Looking for Bonchon vegetarian options? The short answer: a tofu bibimbap bowl, vegetable potstickers, a plain sesame ginger salad, and a cheese-stuffed corn dog that has no meat in it at all. Bonchon built its menu around Korean fried chicken, so most of the board leans toward wings, drumsticks, and strips. That’s exactly the kind of chain where what about the vegetarians can actually eat becomes a real question. Here’s the real menu, the two dishes that look meatless but aren’t, and what to order instead.
A Quick Look at Bonchon
Bonchon started in 2002 in Busan, South Korea, founded by Jinduk Seo. The chain built its name on double-fried wings brushed with sauce after cooking instead of before, a technique that made the skin stay crisp longer than typical American-style wings. Bonchon opened its first US restaurant in 2010, and the brand has kept growing since. Its 150th US location opened in February 2025, and by mid-2026 the company said it was approaching 500 restaurants worldwide, spread across dozens of countries.
Ownership has shifted along the way. Seoul-based private equity firm VIG Partners bought a 55 percent majority stake in Bonchon in December 2018, with the founding family keeping the rest. Bonchon moved its US headquarters to Dallas, Texas in 2021, and Suzie Tsai runs the US business as CEO. As of mid-2026, VIG Partners was reportedly running a sale process for the company, with reports of more than 100 interested bidders and a valuation near $2.2 billion, though no buyer had been confirmed as of this writing.
Bonchon Vegetarian Options: What to Order
Bonchon publishes its own allergen and nutrition chart, and it’s the most reliable source for figuring out what’s actually meatless. The table below uses that chart as the primary source, cross-checked against the current menu.
| Menu Item | Vegetarian | Vegan |
|---|---|---|
| Bibimbap (Tofu) | ✅ Yes | ⚠️ Check (contains egg) |
| House Fried Rice (Plain) | ✅ Yes | ⚠️ Check (contains egg) |
| Vegetable Potstickers | ✅ Yes | ⚠️ Check (shared fryer, wrapper may have egg) |
| Mopo Corn Dog (cheese-filled, not a hot dog) | ✅ Yes | ❌ No (cheese and egg batter) |
| Udon Noodle Soup (Plain) | ✅ Yes | ⚠️ Check (broth recipe not published) |
| Japchae (glass noodles) | ❌ No (comes with beef bulgogi by default) | ❌ No |
| Tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes) | ❌ No (contains fish cake) | ❌ No |
| Kimchi | ⚠️ Check (traditional recipes can use fish sauce) | ⚠️ Check |
| Edamame | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Steamed Rice | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Pickled Radish | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| French Fries (plain) | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Onion Rings | ✅ Yes | ❌ No (dairy) |
| Fried Pickles | ✅ Yes | ❌ No (egg) |
| Signature Sesame Salad (base, no protein) | ✅ Yes | ❌ No (dairy in dressing) |
| Sesame Ginger Salad (Plain or Tofu) | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes (no dairy or egg flagged) |
Rice, Noodles, and Bowls
The tofu bibimbap is the most filling standalone vegetarian dish on the menu. It’s rice topped with vegetables and tofu instead of the default chicken, beef, or seafood, and Bonchon’s own allergen chart marks it vegetarian (it does contain egg, so it’s not vegan as served). Plain house fried rice works the same way, vegetarian but not vegan because of the egg mixed in during cooking.
Two dishes deserve a specific warning. Japchae, the stir-fried glass noodle dish, comes with beef bulgogi built into the standard recipe at Bonchon, confirmed on the chain’s own allergen documentation. That catches people off guard, since japchae is often a vegetarian-friendly order at other Korean restaurants. And tteokbokki, the spicy rice cake dish, contains fish cake as a standard ingredient and is flagged for seafood on Bonchon’s chart. Rice cakes alone would be vegetarian, but Bonchon’s version isn’t just rice cakes. Skip both unless a specific location confirms it can leave the meat or fish out.
Fried Sides and Appetizers
Vegetable potstickers are the closest thing to a vegetarian appetizer built for sharing, filled with vegetables instead of pork. Bonchon’s chart marks them vegetarian, though the wrapper can contain egg and most locations fry them in the same oil as chicken, so treat the vegan status as uncertain. The Mopo Corn Dog is worth calling out by name because it sounds like it should have meat in it and doesn’t. It’s a Korean street food staple, a stick of cheese in a fried batter shell, closer to a mozzarella stick than an American corn dog. It’s vegetarian, not vegan, because of the cheese and egg batter.
Plain french fries are the one fried side that clears the bar for vegan on Bonchon’s own chart, since the seasoning doesn’t add dairy or egg. Zucchini fries, onion rings, and fried pickles are all vegetarian but not vegan, each held back by egg batter or a dairy-based coating. Korean street corn is vegetarian too, built on corn, mayonnaise, and cheese.
Salads You Can Order Meatless
Bonchon runs two different sesame salads, and they land in different places on the vegan question. The Signature Sesame Salad, ordered without a chicken, bulgogi, or salmon add-on, is vegetarian, but its dressing carries dairy, so it’s not vegan. The Sesame Ginger Salad, in its plain or tofu version, is the better pick if you’re avoiding animal products altogether. Bonchon’s chart doesn’t flag dairy or egg for that dressing, which makes it the one salad on the menu that works vegan as ordered. Watch the add-on names when you order either one. The chicken, bulgogi, and salmon versions of both salads are not vegetarian.
Small Sides
Edamame, steamed rice, and pickled radish are all vegan as served, no substitutions needed. Kimchi is the one small side worth a second look. Bonchon’s paperwork doesn’t clearly flag it as containing fish, but traditional Korean kimchi recipes often use fish sauce or shrimp paste in the fermenting process, and Bonchon hasn’t published the exact recipe used in its US restaurants. If avoiding fish sauce is a hard line for you, ask your local restaurant before you order it. Miso soup carries the same uncertainty, since the broth base isn’t disclosed and miso soup is commonly made with a fish-based dashi at other restaurants.
What’s Vegan at Bonchon?
Bonchon doesn’t run a dedicated vegan menu and has no plant-based chicken. A 2016 customer petition asking for one never got a public response from the company. That said, a real vegan meal is buildable from edamame, steamed rice, pickled radish, plain french fries, and a Sesame Ginger Salad ordered without a protein add-on. It won’t be the fried chicken experience Bonchon is known for, but it’s a legitimate plant-based plate if you know what to order.
Special Dietary Requirements and Allergies
Bonchon’s fried chicken is the whole point of the menu, and most locations use shared fryers for the vegetarian fried items too. Vegetable potstickers, plain french fries, and zucchini fries are likely cooked in the same oil as chicken wings and strips at a typical restaurant, even though Bonchon doesn’t publish a store-by-store answer. If cross-contact with meat is a hard limit, call ahead. Eggs show up in more places than you’d expect, including the bibimbap, fried rice, fried pickles, and the Mopo Corn Dog batter. Dairy shows up in onion rings and the Signature Sesame Salad dressing. Soy sauce is a base ingredient in most of Bonchon’s signature sauces, and sesame oil or seeds appear across the menu, so both are worth flagging if you’re managing an allergy on top of a vegetarian diet.
Tips for Vegetarians at Bonchon
- Order the tofu bibimbap if you want a filling standalone meal, not the default chicken, beef, or seafood version.
- Ask for the Sesame Ginger Salad, plain or with tofu, if you want a dressing that’s vegan as served. The Signature Sesame Salad’s dressing has dairy.
- Skip the japchae unless your location confirms it can leave out the beef. It comes with bulgogi by default nationwide, per Bonchon’s own chart.
- Skip the tteokbokki unless a location confirms it can be made without fish cake. It’s flagged for seafood on Bonchon’s allergen sheet.
- If you’re vegan, ask whether the fryer used for potstickers and fries also cooks chicken. Most locations share fryers.
- Build a full plate from the small sides. Edamame, steamed rice, pickled radish, and a plain Sesame Ginger Salad work at almost any location.
- Call ahead if you want to confirm what’s in the kimchi at your specific store. Recipes can vary, and traditional kimchi sometimes includes fish sauce.
Conclusion
Bonchon vegetarian options exist, but they take a little navigating on a menu built around fried chicken. Build a plate around the tofu bibimbap, vegetable potstickers, a plain Sesame Ginger Salad, and small sides like edamame and steamed rice, and skip the japchae and tteokbokki unless your location confirms they’re made without meat or fish. For more on eating meatless at restaurants generally, see our guide to eating vegetarian and vegan at restaurants. Browse the full restaurant guide library for more chains, or check out what’s vegetarian at Panda Express, Pei Wei, and Wingstop for other Asian-inspired and fried-chicken options.
