First halal food in Hongdae, Seoul: two small platters, Halal Steaks

My girlfriend and I said let's try something we've never eaten before. Searching for a distinctive restaurant, we found this Hongdae spot. It was our first time with halal food, so I had no idea what to expect flavor-wise.

Where is Halal Steaks? 2nd floor on Yangwha-ro 16-gil, Hongdae

Halal Steaks sits on the 2nd floor of a building on Yangwha-ro 16-gil near Hongik University Station. If you're looking for good food in Hongdae, this is the street to head to. Since it's on the 2nd floor, you climb a staircase, and posters line the walls the whole way up — enough to make you curious what kind of place this is.

There's a character sign standing at the entrance. It says EST 2025 on it, so it seems like the place hasn't been open long. Step inside and there's a neon sign lit up.

Inside Halal Steaks: grilled meat smell from the open kitchen

Halal Steaks has several tables, plus seats along the window. It was easy enough for the two of us to sit comfortably. The moment we walked in, we could hear and smell meat grilling in the kitchen. It made me curious what kind of food was coming out.

Halal Steaks menu: four platters, small size 12,900 won

You order at a kiosk at Halal Steaks. Platters come in four kinds — chicken, gyro, combo, and falafel — and all of them are ₩12,900 for the small size, which made choosing easy. Sizes go small, regular, and New York. There's also a separate sandwich menu and fries as a side.

Halal mark and sourcing sign at Halal Steaks

There's a sourcing sign on the wall. It says beef is from Australia, lamb from New Zealand, and chicken from Brazil. Rice is from India, and lettuce and tomatoes are domestic. Each item has a halal mark next to it, which was the first thing that caught my eye.

Chicken platter: rice, vegetables and meat mixed together

The chicken platter at Halal Steaks arrives with rice, vegetables, and meat all in one bowl on a plate.

The chicken has a grilled aroma. The sauce is spicy and savory at the same time. A white sauce is drizzled over the rice, with lettuce and tomato laid underneath.

You mix all the rice and vegetables together and eat it that way. Taking a bite once it's all mixed, it had a texture that reminded me of Mediterranean food. The rice is different from the short-grain rice we usually eat — it's long and fluffy.

Combo platter: lamb and beef on one plate

The combo platter at Halal Steaks has both lamb and beef, so you can taste both in a single dish. The meat comes finely chopped, which makes it easy to scoop with a spoon. Having lamb and beef together gives you the fun of alternating bites.

A tortilla-like flatbread comes with the plate. We mixed the vegetables and meat together and piled it onto the bread. Eating it this way felt like eating a kebab. The bread was soft enough that it worked fine just piled on top, no rolling needed.

The two sauces at Halal Steaks: white and red

Two sauces come on top, white and red. The red one is spicy, so you end up dipping back and forth between the two. The white sauce is mild, so it's fine even if you don't love spicy food. Mixing the two sauces together blends the colors nicely too.

Review event and how much a small platter really is

There's a sign saying Halal Steaks gives you fries for writing a review — both Naver and Google are linked with QR codes. The two of us finished off both plates. The portions weren't small at all, so the small size was plenty.

Verdict on Halal Steaks: who should try it

If you're looking for something you haven't tried before, I'd recommend Halal Steaks as a Hongdae restaurant to try. Having rice, vegetables, and meat all in one bowl to mix together felt new. If lamb feels like too much, you can go with chicken instead, and it's easy enough for one person to order a single plate alone too. Menus like this aren't common among Hongdae restaurants.