Trying to eat KETO or low-carb in Pyeongtaek or across South Korea? We have some solutions for you!
- A Low-Carb Friendly Coffee Shop
- Korean BBQ is a Low-Carb Option if you Pay Attention
- Pyeongtaek Pubs Offer Low-Carb Wings and Burgers
- Other Global Food Specialties
- Fast Food Low-Carb Options
- Low Carb or KETO Breakfast
- Low-carb Drinking and Nightlife
- Update in 2021: Salad shops!
- Update in 2022: FUEL Weekly Meal Delivery
If you eat a ketogenic or low-carb diet, you may be wondering how on earth you can possibly survive in Asia. Isn’t there going to be rice or noodles with every meal? How can I avoid going off plan and still enjoy going out with friends and really experiencing Korean food?
In Korea, staying true to low carb can be surprisingly easy with all of the cook-at-your-table BBQ restaurant options. Depending on how strict you choose to be with your carbohydrate allowance amount and how carefully you pay attention to ingredients, you may have even more leeway than I do!
Here are my go-to options for keto-friendly restaurants and meals. Most of them are located outside of Camp Humphreys but I’ll list a couple in Songtan ED as well.
A Low-Carb Friendly Coffee Shop
Coffee shops are even more ubiquitous than pork belly or corner convenience stores. For most of us, fancy sugary drinks are not going to be an option, but one drink that I realized the Hangul is an American loan word is Americano! Americanos are a perfect choice when grabbing coffee with friends.
I choose to carry a safe sweetener in my purse because other natural/artificial non-sugar options are not generally going to be available. Full-fat cream is also not going to be available, but many shops will at least have whole milk if you need a splash of something.
Korean BBQ is a Low-Carb Option if you Pay Attention
One of the first words I learned when we moved to Korea was 삼겹살, samgyeobsal or PORK BELLY. Pork belly is a near-perfect food for keto/low carb folks and there is no shortage of it in the area. Our favorite restaurants for Korean BBQ in the area are Suji’s, Kim’s Cook, Guiga, and Arirang. Meat is our favorite solution for living low-carb or KETO in Pyeongtaek.
If you need to be very mindful of your carb count, avoid marinated cuts of meat as the marinades all include sugar. Also watch out for the gochujang sauce as it is made with starches and sugar; a better dipping choice would be salt with a little sesame oil.
You will also want to be careful with the steam and yaki mandu. While the outer wrapper may not have too many carbs alone, most restaurants include noodles in their filing mixture.
Luckily, many of the banchan at these restaurants are going to be lower carb vegetables like bean sprouts, zucchini, cabbage or cucumber kimchi, mushrooms, eggplant, green onions and perilla leaves. The restaurant that we save for special occasions is in the Pyeongtaek AK Plaza area and it is called Zip’s. Aside from their banchan, they only have pork on the menu – pork belly, pork shoulder and pork neck.
Zip’s is the first restaurant that I went to thanks to learning about them through the South of Seoul app. It is close to the Korea Dessert Cafe, which luckily makes a good Americano if your kids sucker you into going there after Zip’s.
Slightly different from the other cook at your table spots is Chuncheon Dak Galbi; while they only have one main dish on the menu, they also have steam egg! Make sure to pick out the rice cakes and set those to the side.
Zip
0507-1423-3359
Copy and paste phone numbers into Naver Maps to get directions
Hangul Address
경기 평택시 평택1로20번길 10-8
One of the best places to eat meat near AK Plaza. Right next to a pretty little park that does a fountain and lights show in summer.
Arirang
031-656-2933
Copy and paste phone numbers into Naver Maps to get directions
Hangul Address
경기 평택시 팽성읍 두리길 1-4
A nice place for Korean BBQ with parking and enough room for medium size groups. Lovely decorating and they offer a traditional cinnamon drink for a sweet treat after your meal.
Guiga Pyeongtaek Anjeong Branch AKA Yellow Pig or Blue Robot
0507-1494-1393
Copy and paste phone numbers into Naver Maps to get directions
Hangul Address
경기 평택시 팽성읍 안정순환로 235 1층
This is a popular Korean BBQ restaurant. A statue out front (a Yellow Pig and a Blue Robot) serves as a sort of mascot identifying the restaurant for many foreigners in the area. With so much praise from the community this place is definitely worth a try.
Kims Cook Korean BBQ
031-657-2335
Copy and paste phone numbers into Naver Maps to get directions
Hangul Address
경기 평택시 팽성읍 안정순환로164번길 42
Popular all-you-can-eat meat BBQ spot located off of Rodeo Shopping Street. They have a solid selection of self-serve meats to grill to your hearts content.
Pyeongtaek Pubs Offer Low-Carb Wings and Burgers
If your friends want to go to one of the more American/Canadian establishments like Bear Paw, Tailgate Tavern, Loft 33 or Pub 210 you can’t go wrong with their wings or a bunless burger.
Loft 33 has their amazing homemade ranch sauce and has even offered to lettuce-wrap my burger for me when I asked for no bun!
Cocosalsa even offers lettuce-wrapped burgers as a bun option on their Kiosk order system. At a few of those restaurants, you can even swap out coleslaw or a small salad for the french fries.
Bear Paw also has a taco salad and will bring you sour cream to go on top. If you are looking for top-notch wings, the Songtan folks have it made in the shade with Loft 33 Saloon.
Loft33 Songtan
Hangul Address
경기 평택시 중앙시장로11번길 6
Loft33 has one of the best burgers in Pyeongtaek. The Songtan location opened in 2020 and offers delicious food in a beautiful atmosphere.
Loft 33
010-3495-1272
Copy and paste phone numbers into Naver Maps to get directions
Hangul Address
경기 평택시 팽성읍 안정로29번길 33
A small, fun sports bar with many unique menu items that are hard to find anywhere else.
Pub 210
Hangul Address
경기 평택시 팽성읍 안정순환로164번길 50
This is both the perfect place to eat with your family and a late night venue with lots of food and drinks to keep you going. Pub 210 serves a lovely Sunday Brunch.
Coco Salsa Taco and Burger
031-656-4555
Copy and paste phone numbers into Naver Maps to get directions
Hangul Address
경기 평택시 팽성읍 신흥북로49번길 27
Nice burger and taco joint in the underground parking of Brownstone. This is not visible from the street. You will have to actually enter the Brownstone parking garage.
Other Global Food Specialties
For such a small town, Anjeong-ri has a surprising amount of international restaurants. The sausages and lamb chops at Braai, the lechon kawali (more pork belly!) at Pinoy, tikka masala, and tandoori chicken at Arati are all good options for eating keto/low carb. In Songtan, Ceviche 210 has several options that are basically meat with a side salad (hold the fries of course!).
Braai Republic (Pyeongtaek Branch)
031-657-7580
Copy and paste phone numbers into Naver Maps to get directions
Hangul Address
경기 평택시 팽성읍 안정쇼핑로 17-1
The friendly owners, cozy interior, and insanely good food will keep you coming back again and again. Their lamb chops and meat pies are to die for, and weekend brunch should not be missed.
Arati Indian Restaurant
031-657-2548
Copy and paste phone numbers into Naver Maps to get directions
Hangul Address
경기 평택시 팽성읍 안정순환로138번길 56
Located on the second floor, this flavorful restaurant has a beautiful outdoor deck. There is an additional location in Pyeongtaek City.
Fast Food Low-Carb Options
Grabbing a quick meal on the go is the most potentially frustrating endeavor about eating low carb in Korea. Pretty much everything ready to run is wrapped in bread or batter-dipped and fried.
Korean convenience stores offer a surprising number of options. Most convenience stores have various sausage on a stick and cheese sticks and many even have hard-boiled eggs.
Depending on where you are when you’re trying to grab something on the run, look for some of the snack shacks as many of them will serve non-fried options of squid or barbecued chicken. If you’re a sucker for a bunless burger, Lotteria and Mom’s Touch can also work in a pinch.
Low Carb or KETO Breakfast
Low-carb or KETO breakfast in Pyeongtaek can also pose a problem because there aren’t very many restaurants that offer breakfast in general. Attractive Coffee has an omelet (and now bacon!) and Whichcraft also has an omelet (ask them to leave out the hash brown) and bacon.
Wichcraft
010-5360-9772
Copy and paste phone numbers into Naver Maps to get directions
Hangul Address
경기 평택시 팽성읍 안정순환로222번길 121
Brand new sandwich shop located in the ville outside Camp Humphreys. Its a smaller place, not suited for large groups, but the food is great. Pet friendly and now offers delivery!
Low-carb Drinking and Nightlife
Bonus, you know what else is relatively low carb? SOJU! With the language barrier many of us face and not always being able to review a menu before walking into a restaurant, trying new places can feel like a daunting challenge. I hope that this guide has helped you feel more comfortable in being able to enjoy going out to eat while staying on plan!
Update in 2021: Salad shops!
A new trend in salad shops has been sweeping Korea. Many offer Keto-friendly options. Check out these great options near Osan Air Force Base. Mama Salad even offers keto kimbap:
Bun D
Hangul Address
경기도 평택시 쇼핑로9번길 4
Fresh and healthy meal options. Wraps, salads, fresh juices, and more. They even have hummus and couscous for your wraps!!!
Update in 2022: FUEL Weekly Meal Delivery
FUEL Weekly is a meal prep, meal delivery service that ships across South Korea. They provide pre-made low-carb and KETO-friendly meals delivered right to your house. They are a FANTASTIC option for staying true to your low-carb lifestyle. We have a full review of them here! If you are low-carb or KETO living in Pyeongtaek, this company is your best friend.
Founded in 2015, the South of Seoul team consists of volunteers on three continents working together to support English-speaking people traveling or living in South Korea. South of Seoul volunteers work with organizations and individuals across South Korea to improve equitable access to information across South Korea. Much of South of Seoul’s information focuses on Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea.
Blogs published under the authorship of “South of Seoul” include blogs compiled by multiple volunteers to improve access to standardized information unrelated to individualized personal experiences.
