Hongdae halal restaurant with a combo platter: Halal Steaks

Halal Steaks near Hongik University Station

Halal Steaks Hongdae branch is on the second floor at 26 Yanghwa-ro 16-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul, about 500 m from Exit 9 of Hongik University Station. It is open daily from 11:00 to 22:00!

Halal Steaks is well known in Hongdae as a great spot for eating alone and halal food! I normally love tacos and halal food, so I finally stopped by :) The exterior and interior are clean overall, while still having that distinctly hip Hongdae atmosphere!

Head in from Hongdae's main Red Road and you will see a standing sign, with this menu board right by the stairs. Inside, the neon Halal Steaks logo gives the place an exotic yet casual feel! Personally, I pay more attention to the music than the interior, and the pop music playing really suited it, haha.

An interior with solo seats and group seating

There was a good range of seating: two- and four-person tables, high tables, and solo window seats, so you can settle in comfortably depending on your group size or reason for visiting!

In particular, there are seats by the windows that are great for dining alone, so it looked like a nice place to visit solo! You order from the kiosk; platters and sandwiches are the main offerings, with a variety of sides too.

• Platters: chicken platter / gyro platter / small combo platter / small falafel platter
• Sandwiches: chicken sandwich / gyro sandwich / combo sandwich / falafel sandwich
• I ordered the New York-size combo platter + shrimp rings!

The kitchen is open, so you can watch the food being made right in front of you. There was also a display of various drinks and a self-service bar.

Is the New York-size combo platter too heavily spiced?

🥙 New York-size combo platter This combo platter comes with chicken, lamb, and beef! It also includes basmati rice, tomatoes, onions, and sauces, so you can mix up all kinds of flavors on one plate. Halal food might feel a little unfamiliar to first-timers because of the spices, but Halal Steaks keeps them at just the right, not-overwhelming level. I think anyone comfortable eating pho would find it easygoing??

The portion of meat was especially generous, so with the rice it was a more filling, satisfying meal than I expected… (Of course it was… it is New York size…) Add the generously drizzled white sauce and the meat tastes even mellower; eating it with tomatoes and onions cuts through the richness too, so finishing the whole plate was no trouble at all!!

Pile the meat, vegetables, and sauce onto a tortilla and it feels a bit like a sandwich, which I loved even more, haha. Highly recommended. The New York-size combo platter lets you eat lots of ingredients at once and is generously portioned, so I would especially recommend it when two people visit rather than one!

Shrimp rings on the side

🍤 Shrimp rings The shrimp rings I ordered as a side were great too! They had a crispy fried coating with shrimp inside, so they were crunchy outside and springy within, haha. Having shrimp here and there while eating the meat-focused platter made the meal feel more varied, so I would recommend the shrimp rings as a side too!

Sitting at a window seat like this, looking out at Hongdae Street as I ate, made for such a relaxed and lovely meal at Halal Steaks, a great Hongdae halal food spot for solo diners!!

If you are looking for a hip place to eat alone, or if you love Mexican food such as tacos, halal food, and tortillas, you really should visit.. The weather has been pleasantly cool lately, so I am thinking of getting a combo platter to go and enjoying it with a beer on a Han River picnic, haha.