CLOSED: Jack's Bean

I was excited to have the falafel wrap alongside some hummus and pita bread.

The hummus was delicious and the pita bread was just right.

My wrap was giving me some trouble as it was falling apart in my hands. It was packed with lettuce, creating a dry experience in my mouth. The falafel was okay and the mustard added some much needed flavor.

The environment was clean and professional. The employees were very kind and welcoming. I like the overall vibe of the place, I just wish I had a better dining experience.

Firstly a disclaimer: I'm Israeli and therefore Hummus is one of my favorite foods on the planet. I came to Jack's Bean feeling a little home sick, wishing to gain some comfort by some hummus and falafel, probably the most common street food in my home country.
Jack's Bean's take on hummus is very Korean, spicy and solid, but I enjoyed it for what it was, though it should definitely be more liquid and be introduced to some Tahini. The falafel balls were excellent, even if too hard fried to my taste.
Overall if you're interested in a quick bite, I'd recommend Jack's Bean, but if you're looking for a culinary experience or special atmosphere, you'd better walk one minute around the corner to Sukkara, where you can find excellent vegan dishes, colorful people and a lively ambiance.


Updated from previous review on 2016-09-25

this was a very pleasant surprise. the place is pretty easy to find and it's the one of few in seoul thay actually get the concept of veganism. making their own hummus (and apparently being the first company to do so in the city), their meals are tasty and reasonably priced. i've had falafel in wrap and in pita bread - both very good.

Found this place following HappyCow instructions. Lovely owners who make all things fresh. They are doing great things and I enjoyed my lunch there. Only reason for a 4 star is that it is far from authentic falafel. Living in Israel for over 6 months, an awesome falafel pita would be accompanied with some marinated veg such as eggplant, cabbage, pickles etc. At Jack's Bean, the pita came with only lettuce and tomato. It was also a tad disappointing not to have hummus in the falafel, but rather mustard and what tasted like a ketchup. Nonetheless, i'd go back and support them serving fresh vegan food!

I tried coming here a number of times and either they were closed or they had run out of ingredients. On my last day of visiting Seoul, I came by when the restaurant opened and am glad I did! The falafel was delicious, and so was the house made hummus. Who would have thought you could get a good falafel in Seoul? A reminder to vegans: make sure to tell the staff that you are vegan.

Homemade hummus and tortillas, fresh vegetables...
The wrap was fantastic!
Furthermore, they made all the food in front of my eyes after my order.

Perfect and one of must go places when you visit Seoul!

Falafel here is wonderful with a good texture and when I order the wrap, the falafel and the sauce are perfectly match. Moreover it comes with reasonable price with huge portion for me. The owner is a couple who make food with love! I will definitely visit this lovely place again!

The falafel wraps and hummus + pita we ordered were fresh and delicious ! The setting is lovely and I could see the owners love to cook !

A great vegetarian place that's also vegan-friendly and makes one fantastic falafel! I don't know what they do but it's perfection!

The wrap is really nice and very fresh -- doesn't overpower the taste of the falafel and has a really nice spice to it.

Falafel costs 6,500 won. Have yet to try the soup!

The owners are very friendly and the location is clean, modern and not crowded. Definitely suggest going if you crave something fresh!

This place is owned and run by a married couple and the service is often quite slow as a result; the prices are also kind of high. But, the quality of their delicious fresh food and the care with which each dish is prepared are undeniable.

Jack's Bean has been at the top of my Seoul vegetarian/vegan friendly restaurants list for the past two years. They provide quality meat-free cuisine at an affordable price (especially the set options!). Even my carnivorous friends were able to leave Jack's Bean fully satisfied.

We rode 10k on bicycles we rented for free in Sillim. 1 hour later we found JACK'S BEAN. The fresh, home-made falafels were awesome and the crunchy edges were a nice touch. Falafel mini-burger (sandwich) was simple and scrumptious..the pepper, garlic mayo and hommus really made it. Also tried the Chickpea Cheese Potato. A nice start after a fast 10k ride, but some contrasting flavours might be nice to balance the mid-range cheese, potato and chickpea flavours.

The falafels are a nice change of pace from Asian food. The food is fresh but the veggies in falafel sandwich could be more exciting. The soup was very tasty, but also very spicy.

Just went there last night- wasn't terribly hard to find as long as you follow the directions on Happy Cow.

Had their vegan falafel, and it was amazing. Hand made tortilla and high-quality falafel. Wonderful. The produce quality in the wrap wasn't amazing, but other than that I have no complaints.

Not cheap, but not pricey either. Owners are lovely, too!

I first went visited two years ago, shortly after it opened, and I loved it! I live outside Seoul, so I didn't get a chance to go again until today. It was just as delicious, fresh and flavourful as I remembered! One of the friends I went with had never had falafel before, and he thought his falafel wrap was "amazing!"

The tortilla shells were made fresh in front of us, the hummus was just perfect, and the falafel balls were big, crunchy and hearty!
I won't wait so long to visit again next time for sure!

The restaurant was a little difficult to find, but the owner speaks English, so if you call he can help you!
The Happy Cow map is correct, though :)
And as others have said, don't forget to tell them if you're a vegan! :)

Admittedly, such a superlative means little in a city with maybe 5 respectable falafel places, BUT, the couple who runs Jack's Bean has gotten pretty close. The taste is great and everything is very fresh. It's not by any stretch of the imagination an 'authentic' Falafel experience, but in the face of what is probably a near-impossibility here, they have elected to take the falafel in a fresh, new direction. House-made hot sauce and hummus (by the way, I'm confident in describing the hummus as THE best (restaurant) hummus in Korea) make their staple Falafel Wrap a delicious and satisfying meal. Even the tortilla is made by hand on site!

Other reviewed have also stressed the freshness of the offerings at Jack's Bean and it is a feature worth emphasising. If you are in the Hongdae area or looking for a nice Falafel fix, please do yourself the favour of visiting Jack's Bean!

We went to Jack's Bean the night we arrived in Seoul, and we were worried they would turn us away as it was 8.50pm and they close at 9. They said it was fine and told us to take a seat while they prepared our food. We opted for the falafel wrap - if you are vegan, you need to let them know, according to the shop signage. We live in Japan, and it's therefore been a while since I've had falafel, but this was delicious, so flavoursome. The wrap was freshly warmed and filled with crisp salad and sauce, which complemented the falafel beautifully. Each falafel was quite big too, so there was a lot in there. The price is fantastic, and they also have a good range of drinks. Really convenient and in a great place too. I'd definitely go back.

this is one of must go places when you visit Seoul. clean, delicious, friendly, and reasonable price too. the best falafel in seoul i guess. :)

Take me a while to get there, think pretty much because I'm new in Seoul. Address does not say the number. The number is 21

Tried falafel salad + chickpea soup. Both delicious! Definitelly gonna come back if I around.

This place has the best falafels in Seoul. They are super tasty and also really filling. The vegetable soup is also really delicious. I frequent this place because its got amazing food, friendly service and is very reasonably priced. I also love knowing that my food was made with such care which is evident in the way they prepare and serve their dishes. Mustttt gooo!

Had the best falafel platter ever. Wish they had more vegan options but hey it was the best falafel and hummus ever.

So good! If you're in the area then this food is definitely worth eating.

I went today and had a delicious meal, the falafels are delicious and the plate of hummus is a wonderful treat.
You must say if you are vegan so that they can be sure your food is animal free, this is a bonus since most restaurants in Korea do not even understand the concept of being a vegan.
Plus it isn't too pricey either ;)

Updated from previous review on Saturday July 13, 2013

Visited Jack's bean last week and it was excellent.

Very good falafel and hummus and good service. Due to a mix up we ended up with a wrap that we hadn't ordered, so the owner gave it to us for free, very kind!

Finally I've found out the supreme taste in falafel.
That's in Jack's Bean near Hongik University.
Actually I didn't like the middle-eastern food because of the unique smell out of the spice, you know.
But now, one of my favorite food is falafel, especially falafel wrap of Jack's Bean.
Containing fresh vegetable and well-cooked falafel, the falafel wrap is made by the chef(maybe the owner) of Jack's Bean right after ordered.
Specially I love the flour dough wrapping falafel balls the chef himself makes as well. The chewy and soft taste is very good.
I'd like to recommend Cheese & Potato as well. It also has marvelous taste.
I love Jack's Bean
The chewy and soft flour wrap is totally

Finally found a proper falafel restaurant in Seoul. One of my French friend also acknowledges the taste of Jacks's bean falafel is pretty much similar to the one in paris. Particularly, you can enjoy excellent hummus at good price. Restaurant is super clean/ organic/ vegan friendly/ reasonable price/ friendly staff/ take out

This place has Falafels. They have a sign that says, "tell us if you are vegan".

I am vegan and went with Vegetarians. We pretty much got the same thing, a Falafel Wrap except they got Soup and my Wrap did not have Sauce. So tell them if you are "vegan".

I told them they should make vegan soup so I could get a set too. He said "we will try". They were very nice. We all are happy that we ate there and plan to go again. The music was very calm too.


JACK'S BEAN MENU

FALAFEL WRAP 5,800
FALAFEL SANDWICH 4,300
FALAFEL SALAD 5,800
FALAFEL PLATTER 13,800

CHICKPEA SOUP 3,800
CHICKPEA VEGETABLE SOUP 4,300
CHICKPEA CHEESE POTATO 4,300
CHICKPEA MILK 2,500
HUMMUS 4,000

ORGANIC JUICES 3,000-4,000
BEER 6,000-8,000
SEASONAL DRINKS

I loved Maoz when it opened in Seoul, despite them not having any hummus for the falafel, and they're now closed. Petra's in Itaewon is good but their bread is not vegan. This place has delicious vegan friendly bread, falafel and hummus - with vegan hot sauce and honey-free mustard on the side. They also do vegetarian (but not vegan) falafel sandwiches and chickpea milk. The owners were really friendly and understanding of veganmism, and they've only been open a month or so. It's in a great location in Hongdae and you can go for a coffee in one of the numerous independent coffee places in the area.