Jeju Island: beautiful scenery, fresh air and delicious food. Who could ask for a better combo on vacation? Jeju’s most famous foods include grilled black pork, mandarin oranges and locally sourced seafood. However, if you have dietary requirements like my Muslim friends and I, you might worry about finding places to eat here. Fear not, just enjoy this list of Halal-Friendly Food in Jeju!
The Iconic Food and Drink (Halal-Friendly)
Despite the specialty being black rock pork, many of the iconic Jeju street foods are halal-friendly. Therefore, if you’re a Muslim traveler, you can still peruse the markets cafes on Jeju Island at your leisure and find plenty of yummy things to eat.
Tangerine Juice
You simply cannot visit Jeju without sampling the island’s fresh and delicious tangerines. Because of the temperate weather and volcanic springs, Jeju has very fertile land for growing high-quality fruits. Moreover, you won’t just find tangerine trees, there’s tangerine juice and ice cream, perfect in the hot summer months.
Dongmun Market sells fresh tangerine juice in a charming Dolhareubang (stone grandfather) shaped container, a trademark of Jeju Island.
Mango and Coconut juice
Rich Mango‘s delicious, sweet mango juice and coconut is a must-try drink on Jeju Island. You can find this store all over Jeju island, like at Aewol and Hamdeok beaches. Indeed, the best way to drink this juice is with an ocean view.
The store offers a variety of drinks made with mango and/or coconut. Furthermore, the bottles come with crazy straws and flashlights, making it the perfect instagrammable beverage at night.
Seafood stew
Now onto food. Jeju is perhaps the best place to savour fresh seafood in Korea. Known as the “Hawaii of Korea,” there are seafood delicacies to suit every taste, from steamed crab to raw fish.
Korean locals highly recommend the varied seafood stew with abalone, seashells, shrimp, and other delectable ingredients. However, just prepare to be astounded by the huge portion size!
Don’t believe us? watch this video:
Dol Hareubang Bread
What’s more, Dolhareubang tangerine juices weren’t enough, you can eat these sweet pastry breads in Jeju’s emblematic shape. The Dolhareubangs are said to be the protectors of the island and its people, which is why you’ll see them everywhere in Jeju.
You can find these breads at Dongmun Market. They are tasty buns filled with tangerine-flavoured Hallabong paste. Additionally, I have to admit that I wasn’t a huge fan of the tangerine flavour before visiting Jeju, but the island has converted me.
Curious about how Dolhareubang bread is made? Check this out:
If you are looking for more sweets made with the famous Hallabong paste, you should definitely check out Starbucks’ Hallabong pain au chocolat. It is exclusively available in Jeju Island only:
Halal-Friendly Restaurants
Regarding halal restaurants, luckily VisitJeju has a list of all the halal places in the island that you can check out. The list includes Korean food, as well as Western and also features Indian cuisine — you’ll be spoiled for choice! The Korea Tourism Organization categorized Muslim-friendly restaurants so that Muslim tourists can conveniently dine in Korea. Only restaurants that meet strict requirements have been selected and categorized into 4 groups.
