Vegan
Buffet
Korean

Name is an abbreviation for "rice with herbal medicine, fruit and vegetables." Vegan buffet style food prepared in a traditional, Korean (temple food) spirit. The basic menu is composed of porridge, a soy-base soup, variety of cooked season greens, acorn jelly, tofu, and different sides. Organic fruit and seasonable tea served. Directions: Take Seoul subway line 1 to Jonggak Station, take exit 3, walk straight toward Geumgang Jehwa, turn left at intersection of Geumgang Jehwa, turn right at Sudo Pharmacy located centrally on Insadong St, walk 100m and on the left is Han Gwa Chae. Also nearby is Anguk Station on the Seoul subway line 3. 한과채'란 "과일과 채소, 치유력 있는 나물들이 곁들여진 한식"이란 뜻입니다. 사찰음식을 포함한 한식 뷔페이며, 기본메뉴로 밥과 죽, 다양한 계절 야채와 나물, 두부 및 각종 밑반찬 등이 제공됩니다. 유기농 과일과 차가 제공되며 모든 재료는 국내산을 사용합니다. 가격은 1인 당 13,000원 입니다(2017년 4월 기준). 영업시간은 매일 점심11:30~14:30, 저녁 17:00~20:30 이며, 일요일은 휴무입니다. Open Mon-Sat 11:30am-2:30pm. Closed Sun.


Venue map for Han Gwa Chae - 한과채
© OpenStreetMap contributors

99 Reviews

First Review by tohho

xinru_t

Points +8978

Vegan
03 Nov 2022

Buffet

Fully vegan eatery at Insadong Shopping Street, 5 to 10 min walk from Anguk Subway Station Exit 6. Buffet concept (not high-end buffet, 15,000 won / pax) that begins with a small bowl of porridge and soup, after which you are free to take the rice and dishes of the day that you want. Korean temple food-inspired but contains alliums; dishes with and without alliums do not seem to be labelled, not sure if staff can advise. They focus on natural ingredients with minimal seasoning and without MSG or sugar. On the day I visited, the dishes available mostly consisted of leafy greens and seaweed. Also available were acorn jelly, tteokbokki, vegetable pancake, peanuts and black beans, as well as roasted baby potatoes.

MarinaTosic

09 Nov 2022

Thank you alot for writing a review here. On Google Maps it says it's closed for good.

hektopascal

Points +83

Vegetarian
29 Oct 2022

Authentic vegan Korean food

In a basement in the mids of a rather touristy neighborhood, you find a vegan, temple food inspired buffet, run by very helpful women. No MSG and added sugars, few dishes with the five pungent spices, also rather reduced in salt, but there is soy sauce/sesame oil mix. Lots of selection, all tasty. Don't miss the pancakes.

Pros: Authentic, vegan, no added sugars

monough

Points +97

Vegan
18 Oct 2022

homely location and yummy all-vegan buffet

the location was super homely and easy to find (basement level). when you come in, the friendly ahjussi gives you some porridge and soup and tea and you can go to the buffet and pick all the yummy vegan food you want! there’s soo much to choose from!

Pros: all vegan, lots of different options, super friendly and english speaking ahjussi-staff

ItsJustEmma

Points +108

Vegan
15 Oct 2022

Lots of veggies!

Basement buffet restaurant with lots of vegetables, rice, soup, and sides. Very healthy and home style food.

KadiHarmon

Points +8471

Vegan
13 Oct 2022

Great buffet!

Basically if you want to eat allll the Korean food, this is the place to go! Everything tasted great and they have an excellent variety so you can try all the things!

뚜안.杨

Points +716

Vegan
28 Sep 2022

I like it! Clean good! Buffet!

Fills you up with lots of green, we visited 3times since we stayed around Insadong. I find ₩15,000 a little on the pricer side.
This would have cost around ₩10,000-₩12,000 in places like Taiwan for such buffet.
But all is good. Food is nice and I love the sesame porridge and KimChi.

SteveH

Points +18369

Vegan
26 Sep 2022

Great!

This place feels like a rest stop for weary vegans. It is affordable with simple settings. They have a buffet with food that will fill you up. It is a great mix of old-school korean vegan food. I brought plenty non-vegans here and some get scared off by it being "too leafy" but most enjoyed it. For a vegan it is perfect. Try to pay attention to side sauces. Most dishes are bland because you are supposed to choose sauce, chillies and/or some type of kimchi to add flavor if you want it.

Updated from previous review on 2021-05-12

Sarilein

Points +21694

Vegan
08 Sep 2022

Buffet - taste wasn’t great

Fully vegetarian lunch buffet in a great location. The owners are friendly and helpful. Everything is included for 15k you can go as often as you like. They have stew and soup. Rice and brown rice. Different side dishes. It was a lot of spinach and I didn’t enjoy most of the dishes to be honest. It was quite bland. The beans and the Aubergine was good. They serve tofu (unseasoned)
Plus the seaweed I enjoyed.
Owner doesn’t speak English but there is no need to. All in all it’s good value if you like the food it was just not my cup of tea… so I wouldn’t return

Pros: Veggie buffet , Friendly

Cons: 15.000, Lacking spices , Spinach was odd

garanciels

Points +831

Vegan
08 Aug 2022

Very filling and tasty food

It was my first buffet experience in South Korea and I was impressed. The buffet consists mainly of rice and side dishes (banchans) such as spinach, soybeans, acorn jelly, sprouts. The tofu is fresh and delicious. Everything is served with a spinach jeon.

rebabeba

Points +596

Vegan
16 Jul 2022

Filling and big variety

I tried a little of everything and was very full by the end 😅

Pros: All vegan, Large variety of foods, Good value for money

Cons: No added msg; flavours were a little bland

meejisu

Points +2290

Vegan
18 Jun 2022

Feel like home

Sweet little home food place

Pros: Tasty food, So many choices

gentletomato

Points +1055

Vegan
12 Jun 2022

Quaint little buffet

This place always has seasonal dishes and everything tastes great. Ive had some really unique things here like peanut sprouts. Unlike other veggie buffets they use mainly fresh and whole-food ingredients instead of relying on packaged vegan meat substitutes etc. You will see a lot more veggies and tofu.

The price varies depending on the day due to ingredient and labor costs. Usually around 15,000. I wish this place was more popular..owners are extremely kind. Quite a bit of seating inside.

VeganSoapDude

Points +8797

Vegan
18 Apr 2022

Really nice, simple, healthy food

Very simple food, mostly various greens and kimchis. Very friendly staff. Everything was delicious. I'll be back

Pros: Fully vegan, Healthy, simple

stephaniefroebel

Points +1003

Vegan
10 Apr 2022

Not my style

I love finding a place with traditional Korean food. That being said, the flavors just weren’t for me. Some stuff was really good but a lot felt like appetizers you would get at other restaurants. I went to a different buffet that wasn’t fully began but I enjoyed the dishes better (mainly the tofu— seasoned instead of plain). Otherwise this place is good for the experience, just got quite for me.

Pros: Fully vegan , Many options , All you can eat buffet

Cons: A lot of things taste quite similar

HelenHaeryounGi

Points +3526

Vegan
02 Feb 2022

A Real Korean Vegan Buffet 진짜 한국다운 비건 뷔페

[Eng/Kor] This place is a real Korean vegan buffet. All different kinds of Korean seasonal leaves and herbs. As a Korean, it is heaven. For tourists or foreigners who are not really familiar to Korean ingredients, it might be difficult. Healthy, Earthy, Real one. Currently, I saw they are selling oysters to go… 이런게 정말 한국식 뷔페에요. 온갖 종류의 제철 한국 나물이 골고루 있는데 각기 다 맛이 다르고 너무 좋았어요. 한국인인 저에게는 천국같아요! 한국의 식재료에 익숙하지 않은 외국인들이나 관광객들은 아주 조-금 어려워 할 수 있을것 같기는 해요. 그치만 이런 밥상이야말로 땅기운을 받는 건강한 진짜 음식이라고 할 수 있을것 같아요! 최근에 굴젓 파는걸 봐서 조금… ㅠㅠ

Updated from previous review on 2019-06-07

meagabug

Points +335

Vegan
01 Dec 2021

Great

I went here back in 2017 and I'm so happy to see recent reviews about it. I hope to go back someday as I still think about it. I went on a day where it was pretty empty, and the owners welcomed us in and made us fresh korean pancakes. Wonderful experience and delicious vegan food!

itamarido

Points +21

Vegetarian
29 Jan 2020

One of the best vegan food I’ve ever eaten. The buffet is excellent.

If you are vegan this is the place to go.

Knauji82

Points +2386

Vegan
16 Jan 2020

The best

The best korean food in town! It’s a rather small buffet but everything is so delicious!! The owners are pretty nice too

Pros: Cheap!!

bvanwassenhove

Points +138

Vegan
05 Jan 2020

Simple vegan buffet

For 13,000 won you'll get rice, soup, sesame porridge, a seaweed pancake, and a variety of cold and pickled vegetable dishes, as well as tofu. The food is simple but enjoyable if you come with the right expectations. The owners are very nice.

Updated from previous review on 2020-01-05

mazima1964

Points +41

Vegetarian
29 Nov 2019

Kein Zucker! Ein Geschmackserlebnis

Toll, das es so eine Ort in Seoul gibt. Besondere Gewürze. Eindrucksvolle Speisen. Große Gastfreundschaft.

Pros: Vegetarisches Buffet, Eine vegetarische Oase, Ein echtes Geschmackserlebnis

SandyPurewal

Points +93

Vegan
25 Nov 2019

An okay, safe vegan experience

I say safe, because my partner is allergic to egg and in some temple restaurants we've visited in the past he's felt sick due to traces of egg in mock meat.
So safe for us means vegan + no allergic reaction.
Anyway, this place offered a huge variety of foods, you won't leave feeling hungry. The atmosphere was lovely and the owners were attentive - especially enjoyed the orange at the end😄
The food itself - a little salty for us, not the best tasting food we've tried in Seoul, but it fills a whole and it's very varied, so if you need a hit of vegetables, this is a good shout.

Pros: Variety, Welcoming vibe

Cons: Salty food

CarleneTan

Points +36

Vegan
24 Nov 2019

Open on Saturdays

Decided to just walk past and it was open! Would definitely come back.

Pros: All vegan, Buffet so you pick what you want , Affordable at KW13000 Each

Cons: Hard to find

Matchabunny

Points +314

Vegan
23 Oct 2019

Great vegan temple food

I like the food here. 13000 won. Comparable to sanchon. Lots of people during lunch time. I love their soup, veges. Espeacially the sesame porridge. Lots of different variety of kimchi. It is located in the basement near famous insadong street. Try it! After u finished eating. U will feel so good and not hungry the rest of the day.

Pros: yummy food. Everything salty. No sugar.

cultparty

Points +270

Vegetarian
17 Oct 2019

Really lovely food and experience

When we arrived at Han Gwa Chae, the place was completely empty and silent, I almost felt a bit awkward there. The lady working was extremely lovely though, and got us set up with drinks, and made us an incredibly lovely Korean vegetable pancake. When we got to the actual buffet part, we were blown away by how nice the food was.
It may not look like much, but we filled up FAST. The food was so fresh and full of flavour, they did a great job at providing a big assortment of vegetables in different ways.
I would 100% recommend visiting here, as the food is too good to miss out on. A real unique and authentic Korean vegan experience!

Pros: Lovely staff, Delicious food, Great location

Eric_

Points +734

Vegetarian
16 Oct 2019

Couldn't recommend it more

I've been there before, and on my latest visit to Korea, I returned here to enjoy my first meal. Just love the veggie versions of dishes you can rarely have in a regular restaurant. A simple place with lots to choose from!

Pros: There's even some relatively spicy stuff

Cons: No alcohol?, Location, bit off from the more interesting parts

itslizmiu

Points +346

Vegan
03 Oct 2019

Affordable Vegan Buffet with Lovely Owners

It wasn't very busy when we went but the food was lovely, and the owners are very sweet. They had a big selection of banchan and namul out and even gave us our own korean pancake (jeon)!!. 13000W each and you can fill up your plate. Would return.

RECOMMENDATIONS: try the peanut sprouts.

Pros: Affordable, Sweet service, Korean Pancake

catiemd

Points +33

Vegetarian
01 Oct 2019

Delicious Korean Buffet

I was very pleased to find this restaurant. There were so many delicious options in the buffet. They were all tasty and a huge range of vegetables were used. The owners greeted me and showed to a table. After a starter of sesame rice and soup, one of them showed me to the buffet, explaining what some of the items were, including pointing out where peanuts were used in food. It was wonderful to be able to enjoy a range of Korean dishes and as I am in Seoul for another five nights I hope to go again

Pros: Lots of vegan options, All you can eat buffet




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