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Lacto
Korean
Panchan (side dishes), soups, vegetable dishes, traditional music & dance. Vegan except for a lassi drink. Started by a former monk. In Insadong area, mid way between the two ends of Insadong St, in a small street in between Insadong 8-Gil and Insadong 6-Gil adjacent to Insadong-gil. 고풍스럽고 자연친화적인 인테리어가 특색있는 한옥 구조의 사찰음식 전문점입니다. 온돌방에서 식사가 가능하며, 식사로 한정식 코스요리가 제공됩니다. 저녁에는 한국 전통 음악과 춤 공연을 즐길 수 있습니다. 가격은 점심코스 33,000원, 저녁코스 45,000원 입니다(17년 3월 기준). NOTE: Reported that caged birds are on site. Open Mon-Sun 11:30am-10:00pm.
148 Reviews
First Review by veganqwert
victoriachangvegan
Points +2270
Do not go. - Edit
The food was mediocre at best. The food seemed like it was mass-produced. I felt no love in the food or in the space. It doesn’t get one star because the food wasn’t so bad that I didn’t eat it. However, I would not go back and I would never recommend that anyone go there.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2026-07-02
Guest
SuperTeacher
Points +93
Tasty but not welcoming - Edit
The food was really good and diverse, it felt true to temple cooking. The service was correct but we felt rushed, there was little explanation at all, which did not feel true to temple cooking at all.
Read morePros: Tasty, Variety, Original
Cons: Rushing, Pricey
Guest
RockyKlein
Points +23
Amazing and beautiful - Edit
An incredible experience and healthy food. Warning if you're going solo like me: you will eat A LOT
Read moreGuest
JadeMM
Points +158
Big meal, diverse - Edit
It’s 1 set meal for 29,000. Every small dish was flavorful! Nice staff, the Monk? was playing the piano the entire time I was there 🥹. Staff speaks English, clean place. I went by myself, managed to eat everything but the rice 😅
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2026-05-28
Pros: Big portion, Diverse meal, Price
Guest
agvta
Points +62
great traditional food & service - Edit
i believe they’re not fully vegan but vegetarian for sure, great way to experience traditional temple food in seoul
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2026-05-18
Pros: variety, fast service, big portions
Guest
gibbsli
Points +155
Traditional temple oasis - Edit
Ordered a set meal which was huge! The food was prepared ‘clean’ with an emphasis on the produce.
Read moreThe ambiance was good until loud music started booming from the art gallery space, played along by an electric keyboard and saxophone. Was quite the experience.
Updated from previous review on 2026-04-10
Pros: Assortment of dishes , Beautiful presentation
Cons: Loud music
Guest
vak31june
Points +22
Super satisfying - Edit
Love that the ingredients are locally sourced and the dishes still give customers a taste for Korean cuisine. The vibe is amazing, the host is super friendly. Portion sizes are great. Service is quick. The neighborhood has lots of other fun stuff to explore too. Fixed menu but it's so nice to try to do many different dishes.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2026-03-10
Pros: So many options, Healthy, fresh, organic food, Great ambiance
Cons: Fixed menu
Guest
FloreaNugalia
Points +144
Not à la carte! - Edit
I didn’t like the fact that they didn’t explain when I got in that they don’t serve à la carte, but only one menu per 27.000 kw.
Read moreFood was tasty, but too much for me.
Also the place was not heated in winter.
Updated from previous review on 2026-02-09
Guest
Meiga
Points +93
Very good - Edit
Amazing food! I was there with a Korean friend, who is not vegetarian, and she was also amazed about the tasty food. Totally recommend if you want traditional Korean food, but in a vegan/vegetarian version.
Read moreGuest
Me.Nana
Points +76
It used to be better - Edit
I really liked going there frequently in the past. However over time the staff became more and more unfriendly and the portion sizes got smaller and smaller.
Read moreAlso they skip menu items sometimes that are clearly advertised.
Guest
Levicoolguy101
Points +2157
Fun and pretty but not delicious 7/10 - Edit
I'd say the shared concensus for this place from reviews I'd agree upon.
Read moreIt is a very well designed place and even has an art gallery inside!?! kind of, as well as beautiful plant decor and plates.
I'd say you are paying for the experience rather than the flavours of food. The side dishes do have intense flavours sometimes, with a few very nice dishes but overall a standard of cool that was different but not nessecarily nice or filling
You will find stuff you like but wouldn't reccomends for solo traveller, groups of 3 or more would be ideal.
Very glad I went and it was a lovely experience to share with my parents reunited.
Updated from previous review on 2025-02-16
Guest
iamjulia
Points +272
Interesting experience - Edit
Defiantly worth trying at least once. Mostly only fermented food which is nicely served. (Only set menu available)
Read moreI was also told that it’s fully vegan, not just vegetarian
Pros: Interesting experience
Cons: Pretty pricey
Guest
PhilipGrenadier
Points +21
Bizarre Buddhist Temple Experience - Edit
My wife and I recently had lunch at Sanchon, a restaurant serving Buddhist temple food. Being vegans and having a strong interest in Korean temple food, we were excited to experience the vegetarian offerings there. After many courses, we were thoroughly disappointed in the food, surroundings and overall experience. The starter was two pieces of seaweed,- a sorry way to start, that you could easily buy at a basic grocery store. As the courses continued, we started to doubt the authenticity of this restaurant's aim, purpose and true dedication to Buddhist temple ethos, as they claim on their menus and advertising. The final insult was a stale dessert , that they claim was made at their own factory. Only their rice and miso soup had a level that was enjoyable from my Korean wife's perspective.
Read moreBesides the mediocre food, the surroundings were equally strange, with a confusing clutter of items strewn about the restaurant and gift shop.. In the gallery attached to the restaurant was a pianist( the Monk/owner) playing in a quite amateur fashion, which further cheapened the atmosphere.
For such a long standing restaurant( opened since the mid 1980's, this seemed completely at odds with what you'd expect from a "so called" authentic temple food experience. The prices were quite high which particularly stung afterward. Perhaps we should have gone to a nearby actual temple and experienced real temple food at a fraction of the price.
So obviously , we were profoundly disappointed in our entire dining experience at Sanchon and would not recommend any aspect for others looking for vegan, vegetarian or a righteous temple food experience.
Guest
LaiaCourage
Points +268
Overpriced and overrated - Edit
The restaurant looks really cool and the price is very high 29000 per person. We expected amazing food, but it was only okay, the waiters seemed overstressed and overworked and the wait between the dishes was quite long. There is alcohol served , so not really a monastery experience
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2025-05-05
Pros: The setting, Kimchi
Cons: Tourist trap, Overpriced, Not delicious
Guest
DominikFöldes
Points +271
Good, but there are better in Seoul - Edit
It is a really nice place and a cool concept. Only one universal menu. You are either in or out. Many side dishes, many things to try. But honestly very bland. The price per person is 29000 won in 2025. You can get much much better for that price. Also the waiter was super in a rush for no reason. There was one family in the restaurant beside us, it was barely 6PM so I didn't get it. She was spilling stuff as she brought it to the table, she was taking unfinished plates from us, she was overall jittery. Maybe she had a bad day. Don't know. But you come here for the experience, not the food and this didn't make ours so great.
Read morePros: Interesting concept , Options
Cons: Not a great value for the price , Jittery, nervous waitress , Bland taste
Guest
gigglygarbanzo
Points +137
Absolutely delicious - Edit
Wonderful experience and food!
Read moreGuest
janehj
Points +565
Good temple style food - Edit
Great for the experience.
Read moreA bit touristy and bland but many kinds of dishes to try and vegetables delicious
Pros: Variety , Vegetables , Experience
Cons: Touristy , Bland
Guest
jadenpb
Points +434
A fascinating experience with a variety of good food! - Edit
What an experience! I came here with a group and had zero expectations of what to expect. I really enjoyed my time here! The atmosphere and ambiance are quite unique and definitely memorable. It's a set course menu so you do not get to choose what you receive, but there is quite a lot to try which makes it fun! This was an interesting and memorable experience that I enjoyed very much! I would definitely recommend coming here if you want to experience and try Korean temple cuisine.
Read moreGuest
50%Dakini
Points +860
Good food but touristy - Edit
This is like a cheaper, touristy Balwoo. They do serve you a lot of food, beautifully presented, and the decor is nice, but the staff seem rushed and the place definitely caters primarily to tourists.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2024-10-20
Guest
flightlessalligator
Points +62
Pretty but unsatisfying - Edit
Lovely interior design with impressive plants and peaceful ambience, but the food was just OK. The wait staff also forgot to serve the desert. I got tired of waiting so I went to leave. I had to wake the staff member/manager up so that I could pay. Underwhelming, but I think on a day of good service it has potential to be quite decent! Disappointing.
Read moreGuest
EgleT
Points +47
Set menu - Edit
Interesting set menu that changes seasonally to produce that is available. The setting is part of an experience
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2024-09-13
Guest
VanniPaul
Points +1124
Interesting culinary experience - Edit
A great place to try temple food. The venue is quite nice, even has its own gallery. The food was good with a lot of flavours new to me.
Read moreGuest
azuki_monster
Points +1056
Super interesting experience - Edit
This place is really cool. The interior is interesting and very nicely done. They had live piano music and the food was very diverse. The appetisers (of which there are sooo many) and the dessert are super yummy! The more usual mains are also good, but not as good as the appetisers. There are a lot of wild greens and vegetables (the stuff I the middle of the large array) some of which are very bitter. I liked to taste them, but I think they might be an acquired taste ;)
Read moreWe definitely loved visiting:)
Guest
Harpy23
Points +2300
Lots of things to try but nothing spectacular - Edit
You get a lot of food for the set menu. The pictures are all from a set meal for 2. I do enjoy the chance to eat lots of different bits so was excited by the meal here. The food was fine but nothing really stood out and made me think I want more of that.
Read moreThe main item that stuck in my mind was the cabbage pancake and not for a good reason as it was incredibly oily.
The first thing we got was a cold pine tea. It had a very strong fermented flavour and tasted alcoholic. We also got a pot of mulberry tea which had a nice flavour to it. After that we got a few plates of little starter bites and a couple of soups. This all mostly tasted fine, my partner really didn't like the taste of the dark cracker thing. The highlights were probably the little bits of mushroom and radish topped with a white powdery thing of some sorts.
The main consisted of 16 different along with a pot of miso soup and a bowl of rice each. The soup was tasty with a good amount of tofu in there and the rice was good, I like it when you get a stone pot and some of the bits on the edges get crispy. There were some instructions from the waiter about adding the tea to the rice but he spoke very quietly so we weren't really sure what to do.
Everything from the mains was fine. Nothing was really bursting with flavour bar a few things that were quite spicy (generally anything in bright red sauce was a bit spicy). Some of the greens in the middle had a nice sesame and chilli taste to them, and there's a pale thing in there which I think was tofu with some bits of seaweed in that tasted good. I enjoyed the spicy stuff and the japchae noodles were quite good.
Overall, it was a good experience but the food was not mind blowing. I've probably been a bit generous with the 4* rating.
Updated from previous review on 2024-07-17
Guest
dxrules44
Points +131
Hidden gem - Edit
This was buried in one of the side streets, it took me a while to navigate to but it was worth it.. A lot of the flavours I haven't tried before. The veggies are all sourced from South Korea and seasonal. You wouldn't get this kind of food anywhere else apart from South korea. I got the set menu which was 29,000 won and it was full of plently of small dishes. It was a bit more on the pricey end vs other vegan places in seoul but overall I think it was worth it given the variety of foods.
Read morePros: Variation in dishes, Seasonal, Locally sourced
Guest
yumewa
Points +1647
A lot of (good) food, but little explanation - Edit
The restaurant only has a set menu, or this was the case when we went there to have dinner. There were a lot of different little portions of different foods coming to the table. At first I tried to understand what everything was and for that I had to ask every single time, but the guy spoke so low and so little that I gave up at some point. The food is tasty and I particularly like the cabbage pancake and the mushroom skew. Go to this place when you are feeling hungry and have the energy to endure a large meal.
Read moreGuest
graceo
Points +184
temple food in a beautiful setting - Edit
This was definitely a special experience. They took a lot of care in preparing the food, and we could tell by the way it was presented. There were some very unique teas they prepared for us as well. I loved the restaurant decor. There were some beautiful plants, and it felt very serene. My only criticism though is that a lot of the dishes were too spicy.
Read morePros: dine in a beautiful natural setting, wonderful presentation, creative dishes
Cons: too spicy
Guest
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