When reading the menus at restaurants, you sometimes see some menus marked with small shoots or leaves. These denote vegetarian menus that do not contain animal-derived ingredients. Nowadays, when more and more people are becoming aware of animal rights and the environment in their consumption habits, why not discover a new world of flavors with vegetarian cuisine? Head to Itaewon to discover the restaurants that your favorite K-pop singers love!

| ALT.a

Chuu, a former member of LOONA, visited this Korean-Chinese restaurant in her web series “Chuu Can Do It.” Many of the Korean-Chinese dishes feature heavy amounts of meat and seafood, but in ALT.a, these menus are made with only plant-based ingredients. Indeed, in the show, Chuu was unable to tell which of the two versions of “Tuna Baguette” and “Black Bean Sauce Noodles” (Jjajangmyeon) were vegan. What’s more, Chuu chose the version using a plant-based meat alternative over the standard one, thanks to that version being easier to digest. If you want to sample cholesterol-free, trans-fat-free, meat-free dishes that will make you say, “I can’t believe that this was not made with meat!”, head to ALT.a in Itaewon.

| PAN HONESTA

Choi Yoo-jung (Yoojung) of Weki Miki visited this bakery in the web series “Bread is My Life.” Panhonesta is known for using plant-based ingredients such as bean curd, powdered rice, and low-GI foods like coconut milk and coconut sugar instead of flour and refined sugar. Yoojung recommended the bakery’s tarts to those with a sweet tooth in the show. Recently, the bakery included cooling dishes such as “Shaved Ice with Sweetened Bean Topping” (Bingsu), “Tteomeokke” (Spoon Cake), and “Rami Cookie” (Rice Cookie), which is even better frozen, so take your pick among Panhonesta’s summer.

| KYERI

This dessert café is frequented by Jang Won-young (Wonyoung), the “dessert guide” of IVE. Wonyoung is said to have led the IZ*ONE members to the place to sample KYERI’s healthy selection of mugwort, sweet potato, and pumpkin cakes. KYERI uses low-sugar, low-carb ingredients and does not use butter in its baked goods, so Hitomi Honda, another IZ*ONE alumnus, recommended KYERI’s desserts to weight-watchers in an interview with a Japanese magazine. Wonyoung and Hitomi’s picks are the “Mulberry Rhubarb Cheesecake” and “Corn Crumble Cheesecake,” respectively , so follow their lead if you find it difficult to choose.

This column was last updated in June 2024, and therefore information may differ from what is presented here. We advise you to check details before visiting.