Korea's Ganghwa Island is Vegan Paradise
In November, I visited an island off of Incheon, Korea with a friend to hit some vegan spots! We rented a taxi to take us around all day, but you could do this by bus if you wanted - just allow for a lot of waiting time as the buses don’t come as frequently as they do in the big cities. You can check out my summer bus trip to this island right here!
We started our trip with lunch at Manisan Mushroom Jeongol (Naver Map). They’re famous for their jeongol which essentially is just a giant hot pot of stew. Usually it includes meat, but if you call ahead they will prepare a vegan option for you! What we got was a mountain of mushrooms - most of which I’ve never heard of or even seen before. The owner was really sweet and told us what each one was while he cut them up for us. To be honest, it was fun to be able to try all these mushrooms but I wouldn’t exactly call the meal delicious lol. Definitely an experience though!!!
Next we tried to visit Belpan Bakery (Naver Maps, Instagram) but it was closed on Tuesdays. The owner created his own machine to make this very specific kind of bread and I hope to get back there to try it. This is all vegan too!
We then went to Jeondeungsa (Naver Maps) which is one of the oldest temples in Korea and is gorgeous all year round. When I went there in summer there were women selling cherries they found in the forest :) But during autumn the foliage is stunning.
With the wind picking up we warmed ourselves up with vegan lattes and cookies at Hee Wa Rae (Naver Maps, Instagram), a cafe overlooking a rice field so in summer and early autumn, you’re looking over a sea of tall grasses.
Our last stop before the sunset was Dolmen Bakery (Naver Maps, Instagram) named for the dolmen, or ancient rock structures, found all over the island.
We headed home after that but here’s a list of other vegan and sustainable spots on Ganghwa!
Jindalrae Island (home goods/souvenirs made in Ganghwa) - Maps, Instagram
Ganghwa Island Bori Bap (vegan friendly food) - Map
