Eating at a Korean Restaurant

Getting a table

At a neighborhood restaurant, walk in, catch a staff member's eye and hold up fingers for how many you are. They'll point you to a table or tell you to sit anywhere. At a busy place it's common to take a free table without waiting to be seated.

Worth knowing:

• Eating alone? Check the menu. Places built around a big grill or pot, like Korean BBQ and hot-pot restaurants, often take orders for two servings or more only. If the menu says 2인분 이상 (two servings minimum), you either can't order alone or pay for two
• Break time: many restaurants close between lunch and dinner, usually somewhere around 15:00 to 17:00. If the door says 브레이크 타임 (break time), come back once it's over
• Last order: many places stop taking orders 30 minutes to an hour before closing

Popular places may mean a queue or a waitlist. For that, see the restaurant reservations and waitlists guide.

Three ways to order

Each restaurant does it differently. A look around once you're inside tells you which.

• Order from staff: a menu on the table and no machine means this. Call a staff member, point at the menu and say igeo juseyo (이거 주세요, "this one, please")
• A kiosk by the entrance: a touchscreen standing by the door or the counter means you order and pay there before you sit down
• A tablet or QR code on the table: you order from your seat and usually pay on the way out

Places that order by machine usually show large menu photos, and many let you switch the screen to English, Japanese or Chinese.

Kiosks

1. Tap the screen and pick a language. Look for a flag icon or a "Language" or "English" button on the first screen or in a corner
2. Choose dine-in or takeout. 매장 (maejang) means eating in, 포장 (pojang) means taking it away
3. Add items. A pop-up may ask about options such as size, spice level or hot and iced drinks
4. Tap 결제하기 (pay). If a screen asks about points or coupons, tap 건너뛰기 (skip) or 적립 안 함 (no points)
5. Insert your card. The slot is usually below the screen: insert the chip end, and leave it in until the payment finishes. Many kiosks have no cash slot
6. Wait for your number. When the number on your receipt appears on the screen above the counter or is called out, collect your food. If you were given a buzzer, go when it goes off

If the screen won't switch language, look for these words.

• 매장 / 포장: dine in / takeout
• 담기, 장바구니: add to cart, cart
• 결제하기: go to payment
• 신용카드, 현금, 간편결제: credit card, cash, mobile pay. Mobile pay means Korean apps such as Kakao Pay and Naver Pay
• 취소, 이전, 처음으로: cancel, back, start over

Table tablets and QR ordering

On a tablet, add items and tap 주문하기 (order); the order goes straight to the kitchen. Order more from the same tablet whenever you like.

A QR code opens the restaurant's order page in your browser when you scan it with your phone camera. There's no app to install and no sign-up. Check the top or bottom of the page for a language button.

Some places, tablet or QR, ask you to pay as you order. If your foreign card is declined there, call a staff member and say you'll pay at the counter.

Calling staff

In a Korean restaurant it's normal to raise your hand or call out jeogiyo (저기요, "excuse me") to get a server's attention. Calling out loud isn't rude, and in a busy place it's the only way to be heard. Yeogiyo (여기요, "over here") works the same way.

If the table has a call bell, or the tablet has a 직원 호출 (call staff) button, you can press that instead. Plenty of diners still just call out to a server walking past, even where there's a button, so use whichever you're comfortable with.

Water, side dishes and cutlery

• Water: usually brought to you, but at many places it's self-serve. Look for a water dispenser or fridge and a rack of cups along the wall; a sign may say 물은 셀프 (water is self-serve). Water is free
• Side dishes (banchan): kimchi and the other side dishes are free, and you can ask for more. Some places have a self-serve bar where you help yourself. Take only what you'll eat
• Cutlery: spoons and chopsticks are in a drawer at the side of the table or in a holder on it. Napkins or tissues are on the table or in the drawer

Paying

• You usually pay at the counter on your way out. There's no need to wait at the table for the bill. Give your table number, or take the order slip the server left on your table. At a kiosk place you already paid when you ordered
• There's no tipping. The price on the menu is what you pay
• Separate checks: if your group wants to pay individually, say ttaro gyesanhalgeyo (따로 계산할게요, "we'll pay separately") at the counter. At busy times paying together is quicker

When your foreign card is declined

A kiosk or table tablet showing "승인 실패" (approval failed) or "card not accepted" is common. Korea's payment machines are built mainly around Korean-issued cards, so even when nothing is wrong with your card, the machine often can't take a foreign one. The counter terminal in the same restaurant often can.

1. Insert the card again. Check the chip faces the right way and the card is all the way in. Most kiosks take cards inserted, not tapped
2. Pay at the counter. Show a staff member your card and ask kadeu gyeoljae dwaeyo? (카드 결제 돼요?, "can I pay by card?"). Many kiosk places will take your order and payment at the counter too
3. Pay with a card that runs on the Korean network. WOWPASS, a prepaid card for visitors, is processed like a Korean card, so it often works on machines that decline foreign ones. If a kiosk accepts transit cards, a topped-up T-money card works too. See the T-money guide
4. Pay cash. Anywhere with a counter takes cash almost without exception. Carrying ₩30,000 to ₩50,000 gets you out of most dead ends

Screens that ask for a phone number

When a kiosk or QR order page asks for a phone number, it's almost always for one of two things.

• Loyalty points: skipping it doesn't affect your order at all
• Order-ready alerts: a message by KakaoTalk or text when your food is ready. Skip it and wait for your receipt number to show on the screen

If you can't skip it, order from staff. The waitlist tablet at the door is a different case, since the number is how they call you. See the restaurant reservations and waitlists guide.

Useful phrases

• 저기요 (jeogiyo): to call a server
• 이거 주세요 (igeo juseyo): pointing at the menu, "this one, please"
• 물 주세요 (mul juseyo) / 반찬 더 주세요 (banchan deo juseyo): water, please / more side dishes, please
• 영어 메뉴 있어요? (yeongeo menyu isseoyo?): is there an English menu?
• 계산할게요 (gyesanhalgeyo): at the counter, "I'd like to pay"
• 해외 카드인데, 카운터에서 결제할 수 있을까요? (haeoe kadeu-inde, kaunteo-eseo gyeoljaehal su isseulkkayo?): when a machine declines your card, "it's a foreign card -- can I pay at the counter?"