[Updated 13 Feb 2020] Sometimes, in the midst of our travelling plans, we just want to kick back, spend a night in and whip some good ol’ home-cooked food instead of spending the day out searching for food. Credit: giphy Good thing is, when you’re in Korea, this is more than possible with the many halal grocery marts you can find around! From halal meats to fragrant spices, you’re sure to find all your grocery needs at these Muslim-owned marts in Korea!

Seoul

1. Foreign Food Mart

Credit: Muslim Korea Travel Tips on Facebook Foreign Food Mart in downtown Itaewon is the one-stop grocery spot that will fulfil all your grocery needs! Specialising in imported halal food, you can find almost anything here from seafood, halal meat, spices, dry groceries, nuts and snacks. The mart also offers a taste of home with familiar instant noodle flavours such as Soto Ayam! A shopping trip along the aisles at this mart will definitely drive your homesickness away. For a more exhaustive list of their available products, check out their website! Disclaimer: Some readers have alerted us that Foreign Food Mart sells non-halal products too, so please do your necessary checks on the halal status of products before buying them! Opening hours: Open daily; 10AM-11.45PM Address: #137-8, Itaewon-dong, Jungeun Building, Yongsan-gu, Seoul Contact: +82-02-797-0055 Website | Facebook [P.S. If you're too lazy to cook your own meals, don't worry! We've rounded up the top 8 halal Korean restaurants you need to try in Korea!]

2. National Foods Mart

Credit: Smile Morning Tour, Korea on Facebook Here’s another gem in Itaewon, Seoul! National Foods Mart will draw you in with its racks upon racks of groceries! National Foods, is one of the most renowned brands in Pakistan, and they opened this mart here solely to cater to the growing Muslim traveller market. Get ready to be spoiled for choice with their variety of teas, masala spices, lentils, curry pastes and vegetables which remind you of home. Credit: HyeJoon Michelle Kim on Facebook Other than Indian or Pakistani imports, this store also offers a wide variety of goods from other Asian countries like Thailand, Indonesia and even Vietnam! Items such as fish sauce, oyster sauce, soy sauce, green or yellow curry pastes and ready-made marinades are easily available here. You’ll also be pleasantly surprised to find ready-made Singapore mixes such as the Singapore Laksa paste too! ? Disclaimer: Some readers have alerted us that National Foods Mart sells non-halal products too, so please do your necessary checks on the halal status of products before buying them! Opening hours: Open daily; 8AM- 6PM Address: 39, Usadan-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul Contact: +82-02-790-6547 [P.S. Heading to Seoul for a vacay? Check out our 5D4N Seoul itinerary for the best time ever!]

3. Zaffran Mart

Credit: Zaffran Mart on Facebook At Zaffran Mart, you’ll find an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables! Packed neatly in rows, you’ll find a wide variety of fresh produce such as green leafy vegetables, cucumbers, okra, cabbages, chilli, garlic, onions and much more. Tropical fruits such as pineapples and watermelons are also readily available. Credit: Zaffran Mart on Facebook Typical dry groceries such as rice, flour, lentils and condiments can also be found here too. Plus points for the bright lights and neat organization of the store, which makes finding your way around a breeze! Address: 732-21 Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, South Korea Contact: +82-2-3785-3570 Facebook [P.S. Looking for snacks at the convenience store? Our list of 10 Muslim-friendly convenience store snacks is perfect for you!]

4. Al-Baraka Halal Meat and Poultry

Credit: bnbhero Searching for halal meat butchery right in the heart of Seoul? Make your way to Al-Baraka Halal Meats and Poultry! In a country where Muslims are the minority, a whole store dedicated to halal meat is indeed a rare find. Al-Baraka stocks a wide range of fresh halal beef, lamb and chicken in various cuts. Credit: AL BARAKA FR on Facebook Located in Itaewon, Al-Baraka is along the way to the Seoul Central Mosque. Look out for Dong Won Realty and turn into the small alley next to it to find Al-Baraka. Address: 137-22 Itaewon-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, Korea Contact: +82-02-6404-7775 [P.S. In Seoul and on a tight budget? Check out these 10 affordable accommodations in Seoul (near halal food)!]

5. Halal Meat Shop

Credit: tradekorea Along the same street towards the Seoul Central Mosque, you’ll find another halal meat shop aptly named the Halal Meat Shop! Similarly, this butchery sells fresh beef, mutton and chicken. A small portion of the store is also dedicated to dry groceries. This butcher is also located right next to the mosque on Itaewon street, known as the ‘halal street’ in Seoul! Address: 34, Usadan-ro 10-gil, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, South Korea Contact: +82-798-8611 / +82-794-2510

6. Kampungku Mart

Located in the main shopping district of Myeongdong, Kampungku Mart is located next to halal restaurant Kampungku. Here, you can get a variety of high-quality halal-certified and Muslim-friendly products. Unlike other marts which sell mostly Pakistani, Middle Eastern or Indonesian goods, Kampungku has halal-certified Korean products like honey butter almond, Kimchi-flavoured seaweed, gochujang sauce (red pepper paste), jajang sauce (black bean sauce), Korean soy sauce and more. If you're looking to cook your own meal, Kampungku has halal poultry too. Plus, those of you missing a taste of home can stock up on Southeast Asian spices and ingredients. Here's something which is different - Kampungku sells Korean souvenirs and Korean cosmetics too. For more details on what's good to buy, check out our article on Kampungku Mart in Myeongdong! Opening hours: Open daily; 10.30AM-10.30PM Address: Toegyero 20-gil 16-3 (Namsan-dong 2-ga), Seoul, Korea Contact: +82 10-406-2263 Facebook

Busan

7. New World Mart, World Spice View

Credit: Newworld Mart on Facebook This New World Mart in Busan stocks a lot of dry goods and groceries such as dates, dried fruit, sauces, condiments and instant foods! If you’re looking for essential groceries such as rice and spices to cook up a simple meal, a trip to New World Mart would meet all your needs! The prices here are known to be quite pocket-friendly as well. Credit: Newworld Mart on Facebook Do note that wet groceries are not readily available at this mart. Not to worry! Other halal food marts in the Sasang area are just a block away and within walking distance. Address: #532-1 Gwaebeop-dong, Sasang-gu, Busan, Korea Opening hours: Mon-Fri; 9.30AM-9.30PM, Sat-Sun; 9.30AM-10PM Contact: +82-051-326-8968 Facebook

8. Asia Mart

Credit: soul-in-a-fishbowl Mr Ali Malik and his wife own Asia Mart, the original and most well-stocked mart in Sasang, Busan! Known for his friendly and helpful nature, a trip to the store could easily be one of the highlights of your day in Busan. Mr Malik also speaks perfect English so language barriers aren't an issue! Similar to the other marts, the usual fare of Indian, Pakistani, Indonesian and Middle Eastern groceries are sold here, but with an even larger selection. Credit: soul-in-a-fishbowl The prices here as also known to be really affordable, especially the meats! The meats sold here are also available in many cuts from boneless, rib eyes, to ground meat. At Asia Mart, you can also find products in a variety of sizes from travel-friendly to wholesale-sized jumbo packs! Opening hours: Open daily; 10.30AM-11.30PM Address: Hwajeon-dong, Noksan-dong, Busan, South Korea Contact: +82-051-322-6080 Directions: To get here, take the subway to Sasang #227 and exit towards the Sobu Bus Terminal at Exit 3. Walk directly towards the river and EMart/HomePlus and turn right at the first street. You’ll find Asia Mart on your left.

Incheon

9. Halalco Foodmart

Credit: Halalco FOOD MART on Facebook True to its name, everything sold at this food mart is 100% halal! Established in 2014, Halalco's aim is to provide halal, hygienic and healthy foods, for fellow Muslim travellers and locals. The store specializes in halal meat as well as Pakistani, Indian, Bangladeshi and Middle Eastern groceries so you’ll definitely find a fair share of spice mixes available here! Credit: Halalco FOOD MART on Facebook You name it, they have it! Pick from a large variety of choices from pickles, sauces, dairy products, meats, baked goods, and even frozen instant foods! Opening hours: Open daily; 9AM-11PM Address: 187, Neungheodae-ro, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon Contact: +82-032-834-5152 Website | Facebook

Daejeon

10. Global Food Mart, Daejeon

Credit: Global Food Mart on Facebook Located in front of the Islamic Center in Daejeon, you’ll find the Global Food Mart, a wonderful little mart selling all kinds of halal goodies! Specialising in mostly dried foods, you’ll find a wide variety of canned and packaged goodies here. Credit: Global Food Mart on Facebook Some of the best finds here include Indonesian flavoured crackers like onion and garlic (keropok udang and bawang), condiments (hello, garlic chilli sauce!), and canned sardines. With the sheer variety of goods here, you’ll have to head down with a shopping list in hand to avoid overspending! Opening hours: Mon-Thu, 3PM-10PM, Fri-Sun; 12PM-10PM Address: 04-15, Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, South Korea Contact: +82-321-0786 Facebook

Ansan, Gyeonggi

11. Batavia Indonesian Mart

Here’s a store that's stocked full of Indonesian food! Batavia Indonesian mart is a mini mart located on level two of the Batavia Indonesian Restaurant which sells amazing Indonesian-style dishes such as Mie Ayam Bakso, Nasi Rawon, Tahu Isu and more! Batavia Indonesian Mart sells mostly dry snacks and instant foods imported from Indonesia. Here you can find a large selection of instant noodles, crackers, sauces, chilli pastes and more! Opening hours: Open daily; 10AM-11PM Address: 798-14, Wongok-dong, Danwon-gu, Ansan-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea Directions: Alight at Ansan Train Station and walk towards Exit 1 that'll lead you directly to the immigrant district where you can easily spot this mart.

12. Online marts

Credit: YesHalal on Facebook With the age of technology, it's really convenient to order your meats and groceries online! And you can do just that in Korea. This is great for those of you who are living far from a halal mart but need your grocery fix. Order various types of halal meat from whole or cut chicken to beef shabu-shabu and lamb sirloins! These online marts also supply a wide range of seafood, spices, sauces and readymade meals too, so shop away ? Most of them accept credit cards or Paypal as a form of payment so it's hassle-free too. Here's a list of online halal food marts:

Yes! Halal
Al-halal Mart
Expat Mart (there's a section on halal products)

Credit: giphy Excited to prepare a homecooked meal during your next trip to Korea? With our guide to halal marts in Korea, you’re more than ready to start and cook up a storm!

12 Halal Food Marts In Korea You Never Knew About Till Now