Best Vegetarian Tasting Menus in Seoul 2026

Vegetarian here means lacto-ovo, not vegan

This page is for the diner who keeps vegetarian but still eats egg and dairy. That latitude matters in Seoul, because it opens the door to the egg-rich banchan, the steamed custards and the dairy touches that a fully plant-based menu has to refuse. If you are strictly plant-based, read the best vegan fine dining in Seoul instead, where the rooms are chosen for that stricter brief.

None of the six below prints a vegetarian tasting, so each one is a request. Korean broths use myeolchi anchovy and beef, so say vegetarian and no fish or seafood stock, name it when you book, and give a day or two of notice. The reward is a tasting that uses the full banchan and namul palette rather than a short list of swaps. Begin with the Seoul dining guide and the best Korean restaurants worldwide.

The selection

La Yeon

Korean hanjeongsik · Shilla Hotel, Jung-gu · three Michelin stars

Vegetarian course on request: Seoul's grandest banquet

La Yeon is the grand-hotel benchmark, a three-Michelin-star room on the 23rd floor of the Shilla in Jung-gu. The format is hanjeongsik, the formal Korean banquet, built on top-grade seasonal produce and classical technique, and the kitchen has the brigade and the pantry to turn that into a vegetarian sequence.

Ask for a vegetarian menu with no fish stock when you reserve, and the team will lead with namul, jeon and seasonal vegetables across a long, ceremonial progression. It is the most formal table here, and the one best suited to a milestone dinner where the room matters as much as the food.

Gaon

Heritage Korean · Sinsa, Gangnam · two Michelin stars

Vegetarian on request: jang aged in onggi jars

Gaon is the heritage choice, a two-star room from the Kwangjuyo ceramics house where fermented condiments are aged in-house in traditional onggi jars. The cooking follows old principles of flavour balance, and because so much of that balance comes from vegetables and ferments, a vegetarian tasting plays to the kitchen's strengths.

Flag vegetarian and no anchovy stock at booking and the team will frame the meal around its own jang, seasonal namul and grains, served on Kwangjuyo ceramics. It is the most rooted, most traditional table on the list short of the temple kitchens.

Soigné

Modern Korean-French · Seocho · two Michelin stars

Vegetarian on request: the rotating Episode menu

Soigne is the contemporary, design-led pick, a two-star Seocho room that runs an ever-changing Episode menu, a numbered series that resets with each new theme. That format is the point: because the menu is rewritten anyway, a vegetarian version is a natural variation rather than a special case.

Request vegetarian, no fish, a few days ahead, and the kitchen will write the egg and dairy latitude into the courses, leaning on technique over tradition. It suits a diner who wants the modern, narrative end of Seoul dining and a strong drinks list.

Bicena

Modern Korean · Songpa · one Michelin star

Vegetarian on request: royal-court lineage, refined

Bicena is the one-star modern Korean room in Songpa, cooking in a lineage that draws on royal-court technique with a lighter, contemporary hand. The vegetable work is precise, which makes it a good fit for a vegetarian tasting that still wants polish rather than rusticity.

Name vegetarian and no seafood stock at booking, and expect a measured progression of namul, ferments and seasonal produce. It is the value end of this group relative to the three-star rooms, and the easiest of them to book.

Onjium

Korean royal court · Bukchon hanok · one Michelin star

Vegetarian on request: dishes rebuilt from court records

Onjium approaches a vegetarian menu from the archive. The one-star hanok in Bukchon is the restaurant arm of a Korean food research institute, and it reconstructs Joseon court dishes from historical texts, a repertoire already thick with vegetables, roots and ferments.

Tell them vegetarian when you book and the kitchen will compose a court-style sequence with egg and dairy where the records allow. It is the most scholarly seat on the list, set in a restored hanok that suits an unhurried, considered lunch.

Mingles

Modern Korean · Cheongdam, Gangnam · three Michelin stars

Vegetarian on request: Korea's only three-star room

Mingles is the headline booking, chef Kang Min-goo's Cheongdam room and the only three-Michelin-star kitchen in Korea in 2026. Its signature is a trio of aged jang that runs through the modern Korean tasting, and that ferment-led approach gives the kitchen wide scope for a vegetarian version.

Request vegetarian and no fish stock well ahead, since this is the hardest table in the city to secure, and the team will build the menu around vegetables, grains and its own jang. It is the most ambitious vegetarian tasting you can eat in Seoul, lacto-ovo or not.

How to book a vegetarian tasting in Seoul

Every room here is a request, so the booking call does the work. Say vegetarian and specify no fish or anchovy stock, because Korean broths use both by default, and confirm whether you eat egg and dairy so the kitchen can use them. Give a day or two of notice at minimum; the three-star rooms, La Yeon and Mingles, want longer, and they book out weeks ahead regardless. For a fully plant-based meal, switch to the best vegan fine dining in Seoul. Otherwise plan around it with a Seoul anniversary dinner and the best vegetarian restaurants worldwide.

Frequently asked questions

Which Seoul restaurants do a vegetarian tasting menu?

None print one, but several of the city's best tables build a vegetarian tasting on request. Three-star La Yeon and Mingles, two-star Gaon and Soigne, and the one-star rooms Bicena and Onjium will all compose a lacto-ovo menu with notice. Korean fine dining's banchan and namul tradition gives these kitchens deep vegetable range. Start with the Seoul dining guide.

What is the difference between vegetarian and vegan dining in Seoul?

A vegetarian diner here eats egg and dairy, which opens up the egg-rich banchan and steamed custards a vegan menu must skip. The rooms on this page run lacto-ovo tastings on request. For a strictly plant-based meal, see the best vegan fine dining in Seoul, led by one-star Legume, Asia's first Michelin-starred vegan restaurant, and the temple kitchen Balwoo Gongyang.

Do I need to mention fish stock when booking a vegetarian menu in Seoul?

Yes, and it matters. Korean broths lean on myeolchi anchovy stock, so a plain vegetarian request may still arrive with fish in the base. Specify vegetarian with no fish or seafood stock when you book, and confirm a day or two ahead. Rooms like Gaon, Soigne and Bicena will plan the menu around vegetables, ferments and grains once they know the brief precisely.

How much do vegetarian tasting menus cost in Seoul?

They track each room's standard tasting price rather than offering a discount. The three-star rooms La Yeon and Mingles sit at the top of the market, typically a few hundred thousand won per head before drinks, while the two-star and one-star rooms run lower. The kitchen does equal work for a vegetarian version, so budget the headline tasting figure and add wine or pairings on top.

How far ahead should I book a vegetarian tasting in Seoul?

For the three-star rooms, La Yeon and Mingles, book several weeks out, as they sell their limited seats fast and need lead time to plan a vegetarian menu. The two-star and one-star rooms are easier, often a week or two ahead, but still confirm the dietary request when you reserve rather than on the day. Bicena and Onjium are usually the simplest of the six to secure.

Stars, menus and prices verified against each restaurant's published information and the 2026 MICHELIN Guide in June 2026; confirm dietary availability directly when you book. Restaurants for Kings is editorial, not sponsored. Some reservation links may earn an affiliate commission, which never affects a ranking or a score.