Korean Restaurant Etiquette: 15 Things First-Time Visitors Should Know

Your first meal in Korea may come with a few surprises before the food even arrives.

There may be no host waiting at the entrance. The menu might be attached to the wall. Water and cutlery may be self-service. A small button on the table may be the normal way to call a server. Then several side dishes arrive even though you never ordered them.

None of this is particularly difficult once you know how Korean restaurants work. The problem is that many of the rules are never explained.

Here are the things I would want a first-time visitor to know before walking into a local restaurant in Korea.

1. Do You Wait to Be Seated in Korea?

It depends on the restaurant.

At a busy barbecue restaurant, popular restaurant, or more formal establishment, a staff member will normally show you where to sit. In a small casual restaurant, however, you may be told simply to choose an empty table.

Listen for:

앉으세요.
Anjeuseyo.
Please sit down.

or:

편한 데 앉으세요.
Pyeonhan de anjeuseyo.
Sit wherever you like / Please sit somewhere comfortable.

If you are unsure, making eye contact with a staff member and indicating the table is usually enough.

2. The Staff May Ask “몇 분이세요?”

One of the first questions you may hear is:

몇 분이세요?
Myeot bun-iseyo?
How many people are there?

Here, 분 is a polite counter for people.

Useful answers include:

한 명이에요. — One person.
두 명이에요. — Two people.
세 명이에요. — Three people.
네 명이에요. — Four people.

You do not need a complete conversation. Holding up two fingers while saying 두 명이에요 works perfectly well.

3. Do Not Expect Every Restaurant to Have an English Menu

Restaurants in major tourist areas often provide English, pictures, or both. Smaller neighborhood restaurants may not.

This is why recognizing a few Korean food words can be surprisingly useful.

For example:

돼지고기 = pork
소고기 = beef
해물 = seafood
찌개 = stew
구이 = grilled
볶음 = stir-fried

If a Korean-only menu looks intimidating, read our How to Read Korean Menus: 35 Essential Food Words Every Traveler Should Know .

4. Look for the Button on the Table

This is one of the most useful things to know in a Korean restaurant.

Many casual restaurants have a small call button on the table. It may say:

호출 — call
직원호출 — call staff

Pressing it is not rude.

It is there because the staff expect customers to use it.

This can feel strange if you come from a country where diners normally wait for a server to check the table. In many Korean restaurants, staff may leave you alone until you call them.

No button?

You can say:

저기요!
Jeogiyo!
Excuse me!

In a casual Korean restaurant, this is a normal way to get a server's attention. You do not need to shout it aggressively; just say it loudly enough to be heard.

5. 이모! Is Common, but Travelers Do Not Need to Use It

You may hear Korean customers call a female restaurant worker 이모!, literally “aunt.”

This is common in some casual restaurants, particularly traditional or family-run places. However, it depends on the setting and the person.

As a visitor, there is no reason to copy every expression you hear.

저기요 is simpler and safer.

This is an important principle when learning practical Korean: an expression can be natural for Koreans without necessarily being the best expression for a beginner to imitate.

6. 반찬 Are Usually Part of the Meal

Sit down for a Korean meal and several small dishes may suddenly appear on your table.

These are 반찬 (banchan), the side dishes served with a Korean meal.

Kimchi is the most familiar example, but depending on the restaurant you might receive seasoned vegetables, pickles, fish cake, seaweed, or other small dishes.

In many ordinary Korean restaurants, basic banchan are included with the meal rather than ordered individually.

The exact selection varies enormously. A simple noodle shop may offer only one or two, while another restaurant may cover much of the table with small dishes.

7. Can You Ask for More Banchan?

Often, yes.

At many restaurants, basic side dishes can be refilled without an extra charge. Some places have a self-service area; at others, you ask the staff.

A useful phrase is:

김치 좀 더 주세요.
Gimchi jom deo juseyo.
Could we have some more kimchi, please?

Or simply:

이거 좀 더 주세요.
Igeo jom deo juseyo.
Could we have some more of this, please?

Do not assume that every item on the table has unlimited refills. Some special side dishes or additional portions may cost extra.

8. Water May Be Self-Service

If nobody brings water immediately, do not assume the staff forgot about you.

Many casual restaurants have a water dispenser, bottled water, cups, or a self-service station somewhere in the dining area.

Look for:

셀프 — self-service
물 — water

You may also see:

물은 셀프입니다.
Water is self-service.

If you cannot find the water, ask:

물 어디 있어요?
Mul eodi isseoyo?
Where is the water?

9. Your Spoon and Chopsticks May Be Hidden

You sit down. The food arrives. But there are no chopsticks.

Before calling the server, look at the table.

Many Korean restaurant tables have a small drawer underneath or along the side containing:

spoons
metal chopsticks
napkins

Sometimes the utensils are in a container on top of the table instead.

The long-handled metal spoon is used frequently in Korean meals, especially for rice, soup, and stew. Chopsticks are used for many side dishes and solid foods.

10. Korean Barbecue May Have a Minimum Order

This is particularly important for solo travelers.

A barbecue menu might show:

삼겹살 1인분 16,000원

That does not necessarily mean the restaurant will let you order only one serving.

Some barbecue restaurants require an initial order of at least two servings. The rule varies by restaurant, so check before sitting down if you are eating alone.

Remember:

1인분 = one serving
2인분 = two servings

This is one reason learning to recognize 인분 is so useful.

11. Some Korean Food Is Meant to Be Shared

Korean dining often involves several people eating from shared dishes.

Barbecue meat is cooked in the center of the table. A large hot pot may be shared by everyone. Banchan are normally placed in the middle rather than served as individual portions.

For a first-time visitor, the easiest rule is to watch how the food is served.

If everyone receives an individual bowl, it is probably yours. If one large dish arrives in the center of the table, it is probably intended to be shared.

There are exceptions, but you do not need to understand every traditional dining rule to enjoy a Korean meal.

12. Should You Pour Drinks for Other People?

If you are having soju, beer, or another alcoholic drink with Koreans, you may notice people pouring drinks for one another rather than only filling their own glass.

In a formal setting, age and seniority can affect drinking etiquette. Younger people may use two hands when pouring for or receiving a drink from someone older.

For an ordinary traveler eating with friends, however, do not turn dinner into an etiquette exam.

Being observant and polite matters more than performing every traditional gesture perfectly.

13. You Usually Pay at the Counter

One of the most common first-time mistakes is sitting at the table waiting for the bill.

In many casual Korean restaurants, you simply get up when you have finished, walk to the counter near the entrance, and pay there.

You may not receive a paper bill at your table at all.

If you need to ask:

계산할게요.
Gyesanhalgeyo.
I'd like to pay.

or:

계산해 주세요.
Gyesanhae juseyo.
Please check us out / The bill, please.

The exact payment process varies, especially at restaurants using table-order tablets or kiosks, but paying at the counter remains extremely common.

14. Do You Tip at Restaurants in Korea?

Normally, no.

Traditional tipping is not part of everyday restaurant culture in Korea. At an ordinary restaurant, café, taxi, or casual bar, you are generally not expected to calculate an additional percentage for service.

If the amount on the bill is ₩32,000, you normally pay ₩32,000.

There can be exceptions in particular businesses or services, but a first-time visitor should not assume that a 10, 15, or 20 percent restaurant tip is expected.

15. “포장” Means Takeout

If you want food to go, one word is particularly useful:

포장
pojang
takeout / to go

You can ask:

포장돼요?
Pojang dwaeyo?
Can I get this to go?

Or:

포장해 주세요.
Pojanghae juseyo.
Please pack it to go.

Not every dish is suitable for takeout, but these expressions are widely useful in restaurants, bakeries, cafés, and food stalls.

Five Korean Restaurant Phrases I Would Learn First

If you do not want to memorize everything in this guide, save these five:

Korean	Meaning
저기요.	Excuse me. (calling staff)
이거 주세요.	This one, please.
물 주세요.	Water, please.
이거 좀 더 주세요.	Some more of this, please.
계산할게요.	I'd like to pay.

Together with a few menu words, those phrases are enough to handle a surprising number of meals in Korea.

What a Typical Casual Restaurant Visit Might Look Like

Imagine that two of you enter a small Korean restaurant.

The staff asks:

몇 분이세요?
How many people?

You answer:

두 명이에요.
Two people.

After sitting down, you look at the menu and point:

이거 2인분 주세요.
Two servings of this, please.

Your food arrives with several banchan. Later, you want more kimchi:

저기요. 김치 좀 더 주세요.
Excuse me. Could we have some more kimchi?

When you finish, you walk to the counter and pay.

That is it.

You do not need fluent Korean, and you do not need to know every rule of Korean dining culture.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it rude to call a waiter by saying 저기요?

No. In casual Korean restaurants, 저기요 is a normal way to get a staff member's attention. If there is a call button on the table, you can use that instead.

Are Korean side dishes free?

Basic banchan are commonly included with the meal at many Korean restaurants, and many can be refilled. However, restaurant policies vary, and not every additional dish is necessarily free.

Do I need to tip in Korea?

Normally not at ordinary restaurants. Korea does not have the percentage-based restaurant tipping culture found in countries such as the United States.

Where do I pay at a Korean restaurant?

At many casual restaurants, you pay at the counter near the entrance rather than waiting for a bill at the table.

Can I eat Korean barbecue alone?

Sometimes. However, some barbecue restaurants require a minimum initial order, often two servings. Solo travelers should check the restaurant's policy before ordering.

Is water free in Korean restaurants?

Drinking water is commonly provided without an additional charge at ordinary Korean restaurants, although it may be self-service.

You Do Not Need to Know Every Rule

Korean restaurant culture can seem full of unfamiliar details when you read about it all at once. In practice, your first meal will probably be much simpler.

Sit where the staff indicates. Look for the call button. Check whether water and utensils are self-service. Do not be surprised when banchan arrive. When you finish, look toward the counter to see where people are paying.

Most importantly, watch what the people around you are doing.

That is often more useful than trying to remember a long list of etiquette rules.

And if the menu itself is the difficult part, start there:

How to Read Korean Menus: 35 Essential Food Words Every Traveler Should Know