How to Order Food at a Korean Restaurant

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 that, the menu turns into information.

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 dishes are usually free
They arrive unordered, and refills are common.
Tipping is not customary
The listed price is what you pay.

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. Domestic cabbage with imported chilli powder is common, and the board says so plainly.

What happens when you sit down

Water and side dishes arrive first. You did not order them, and they are usually free. Some places do run a self-serve side-dish bar, or charge for refills, so it is worth a glance at the counter or the notice on the wall.
Call to order. Saying "저기요" is not rude, and many places have a call button.
Portions are per person, though some meat dishes start at two servings.
You usually pay at the counter on the way out, rarely at the table.

Side-dish refills are common. Asking for more is fine — 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."

Pointing at the menu is the most reliable method of all. Photo menus are common, and where there is none, photographing it into a translation app works.

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.

Korean cooking does make this harder than it sounds: ingredients are often already in the broth, the marinade and the side dishes, so there are menus a kitchen cannot fully take them out of. 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, and the listed price is the price

Seoul's tourism guidance says tipping is not customary, however some people may receive it while some may refuse. In practice, leaving money on the table often results in staff following you out to return it.

The menu price is what you pay, with no service charge added. A few high-end venues do apply one, and they state it on the menu.

If the kiosk is Korean-only

Snack bars and fast-food places often use self-order kiosks with no English. Choose from the photographs, or ask a member of staff to take the order at the register — it is not an imposition.

Foreign cards being rejected by kiosks is equally common, and the register usually takes them.

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?

They are usually free and arrive without being ordered. Refills are common, but take only what you will finish.

How do I get a server's attention?

Say "저기요". It is not rude, and many restaurants have a call button on the table.

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. The menu price is what you pay, and the few venues that add a service charge state it on the menu.

Can I order for one?

Portions are per person by default, though 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. Foreign cards rejected by a kiosk usually clear at the register too.