Korea isn't really known to be a top spot for vegan food options. Between the BBQ, copious amounts of cheese, and seafood stashed in broths and marinades, meal times can take a lot of thought. And I will say, it was tough. I definitely mistakenly ate some eggs and dairy here and there when a dish I thought was going to be vegan turned out to be vegetarian. But, even with these challenges, there are still places to eat!
Remember to be kind with yourself. Mistakes will likely happen, and that's ok. All you can do is your best (with this blog post as a guide!).
Find a map of all the featured restaurants here (Seoul) and here (Busan)!
Restaurants we visited (Seoul)
Osegye Hyang (fully vegan)
Everything here is vegan! You can eat to your heart's content. If you've always wanted to try Korean stews, they have a lot. I personally am not a big fan of the red stews, so I opted for a mushroom soup with noodles. The broth was so flavorful. I don't know how they did it! The fried egg we got on the side. The texture of the egg was spot on, but the flavor was not so much. It didn't taste bad, just didn't taste like an egg. The service was a bit lacking, but we did also go there right before closing so that may have played a part.
Recommended Dishes: Mushroom Soup with Noodles, Fried Egg (just for fun!).
Maru Jayeonsik Gimbap (fully vegan)
The little window stall is tucked away inside the first floor of a larger complex. There are some seats right outside the window outside. There is a fully vegan menu including some noodle dishes, gimbap (seaweed wrapped rice roll with various fillings) and a few sides. A great spot to try a vegan version of something traditional! We tried a couple of Gimbaps and also the vegan odeng (fish cake). The odeng didn't quite taste like a fish cake. If you want a fish cake dupe it likely wouldn't satisfy that craving. But the gimbaps were so good!
Recommended Dishes: Soy Ham Gimbap and the Tofu Gimbap.
Jongno 24 Hours Ramen Convenience Store (5 vegan ramen options)
This was purely for the joy of it! Jongno is an unstaffed, 24-hour ramen shop. You come in, choose your ramen and toppings, pay, then proceed to make and eat your ramen! The five vegan ramen options are clearly labeled side by side on the wall of ramen. And sticky notes line all the open spaces with notes from folks around the world. If you get a hankering for ramen late at night, or just want the experience of an unstaffed restaurant, I would say this is for you. I had a ton of fun! Even if I could just buy and make the ramen at home.
Recommended Dishes: Any of the 5 vegan ramen options!
Bongwoo Hwaro (mushroom bbq set & bibimbap)
If you're traveling with non-vegan companions, chances are they're going to want to get KBBQ. Bongwoo Hwaro thankfully has a mushroom set that you can order for BBQ! Unfortunately, when we got there they were sold out of the mushroom set, so I opted for a bibimbap without the kimchi, egg, or meat. If you go to any other bbq place, chances are your only option may be the above mentioned bibimbap. At least at Bongwoo Hwaro, you can participate in BBQ with the mushroom set!
Recommended Dishes: Mushroom BBQ set or bibimbap without the kimchi and egg.
Restaurants & Bakeries we visited (Busan)
Sulgodang (ramen & other items)
They had an entire section dedicated to vegan dishes here! I got the vegan ramen. There were also vegetables, a rice dish, a tofu dish, and a few more items. It was a great first place to have dinner in Korea!
Recommended Dishes: Vegan Ramen.
Ohh! Goodthing (bakery)
This was an adorable bakery run by a young husband and wife duo. They had an assortment of individual / two person sized cakes, bagels, and drinks. The atmosphere is cozy. If you're looking for a place to relax during the day or after dinner, I would recommend it!
Recommended Dishes: Chocolate cake.
Moongoojeom (bakery)
The bakery was fun partially because you order in one place and seating is in a small area next door. They had some really inventive pastries! We came near the end of the day so there wasn't as much of the food items. But we had a really delicious peanut butter whip + raspberry jam cookie sandwich! I was eating it all throughout the day!
Recommended Dishes: Peanut butter & raspberry jam cookie sandwich.
GGULGGEOK HOUSE (Makgeolli Brewery & Pub)
For dinner, one of the bakery owners recommended this bar that makes their own makgeolli -- an alcoholic Korean rice wine. They also had a good amount of vegan options of which we ordered two on top of the makgeolli.
Recommended Dishes: Fried mushrooms and the spring minari jeon (made vegan).
I loved our time in Korea -- especially discovering all these vegan options! If you're planning a trip to Seoul or Korea and are looking for places that a vegan and non-vegan can enjoy together, keep this list handy and you won't be disappointed!