• CLOSED: Myeongshin 명신식당

  • (22)
    104

    Closed

  • White Veg-options
Ovo
Fast food
Korean
Non-veg

Serves meat, vegan options available. Typical bustling Korean restaurant located in Namdaemun Market. The food comes out fast, and the staff speak a small amount of English. Yachae bibibab, dolsot bibimbab, yachae boribab (for vegan say no egg or gyeran bbaejusaeyo) are some suggestions. 육류를 취급하나 비건 옵션이 있습니다. 남대문 시장에 위치한 한식당입니다. 계란을 뺀다면 야채비빔밥, 돌솥비빔밥, 야채보리밥을 비건으로 만들 수 있습니다. 영업시간은 매일 06:00~21:00 입니다. Previously located at 3-5 Namdaemunno 4(sa)-ga, Jung-gu. Reported closed September 2022.


Venue map for Myeongshin 명신식당
© OpenStreetMap contributors

22 Reviews

First Review by mfrenette

MartaPf

Points +986

Vegan
21 Sep 2022

Shut down

Tried to go and found out it’s closed. The space seems to be available for rent, so it may be permanent.

Federclown

Points +179

Vegan
15 Apr 2022

Is okay

If you want to just not be hungry anymore, it's okay. Maybe it's just that I'm not a big fan of bibimbap and its taste in general. My friend and I ate here and the waitress didn't understand English as many stated here. My friend fortunately translated into Korean but the lady was still really confused and also seemed a little bit... cold, angry? Idk. I didn't like the vibe there much, we weren't exactly treated super nicely. But again, food was okay-ish.

Updated from previous review on 2022-04-15

Chinachica

Points +21

Vegetarian
13 Jan 2020

Great local market stop close to station.

My first food stop in Seoul. Used the app to find the nearest eatery. Ordering is very easy, all done by pointing. I wanted the Bibimbap which should come with beef, I said no meat in English and they said ok! When the good arrived she pointed to the egg and said ok?. I have the feeling she gets a lot of foreigners here. Outside in the market there are lots of dessert stands to visit after eating lunch.

Pros: Lots of choice for vegetarians, Happy to accommodate , Used to foreigners

Cons: Very limited English, Difficult for vegans

NonstopDan

Points +1422

Vegan
26 Oct 2019

This place has improved!

Very traditional experience. Nothing spectacular given that you have to omit a lot of side dishes which aren’t vegan, but good if you’re in the neighborhood and need some quick/cheap food.

UPDATE 2019:
Coming back one year later, I liked it a lot more. Would recommend a visit for the bibimbap!

Cons: Not many vegan options

Wildvegannomad

Points +406

Vegan
12 Oct 2019

Nice bibimbap in busy restaurant

The lady knew simple english like no egg no fish and i ended up with bibimbap like in the picture, it came out on a hotplate. it was very tasty and the little sides were nice. not bad for 8k

Pros: nice authentic korean food , good setting

Cons: not many options

DanaHakim

Points +110

Vegan
27 Sep 2019

Great place!

Knew little English but understood what we wanted perfectly fine and were very kind :)
Price is cheap and food is really nice. It's a great way to taste the Korean flavours!
Finding the place was a tad bit difficult, so I'd recommend asking for directions once Naver stops helping you.

PhoebeCho

Points +33

Vegetarian
16 Sep 2019

Great veg bibimbap

The staffs didn’t speak English at all but I showed them the picture of bibimbap from Happy Cow also used google translation app to let them know I needed one without meat and egg, they got it immediately and I had the best bibimbap from this trip. 泡菜可能含五辛,無法完全去五辛,宗教素需留意

PatrickHouston

Points +97

Vegan
11 Sep 2019

Accomodating charm.

This is very clean and professional operation run by lovely older ladies that are happy to cater for vegans. There was one lady who spoke v basic key words i.e. no egg no meat. The menu has photos and outside at the front they have the fake resin copies of each dish. I had the hot bibimbap, which comes out sizzling on a hot plate. Provided are the usual pickled radish, seaweed and kimchi as starters which were excellent.

Pros: Really good bibimbap., Very polite and friendly.

Cons: I think the bibimbap is all they have for vegans.

chacharlee

Points +3647

Vegan
07 Aug 2019

Great veggie bibimbap

No English spoken, but the staff are friendly and understood what we wanted. Bibimbap was delicious. A nice local restaurant with no other tourists when we visited.

Pros: Friendly staff, Understands veganism

Cons: No English

gunasgirlboss

Points +77

Vegan
29 Jun 2019

Great bibimbap!

Delicious vegan bibimbap!

Pros: Delicious

yap5184

Points +26

Vegetarian
05 Jun 2019

Really nice food

They have vegetarian optin..their bibimbap is very delicious..price is also reasonable..highly recommend it

charliemusic18

Points +6

Non Veg
19 May 2019

Excellent Food and Easy to Communicate With

My girlfriend and I went to Myeongshin after a long day of walking around Seoul; we were tired and hungry and in need of a delicious meal to refuel us. I'm not a vegetarian but my girlfriend is so we needed to make sure we ate at a place that offered options for her.

It took us a little while to find it as there is no proper pinpointed location on Google maps and it cannot be found on Naver maps at all. The best way to describe how to find it is to cross at Sungnyemun intersection and go down the first side street you see. Then take the first right and it's down one of the little alleys on your left (I don't remember exactly which one). Look for a long yellow sign with Korean writing on above the entrance and lots of plastic food models on a table outside displaying the food that they serve.

From the moment we entered, the front of house staff were attentive, welcoming us in and seating us very quickly even though the restaurant was very busy. One particular staff member, a man, communicated with us in my broken Korean and his broken English. I ordered the galbi tang (not vegetarian at all) which was delicious, and my girlfriend ordered the bibimbap. I asked for it to be without meat and he understood immediately. He even came back to ask if she was fine with egg which made us certain he had taken us seriously.

The guy even asked how spicy we wanted things which was good because I don't handle spice well and the spice level of the food was catered to what we had asked for.

Overall, it was a great experience. If you want the feeling of being in an authentic Korean restaurant where the locals go, but need food that is vegetarian, Myeongshin is definitely a place I would recommend.

Pros: Good value for money and delicious food, Authentic atmosphere, Attentive staff

Cons: Hard to find

OskarKappland

Points +764

Vegan
05 Apr 2019

Great place for traditional food

As long as you’re clear on “no egg” and “no meat” (“kyeran an mogoyeo” and “gogi an mogoyeo”) you’re good to eat here as a vegan. Very traditional and very fast paced. It’s located in a little alley so might be a bit hard to find. Probably one of my favorite traditional bibimbaps in Seoul though.

zen85

Points +98

Herbivore
21 Dec 2018

Traditional food for cheap.

Very kind staff. Food was rather filling and cheap.

Pros: Good for those on a Budget.

Cons: N/A

medus

Points +770

Vegan
16 Jul 2018

Good experience

It's a very down-to-earth place but rather tidy and with a nice service. I tried bibimbap and the waitress didn't forget to skip meat and egg (I asked for that both in English and in my poor Korean). The food was really good and the portion big enough to make you full-ish. Although I expected to get more for 7000 won.

Pros: Quick, tasty, authentic

Cons: Menu only in Korean

JensWillgård

Points +15

Vegetarian
13 Mar 2018

Tasty and cheap!

Crowded lunch restaurant in Namdaemun market. Staff speak very basic English. Some vegetarian options if you ask them to remove meat. In Korean you can say "kogi pego shuseyo" (no meat please). Good good and decent sized portions.

Pros: friendly , tasty, cheap

Kels415

Points +167

Vegan
06 Feb 2018

fast and convenient

Convenient location and very easy to find. The food comes out very fast and the staff can understand "no egg, no meat." Like the other pictures, I'd steer clear of the kimchi.

Pros: fast, convenient, authentic

Cons: not many veg options

CamilaSilvaL

Points +6370

Vegan
11 Jan 2018

delicious bibimbap

Remember to ask for no meat and no egg! In English is fine, I repeated it 3 or 4 times and the lady didn’t forget it. The place is nice and the old ladies are lovely.

PhillipPark

Points +436

Vegan
23 Oct 2017

say no egg and no meat!

I ordered dolsot bibimbap without eggs, but it was topped with minced beef.....
Make sure to ask them to take out the meat!
Located in a narrow alley.

MoranGilboa

Points +37

Vegetarian
26 Aug 2017

hard to find the place

They don't know English at all but the dish was OK.

Marco91

Points +102

Vegan
17 Jan 2017

Not so easy

I tried to get Vegan kimbab. I said Yachae kimbab but the staff inside just looked confused. Saddly I got the "normal" kimbab with meat and egg.
So better go there when you can speak more korean.
Beside this, the taste was good.

mfrenette

Points +237

Vegan
05 Nov 2016

Busy, bustling and quick!

This place the first in one of the Namdaemun food alleys and there is an elderly lady calling out to customers to go inside. Typically I don't go when they do that but we were hungry and there were a few different options that are vegan with no egg. The place was packed and the veggie bibimbab came out quickly, with no egg just as I ordered. The women even spoke a bit of English. Good, inexpensive option inside the market.




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