Vegan Restaurant in Seoul: Maji (마지)
After 4 months of travel in Southeast Asia and Europe, I’ve finally made my way back to Seoul. I’m not going to lie…after ending my travels in Europe which was vegan heaven, I was a bit nervous about coming back to Korea. After crying into my 10th bowl of bibimbap, I decided it was finally time to get out of my neighborhood (and my house at that) and visit a new vegan restaurant in Seoul.
My first vegan restaurant experience since being back in Korea was at Maji (마지). It was the perfect choice because I wanted to eat Korean food, but had exhausted all of my options at the local kimbap shop. Maji is a 100% vegan restaurant in the northern area of Seoul. The restaurant is in a hanok which is the Korean traditional style of housing. I absolutely loved this because it really makes you feel immersed in the culture while sipping hot tea and eating a spread of different Korean dishes.
The menu was quite large and offered special-order dishes which you need to request in advance, affordable set menus that you can order on the spot, and ala carte items such as dumpling soup, bibimbap, cold noodles, and more! My friend and I decided to order the Premium Set Menu (which requires a minimum of two orders) because we wanted to sample as much as we could!
As the dishes began to come out, we were both getting really excited! I love traditional Korean cuisine with all the banchan (Korean side dishes). A large Korean spread never fails to impress me! After all the food was brought out and all food photos were taken, we finally dug in. All in all, the food was delightful. Some dishes were better than others, but I can honestly say that out of all 10+ dishes that were on our table, there was nothing that I didn’t like.
Sweet and Sour Mushrooms 
Japchae
My personal favorite dishes on the table included the cold noodles in pear sauce (so refreshing and full of flavor), the Korean pancake (which is always a favorite of mine), and the glass noodles (totally underrated Korean dish in my opinion). The set cost 20,000KRW which is maybe on the expensive side but totally worth it because you get to sample so many dishes! For people traveling to (or living in) Seoul, Maji is an excellent place to try traditional Korean cuisine.
Don’t miss all the traditional Korean food at Maji during your visit! Pin the image below to save it to your itinerary on Pinterest!
Information:
Location: 19 Jahamun-ro 5-gil, Sajik-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul
Transportation: Gyeongbokgung Station Exit 2
Hours: Mon-Sat 11:00am-3:30pm, 5:00pm-9:00pm
Sun 12:00pm-3:30pm, 5:00pm-8:00pm.
Last orders 1 hour prior to closing.
Pro Tip:
A huge plus of Maji is that its location is right next to Gyeongbokgung Palace so it’s a great spot to refuel at after some sightseeing.
