Tannase catalyzes the hydrolysis of gallic acid esters and hydrolysable tannins. Twenty-two Lactobacillus strains with tannase activity were isolated from 7 types of kimchi. A polymerase chain reaction-based assay targeting the recA gene assigned all isolates to either Lactobacillus plantarum or Lactobacillus pentosus. The tannase activities of isolates measured in whole cells and cell-free extracts varied even within each species. The activities of the isolates varied with the assay method, but both methods indicated that isolate LT7 (identified as L. pentosus) showed the highest activity. The results of thin layer chromatography and high performance liquid chromatography, respectively, showed that tannic acid and gallic acid degraded to pyrogallol in resting L. pentosus LT7 cells. Therefore, the putative biochemical pathway for the degradation of tannic acid by L. pentosus implies that tannic acid is hydrolyzed to gallic acid and glucose, with the formed gallic acid being decarboxylated to pyrogallol. This study revealed the possible production of pyrogallol from tannic acid by the resting cell reaction with L. pentosus LT7.