Walking into a Korean restaurant for the first time can be slightly confusing.
You sit down, but nobody immediately comes to take your order.
There may be a button on the table.
The chopsticks seem to have disappeared.
Several small dishes arrive even though you did not order them.
And when you finish eating, you may wonder whether you should wait for the bill or walk to the counter.
None of this is difficult once you understand how Korean restaurants usually work.
Ordering systems vary from traditional family-run restaurants to modern cafés, Korean BBQ restaurants, food courts, and places with touchscreen kiosks. Korea Tourism Organization notes that call buttons, self-service water and side-dish stations, and unmanned ordering machines are all common features of Korean dining today.
This guide covers the basics, from entering the restaurant to paying your bill, along with useful Korean phrases for travelers.
1. Entering a Korean Restaurant and Getting a Table
In many casual Korean restaurants, you can simply enter and wait for a staff member to direct you to a table.
At smaller restaurants, someone may point to an available seat and say:
앉으세요.
Anjuseyo.
“Please sit down.”
At busy or popular restaurants, however, there may be a waiting list or digital queue.
Reservations and waitlists have become increasingly important at popular restaurants, and some reservation services may require a Korean phone number or have limitations with international cards. Korea Tourism Organization recommends checking reservation requirements in advance for highly popular restaurants.
Useful phrase: How many people?
You will often hear:
몇 분이세요?
Myeot bun-iseyo?
“How many people?”
You can answer:
한 명이에요.
Han myeong-ieyo.
“One person.”
두 명이에요.
Du myeong-ieyo.
“Two people.”
세 명이에요.
Se myeong-ieyo.
“Three people.”
네 명이에요.
Ne myeong-ieyo.
“Four people.”
Can you eat alone in Korea?
Yes, but the experience depends on the restaurant.
Many noodle shops, soup restaurants, rice-bowl restaurants, fast-food restaurants, and casual eateries are easy for solo diners.
Korean BBQ and restaurants specializing in large shared dishes can be different.
Some meat restaurants sell dishes by servings (인분) and may require a minimum initial order. Large stews, hot pots, or shared platters can also be designed for two or more people.
Check the menu before sitting down if you are dining alone.
Useful question:
1인분 주문 가능해요?
Il-inbun jumun ganeunghaeyo?
“Can I order one serving?”
Do you remove your shoes?
Usually not in modern restaurants with regular tables and chairs.
However, some traditional restaurants have floor-seating rooms where shoes must be removed before entering. Korean tourism guidance also notes that shoes are removed in restaurants with traditional ondol-style rooms.
If you see a raised wooden floor and many shoes near the entrance, follow what other customers are doing.
2. How to Read the Menu and Place Your Order
There are several ways to order food in Korea.
You may:
Tell a server directly
Press a call button
Order from a touchscreen kiosk
Order using a tablet at the table
Scan a QR code
Write an order on a paper form
Order and pay at the counter
The system varies by restaurant.
The mysterious button on the table
One of the most useful things in a Korean restaurant is the call button.
Look for a small button labeled something like:
호출 — Call
or
벨 — Bell
Korea Tourism Organization specifically highlights table call buttons as a common convenience in Korean restaurants. Pressing one alerts the server that your table needs assistance.
So if nobody comes to your table immediately, do not panic.
You may simply need to press the button.
Press it once and wait.
No call button?
You can politely say:
저기요!
Jeogiyo!
“Excuse me!”
This is extremely useful in casual Korean restaurants.
Another polite option is:
여기요!
Yeogiyo!
“Over here, please!”
Calling a server from your table is normal in many casual restaurants.
You do not need to sit silently and wait for someone to notice you.
Basic ordering phrase
The most useful pattern is:
[food name] + 주세요.
Juseyo means “please give me.”
For example:
비빔밥 하나 주세요.
Bibimbap hana juseyo.
“One bibimbap, please.”
김치찌개 두 개 주세요.
Kimchi-jjigae du gae juseyo.
“Two kimchi stews, please.”
What does “1인분” mean?
You will see 인분 (inbun) frequently at Korean BBQ restaurants and restaurants serving shared dishes.
1인분 — one serving
2인분 — two servings
3인분 — three servings
For example:
삼겹살 2인분 주세요.
Samgyeopsal i-inbun juseyo.
“Two servings of pork belly, please.”
One important point:
One serving does not always mean one complete meal for one person.
For grilled meat, it usually refers to a specified portion of meat, often with the weight shown on the menu.
What if there is a kiosk?
Touchscreen kiosks are increasingly common in Korean restaurants, cafés, food courts, and fast-food businesses. Official tourism information notes the growing use of unmanned ordering machines in restaurants.
A typical kiosk process is:
Select your food.
Choose options or extras.
Select dine-in or takeout.
Check your order.
Pay.
Take your receipt or order number.
Look for a language button such as:
English / 한국어
Multilingual support is increasingly available, but not every kiosk offers it.
If you cannot use the machine, asking a staff member for help is perfectly reasonable.
“Dine in” or “to go”?
A staff member may ask:
드시고 가세요?
Deusigo gaseyo?
“Are you eating here?”
or:
포장이세요?
Pojang-iseyo?
“Is it to go?”
To eat there:
먹고 갈게요.
Meokgo galgeyo.
“I’ll eat here.”
For takeout:
포장해 주세요.
Pojanghae juseyo.
“To go, please.”
3. Banchan, Water, Chopsticks, and Korean Table Culture
You order one dish.
Then five small dishes suddenly appear.
Do not worry. You probably did not accidentally order extra food.
These are banchan (반찬), Korean side dishes.
Depending on the restaurant, they may include:
Kimchi
Seasoned vegetables
Pickled radish
Bean sprouts
Fish cake
Seaweed
Other small dishes
They are generally meant to be eaten alongside the main meal.
Do you pay separately for banchan?
Basic side dishes are commonly included with a Korean meal.
Korea Tourism Organization notes that asking for additional water or standard side dishes generally does not incur an extra charge and that some restaurants now use self-service stations for these items.
However, restaurants differ, and special dishes or additional menu items may cost extra.
If there is a self-service bar, you may be expected to refill your own side dishes.
Look for:
셀프 — Self-service
or
셀프바 — Self bar
How to ask for more kimchi
김치 더 주세요.
Gimchi deo juseyo.
“More kimchi, please.”
For side dishes in general:
반찬 더 주세요.
Banchan deo juseyo.
“More side dishes, please.”
For water:
물 좀 주세요.
Mul jom juseyo.
“Some water, please.”
But first look around.
There may be a water dispenser and cups marked 셀프.
Where are the chopsticks?
This catches many first-time visitors.
If you cannot see chopsticks or spoons on the table, check underneath it.
Many Korean restaurants have a small drawer built into the side of the table containing:
Metal chopsticks
Spoons
Napkins
Korea Tourism Organization specifically identifies these silverware drawers as a common feature of Korean restaurant tables.
Spoon or chopsticks?
Korean meals commonly use both.
A simple rule is:
Spoon: rice, soup, stew, bibimbap
Chopsticks: meat, vegetables, kimchi, banchan
You do not need to follow this perfectly.
Use whichever utensil makes the food easiest to eat.
Are banchan individual portions?
Usually not.
Side dishes placed in the center of the table are generally shared.
Take a small amount with your chopsticks and eat it with your meal.
There is no need to move every side dish onto your personal plate.
4. Special Situations: Korean BBQ, Spicy Food, and Dietary Needs
Some Korean restaurants require a little more explanation than simply ordering one bowl of food.
Korean BBQ
At a Korean BBQ restaurant, raw meat may arrive at the table and be cooked on a built-in grill.
Korea Tourism Organization highlights built-in tabletop grills as one of the familiar features of Korean restaurants.
But who cooks the meat?
It depends.
At some restaurants:
At others:
At more casual places:
The easiest rule is:
Watch what the staff does first.
If a server immediately puts the meat on the grill and begins cooking, let them handle it.
If the raw meat is placed next to the grill and the server leaves, you will probably cook it yourself.
“Is this spicy?”
One of the most useful sentences in Korea is:
이거 매워요?
Igeo maewoyo?
“Is this spicy?”
To ask for less spice:
덜 맵게 해 주세요.
Deol maepge hae juseyo.
“Please make it less spicy.”
For no spice:
안 맵게 해 주세요.
An maepge hae juseyo.
“Please make it not spicy.”
But not every dish can be changed.
If a stew or sauce is prepared in advance, the restaurant may not be able to make a non-spicy version.
Vegetarian and vegan orders require more detail
This is important.
Simply saying “no meat” may not be enough.
Korean Tourism Organization advises vegetarian travelers to explain specifically which ingredients they need excluded, since many restaurants do not have a standardized procedure for handling dietary requirements.
For example, a vegetable dish could still contain:
Kimchi is another common example: some varieties contain fish sauce or fermented seafood.
Useful phrases:
고기 빼 주세요.
Gogi ppae juseyo.
“Please leave out the meat.”
계란 빼 주세요.
Gyeran ppae juseyo.
“Please leave out the egg.”
해산물 안 먹어요.
Haesanmul an meogeoyo.
“I don’t eat seafood.”
Strict vegans should explain their dietary requirements more fully rather than relying only on one phrase.
Food allergies
If you have a serious food allergy, do not rely solely on menu photos or assume that a dish contains only the ingredients you can see.
Common ingredients in Korean cooking can include:
Sauces, broths, marinades, kimchi, and side dishes may contain less obvious ingredients.
If your allergy is severe, showing the restaurant a clearly translated allergy card can be safer than trying to explain a complicated medical restriction using only a few memorized words.
Also ask about cross-contact if necessary.
Halal dining
Do not assume beef or chicken is halal simply because it does not contain pork.
The meat source, sauces, cooking alcohol, broth, and shared grills or utensils may all matter depending on your requirements.
Travelers following a strict halal diet should look specifically for restaurants identified as halal-certified or otherwise appropriate for Muslim diners rather than relying on the dish name alone. Korea Tourism Organization maintains information on Muslim-friendly dining options in Korea.
5. Paying the Bill, Tipping, and Leaving the Restaurant
You have finished eating.
Now another question appears:
Where is the bill?
In many casual Korean restaurants, you do not wait at your table for a server to bring a check.
Instead, you walk to the cashier near the entrance and pay there.
Some restaurants may leave a small bill or order slip on your table. Take it to the counter when you leave.
Other restaurants use:
Table payment
Self-checkout kiosks
QR payment
Prepayment when ordering
Watch what other diners do if you are unsure.
How to ask for the bill
You can say:
계산할게요.
Gyesanhalgeyo.
“I’d like to pay.”
or:
계산해 주세요.
Gyesanhae juseyo.
“Please check me out.”
Can you use a credit card?
Credit cards are widely accepted at Korean restaurants and other businesses. Seoul's official visitor information states that credit cards can be used at most stores, restaurants, hotels, and tourist attractions, including for small purchases.
However, travelers should still carry a small amount of cash because individual businesses, market stalls, or technical payment situations can differ.
International cards can occasionally fail even when cards are accepted, so having an alternative payment method is useful.
Do you tip at Korean restaurants?
Generally, no.
Korea Tourism Organization explicitly states that tipping is not required or expected at Korean restaurants.
If your bill is ₩28,000, you normally pay ₩28,000.
You do not need to calculate an additional 15 or 20 percent.
This can feel unusual to visitors from countries where restaurant tipping is standard, but leaving no tip is normal in Korea.
Can you split the bill?
It depends on the restaurant and payment system.
Friends in Korea often settle expenses between themselves digitally after one person pays, but some restaurants can also divide payments if requested.
If you want separate payments, ask:
따로 계산할 수 있어요?
TTaro gyesanhal su isseoyo?
“Can we pay separately?”
Whether this is possible depends on the restaurant.
Conclusion
Ordering food at a Korean restaurant becomes much easier once you understand a few small differences.
You do not need fluent Korean.
Remember these basics:
Wait to be seated or follow the staff’s direction.
Look for a call button if you need a server.
Say 저기요 (jeogiyo) if there is no button.
Order with [food name] + 주세요 (juseyo).
Understand that 인분 (inbun) means a serving.
Check whether water and side dishes are self-service.
Look under the table for the spoon-and-chopstick drawer.
Use a kiosk when required, and look for an English-language option.
Ask about minimum orders when dining alone at BBQ or shared-dish restaurants.
Explain vegetarian, vegan, halal, or allergy requirements clearly rather than assuming a dish is suitable.
At many restaurants, walk to the counter when you are ready to pay.
Credit cards are widely accepted.
Tipping is generally not expected.
And keep these five Korean phrases on your phone:
이거 주세요.
Igeo juseyo.
“This one, please.”
이거 매워요?
Igeo maewoyo?
“Is this spicy?”
저기요!
Jeogiyo!
“Excuse me!”
물 좀 주세요.
Mul jom juseyo.
“Some water, please.”
계산해 주세요.
Gyesanhae juseyo.
“Please check me out.”
With those phrases and a basic understanding of call buttons, banchan, kiosks, and payment, you can handle most casual restaurant situations in Korea without much trouble.
The first Korean restaurant may feel unfamiliar.
By the third or fourth, pressing the call button, pulling chopsticks out of the table drawer, asking for more kimchi, and walking to the counter to pay will probably feel completely normal.
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