• CLOSED: Garobee

  • (9)
    1

    Closed

  • White Vegan
Vegan
Buffet
Korean

This vegan buffet restaurant offers a variety of food, mostly Korean Buddhist fare, also french fries and coffee. Directions: It's etween Gangnam Station and Shinnonhyeun station. From Gangnam Station, take exit 11 and walk straight. Turn right into the alley and then left. The restaurant is on the right with a large English sign. Or from Shinnonhyeon Station, take exit 5, turn left into the alley and then turn right. APR 2014 REPORTED SHUT.


Venue map for Garobee
© OpenStreetMap contributors

9 Reviews

First Review by bgix

VeganBiker

Points +260

Vegan
27 Dec 2013

Wonderful Buffet

There's nothing quite as exhilarating for the vegan as an opportunity to indulge without reservation and enjoy a carefree buffet of cruelty-free deliciousness. Woefully often, we find ourselves apprehensively tip-toeing around the restaurant world, constantly wondering what mysterious ingredients have found their way into things, asking several times and in several ways to ascertain the veganality (it's a word, as of this moment) of potential meals. This place allows us to kick back, throw our cares to the wind, and simply enjoy the wonderful dishes offered.

If you are in Gangnam, you should eat here. If you are not in Gangnam, you should make a special trip just for this buffet.

Pros: Variety, Taste, Freshness

kat.ross

Points +206

Vegan
06 Dec 2013

Delicious vegan buffet

We went here yesterday and were so impressed! The price (for the amount of food on offer) is really reasonable actually, especially for a buffet which is all vegan - I'd have paid double for that! There is so much to choose from too. I had one of the soups to start with, I tried to have a bit of most things, and was so ridiculously full. The nice thing about the place is that you can get Korean style food without meat - we had the bulgogi style strips and deep fried tofu which were both delicious. My husband doesn't usually like fungi of any description but here he adored the fried sweet and sour mushrooms. You can add pickles to complement your dish, and everything is just jam packed with flavour. If you're vegan, like eating lots of food and happen to be in Seoul, go here!
Updated from previous review on Friday December 06, 2013

Pros: Variety, Friendly staff , All vegan buffet

Cons: The fact that I don't have a bigger stomach!

bluedonut

Points +99

Vegan
03 Sep 2013

Great food -- make sure you are hungry as it's 17k

I found the food to be excellent there was a large selection. Yes it's about what I'd pay in San Francisco or New York for such food but still it was great to have vegan food with a Korean spin on it. Very nice ladies too as another reviewer noted. It's not right behind the CVG building but a bit further down. Keep looking up to the right (it's on the second floor) and you will find it.

Pros: very tasty, nice people

Cons: 17,000 krw per meal, not a romantic spot! -- bright lights!

Dikembe Mutombo

Points +42

Vegan
16 Feb 2013

new prices as of Feb 2013

New prices are: 17,000 for dinner, weekends, and holidays. 15,000 for weekday dinners. That being said, the ladies there are super nice and I always enjoy my food. I've been there about 5 times since I moved to Seoul and the selection has yet to vary much. Because of the new prices and the lack of any new or exciting dishes, I won't be going as often. It's one of those places I usually only go to when a friend wants to try it for the first time. Since it's close to my apartment, I usually bring out-of-town vegans that are looking to load up on food for the whole day. If you're not super hungry, it's far from a bargain. You're not getting any sort of local/organic spread with fancy ingredients, but it's still nice to have the option of an all vegan buffet in this part of Gangnam. After all, back in the states, if you order 1 entrée/drink/dessert/salad/+tip, there's a good chance you might spend more than 15 bucks. Anyway, Garobee has it's place, but I'm more inspired to venture off to the other vegan options in town.

Since I feel the directions could be a bit more detailed: If you're walking from Gangnam station, you'll be making your first (right hand) turn onto the first diagonal side street you encounter (about a 5 minute walk). Walk up the hill to the first intersection and turn left. About a full block down, you can look up to the 2nd floor and see signs for Garobee. The building has a lot of glass and is on the right side of the street. Turn right down the side street and there will be some stairs leading up to the restaurant immediately on your left.

Pros: friendly staff, all you an eat, the soy cutlets

Cons: increased prices, lame celebrity wall, lack of new or rotating items, the gnarly looking

bluedonut

03 Sep 2013

I agree with the review & also note the directions given, as they are better than the ones listed above or in other reviews.

Veganmagician

Points +73

Vegan
04 Feb 2013

great buffet

This was my first vegan Korean restaurant experience and it was wonderful! I went with a Seoul native friend of mine who is not veg but who enjoyed it as well. He was really happy to be able to tell me about all the traditional dishes they had and which, of course, were all OK for me to eat. He verified with the staff that all items on the buffet were vegan despite a comment I saw somewhere that some dessert items might not be. The buffet is all-u-can-eat and includes various traditional soups, street foods, mock-meat items, lettuce-wraps and salads. It's not on street level so when you see the sign for the place on th main street look for the entrance on the side street and follow the stairs to the 2nd floor. It was a popular lunch spot that filled up quickly after we arrived around opening time.

Eric_

Points +729

Vegetarian
07 Jan 2013

Well-prepared food

Smaller than other buffets, but very good food. Small venue that can feel cramped when busy.

Pros: Tasty

Cons: Not so much to choose from, Scary warning signs about leaving food

TrixieFirecracker

Points +3931

Vegan
21 Oct 2012

My favourite vegan buffet in Seoul

Seoul has a handful of buffets, and now the Loving Hut in Achasan is no longer a buffet, this is my favourite one. New Start is ok, and I liked the Yangjae Loving Hut one but last time we were there we were told to "lower our voices" and we were NOT that loud! I have been to Seoul Veggie Club meetups several times at Garobee and there with other friends and the staff have always been extremely friendly and the food is always replenished quickly. I would like more 'sweet' options, and more tofu dishes, but there is a decent selection of foods. It can get very busy on weekends so if going in a large group I would advise you to either book, or get there for it opening at 12noon.

Pros: friendly staff, fresh food

Cons: very small sweet selection

gymgirl

Points +33

Vegetarian
04 May 2012

Brilliant restaurant

We just finished dinner at this brilliant restaurant. Every dish was excellent, and each had a different and distinct Korean flavour. There was a wide range of dishes, most from vegetables, some from soya, and all absolutely delicious. My omnivore sister loved it, too.

The atmosphere was pleasant and buzzing, though it was not excessively busy when we visited (Friday night at around 7). There were no English signs, but as everything was vegan, it was safe to try everything, and everything we tried was great. :-) Also, the owner did speak English well, and explained the ingredients in the food to us - it was lovely that he went out of his way to help us enjoy our meals.

I can't recommend this restaurant highly enough for traditional, Korean food, vegan style!

Pros: Excellent food, Many choices, Not expensive at all!

bgix

Points +13

Vegetarian
17 Mar 2012

Quality and Variety

The biggest problem being a vegetarian amongst omnivores is that someone almost always has to sacrifice. I have gone to many a standard restaurant and made due with the one or two items (if I'm lucky) suitable to my dietary choices. Being married to an omnivore, I am also sensitive to the reverse problem. In Korea, this can be even more difficult for vegetarians, because it is a very meat focused culture.

This past week, I have been on an assignment in the Seoul area with two Indians and one Korean. Our poor local compatriot had three vegetarians on his hands.

He found Garobee for us last night. This is a dinner buffet, with more choices than I have seen in a long time. A mix of hot and cold; Salads, sweets, and savories; And enough Faux-Meat so that a resident omnivore did not feel deprived. As a local, or Korean companion gave high marks for the "Korean Style" of much of the cuisine (including noodles with hot broth, seaweed, and other vegetables) and of course some of the standards like kimchi. For the Indians, some of the faux-meat was a little too close to the real thing, although being from Seattle, I have seen and sampled facsimiles such as this often enough before. There was of course ample variety even without the faux-meat dishes. For kids or others with a nervous palate, there are finger sandwiches and fries/chips.

I strongly recommend this place. It started serving about 6pm on the Friday we were there, and we all walked away happy.

Pros: buffet, with free returns, good value, large variety, healthy




This page has been viewed 6188 times.