How to Order at a Korean Restaurant: From Reading the Menu to Paying

Ordering at a Korean restaurant goes in four steps: read the menu → sit down and order → mention any allergy → pay. There is more than prices on a Korean menu. Meat, rice and napa-cabbage kimchi must carry their country of origin by law, and domestic beef has to name the cattle type. Once you know how to read the origin board, it becomes one more thing to go on when choosing.

At a glance

Origin labelling is mandatory
Six meats, rice, napa-cabbage kimchi and soy.
Domestic beef names its type
Hanwoo, beef cattle or dairy cattle.
Side-dish terms vary
Side dishes may arrive unordered; check the notice for extra charges and refills.
Tipping is not customary
Some people accept a tip; some refuse it.

How to read the origin labels

Restaurants have a legal duty to display the origin of specified items. The agricultural list managed by the National Agricultural Products Quality Management Service is:

Item	Scope
Meat	Beef, pork, chicken, duck, lamb and goat (including milk goat) — processed products included
Rice	Cooked rice, porridge and scorched rice
Napa-cabbage kimchi	The cabbage and the chilli powder, separately
Soy	Tofu dishes, soy noodles, soy pulp

A separate list of fishery species is also covered.

The display rules matter too.

Imported goods show the country; domestic goods show the province or the city/county/district.
Where origins are mixed, they are listed in descending order of proportion.
Domestic beef must name the cattle type — Hanwoo, beef cattle or dairy cattle.

The most practical detail is that kimchi is labelled as cabbage and chilli powder separately. If the cabbage and the chilli powder come from different places, the board lets you see each one.

What happens when you sit down

Water and side dishes may arrive first. Some restaurants bring side dishes you did not order, while others run a self-serve side-dish bar or charge for extra servings and refills, so it is worth a glance at the counter or the notice on the wall.
Call to order. Saying "저기요" is not rude. If there is a call button on the table, you can press that instead.
Check the order unit. Some dishes are sold by the bowl or per serving, and some meat dishes start at two servings.
How you pay varies. Some places take payment at the counter on the way out, others at the table — say "계산할게요" and follow the staff's lead.

Whether you can have more side dishes depends on the restaurant. If you ask for more, taking only what you will finish is the courtesy.

What to say

"저기요" (jeogiyo) — to get a server's attention.
"이거 주세요" (igeo juseyo) — "This one, please", while pointing.
"몇 인분부터 돼요?" (myeot inbun-buteo dwaeyo?) — "What is the minimum number of servings?"
"덜 맵게 해 주세요" (deol maepge hae juseyo) — "Less spicy, please."
"반찬 더 주세요" (banchan deo juseyo) — "More side dishes, please."
"계산할게요" (gyesan-halgeyo) — "I'd like to pay."

You can order without knowing a dish's name by pointing at the menu or a photo. Where the menu has no photos, photograph it into a translation app.

Telling them about an allergy or a dietary restriction

If you have an allergy, do not rely on saying it out loud — show the Korean sentence on your screen. Translating "저는 ○○ 알레르기가 있어요" ("I am allergic to ○○") in advance and saving it is the reliable version.

Some dishes are harder to adjust than it sounds: where an ingredient is already in the broth, the marinade or the side dishes, a kitchen may not be able to take it out fully. With a severe allergy, changing dish is safer than asking for a change to one, and it is worth photographing the origin and ingredient labels into a translation app as well.

Tipping is not customary — check the menu for extra charges

Seoul's tourism guidance says tipping is not customary, however some people may receive it while some may refuse. Leaving nothing is not rude, and a tip you leave may be declined.

Whether any extra charge such as a service charge applies can vary by restaurant, so check the menu or the notice at the counter and confirm the total before you pay.

If the kiosk is Korean-only

Self-order kiosks at snack bars and fast-food places may have no English screen. Choose from the photographs, or ask a member of staff to take the order at the register — it is not an imposition.

If a kiosk declines your foreign card, ask whether you can pay at the register. Another route is not guaranteed to accept the same card, so keep a second card or cash ready.

If language stops you entirely, call 1330 and ask for interpretation — seven languages, 07:00 to midnight.

Frequently asked questions

Is the origin labelling on menus mandatory?

Yes. Beef, pork, chicken, duck, lamb and goat, rice (cooked rice, porridge, scorched rice), napa-cabbage kimchi (cabbage and chilli powder) and soy (tofu, soy noodles, soy pulp) are covered, and a separate list applies to fishery species.

How specific does a domestic origin have to be?

Imports show the country; domestic goods show the province or the city, county or district. Mixed origins are listed in descending order of proportion, and domestic beef must name the cattle type — Hanwoo, beef cattle or dairy cattle.

Do I pay for the side dishes?

It depends on the restaurant. Some bring side dishes you did not order, while others run a self-serve bar or charge for extras and refills, so check the notice in the restaurant.

How do I get a server's attention?

Say "저기요". It is not rude, and if the table has a call button you can press it.

Should I tip?

You do not need to. Seoul's tourism guidance says tipping is not customary, though some people may receive it while some may refuse. Check the menu or the counter notice for any extra charge such as a service charge.

Can I order for one?

It depends on the dish. Some are sold by the bowl or per serving, but some meat dishes start at two servings. Ask "몇 인분부터 돼요?" to check.

The kiosk is in Korean only — what do I do?

Choose from the photographs or ask staff to take the order at the register. If the kiosk declines your foreign card, ask about paying at the register and keep a second card or cash ready.