What to Eat in Itaewon: Halal Food, World Cuisine and Craft Beer (2026)

Itaewon is where you go in Seoul when you want to eat something that is not Korean. It has the country’s largest concentration of halal-certified restaurants, a genuine range of world cuisines, and a craft beer scene that started here. Prices are typical ranges as of September 2026.

Halal and Muslim-friendly food

The streets around Seoul Central Mosque, especially Usadan-ro 10-gil, hold Korea’s densest cluster of halal restaurants and Muslim-owned grocers. This is the single most useful thing to know about eating in Itaewon.

What you will find:

• Turkish — kebab, lahmacun, pide. Doner plates run ₩12,000–18,000; a kebab wrap is ₩7,000–9,000.
• Pakistani and Indian — curry sets with naan, ₩15,000–22,000.
• Uzbek and Central Asian — plov, lamb skewers, samsa.
• Malaysian and Indonesian — nasi lemak, rendang.
• Halal Korean — a small number of restaurants serve halal-certified Korean dishes including bulgogi and samgyetang, which is otherwise hard to find in Korea.

Important distinction: Korea uses several labels. “Halal certified” means certification by the Korea Muslim Federation. “Muslim friendly” or “self-certified” means no pork or alcohol but not full certification. Look for the sticker on the door rather than the word on the sign, and ask if it matters to you.

Grocers on the same streets sell halal meat, spices and imported goods, useful if you are self-catering.

World cuisine on the main strip

Itaewon-ro and its side alleys hold the widest range of non-Korean food in the country.

• Mexican — tacos and burritos, ₩12,000–20,000. Several long-running places.
• Nigerian and Ethiopian — a small but real African restaurant scene, mostly upstairs and easy to miss.
• Thai and Vietnamese — reliable and cheaper than the average, ₩10,000–15,000.
• American diners and burger joints — a legacy of the garrison years, and better than they need to be.
• Italian and French bistros — mostly in Hannam, priced accordingly.

Quality varies more than in other Seoul neighborhoods. Recent reviews matter here; some places coast on location.

Craft beer

Korea’s craft beer movement started in Itaewon, and the neighborhood still has the best density of taprooms. Expect ₩8,000–12,000 a pint, with flights available at the larger bars.

Most cluster on Itaewon-ro and the alleys behind it, with a second group up in Haebangchon. Bars open late afternoon and run past midnight; weekends are busy after 21:00.

Gyeongnidan-gil has the smaller, quieter bars, and is where to go if the main strip feels like too much.

Hannam-dong: brunch and coffee

East of Itaewon, Hannam is where Seoul’s design crowd eats. Brunch runs ₩18,000–28,000, coffee ₩6,000–8,000, and the setting is the product.

Expect small independent bakeries, single-origin coffee, and restaurants that take reservations. Weekends are busy from 11:00. It is a good lunch stop after the Leeum museum, which is a five-minute walk away — see the things to do guide.

Korean food in Itaewon

It exists and it is fine, but it is not why you are here. If you want Korean barbecue, Gangnam and Hongdae do it better and cheaper — see the Gangnam food guide and the Hongdae food guide.

The exception is Haebangchon, where a few small Korean places serve office-worker lunches at ₩9,000–12,000 and are genuinely good.

Vegetarian and vegan

Itaewon is the easiest neighborhood in Seoul for both.

• Indian and Middle Eastern restaurants have real vegetarian menus rather than dishes with the meat removed.
• Several dedicated vegan cafés and restaurants operate around Gyeongnidan-gil and Haebangchon.
• Korean dishes still usually use anchovy or beef stock. Ask.

Practical notes

• Opening hours are late. Many restaurants open at noon or later, and the neighborhood is quiet before 17:00.
• Mondays are the common closing day for smaller places.
• Cards work everywhere. Tipping does not exist, including at Western-style restaurants.
• Ramadan brings extended evening hours and special menus around the mosque.
• Alcohol is not served at halal restaurants. Bring your own is not an option.
• Reservations are worth making in Hannam at weekends.

Wrapping up

Eat one meal near the mosque, one in Hannam, and drink one beer on Gyeongnidan-gil. That covers what Itaewon does better than anywhere else in Korea, and it costs less than a night out in Gangnam.

More in this series: the Itaewon overview, hotels and what to see.