Vegetarian and vegan South Korea: hidden fish, temple food, where to eat

Base yourself where the vegan kitchens are

In Seoul, the choice of district decides how easy your meals will be. Jongno, the old centre, is the best base for temple food. Balwoo Gongyang, the restaurant run by the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, is on the fifth floor of the Templestay Information Center opposite Jogyesa Temple; its own site gives the way as three minutes from exit 6 of Anguk Station on Line 3. The Korean Temple Food Center, with its exhibitions and cooking classes, is in the Anguk Building at 39 Yulgok-ro. Towards Jongno 3-ga, Visit Seoul lists Vegan Insa, which serves Korean-rooted vegan dishes in a hanok near the Ikseon-dong Hanok Village, and on the western side, in Seochon near exit 2 of Gyeongbokgung Station, Maji, a traditional Korean vegetarian restaurant known for burdock japchae and pear naengmyeon.

Itaewon is the other easy base. Along and just off Bogwang-ro, Visit Seoul lists ALTa, a vegan restaurant cooking Korean-style Chinese dishes that was listed in the 2025 Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand; BREAGHETTI, with vegan burgers, pasta and pizza; Camouflage, which specialises in plant-based fried chicken; and API, a vegan dessert café about 180 metres from exit 4 of Itaewon Station. That is enough for several days without crossing the city.

Elsewhere, Visit Seoul's vegan listings are more scattered: Room Temperature (a vegan brunch café) and Mokro Garden (vegan and gluten-free desserts) near Seoul Forest Station in Seongsu, SUNNYBOWL in Mapo-gu near Ewha Womans University Station, Mahina Vegan Table near Apgujeong Station, and Green Field in Dongdaemun-gu, which serves plant-based versions of Korean dishes such as mushroom dumpling hot pot and perilla-seed noodle soup. Several of these close one or two days a week and many keep a mid-afternoon break, so check the day before you cross Seoul for one meal.

What hides in a vegetable dish

Kimchi is the first thing to understand. UNESCO's description of kimjang, the kimchi-making tradition on its Intangible Cultural Heritage list, defines kimchi as preserved vegetables seasoned with spices and fermented seafood, and notes that households buy shrimp, anchovies and other seafood for salting in spring. VisitKorea's own page on Yeosu's leaf-mustard kimchi lists salted anchovies and shrimp among the ingredients. Treat every complimentary dish of kimchi as non-vegetarian unless the kitchen tells you otherwise; temple-style kimchi, as served at Balwoo Gongyang, is the exception.

Broths are the second trap. VisitKorea describes the traditional broth of Jeongseon's buckwheat noodle soup as made with anchovies and kelp, Visit Seoul notes that a well-known kalguksu (knife-cut noodle) shop in Ikseon-dong uses anchovy broth, and VisitKorea describes the bean-sprout rice soup at a popular Jeonju restaurant as a rich broth made with anchovy and seafood. A soup with only vegetables floating in it can still be a fish stock.

Bibimbap is the third. VisitKorea lists beef among the standard toppings of Jeonju bibimbap, and Visit Jeonju, the city's tourism site, says the rice is cooked with beef bone broth. Jinju bibimbap adds seasoned raw beef, and VisitKorea notes that its rice is sometimes cooked in broth from beef bones or brisket. Asking for no meat removes the beef on top but not the broth in the rice. Wild-vegetable (sanchae) restaurants near temples are a better bet, but they are not vegetarian restaurants either: the menu VisitKorea lists for one such restaurant beside Beopjusa Temple also includes a bulgogi set and a seafood and green-onion pancake.

Temple food: the plant-based cuisine Korea already had

Korean temple food is the cooking handed down in Buddhist monasteries. VisitKorea's guide explains that, following the precept of non-violence, it leaves out animal ingredients except dairy, and it also avoids the five pungent vegetables, or oshinchae: green onions, garlic, chives, wild chives and Chinese squill. Dishes are seasoned with natural ingredients such as mushrooms, kelp and perilla seeds, and fermented sauces play a large part. For most vegetarians it is the safest food in the country; vegans should still ask about dairy in desserts.

Balwoo Gongyang in Seoul is the easiest place to start. VisitKorea describes four courses named Seon, Won, Maeum and Hee, and says the restaurant holds a Michelin star. When we checked on 2026-10-03, Balwoo Gongyang's English site listed opening from Monday to Saturday, with lunch in two sittings (11:30–13:20 and 13:30–14:50) and dinner from 18:00 to 21:00 (last order 19:40), closed on Sundays and over Seollal and Chuseok. Its autumn menu includes temple-style kimchi, root-vegetable japchae and deep-fried mushrooms glazed with chilli paste. Book ahead and confirm the times by phone, since VisitKorea's column gives slightly different hours.

To learn the cooking yourself, the Korean Temple Food Center in Anguk runs cooking classes as well as exhibitions; VisitKorea's column (last updated in May 2025) listed 09:00–18:00 with Monday closing, and when we checked, the Korean-language Korean Temple Food site of the Cultural Corps of Korean Buddhism was posting monthly temple-food cooking programmes for October and November 2026. Outside Seoul, VisitKorea recommends Yeonhwa Baru in Gyeongju, a long-standing temple-food restaurant near Daereungwon and Hwangnidan Street, whose special set includes deep-fried mushrooms in a sweet sauce, acorn jelly with wild greens and a bibimbap of six wild vegetables. The same column listed it as closed on Mondays.

Ordering anywhere else: phrases that work

Korean menus rarely mark vegetarian dishes, and 'no meat' is often understood as 'no visible meat'. Ask about the broth and the seasoning, not just the toppings, and be specific about what you avoid. Show the phrases on your phone if pronunciation is a problem. For anything more complicated, the 1330 Korea Travel Hotline (+82-2-1330), which VisitKorea lists with English among its languages, can help with interpretation.

• I am vegan / I am vegetarian: 저는 비건이에요 (jeoneun bigeon-ieyo) / 저는 채식주의자예요 (jeoneun chaesik-juuija-yeyo).
• Please leave out meat, fish and seafood: 고기, 생선, 해산물 빼 주세요 (gogi, saengseon, haesanmul ppae juseyo).
• What is the broth made from? 육수는 뭐로 만들어요? (yuksu-neun mwo-ro mandeureoyo?)
• Is there anchovy in it? 멸치 들어가요? (myeolchi deureogayo?)
• Is there salted seafood (jeotgal) or fish sauce in it? 젓갈이나 액젓 들어가요? (jeotgal-ina aekjeot deureogayo?)
• No egg, please: 계란 빼 주세요 (gyeran ppae juseyo).

Templestay: a night of temple meals

VisitKorea notes that templestay has drawn wide interest as a way to experience Korea's vegetarian temple food. Programmes come in three forms: experiential stays with ceremonies and activities, restful stays with few fixed activities, and one-day programmes of about three hours. Meals follow the temple's rules, and some programmes teach balwoo gongyang, the formal monastic meal eaten from traditional Buddhist bowls. VisitKorea's etiquette tips add that no outside food is allowed.

VisitKorea points to templestay.com for information and bookings at temples with programmes for international visitors. VisitKorea's list includes Jogyesa and Bongeunsa in Seoul, Beomeosa in Busan, Bulguksa and Golgulsa in Gyeongju, Haeinsa in Hapcheon and Geumsansa in Gimje, among others. For a temple-food focus, VisitKorea singles out two: Baegyangsa in Naejangsan National Park, where a programme pairs temple cuisine with the teachings of Venerable Jeong Kwan, the monk featured in the Netflix series 'Chef's Table', and which it advises booking well in advance; and Donghwasa in Daegu, which offers a programme of making and tasting temple food.

Beyond Seoul: Busan, Gyeongju, Jeonju and the mountain temples

Outside the capital, fewer restaurants are vegan by design, so the temples carry more of the weight. In Busan, Beomeosa on Geumjeongsan runs templestay programmes for foreign visitors, including a free-style programme, which makes an overnight there an easy way to secure a few clean meals. Gyeongju pairs well with it: Yeonhwa Baru for lunch, Bulguksa for the afternoon, and either Bulguksa or Golgulsa for a templestay.

Jeonju is famous for bibimbap, but the classic bowl uses beef and beef-broth rice, so it needs a direct question rather than a request to remove the meat. The hanok village is still a pleasant base, and Geumsansa in Gimje, also in Jeonbuk, is on VisitKorea's list of templestay temples for international visitors.

In the national parks, the restaurant streets below the big temples specialise in sanchae jeongsik, wild-vegetable set meals. VisitKorea describes Busan Sikdang in front of Haeinsa serving wild vegetables, deodeok root and mushrooms gathered on Gayasan, with acorn jelly and green-onion pancakes among the side dishes. These meals are mostly vegetables, but the side dishes and stews follow ordinary Korean recipes, so ask about kimchi, stock and pancake batter before you start.