Halal Food Around Itaewon

Halal restaurants, butchers and grocery shops around Seoul Central Mosque, the difference between halal certification and Muslim-friendly categories, questions to ask in Korean, and hidden pork and alcohol in Korean food.

Updated Oct 21, 2026As of Oct 20265 min read

Seoul Central Mosque stands on a hill in Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, near Itaewon Station. It opened in 1976 and is the best-known mosque in Korea. On the street up to the mosque and in the lanes around it, you will find halal restaurants, butchers and grocery shops. You can walk from Itaewon Station (Line 6), but the road goes uphill.

Turkish food: kebab, pide and grilled meat dishes
Pakistani and Indian food: curry, biryani, tandoori and naan
Middle Eastern food: hummus, falafel, and rice and meat dishes
Uzbek food: plov (osh), samsa and lagman
Malaysian and Indonesian food: rice and skewer dishes such as nasi goreng and satay
Halal butchers and grocery shops: halal meat, spices, rice and imported food

How to check if food is halal

The surest way is to look for a halal certification mark. In Korea, the Korea Muslim Federation (KMF) issues halal certification. The Korea Tourism Organization also sorts Muslim-friendly restaurants into four categories for Muslim visitors. Each category means something different, so see the table below.

Category	Meaning	What to check
Halal Certified	Certified halal by a certification body such as the Korea Muslim Federation	Check the certificate and its expiry date.
Self Certified	The Muslim owner says the food is halal	It is not an official certification. You can ask where the meat comes from.
Muslim Friendly	Halal menu items are available	Alcohol may be sold. Ask which items are halal.
Pork Free	No pork is served	Other meat may not be halal, and alcohol may be sold.

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Categories and certificates can change. Don’t rely only on a sign at the door. Check the date on the certificate or ask the staff directly.

Hidden pork and alcohol, and how to ask in Korean

Broths: some soups and gukbap are made with pork bones or meat.
Sauces and marinades: cooking wine such as mirim (matsul) is often added, for example to bulgogi marinade.
Packaged food: check the ingredients for 돼지고기 (pork), 돈지/라드 (lard), 젤라틴 (gelatin) and 주정 (alcohol).
Snack foods: mandu (dumplings), gimbap (with ham) and sundae (Korean blood sausage) may contain pork.

Korean	Pronunciation	Meaning
돼지고기 들어가요?	dwaeji-gogi deureogayo?	Is there pork in it?
술이 들어가요?	sul-i deureogayo?	Is there alcohol in it (including cooking wine)?
할랄 고기예요?	hallal gogi-yeyo?	Is the meat halal?
저는 무슬림이에요.	jeoneun museullim-ieyo.	I am Muslim.

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Prayer rooms and Fridays

Some tourist spots and the airport have prayer rooms. Check the location and opening hours in the official information before you go. When you visit the mosque, wear modest clothes and keep quiet during prayer times.

During Friday midday prayers, the area around the mosque gets very busy. If you want a quiet meal or easy shopping, choose another time.

Official sources

We link to the original source so you can check it yourself.

대한민국 구석구석 – 이태원·용산 여행 정보korean.visitkorea.or.kr

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