Balwoo Gongyang

Vegetarian restaurant · 가회동 ·

Balwoo Gongyang

Vegetarian restaurant · 가회동 ·

Upscale temple food with multicourse vegetarian meals

Information

71 Gyeonji-dong, Jongno District, Seoul, South Korea Get directions

$$$

@afar

25,132 Postcards · 3,702 Cities

"In a country where much of the cuisine involves things like barbecued meat and shrimp paste, vegetarians can find solace at Buddhist temple restaurants, where the food focuses on healthy, compassionate cooking methods. Dishes are simple yet sophisticated, often incorporating local mountain ingredients like wild greens, herbs, roots, and vegetables. In Seoul, there are several of these spots near the Jogyesa Temple in Insadong. Balwoo Gongyang, which just earned a Michelin star, is an upscale choice, offering a multicourse menu of dumplings, stews, steamed veggies, kimchi, tofu, and savory pancakes."

The Best Restaurants in Seoul

Photo courtesy of Korean Tourism Organization NY

Balwoogongyang

@ellemagazine

98 Postcards · 10 Cities

"Try the: Gamja-boribab."

Laura Kim's Guide To Seoul

ELLE

Balwoogongyang

@afar

25,132 Postcards · 3,702 Cities

The Best Places to Eat in Seoul, According to a Local Chef - AFAR

"A temple-food restaurant that excludes meat and alcohol, offering a serene, refined dining experience centered on vegetal preparations and a soothing pine-needle tea. Service is notably soft and attentive—almost monastic—and staff are skilled at explaining the menu in English, making it suitable for hosting important guests." - Hyunhee Lee

https://www.afar.com/magazine/a-pastry-chef-dishes-about-her-favorite-spots-and-sweets-in-seoul

Balwoo Gongyang

Dhruv S.

Google

This is hands down the best Buddhist temple food I’ve ever had! I took the “Mind” menu and it was 7 courses, felt like 20. Delicious ingredients, very simple and pure. The server was extremely polite and patient, and you get a room to yourself (I think?) Would 💯 recommend if you’re feeling experimental and want to sample some vegan temple food. I promise it wasn’t bland.

Chelsea

Google

The courses range from about $20–40 per person, and honestly, it’s worth every bit for the experience. If you’ve never tried temple food, this is the perfect place to do it. Just make sure to reserve ahead of time through Naver or by calling. Bonus: it’s right in Insadong, which is super fun to wander with lots of cute cafes and shops.

Angela L.

Google

Wow. Thank you for such a beautiful experience 🙏 The dishes, although small, were full of natural flavours, incredible textures and you could tell they had been prepared with care. We left so full and satisfied, both from the food and the experience. Highly recommend and would love to come back next time we visit!

AT “.

Google

I’ve longed wanted to try, but I must say it’s probably not our type of food when we did, so it’s more us than the restaurant. We saw many happy campers when we left. One thing though, I’d preferred more flavors as each passing course got a little too similar and monotonous for us. So hope you’ll take this feedback constructively, or not. Have a good one! 🙏

Daria D.

Google

Vegan temple food tasting course at a relatively reasonable price. You do have to reserve a table in advance. I have brought many friends and out-of-towners and they have all enjoyed the experience. My favorite thing about the restaurant is that each table is in a private room, so you are able to enjoy the quiet and privacy of your group. Their menu changes seasonally.

Adina C.

Google

They have two lunch sittings, we booked for 1:30 pm (the other was 11:30). We were taken to a private room and presented menus and warm tea. There are several meal options and each person has to order a meal. The food was delicious, varied in texture and flavor. Definitely a wonderful experience.

Ben H.

Google

Nice little vegetarian restaurant, I believe the monks make the food here, regardless it was delicious.

A L

Google

course meals are served at 2 time slots for lunch 1130am and 1.30pm. i went at 12pm and was informed there is available slot at 1.30pm. 3 course sets available, 1 of which needs to be pre-ordered. meals are served in private rooms. there is a variety of vegetarian entrees, dishes and mains served including seasonal vegetables. good quality. though the portion of each dish is small, with the number of dishes served, i was very full by the end of the meal. worth the experience. most dishes are cold and naturally flavoured. highly recommended if you want to experience quality refined korean vegetarian food