Why we made Hal-ro
We once heard that many Muslim travelers in Korea end up eating boiled eggs from convenience stores. They weren't sure which restaurants were safe, so they skipped Korean food altogether.
That stayed with us. Korea has so much to taste: crispy fried chicken, spicy tteokbokki, warm bowls of soup and more. We think everyone should get to enjoy it.
Hal-ro helps Muslim travelers find Korean food they can eat with more confidence.
Our 4 halal levels
Every restaurant on Hal-ro has one of four levels. Level 1 is the strictest.
- 1.Halal Certified
Certified halal by an official halal certification body.
- 2.Halal Friendly by KTO
Not officially certified, but listed as Muslim-friendly by the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO).
- 3.Hal-ro Friendly · Tier 1
No pork in the whole restaurant. Checked by the Hal-ro team.
- 4.Hal-ro Friendly · Tier 2
Pork is used in only a few dishes. Checked by the Hal-ro team.
How we check Hal-ro Friendly restaurants
We contact every restaurant ourselves to confirm its menu.
Tier 1
- ✅ No dish on the menu is made with pork
Tier 2
- ⚠️ Pork is used only in some dishes
- 👉 Please choose a dish without pork. The kitchen may also cook pork dishes, so if this matters to you, choose Tier 1 or higher.
We also try to include many kinds of Korean food, such as chicken, tteokbokki and other local favorites, so you can taste the real Korea.
Please note
Hal-ro Friendly (Tier 1 and Tier 2) does not mean halal certified.
We check every restaurant carefully, but we can't catch everything. Pork could still turn up somewhere we missed, for example in a sauce, a broth or a seasoning. Menus and ingredients can also change over time.
👉 If you can, please ask the staff once more before you order.
Need help asking? You can show this to the staff:
돼지고기가 들어가나요?
(Does this contain pork?)
돼지고기가 안 들어간 메뉴는 뭐예요?
(Which dishes have no pork?)
Enjoy your meal in Korea! 🍗🌶️🍲
— The Hal-ro team