When we first arrived in Seoul, we knew we were going to have a lot of food to discover. What we didn’t expect was just how much vegan and vegetarian food we’d end up eating.

South Korea is, of course, famous for barbecue, fried chicken, seafood, and all kinds of dishes that aren’t exactly plant-based. But Seoul has a surprisingly varied vegan and vegetarian food scene, from traditional Korean dishes and gimbap to burgers, pizza, Mexican food, and even vegan fried chicken.

And we definitely made the most of it.

Over our six-week stay in Seoul, we tried a lot of different vegan and vegetarian restaurants and cafés. Some became instant favorites. Some were good but wouldn’t necessarily make our “go back” list. And a few were so good that we actually returned more than once.

This isn’t a list of every plant-based restaurant in Seoul. It’s our personal guide to the places we actually tried, what we ate, and what we thought of them.

We’ve also organized everything by neighborhood because Seoul is enormous. Rather than spending an hour crossing the city for a particular restaurant, it’s much easier to combine your food stops with the area you’re exploring that day. It also makes deciding where to stay much easier.

So grab your appetite and let’s eat our way through Seoul.

Before we get started, we’ve put all the restaurants and cafés from this guide into one handy map.

It’s especially useful when you’re planning your days in Seoul because you can see which vegan and vegetarian restaurants are close to the sights and neighborhoods you already want to visit.

We’ve included the places we mention in this article, so you can save the map and use it while you’re exploring Seoul.

And if you’re planning to use public transportation, a T-Money card makes getting around Seoul incredibly easy.

If we were choosing neighborhoods based on the combination of sightseeing and great vegan-vegetarian food, Jongno would be right near the top.

This is the part of Seoul where you can spend the day visiting palaces, wandering through Insadong, and exploring traditional streets before stopping for a fantastic plant-based meal.

And then there was Osegye Hyang.

We liked it so much that we went back.

The kimchi dumplings were our absolute favorite. In fact, we’d even say they were the best kimchi dumplings we had in Seoul.

Everything else we tried was also very, very delicious, but those dumplings were the reason we’d happily return.

Sorium was another one of our favorite places in Seoul.

We started with a delicious strawberry oat latte, which was already enough to make us happy. But then the food arrived — and everything we ordered was fantastic.

James had the cheeseburger, while I went for the taco rice. Both were absolutely delicious.

Sometimes you find a restaurant where everyone at the table orders something different, and somehow every dish turns out to be exactly what you hoped for. Sorium was one of those places for us.

Between the great food and that strawberry oat latte, Sorium definitely became one of the places we’d happily return to.

Looking for a place to stay? Find your perfect base for exploring.

Itaewon and Yongsan were another favorite area for us, especially when we wanted something a little different from traditional Korean food.

The international atmosphere here means you’ll find everything from Korean dishes to burgers, sandwiches, and other comfort food.

Camouflage was one of our biggest favorites in Seoul.

We loved it so much that we went a couple of times, trying different dishes each visit.

The fried dumplings were delicious, the orange chicken was absolutely fantastic, and the tofu stir-fry was also excellent.

There wasn’t really a dish we tried here that disappointed us.

The orange chicken in particular was exactly the kind of vegan comfort food we love: flavorful, satisfying, and absolutely not something that felt like a compromise.

If we went back to Seoul tomorrow, Camouflage would definitely be on our list.

We also visited Plant Café in Itaewon, one of Seoul’s best-known vegan restaurants.

We shared the vegan meatballs with vegetables in tahini sauce and thought they were a dream. James also had the Philly cheesesteak, which he really enjoyed.

Plant has two locations, and we ended up visiting both.

That’s probably the best recommendation we can give!

At Café SIVA, James had the vegan Korean fried chicken and liked it a lot.

It’s another nice option around Yongsan if you’re looking for plant-based food while exploring this part of Seoul.

Looking for a place to stay? Find your perfect base for exploring.

Gangnam can feel like a world of its own, and because Seoul is so big, having good food options in the area you’re exploring makes a huge difference.

Fortunately, Gangnam gave us some of our favorite plant-based meals in Seoul.

Plantude was one of our absolute favorites.

We went back twice, and the only reason we didn’t eat there a third time was because we arrived too late and the restaurant was already closing.

The first time, we ordered the Flying Eggplant Veggie Curry.

The second time, we went for the set menu — and it was mind-blowing.

The menu changes regularly, but when we visited, our set included tomato soft tofu stew, chilli oil pasta, salad, fried tofu and mushrooms, plus a sweet and delicious ade.

Every part of the meal was fantastic.

Plantude became one of those restaurants where we didn’t need to discuss where to eat. If we were nearby, we knew where we were going.

Nammi Plant Lab is actually in Seocho, but it’s close enough to include with this part of the city when you’re planning your day.

We were curious about the hummus pizza and decided to give it a try.

And we were very pleasantly surprised.

Hummus on pizza isn’t necessarily the first combination that comes to mind when you’re deciding what to order, but it tasted really, really good.

It’s one of those meals that reminded us why we like ordering something simply because we’re curious.

You Are What You Eat became one of our regular stops.

We always ordered the baguette sandwich, which was delicious.

But we also loved being able to buy plant-based bologna and other products to take back to our accommodation. We regularly made our own sandwiches with them.

After eating restaurant food day after day, having something simple that you can make yourself is surprisingly nice.

Vampire Chicken was another unexpected favorite.

I’m normally not the biggest fan of vegan fried chicken because it can be far too sweet for me.

But this one was so good.

If we hadn’t already been completely full, we would have ordered a second serving.

Unfortunately, the restaurant may now be permanently closed, so check before making a special trip. But if it reopens, we’d happily go back.

We really wanted to try Vegan Veganing because it was famous for its salt bread.

Unfortunately, every time we visited, the salt bread was sold out.

We did manage to try the vegan chicken once, though, and thought it was good.

The important thing for current travelers is that Vegan Veganing now appears to be closed, so we’re including it as part of our Seoul food story rather than recommending it as a current restaurant.

Not every restaurant became a favorite, and we think that’s worth mentioning too.

We also tried Chick Peace for hummus and falafel.

It was perfectly fine, but it wasn’t our favorite. We felt that it was overpriced for what we received.

If you’re craving hummus and falafel while you’re in Gangnam, it’s an option, but there were other places we’d choose first.

Looking for a place to stay? Find your perfect base for exploring.

Hongdae and Yeonnam are great neighborhoods for simply wandering around.

There are cafés, little shops, restaurants, and plenty of reasons to keep turning down another side street.

And, of course, we found some good plant-based food here too.

After loving the Plant location in Itaewon, we also visited the Yeonnam location.

This time James ordered the Cajun Fried Chick’n Burger, while I had the Mushroom Burger.

Both were really satisfying.

It’s one of the reasons Plant was such an easy recommendation for us: whether we were in Itaewon or Yeonnam, we knew we’d get a good vegan meal.

Around Green in Donggyo-ro was a little more mixed for us.

James had the eggplant with rice, while I ordered the mushroom with rice. Unfortunately, the food was too sweet for me, so I didn’t enjoy it as much as I had hoped.

But there was a very cute puppy, which definitely helped.

We also left thinking we’d like to come back and try their famous pizza.

There is an important update for anyone visiting now, though: Around Green is no longer fully vegan, so if you are strictly vegan, check the current menu before visiting.

Mexico Diner was one of those completely unplanned meals.

After a long day of sightseeing, we realized we weren’t anywhere near a vegan restaurant. Then we noticed that Mexico Diner had a vegetarian option.

So we ordered the vegetarian enchilada and a good, ice-cold beer.

After walking around Seoul all day, it was exactly what we needed.

Looking for a place to stay? Find your perfect base for exploring.

Seongsu is one of those Seoul neighborhoods where we could easily spend an entire day.

It’s full of cafés, shops, and converted industrial spaces, and it’s also home to a particularly cute place for plant-based food.

Tip: If Korean skincare is on your Seoul shopping list, don’t forget to check out Olive Young — it’s one of the easiest places to browse Korean beauty products and pick up a few things to take home.

Cosmos Grocery Café was adorable.

There was the cutest dog hanging out in the small café, and there were cats in a separate room that you could go in and pet.

So yes, we were already pretty happy before the food arrived.

Then we tried the tofu wrap.

It was absolutely amazing.

We also ordered the chicken mushroom nuggets. I thought they were too sweet, but James thought they were perfect.

The café also has a grocery section, which makes it a fun stop if you want to browse and pick up some plant-based products for later.

Looking for a place to stay? Find your perfect base for exploring.

Seoul Station is one of the busiest parts of the city, and it’s also a useful area to know if you’re traveling by train.

We found one of our favorite meals of the entire trip nearby.

Hands down, this was one of the best meals we had in Seoul.

Doam Vegetarian Noodle Restaurant is always busy; the owners are lovely, and the food feels authentic and homemade.

We had the vegan kimchi, which was the best vegan kimchi we tried in Seoul.

Then there were the dumplings.

A dream.

And the cold noodle soup was absolutely incredible.

This was one of those meals where we sat there afterward thinking, “That was really, really good.”

If you’re anywhere near Seoul Station, don’t overlook this place just because it’s not one of the city’s trendiest restaurants.

For us, this was a must-try.

Looking for a place to stay? Find your perfect base for exploring.

Myeongdong is busy, central, and convenient for sightseeing, so it’s useful to have a plant-based option nearby.

Vegan Kitchen was not just about the food for us. It was the experience.

You order your food on a computer at your table, and then a little robot brings your meal over.

We ordered vegan beef, vegetables with rice, and vegan fried chicken.

The food was good, but watching the robot drive around the restaurant delivering everyone’s meals was so much fun.

It’s one of those little Seoul experiences that makes you smile.

If you’re exploring Myeongdong or Namsan, Vegan Kitchen is an easy restaurant to fit into your day without making a special trip across Seoul.

Looking for a place to stay? Find your perfect base for exploring.

After eating our way through so many different neighborhoods, we definitely have our favorites.

If we had to choose the places we’d be most excited to revisit, Camouflage would be near the top. The orange chicken, fried dumplings, and tofu stir-fry were all fantastic, and the fact that we went back says a lot.

Plantude is another absolute favorite. We went twice and would have gone a third time if we hadn’t arrived too late.

Sorium also deserves a place on our favorites list. James loved the cheeseburger, I loved the taco rice, and we both thought the food was delicious. Even the strawberry oat latte was a highlight.

For Korean food, we’d choose Doam Vegetarian Noodle Restaurant, especially for the vegan kimchi, dumplings, and cold noodle soup.

Osegye Hyang gets a special mention for those incredible kimchi dumplings, while Vegan Insa is a great choice when you want a good Korean vegan meal in Jongno.

And then there are the places we remember for reasons beyond the food: the robot at Vegan Kitchen, the adorable animals at Cosmos Grocery Café, or hearing Turkish and eating mezze at Troy Kebab when I was missing home.

That’s really what we love about food while traveling.

It’s not just about finding the “best” restaurant.

It’s about the little stories that come with the meal.

We also filmed some of our Seoul food adventures, so if you’d like to see some of these places and dishes for yourself, have a look at our Vegan and Vegetarian Food in Seoul YouTube video.

The video is a fun companion to this article, but we’ve deliberately kept the blog a little different. Here, you can find the details, our personal experiences and all the restaurants organized by neighborhood so it’s easier to plan your own Seoul food adventure.

Our biggest tip is to plan around neighborhoods rather than restaurants.

Seoul is enormous; if you pick one restaurant on the other side of the city and make that your destination for lunch, you can easily spend a surprising amount of time getting there.

Instead, look at what you’re already planning to see that day.

Exploring Jongno? Have lunch at Vegan Insa or Osegye Hyang.

Spending the day around Itaewon? Try Camouflage or Plant.

Heading to Gangnam? Add Plantude or You Are What You Eat.

And always check opening hours and the current menu before you go. Seoul’s restaurant scene changes quickly, as we discovered with places such as Around Green and Vegan Veganing.

If you’re strictly vegan, it’s also worth double-checking ingredients. Korean dishes can contain fish sauce, seafood, or other animal products even when they initially appear vegetarian.

And don’t forget to leave room for spontaneity.

Some of our favorite meals happened because we were hungry, tired, and simply decided to try somewhere that looked interesting.

If you’re planning a Seoul trip around food, we have another article you might enjoy.

Once you’ve had your fill of kimchi dumplings, Korean fried chicken, and vegan burgers, it’s time for something sweet.

Check out our Best Desserts in Seoul – Our Sweetest Café Hopping Adventure for our favorite cafés, cakes, pastries, and other sweet discoveries around the city.

And if Seoul is only one stop on your South Korea adventure, head over to our South Korea travel guide for more of our travels around the country.

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