Vegan-friendly
Ovo
Korean
Non-veg

Serves meat, vegan options available. Aside from anchovy used in soups stock, the food is supposed to be vegetarian. A simple kitchen run by the Buddhist Jogyesa Temple with a limited menu: 3 noodles and 2 rice main courses. Main course comes with kimchi, plain rice and seaweed soup which is self-serve. You buy the meal ticket at the temple's souvenir shop first, give it to the staff and tell them what you want. Some staff speak limited English. Note the bibim noodles has egg. 육류를 취급하나 비건 옵션이 있습니다. 육수(멸치 사용)를 제외한 나머지는 채식입니다. 조계사가 운영하고 3가지 면요리와 2가지 밥 요리를 제공합니다. 주요리는 김치, 밥, 미역국(셀프)과 함께 제공됩니다. 조계사 기념품샵에서 식권을 구입하여 직원에게 건네고 원하시는 식사를 주문하면 됩니다. 비빔면에 계란이 들어가니 주의하세요. Reported closed July 2024.


Venue map for Jogyesa Kitchen - 조계사 승소
© OpenStreetMap contributors

10 Reviews

First Review by LaiNamKhim

AkrioX

Points +299

Vegetarian
26 Apr 2024

Satisfying temple food

We had the mandu and perilla Ongsimi. It was very delicious.

Pros: Vegetarian Korean Temple food, Great price

Sarilein

Points +20600

Vegan
10 Nov 2023

Happy I went

Great location in Insadong
It’s so cheap - Mandu for 5k and Bibimbap 7k. Staff is nice. It’s from the temple - so let’s support the temple.
Good spot for lunch.
Bibimbap was with homemade sauce: you could see the beans and taste the chili. Lots of sprouts and good taste
Mandu great
Left satisfied

Say no egg!

Updated from previous review on 2023-11-10

Pros: Price , Location

Cons: Make sure to tell no egg

jc_silver

Points +245

Vegan
02 Nov 2023

Seungso 승소 Soulfood in Seoul

Wonderful, high energetically loaded and charged vegetarian food for a very affordable price. Sensational.

The map marker is falsely positioned. The name on Google Maps is actually Seungso 승소 It is located just off the other side from the temple grounds. Walk in the directions the big Buddhas from the temple look towards, down some few stairs under and through an ugly concrete building and then right. It's just 50m but you have to know where to go.

They close for their own lunch break from 14:30 and open again at 16:30 o'clock.

I had the excellent vegetarian bibimbap for 7000w which was already the most expensive set meal which came with a special sauce and a seaweed soup plus unlimited and delicious kimchi. They also have filtered water refill for your bottle.

Pros: Food Quality, Atmosphere, Affordability

Cons: Two hours closed during the early afternoon

wunderbarbara

Points +96

Vegan
03 Oct 2023

Super welcoming

We tried to buy tickets at the souvenir shop but we’re told that we should buy it at the cafeteria. However, everyone at the entrance did have tickets and we tried to ask there how we should get them but the staff told us to just come in, so actually didn’t ask us to pay anything at all! Of course, we donated afterwards.
The food they had on the day we were there was rice with side dishes (bachan), a kelp soup and a rice cake. Two staff members approached us while we were eating & chatted with us which we found very nice of them. The food was very tasty and looked like it was all vegan (possibly there was fish sauce in the kimchi). Definitely recommend!

Pros: Hospitality, Taste

xinru_t

Points +8212

Vegan
01 Nov 2022

Allium-Free

Seungso is an allium-free eatery associated with Jogyesa Temple. (I did not verify if they are now fully vegetarian. Note that you might also have to request for no eggs for certain dishes.) Cash and credit card accepted, no need to buy ticket from souvenir shop. Friendly staff and affordable food! There is kimchi and seaweed soup you can help yourselves to. You are encouraged to finish your food; if I didn't understand the sign wrongly, you have to pay 3,000 won if you leave behind any food waste.

- Banquet Noodle 잔치국수
- Saessak (Sprout) Bibimbap 새싹 비빔밥
- Perilla Seaweed Ongsimi 미역옹심이
- Noodles Mixed with Vegetables and Red Pepper Sauce 비빔국수 (comes with hard boiled egg by default)

Updated from previous review on 2022-10-22

SteveH

Points +18146

Vegan
24 Oct 2022

finally open again

This is the best value in Seoul. Make sure to tell them no egg!! Those noodles were only 5000 and soup and side dish included 😵

Updated from previous review on 2022-10-24

Milan-DeviLaBrey

Points +98

Vegan
04 Nov 2019

Holy Food

I went here with a friend. The staff was very friendly and helpful. So, if you are looking for some good, inexpensive Korean food, it's not too bad (but not the best in that area). However, the Jogyesa temple is a must-see tourist attraction located in the charming area of Insa-dong.

Pros: Great tourist experience , Friendly, Inexpensive

Idiosyncratinom

Points +564

Vegan
23 Jul 2018

Cheap and tasty - ask for help!

I got the bibim guksu for 4000 ("Noodle mixed with vegetables and red pepper sauce - spicy/medium/mild"). I went for the spicy one and wow, it's quite hot. I went back for water a 2nd time so the lady just let me take a chilled 2L jug.

First I went to the tourism desk for foreigners, and the lady took me to the ticket office.
Then, an English speaking lady took me to the restaurant and helped pass on my order She knew what vegetarian was, and actually, my dish doesn't have any egg like another review said it might. Also, she told me the seaweed soup has anchovies in. Very helpful!

I tried following other's instructions but couldn't figure them out. To the left of the big gate is the tourism desk for foreigners.

sophiecedw

Points +50

Vegan
11 Jun 2016

Okay food, friendly staff

The best part about this place is that it's cheap (4,000 won). There are only a few menu options and everything is in Korean, although when I went there was one man working there who explained the menu to me in English. I got the cold noodles and they tasted ok, but it had an egg in it. He also informed me that one of the menu items (I think it was the seaweed soup) had anchovy in it. So keep those things in mind if you're vegan and maybe ask for no egg.

Pros: Inexpensive, Nice staff

Cons: Mediocre food, Difficult to find, Not all vegan-friendly

LaiNamKhim

Points +370

Vegetarian
03 Oct 2014

Simple but good food for good price

This is a small self-serve eatery run by the Jogyesa temple with a limited menu: only 3 noodles and 2 rice main courses.

Each meal comes with free flow of Kimchi, rice and seaweed soup which you can help yourself to. Drinking water is also available from a dispenser (self service).

You need to buy the meal coupon (4000W) from the temple's souvenir shop first before you come to the kitchen. Hand over the coupon to the staff and tell them what you want. While you wait for your main course, you can help yourself to the kimchi, rice and seaweed soup.

I came here twice during my trip and tried the Bibim Guksu (the noodles equivalent of Bibimbap) and the Janchi Guksu. The Bibim Guksu is cold noodles served with slices of cucumber and greens and half an hard-boiled egg with a slightly spicy sauce. The sauce was really good and after I finished the noodles, I added rice to the sauce to finish it. The second time I had the Janchi Guksu which is noodles in a hot broth. It is good and makes a good meal in a chilly day.

After you are done, clear up your table and bring your bowls to the counter (follow what others do).

menu:
3 noodles:
Janchi Guksu 잔치국수 = noodle in hot broth (looks vegan)
Bibim Guksu 비빔국수 = bibim noodle, cold noodle in spicy sauce (has egg)
miyeok ongshimi 미역 옹심이 = seaweed and potato starch noodles?
2 rice:
On mukbab 언묵밥 = ?
nyeong mukbab 냉묵밥 = acorn jelly rice ?

Note this not the same as the Baru restaurants in the Temple Stay building run by Jogyesa. This is on the same side of the road as the temple. It's the building that is in front of the stone pagoda and the main hall. The restaurant is not visibly from the temple as the entrance faces the alley. If you can't find it, from the main gates of the temple, walk in the direction towards Jonggak station and turn right into first the alley. Go a little bit further up and you should see it.

This is a nice little vegetarian kitchen that serves simple but delicious food for a good price (4000W only).

Not much English is spoken. But one of the friendly staff spoke enough English to tell me to buy the meal ticket from the souvenir store and explained the menu to me.

Pros: Cheap and good, Tasty Korean noodles

Cons: Not much English is spoken




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