My vegetarian BFF American Girl in Asia came to town to visit, so taking her out for dinner at one of Seoul’s many vegan restaurants seemed like the perfect idea. I knew I made the right choice when she got super excited half way through the meal and said that ‘this is the first restaurant I have been to in a long time when I can try everyone else’s food!’
Vegetus is located at the far end of Haebangchon. The restaurant is fairly sized, and has seating inside and out which is perfect for this time of year. The menu had a decent selection of items, ad they even have a fridge cabinet filled with all manner of yummy looking cakes and baked goods.
This place actually serves booze which right away made it a winner for me. My companions each ordered a glass of the House White (7,000) while I tried their Homemade Lemonade (5,000). The lemonade was coloured a very lurid blue colour, but was very refreshing. They also have a couple of cocktails available too, which were very well priced.
The menu is really varied, so we decided to order a couple of different things and then split them between us. The first item to come out was the Burrito Bowl (12,000). This bowl contained lentils, corn, onions, bell pepper, tomato, nacho chips, and rice. It was then topped with cashew cheese sauce and cilantro pesto. I really enjoyed this, and found it to be very flavourful, probably due to the sauces. There was a nice mix of textures and it was very filling. I would certainly order it again.
The carnivorous side of me really wanted to try the Bulgogi Panini (11,000). I love bulgogi so I was so excited to try the vegan version of this. The sandwich was filled with tofu, onions and lentils. Honestly it didn’t taste anything like meat, or even the bulgogi sauce so if you are looking for a recreation then this is not it. I did enjoy the toasted bread of the sandwich though, so next time would probably try the caprese version instead.
My veggie friend couldn’t resist getting the Mac and Cheese (12,000). I was really excited to see how this tastes but I thought it was pretty bland. The texture was right but the sauce was not cheesy at all. I have made versions of this in the past using cauliflower and nutritional yeast which I have personally found to be much better. However if you are unable to eat cheese then this might hit the spot for you.
We wanted to balance out all those carbs with something a little healthier so got the Beans Party Salad (12,000). Since we already ordered so much, they gave us a half order which was more than enough. The salad was a mix of black beans, pinto beans, kidney beans, chickpeas, peas, onion, tomato, peppers, tempeh bacon, mayo, salsa, cilantro pesto, and cashew cheese sauce. This salad was super tasty, I think it must have been the combination of yummy sauces, and it was probably my favourite thing of the night.
Overall I thought Vegetus was a cute spot and some of the items we tried were very tasty. I’m sure to the vegan community this restaurant must be an absolute godsend. As a meat eater I can’t say I was won over and I would be coming on a regular basis but I’d be happy enough to go again with my herbivorous friends.
Vegetus is located at 22-12 Yongsan 2(i)ga-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul. To get there take a train to Noksapyeong Station and come out of exit 2. Walk straight to the end of the road, then take the road baring left and walk straight past the Kimchi Pots. Vegetus is located at the very end of the HBC past Woori Mart and round the corner. Walk up the hil and you will see Vegetus just up ahead on the left. For more information you can call them on 070-8824-5959 or check out their website.