The Comprehensive Traveler’s Guide to Dining in Korea

The first few times I went to Korea almost 20 years ago, I spent 15 minutes awkwardly sitting there. Nobody was coming to take my orders, and I was confused.

If you’ve found this guide, then that won’t happen to you!

Culture shocks are so real in Korean restaurants, y’all. Even after visiting 18 times, I still have to look around the restaurant I entered and try to figure out its system.

In this traveler’s guide to all things dining in Korea, I’ll go over the many types of restaurants and how each of them operates. Sometimes you have to yell across the room for service, sometimes you order through a kiosk, and sometimes you just do what you would back home.

Reading a menu is also complicated, even with a translator app, because the pricing tags are their own little world. We’ll go over those as well!

How Is Dining in Korea Different?

Dining at local restaurants in Korea is an art form. Each one is run a bit differently than the one next to it. You just have to know your way around the general etiquette to feel comfortable with it.

Here are some quick pointers to start.

• You sometimes have to call the staff out loud for service. Yes, even from across the room.
• Water is often self-service.
• Side dishes are always on the house.
• Day drinking with meals is common and acceptable, especially on weekends.

Before we dive in, don’t forget to download the Naver Papago translation app. Hold the camera up to the menus and choose real-time translation, and you’re good to go!

What Makes Up a Traditional Korean Meal?

The staple ingredient on any Korean dining table is RICE. In the most basic setting, each person will have their own rice while sharing other dishes and soups.

Another important element is the plethora of side dishes. These usually come in hand-sized plates, are on the house and refillable, and are eaten with the meal.

The most popular side dish is, of course, Kimchi. Simply put, Kimchi is salted and fermented vegetables. There are over 200 types of Kimchi, from Cabbage Kimchi (most widely known), Radish Kimchi, Green Onion Kimchi, and so on.

Once you know what belongs on your table, it’ll be easier to tell what you need to order and what’s already included!

Top Tips for Navigating Korean Restaurants

While eating heavenly food in a foreign country is inarguably the most rewarding experience, nothing is more frustrating than feeling confused in a restaurant.

This section is to hopefully help you get past the initial restaurant culture shock so you can relax and enjoy that bowl of Gukbap.

What to Expect When Entering a Restaurant

There are usually three different types of restaurants. Let me break it down for you.

1. Self-service kiosks (Common in Big Cities)

Many restaurants in South Korea today, especially in bigger cities like Seoul or Busan, have kiosks near the entrance where you can order food and pay for it immediately.

So when you enter a place, look for kiosks first. If they’re there, make your order and pay. The kiosk will then give you your receipt. After that, you can find a seat and wait for your food to be served.

In bigger restaurants, your receipt will have an order number on it. If so, be on the lookout for your food and order number at the counter so you can go and get your tray!

2. Small family-run Restaurants

You will sometimes find a hole-in-the-wall place that seats fewer than 10 people with zero waiters.

In these places, only one person is busy making orders in the open kitchen, which doubles as the cashier. The menu’s very likely on the wall somewhere.

In this case, look at the menu (using Papago to translate, of course), decide what you want, and then tell the person making food *OUT LOUD* what you’d like to order.

I’m serious. It’s acceptable to just be loud.

3. Traditional Full-Service Restaurants

In the most traditional form of restaurants, a staff member will wait at the door to get you a table. This part is nice and easy. Just tell them how many people you’re coming with.

Most places today will have a service bell installed at the table. Check for these call buttons and use them when you need service.

For places without service bells, it’s culturally normal to call the staff out loud while raising your hand to get their attention. The magic word is “Jeo-gi-yo! (저기요)” which means “Excuse Me!”

Understanding Price Tags on the Menu

Personally, I found the prices on barbecue restaurant menus the most confusing. Let’s make sure that won’t be the case for you.

To make it clear, a barbecue restaurant refers to those with a pan in the middle of the tables. You order your meat of choice, and the staff will cook it in the pan at your table.

For each item on the menu, they usually specify whether it’s for one person, two people, or more.

• If an item is specified as for 2 (2인분), the listed price is also for 2 people, meaning you’ll split that price with the person you came with.
• If an item is specified as for 1 or has no specifications at all, the price is for 1 person.
  • Here’s where it gets wild. If there are 2 of you guys, they will ALWAYS give you 2 servings of the order. If you ask them for 1 to split between 2 people, the answer is always a no.
  • This also means that the price you’re looking at will go up as many times as the number of people you came with.

Ordering Food in Korean (It’s Quite Easy!)

The woes of immersive travel… is wandering into restaurants so local that they don’t speak English.

In this case, your magic word for ordering food is “E-geo-ju-se-yo (이거 주세요)” which means “This one, please.” Don’t forget to point at the thing and smile!

Here’s my personal tip. Whatever I’m ordering, I always ask if it comes with rice. Sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn’t.

I have more Korean phrases to help you order food, even with dietary restrictions!

After Ordering: How to Find Water and Utensils

Some restaurants have self-service stations for side dishes and water. Look for these stations while you wait for your food, and grab yourself some water and side dishes if needed.

Very small, local restaurants I’ve been to even have self-service rice!

Utensils and napkins are usually hidden in the wooden drawer on the side of your table. Staff workers are usually considerate enough to pull it open for you if you’re clearly a foreigner. If not, well, now you know where to look!

What to Do When You’re Ready to Pay

Korean restaurants usually have you pay out front at the cashier. So when you’re done with your food and are ready to leave, just get up. There’s no need to call the staff.

The circumstance is usually clear when you’re ready to pay and leave, but if, for some reason, you need to tell them you’re ready to pay, the magic word is “Gye-san-hal-ge-yo (계산할게요)” which means “I’ll pay now.”

Most places accept credit cards. If not, they’ll tell you.

Korean Dining Etiquette: A Quick General Guide

Below are some rules to remember if you plan to, or ever find yourself, dining with a Korean person.

• If the Korean person is older than you are, let them start eating before you even pick up your utensils.
• Poor drinks for them first and then for yourself.
• If the person offers to pour your drink, too, don’t refuse. Raise your glass from the table with both hands and let them pour it.
• When drinking alcohol, turn your head away from the table. Never take a drink directly facing an older person. If you’re not sure about their age, treat them as if they’re older.
• Do not stick your chopsticks up straight in the rice. That’s what they do for funeral offerings.

Those are the trickiest ones. Everything else should be pretty straightforward!

Wanna Learn by Doing? Join a Food Tour!

Have I mentioned how much I love simple tours run by the locals when I travel? Whether it’s a day tour somewhere, a short walking tour, a food tour, or something else, I always learn so much about the local culture from them.

This food tour with Jaehyo was no exception. My tourmates and I enjoyed it so much that we all became friends and kept in touch after the tour.

Even after reading this guide, I recommend joining Jaehyo to observe how he does things in real time before you dive headfirst into dining in Korea.

Now That You Know How… What Should You Eat?

For chronic, incurable foodies, don’t forget to check my list of what to eat in Seoul and local dishes in Busan before your trip, so you don’t miss out on the best food Korea has to offer.

Got some serious sweeth tooth? ME TOO! Then you have to check out my list of favorite cafes in Seoul and the most memorable cafes in Busan. All of which makes crazy good desserts!

Find more ideas for Seoul, Busan, Suwon, and more on my South Korea Immersive Travel page!

Other Helpful Travel Tips for South Korea

Most visa-free visitors to South Korea need a K-ETA in order to enter Korea. Check if you need one and apply about a week before you travel. This replaces the arrival form.

• Make sure you protect your trip with a travel insurance.
• Get this eSIM for local data without giving up your number.
• Must-have Apps: Papago AI Translator, Naver Maps, Kakao Metro

Don’t forget to learn some important dos and don’ts in Korean culture, as well as some useful Korean phrases, before you arrive!

Grab My South Korea E-Checklist

To make sure you don’t leave anything important out of your preparations, I’ve made a digital checklist to help you get ready. I leave 2 pages blank for you to customize your own checklist, too!

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