How to Order Vegetarian Food in Korea: Useful Korean Phrases

Eating Vegetarian in Korea

Finding vegetarian food in Korea can be a bit tricky. While there are more plant-based restaurants these days, vegetarian options are still not widely available. Often, you’ll need to make a small request when ordering to remove certain ingredients like meat or seafood.

To make your dining experience smoother, here are some useful Korean phrases that vegetarians can use when visiting restaurants in Korea.

🌿Useful Expressions for Vegetarians

저는 채식주의자입니다. 

[jeo-neun chae-shik-joo-ui-ja im-ni-da]

→ I’m a vegetarian.

** Vegetarian : 채식주의자 [chae-shik-joo-ui-ja]

채식주의자가 먹을 수 있는 음식이 있나요? 

[chae-shik-joo-ui-ja-ga meok-eul su it-neun eum-shik-i it-na-yo?]

→ Do you have any vegetarian options?

🍽 Phrases for Ordering Food

If you want to ask for something to be left out of your meal, you can say:

OO 빼주세요.

 [OO bbae-ju-se-yo]

→ Please leave out OO.

For example:

고기 빼주세요. 

[go-gi bbae-ju-se-yo]

→ Please leave out the meat.

** meat : 고기 [go-gi]

계란은 빼주세요. 

[gye-ran-eun bbae-ju-se-yo] 

→ Please leave out the egg.

** egg : 계란 [gye-ran]

해산물은 빼주세요. 

[hae-san-mul-eun bbae-ju-se-yo]

 → Please leave out the seafood.

** seafood : 해산물 [hae-san-mul]

If you prefer to have only vegetables in your dish, say:

야채만 넣어주세요. 

[ya-chae-man neo-eo-ju-se-yo] 

→ Please add only vegetables.

🙏 A Friendly Tip

Most restaurant staff will understand and be happy to accommodate if it’s not too difficult. After making your request, it’s always nice to say:

감사합니다.

[gam-sa-ham-ni-da] 

→ Thank you.

Small gestures like this go a long way in Korea.
Enjoy your travels and have a wonderful time discovering fresh, delicious vegetarian dishes around Korea! 🌿🇰🇷