in Seoul

Being the capital city, Seoul is obviously the best place to grab vegan and vegetarian food in Korea. I personally don’t live in Seoul but visit for weekends and holidays to take advantage of all the incredible things to do and eat! Here are a few of my Seoul favorites!

Loving Hut – a chain restaurant that serves AMAZING vegan versions of meaty Korean food. My favourite place to go when I want some vegetarian dumplings! There are several chains dotted around Korea and if you don’t live in Seoul, you might have one in your city – full list here.

Grain – my favorite place for brunch. You can build your own brunch set and there are lots of vegetarian options (I recommend the scrambled egg, avocado, fruit & muesli and tomato & mozzeralla).

What A Salad: a salad joint near the Yongsan metro. Good for a quick lunch fix.

Plant – probably the most famous vegan/vegetarian restaurant in Seoul. They have two locations, a restaurant and a bakery. Find more info here.

La Ferme – this place has a whole variety of healthy meals. It’s not actually a vegetarian restaurant so you’ll find chicken and salmon salads here, but they have quite a few delicious vegetarian options! The beetroot hummus is to die for.  

Summer Lane – this place is a gorgeous spot for some western brunch. The menu has options for everyone and of course caters for vegetarians. I couldn’t say no to the cakes either, they were divine.

Casablanca – this is a little Moroccan joint that serves some seriously tasty food. I had the vegetarian sandwich and it was delicious.

Monk’s Butcher – if you’re looking to spend a bit more money for a special occasion, head to Monk’s Butcher. A restaurant with more upmarket and creative vegetarian food.

Cook and Book – A cosy vegetarian restaurant with some hearty comfort food dishes.

Vegan & Beyond – A charming Vegan cafe that serves everything from baked goods, desserts, international dishes, cocktails, and more! The cafe also hosts various events and has a small zero-waste shop. It’s located near near Hongdae/Sinchon.

Plantude – A vegetarian friendly restaurant serving Korean dishes, bowls, and pasta dishes in Coex at Samseong station.

Panhonesta – A vegan bakery and cafe in Itaewon probably best known for their vegan pistachio bingsu and oat milk lattes.

The Picker – was an amazing vegetarian restaurant serving burgers, sandwiches, smoothie bowls and more, that’s now a zero-waste store. While they’ve changed gears, it still may be a spot that’ll be of interest to vegetarians in South Korea. It’s located in Seongsu-dong, it’s a good place to eat if you are visiting the Common Ground shopping containers.

↠ Read More: How to Spend a Perfect Three Days in Seoul, South Korea

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Vegetarian Restaurants in Busan

As Korea’s second largest city, you’ll likely pop by to visit it on your travels or while living in South Korea. Here are some options for vegetarians and vegans in Busan.

Dajeon 다전 – Traditional Korean dishes made vegan, including vegan dumplings in Seomyeon. This spot is on the third floor in the heart of Busan.

Soban Vegan 소반 비건식당 – A vegan restaurant serving Korean dishes and soups, as well as selling vegan goodies and banchan to take home. This spot is a few blocks from the Dongdaesin metro stop.

Veganarang – A popular vegan joint in a high rise building along the shores of Suyeong Bay.

Love Urth – A small restaurant off the beaten path that fills up quickly. The menu is a seasonal and changes to include a variety of fusion and international dishes.

April and May 45 – A cozy vegan brunch restaurant with vegan baked goods, smoothies, and more. It’s within walking distance from the Mangmi metro stop.

Namaste Haeundae – A highly-reviewed Indian restaurant with veggie options in the heart of Haeundae. 

Nayuta Cafe – A charming little vegetarian spot by the Jangjeon Station. The cafe is tiny with an open kitchen, and is a cool hidden gem for anyone visiting Busan.

Eat Drink Vegan 잇드링크비건 – A cute vegan restaurant with limited options but options that are done well. You’ll find this artsy place in Seomyeon.

↠ Read More: 18 Best Things to Do in Busan, South Korea

Vegetarian Restaurants in Daegu

Daegu is my home in South Korea. I live and work here so I feel like I’ve chosen the best vegetarian choices for you to explore. There are not as many options as there are in Seoul (especially for dinner-time), but there’s still a few!

Vegetarian-Friendly Places for Brunch in Daegu:

Tumtree Project – this place is great when you’re craving avocado toast. It’s next to Suseong Lake so it’s a perfect lunch spot for the day.

Wholegrain – this place has food for dinner time, but it’s not very vegetarian friendly. However, the breakfast menu and the french toast at this place is delicious.

Farm Table – another pancake house! Perfect for a weekend treat.

Egg Drop – good for grabbing a snack downtown. Little toasted sandwiches filled with scrambled egg, cheese and avocado. I actually prefer the original one to the avocado.

↠ Read More: The Best Places for Brunch in Daegu, South Korea

Vegetarian Places in Daegu for Dinner

Gonji Gonji (곤지곤지) – this is a chain Korean restaurant that serves bibimbap and vegetarian Korean omelettes. The quality of food is really good and it’s super cheap. Search naver/kakao for 곤지곤지 to see if you have one near you!

Loving Hut – Daegu is lucky to be home to a couple of Loving Hut’s. This is the best place to get vegan versions of Korean food that you can never eat. Check out locations and opening times here.

What? – this is a BBQ joint on the famous BBQ alley in Daegu so the majority of the menu is meat. However, if your friends are craving a Korean BBQ night and you want to join for the atmosphere, you can eat the egg omelette here. It’s a pretty big portion and will definitely fill you up. You can share the soju and side dishes with your friends, and have your own veggie omelette for mains.  

Black Taco – this Mexican restaurant has no vegetarian options on their menu but they are willing to take meat or fish out of anything and the waiters speak English, so it’s a good place for a veggie Mexican fix.

Hi Thai – probably my favorite place to eat in Daegu. Serving insanely delicious Thai food, the waiters are happy to take meat or fish out of any dish. I always get the tofu pad thai and it’s amazing.

↠ Read More: The Best Restaurants in Daegu, South Korea

Pizza Restaurants in Daegu

I’m pizza’s biggest fan and luckily Daegu has some really good pizza joints. A lot of these places do plain cheese pizza, vegetarian/vegetable, or sweet potato.

Zione – this is a popular Italian restaurant downtown serving pizzas, pastas and salad. The margherita pizza is divine. This place is a bit more pricey than the others, so it’s good for a special occasion.

Ronnie’s Dough – this restaurant has really fluffy, delicious pizza. They have a vegetable pizza option and it’s probably the best vegetable pizza I’ve had in Korea.

Meta Pizza – a cool pizza restaurant at Kyungpook University. They serve a delicious margherita pizza and good beers.

Pizza Pam Beer (피자팜비어)– okay, I saved the best till last. Hands down my favorite pizza place in Daegu. Pizza Pam Beer has cool interior, nice staff, affordable pizza, some of the best fries in Daegu, and most importantly one of the best pizzas I’ve had in Korea. They have loads of options but we always go for the sweet potato (sounds disgusting to western people, but it’s actually heavenly).

And there you have it! My complete survival guide to being vegetarian in South Korea. I absolutely love the restaurants and food culture here, even though a lot of it is meat and fish. Vegetarianism is very slowly becoming a more accepted thing in Korea. However, you will still have a lot of Korean people (mainly the elderly) failing to understand why you don’t eat meat or fish. I hope my suggestions have been helpful and that you enjoy exploring all the delicious food here!

↠ Read More: 28 Best Things to Do in Daegu, South Korea

Do you have any tips for being vegetarian in South Korea? Share below!

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Author

Jess is a 24-year-old Brit who’s spent the last two years living and teaching English in South Korea. She’s a veggie who loves exploring the best eats in Korea and is an expert at finding the cutest Instagram hangouts in the country. Follow her on Instagram to peep her journey.

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