To order at a Korean restaurant, get the server’s attention with 저기요 (jeogiyo) or the call button on your table, point and say 이거 주세요 (igeo juseyo), this please, and add a count with 하나 (hana) or 두 개 (du gae). Side dishes are free and refillable. When you finish, you usually pay at the counter by the door.
Staff will greet you with 어서 오세요 (eoseo oseyo), welcome, and usually ask 몇 분이세요? (myeot buniseyo?), how many people? Answer with a native Korean number and the counter 명 (myeong), plus 이요 (iyo) to keep it polite. Holding up fingers works too.
| Party | Say |
|---|---|
| Just me | 한 명이요. (han myeongiyo.) |
| Two | 두 명이요. (du myeongiyo.) |
| Three | 세 명이요. (se myeongiyo.) |
| Four | 네 명이요. (ne myeongiyo.) |
A trap for English speakers: 네 (ne) means both four, before a counter, and yes. Context sorts it out, but it is why the fingers help.
In the United States, a server comes back to ask how everything is. In most Korean restaurants nobody comes until you call. Waving quietly and waiting reads as indecision, not politeness.
Don’t call out “waiter” or 웨이터 (weiteo). You may hear regulars call the owner 사장님 (sajangnim), boss, or an older server 이모 (imo), auntie. Both are normal, but 저기요 is the safe choice for a visitor.
| English | Korean |
|---|---|
| This one, please. | 이거 주세요. (igeo juseyo.) |
| One kimchi stew, please. | 김치찌개 하나 주세요. (gimchijjigae hana juseyo.) |
| Two of these, please. | 이거 두 개 주세요. (igeo du gae juseyo.) |
| Two servings of pork belly. | 삼겹살 이 인분 주세요. (samgyeopsal i inbun juseyo.) |
| What is good here? | 뭐가 맛있어요? (mwoga masisseoyo?) |
| Could you recommend something? | 추천해 주세요. (chucheonhae juseyo.) |
| Two beers, please. | 맥주 두 병 주세요. (maekju du byeong juseyo.) |
Korean word order puts the dish first, then the number, then 주세요. English speakers tend to say the number first, as in “two kimchi stews,” and get stuck. Think dish, count, please.
Notice the two number systems. Plain counts use native numbers: 하나 (hana), 두 개 (du gae). Servings at a barbecue place use 인분 (inbun), portion, with Sino-Korean numbers: 일 인분 (il inbun), 이 인분 (i inbun), 삼 인분 (sam inbun). Many barbecue restaurants require at least two servings per order, so solo diners sometimes get turned away there. That is a house rule, not rudeness.
| English | Korean |
|---|---|
| Not spicy, please. | 안 맵게 해 주세요. (an maepge hae juseyo.) |
| Less spicy, please. | 덜 맵게 해 주세요. (deol maepge hae juseyo.) |
| Is it spicy? | 매워요? (maewoyo?) |
| No onions, please. | 양파 빼 주세요. (yangpa ppae juseyo.) |
| I’m allergic to peanuts. | 저는 땅콩 알레르기가 있어요. (jeoneun ttangkong allereugiga isseoyo.) |
| I don’t eat meat. | 저는 고기를 안 먹어요. (jeoneun gogireul an meogeoyo.) |
Be aware that some dishes cannot be made mild because the spice is in the base. And “no meat” may not cover broth made from anchovies or beef, so ask about the soup separately if that matters to you.
Small dishes of kimchi, vegetables, and other sides arrive with your meal. They are called 반찬 (banchan), they are included, and refills are free. To ask for more, say 반찬 좀 더 주세요 (banchan jom deo juseyo), or name the dish: 김치 좀 더 주세요 (gimchi jom deo juseyo). Some restaurants have a self-serve station instead, marked 셀프 (selpeu), self.
Water is free. A sign reading 물은 셀프 (mureun selpeu) means water is self-serve, usually from a dispenser near the door or the counter. Napkins, spoons, and chopsticks are often in a drawer built into the side of the table.
To take food with you, ask 포장돼요? (pojangdwaeyo?), can I get it to go? Then 포장해 주세요 (pojanghae juseyo), please pack it to go. If staff ask 드시고 가세요? (deusigo gaseyo?), they are asking whether you will eat here. Answer 여기서 먹을게요 (yeogiseo meogeulgeyo), I’ll eat here.
This is the step Americans most often get wrong. In many casual restaurants, the bill sits on your table or the order is tracked by table number. When you are done, you walk to the counter by the door and pay there. Sitting and waiting for a check can take a very long time.
| English | Korean |
|---|---|
| I’d like to pay. | 계산할게요. (gyesanhalgeyo.) |
| Can I pay by card? | 카드 돼요? (kadeu dwaeyo?) |
| Separately, please. | 따로 계산할게요. (ttaro gyesanhalgeyo.) |
| Together, please. | 같이 계산할게요. (gachi gyesanhalgeyo.) |
| Can I get a receipt? | 영수증 주세요. (yeongsujeung juseyo.) |
Tipping is not part of restaurant culture in Korea.
On the way out, say 잘 먹었습니다 (jal meogeotseumnida), I ate well. It is the natural thank you after a meal, and staff appreciate it. Then 안녕히 계세요 (annyeonghi gyeseyo), goodbye, the version used when you are the one leaving. When your food arrives, staff may say 맛있게 드세요 (masitge deuseyo), enjoy your meal. A simple 감사합니다 (gamsahamnida) is the reply.
These phrases are short, but the pressure of a busy restaurant makes them vanish. Say the whole sequence out loud a few times, from 몇 분이세요? to 잘 먹었습니다, until it runs on its own before you sit down.
No. Calling 저기요 clearly is the normal way to get a server’s attention in Korea. Staff expect it, and many restaurants never check on tables unless called.
No. 반찬 (banchan) are included with your meal and refills are normally free. Ask with 반찬 좀 더 주세요 or look for a self-serve station.
Tipping is not customary in Korean restaurants. Paying the amount on the bill at the counter is all that is expected.
Many barbecue restaurants have a minimum order of two servings, written as 2인분 and read 이 인분 (i inbun). One person can still order two servings, or choose a restaurant that serves single portions.
