Halal takeout in Hongdae: small combo plus extra meat, Halal Steaks

How I ended up at Halal Steaks in Hongdae

Halal Steaks is a halal restaurant just a 2-minute walk from the Olive Young secret pop-up venue in Hongdae. I was recently invited to the pop-up and spent an hour wandering around the stalls, which had loads to see. By the end I was starving, so on the way home I stopped at a halal restaurant I'd been curious about for a long time.

Halal Steaks, the Hongdae halal place I'd always wondered about, happened to be 2 minutes from the venue. Having been, I can say it's a perfect Hongdae spot for eating alone, where you can enjoy exotic food without feeling self-conscious.

Halal Steaks location and opening hours

The address is 26 Yanghwa-ro 16-gil, 2nd floor, Mapo-gu, Seoul, and it's open from 11:00 to 22:00.

It's also very easy to reach, 499m from Exit 9 of Hongik Univ. Station. The restaurant is on the 2nd floor of the building directly across from A-LAND, one of Hongdae's landmarks, so even first-timers can find it easily with a map app.

My first halal restaurant: what's the atmosphere at Halal Steaks like?

Halal Steaks was my first-ever halal restaurant visit. I'm quite into food and had heard plenty about halal food, and I liked that Halal Steaks says it works under a Certified Halal principle, using only clean ingredients from 100% officially certified suppliers.

Inside, the seating works for groups and solo diners alike. The mood is casual and relaxed, and the exotic spice aroma the moment I walked in got my appetite going.

Halal Steaks is a fast-food brand that reinterprets halal street food for Korean tastes and trendy sensibilities. Halal restaurants use no pork or alcohol at all, and everything from cooking to packaging is said to be managed transparently with trustworthy, clean ingredients. The menu is built to feel global, not just healthy.

I think it's a perfect choice for food lovers like me who want to try a new food culture, for people who like Hongdae's hip vibe, or for anyone looking for a place to eat comfortably with Muslim friends.

Small combo platter with extra meat: price and what's in it

I ordered the most popular, signature item, the small combo platter (₩12,900). The platter comes generously packed with gyro (spit-roasted meat), chicken, basmati rice, lettuce, tomato and pita bread on the side, and the white sauce and hot sauce, which are the heart of the flavor, are included by default.

I was so hungry that I also added the extra meat option (₩7,000) to load up on protein. I considered eating in, but wanted to relax at home and savor it properly, so I took it to go.

Maybe because so many people get takeout or delivery here, the packaging came out neat and tidy.

Extra meat for ₩7,000: how much do you get?

As soon as I got home I opened the carefully packed container. Probably because of the extra meat, the heavy, generous meat topping hit me the second the lid came off.

The extra meat isn't cheap, but they packed a whole container of just meat separately, so the amount was really big.

How do the basmati rice, chicken and gyro taste?

My spoon went first to the basmati rice underneath. Unlike the sticky Korean rice we eat every day, the grains are long and fluff apart, a texture I found really appealing. The meat, crunchy vegetables and basmati rice go well together, and it was exotic but more addictive the more I ate.

The meats beat my expectations. The chicken, grilled with plenty of fire flavor, was moist and tender with no dryness, and a faint smoky aroma hit my nose first.

The gyro meat included too had savory depth and salty seasoning blended perfectly, with a deep meaty flavor coming through as I chewed. The crunchy lettuce and fresh tomato kept refreshing my mouth now and then, so I never got tired of it.

Halal Steaks white sauce and New York hot sauce: how spicy?

The real kick at Halal Steaks is the sauce. The legendary white sauce that halal food fans rave about! I thought it would be a simple mayo-based sauce, but it was much nuttier, lighter and smoother, and just excellent. It's a magical sauce that wraps the meat and rice in softness.

And then the New York hot sauce the menu warns about! I only dipped a little, but an intense, sharp heat hit me right away. It's a tongue-slapping spiciness, yet mixed with the creaminess of the white sauce it made a thrilling, addictive balance. The kind of taste that blows your stress away in one go? If you're not good with spice, definitely start with just a small dab.

How do you eat the pita bread?

You can split the platter's pita bread in half, stuff it with meat, vegetables and rice, and pour sauce over it to make your own mini sandwich. I didn't split mine; I put meat and vegetables on top and added sauce. The chewy, plain texture of the bread gave a different flavor from eating it with rice, so it was a nicely varied experience.

Is Halal Steaks worth going back to?

It was my first halal food, but the taste was straightforward and great, easy for anyone to enjoy with no barrier to entry. Above all, made with clean, trustworthy ingredients, it felt like I'd treated my body to a healthy, filling meal.

The taste, the portion and the distinctive menu were all perfect, so next time I'm nearby I plan to take out again or eat solo in the restaurant. If you're looking for somewhere exotic yet easy to eat alone in Hongdae, try the combo platter at Halal Steaks.