ALT.a offers 'jjajangmyeon' with plant-based meat alternatives
Seen are Yurinyuk, left, fried veef — plant-based meat alternatives — in hot and sour soy sauce, and Doenjang Jjajangmyeon, center, bean paste veef noodles, popular dishes provided at vegan restaurant ALT.a in Itaewon, Seoul. Korea Times photo by Baek Byung-yeul
Korean Chinese dishes "Jjajangmyeon," noodles in black bean sauce, and "tangsuyuk," fried meat with sweet and sour sauce, are beloved staples for many Koreans.
ALT.a, a vegan restaurant in Seoul, selected these types of Asian cuisines to provide healthy and delicious meals without any animal-based ingredients. This approach caters not only to vegetarians, who avoid all animal products like meat, milk, and eggs, but also to those who are unfamiliar with vegan food.
Nestled in Itaewon, renowned for its international atmosphere, ALT.a has shown since its 2022 opening that its approach is effective. The restaurant's entire menu features meat alternatives instead of meat and seafood, and it has gained popularity by offering a variety of Asian cuisines, including familiar Korean Chinese dishes like jjajangmyeon, all at reasonable prices.
An exterior of vegan restaurant ALT.a in Itaewon, Seoul / Korea Times photo by Baek Byung-yeul
Lucia Lee, the manager of ALT.a, explained that ALTist, an alternative food producer known for its stevia sweeteners, selected Asian cuisines as the main theme for the vegan restaurant to connect more effectively with Korean customers.
"ALTist is a company that makes healthy alternative foods, including meat alternatives. The company opened ALT.a to show how meat alternatives can be presented to people curious about the taste of meat alternatives," Lee told The Korea Times on Monday.
"The reason for choosing Asian cuisine among various options is that there are many familiar dishes for Koreans. We offer dishes familiar to Koreans like tangsuyuk and yurinyuk using meat alternatives called 'veef.'"
Ingredients made by vegan restaurant ALT.a's operator ALTist, including bamboo salt, gluten-free tapioca starch, gluten-free oat powder and xylitol powder, a sugar substitute, are displayed at the eatery in Itaewon, Seoul. Korea Times photo by Baek Byung-yeul
For many Koreans, including myself, vegan food is often seen as just healthy dishes made from vegetables. However, ALT.a reimagines familiar Asian cuisines and mimics the texture of meat, making their vegan offerings feel more approachable and recognizable.
"Many customers come without knowing this is a vegan restaurant. Later, when they find out this is a vegan restaurant, they say they didn't know vegan food could be this delicious," Lee said.
When this reporter sampled the restaurant's signature dishes, Yurinyuk—fried "beef" in a hot and sour soy sauce — and Doenjang Jjajangmyeon — bean paste "beef" noodles — they were on par with other popular Asian cuisines.
"The advantage of the vegan food served in our restaurant is that it's low in calories and cholesterol-free. Unlike other Asian restaurants that cook with lard, we use vegetable oil, which results in a lower overall calorie content," the manager said.
She added that ALT.a attracts customers from various age groups, not just the health-conscious younger generation.
"It's difficult to become a perfect vegan from the start. I hope customers will take the opportunity to learn about vegan culture step by step by tasting vegetarian food here," Lee said.
Seen is veef japchae over rice offered at vegan restaurant ALT.a in Itaewon, Seoul. Captured from the eatery's Instagram
ALT.a could be an excellent choice for visiting vegans who want to experience Korean-style Chinese dishes, which have been popularized through Korean dramas and movies.
"In fact, many vegan tourists from abroad tell us that they saw scenes in Korean dramas where actors eat jjajangmyeon and tangsuyuk and they wanted to try it too, but couldn't because they're vegan. They say they were able to enjoy these dishes deliciously at our restaurant," the manager said. "It's rewarding to hear that ALT.a can fulfill that need for them."
■ Address: 109 Bogwang-ro, Yongsan District, Seoul
■ Phone: 02-790-8688
■ Hours: 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. (break time: 3-5 p.m.)
■ Website: Instagram @alt.a_official