수자타 — Restaurant in Gwangju

This must be the largest veggie buffet I've seen so far! And for only 7000 KRW per person, the price for this buffet is also incredibly low! It belongs to the Buddhist temple Mireuksa 미륵사, which is just across the street, and people from the temple seem to dine at this cafeteria as well.

They only serve lunch here and do not refill the dishes, so whatever dish runs out, stays empty. It is better to arrive early and come before 2pm, so you have enough time to eat and enjoy the food. (We got here at 2.30pm and, although there was still enough food left, they almost didn't let us in and we had to eat in a hurry.)

The buffet is a huge assortment of veggie-friendly traditional Korean food: There are four different kinds of cooked rice, soups, some mock meat, tofu, several vegetable side dishes, six (!) types of kimchi and tons of fresh vegetables!

To my surprise, food here is seasoned with garlic, onions and scallions, which are not used in typical temple cuisine. Also, I wasn't sure I could trust the kimchi being free of fish sauce so I didn't try it.

At the entrance of the dining hall, there is a kind of store for side dishes 반찬 and snacks. I saw some side dishes that featured fish and seafood, so I am confused as to whether the buffet is entirely vegan. (Didn't have a chance to ask anyone though...)

There is a large parking lot in front of the building, which is for visitors of the cafeteria as well...

This place is huge! It’s very cheap, only 8000 won all you can eat. The place got super crowded so make sure you come early to get a seat. The food quality seemed excellent. Everything tasted very healthy and I felt so light afterwards.

The food kind of all tasted similar fun a fermented way so even though there was tons of foods to choose from, there wasn’t a whole lot of variety.

The buffet itself was chaotic like a feeding frenzy. Someone bumped into me and Zi spilled my soup. Be prepared to shuffle through the crowds.

Another improvement would be BIGGEE WATER CUPS. you finish the cup in a sip or two. That’s ridiculous. Why does Korea have these tiny water cups you constantly have to refill. It’s a hassle when your table is very far from the dispenser.

Overall it was a good experience especially for the price, but if you like buffets, I’d highly recommend Salim...

First the good news: an impressively broad, strict vegetarian buffet with a combination of traditional and modern foods, all at a very low price. In a meat-heavy town such as Gwangju, this is a welcome sight.

The challenge - at least at 1 pm on a Saturday - is a throng of people pushing and chattering and leaving behind sticky tables. Also, due to the low prices, the ingredients aren't stellar. But good.

Overall a good choice before heading into...