Korean dining etiquette is relaxed and easy to pick up. The essentials: the little side dishes are free and refillable, you eat rice and soup with a spoon and everything else with chopsticks, and you call the server out loud rather than waiting to be noticed. Master a few habits and ordering becomes effortless. Here’s everything you need to eat like a local.
Last updated: June 2026.
What are banchan and are they free?
Banchan (반찬) are the small side dishes served with every Korean meal, and they’re free and refillable. Kimchi, pickled radish, seasoned greens, and more arrive automatically alongside your order. If you finish a dish you like, just ask for more — “리필 주세요 (refill juseyo)” — at no charge. Tip: banchan are meant to be shared by the whole table and eaten with your rice, not all at once.
How do I use chopsticks and a spoon the Korean way?
Use the spoon for rice and soup, and the metal chopsticks for side dishes — and don’t lift your bowls off the table. Unlike in Japan, Koreans leave the rice and soup bowls on the table and eat from them with the spoon. Hold one utensil at a time rather than both at once. The chopsticks are flat and metal, which takes a little practice. Tip: utensils are often in a drawer on the side of the table.
- Never stand chopsticks upright in a bowl of rice — it resembles a funeral offering.
- Don’t use your chopsticks to point or to spear food.
- Let the eldest person lift their spoon first before you start eating.
How do I call the server in a Korean restaurant?
Press the call button on your table, or say “Yeogiyo! (여기요)” to get attention. Many Korean restaurants have a little buzzer on each table — press it and a server comes over. If there’s no button, calling out “yeogiyo” (over here) or “jeogiyo” (excuse me) is completely normal and not considered rude. Water, cups, and sometimes utensils are usually self-service from a station or dispenser. Tip: this is the opposite of Western fine dining — staff won’t hover, so flag them down when you’re ready.
How do I order if I don’t speak Korean?
Point at the menu or a photo and say “Igeo juseyo (이거 주세요)” — “this one, please.” Many restaurants in tourist areas have picture menus, English menus, or touchscreen kiosks (often with an English-language button). For kiosks, tap your language, select dishes, and pay by card right there. A translation app like Papago handles the rest. Tip: Korean BBQ and stews are usually ordered by portions for two or more, so order based on your group size.
How does paying work at a Korean restaurant?
You usually pay at the counter on the way out, not at the table. Take the bill (often left on the table) to the register by the door. Cards are accepted nearly everywhere; small local spots may be cash-only. There’s no tipping in Korea — the price on the menu is what you pay. Traditionally one person treats the group, though splitting is increasingly common among younger Koreans. For where to eat, see our Busan food guide.
Korean dining: do’s and don’ts
| Do | Don’t |
|---|---|
| Eat rice and soup with the spoon | Lift bowls off the table to eat |
| Ask for free banchan refills | Stick chopsticks upright in rice |
| Press the call button / say “yeogiyo” | Wait silently for a server to notice you |
| Let elders start eating first | Blow your nose at the table |
| Pour drinks for others, two hands | Tip — it isn’t expected anywhere |
FAQ
Korean BBQ vs food courts vs street stalls: what actually changes?
The etiquette above applies everywhere, but how much staff involvement you get — and how much you’re expected to do yourself — shifts a lot depending on the type of place. Knowing which format you’ve walked into saves confusion before the first dish even arrives.
At a Korean BBQ (gogigui) restaurant, staff usually grill the meat for you at busier places, or bring tongs and scissors and expect the table to manage the grill themselves at more casual spots — watch what the table next to you is doing if you’re unsure. You’ll get a stack of lettuce and perilla leaves for wrapping (ssam), plus a small tray of sauces: ssamjang (a thick soybean-chilli paste) and sesame oil with salt. Wrap the meat, a dab of sauce, and a sliver of garlic or a strip of raw onion in one leaf, and eat it in a single bite rather than nibbling — it’s considered a bit awkward to bite a wrap in half. Meat is typically ordered by the portion (1 “in-bun” per person as a rough guide for a light eater, more for bigger appetites), and it’s normal to order in rounds rather than everything at once.
Food courts — inside department stores, markets like Gwangjang, or transit hubs — work more like fast-casual dining abroad: order and pay at a counter or kiosk first, take a buzzer or ticket, then find your own seat and bus your own tray when finished. There’s no table service and no need to flag anyone down. This is the easiest format for solo travellers or anyone still nervous about speaking Korean, since payment is usually by card or cash at a single point rather than a running tab.
Street stalls and pojangmacha (the orange tented night stalls common in Busan and Seoul) sit somewhere in between: you usually pay per item as you order, sometimes on the spot rather than at the end, and portions are smaller and shared standing up or at narrow bar seating. Expect to pay in cash more often here than at a sit-down restaurant, though card readers are becoming more common. A stall serving tteokbokki or fried snacks might run ₩3,000–6,000 per item as of 2026 — prices vary by vendor and can change, so treat any figure as a rough guide rather than a fixed price.
Local tip: at BBQ places, if the table is grilling for itself, it’s the newest or youngest person at the table who traditionally tends the grill and cuts the meat with the kitchen scissors provided — no one will make you do this as a visitor, but understanding the custom explains why one person at a Korean table often seems to be doing all the cutting while everyone else eats.
Which format suits you? Choose a full-service BBQ restaurant if you want the classic sit-down experience and don’t mind ordering in rounds; choose a food court or kiosk-based spot if you’re short on time, travelling solo, or still building confidence with the language; choose a street stall or pojangmacha for a cheap, fast bite and a more local, informal atmosphere — just bring small cash in case card payment isn’t available.
Is it rude to leave food on my plate in Korea?
It’s not a serious faux pas, but finishing your rice is appreciated. Banchan are expected to have some leftovers since they’re shared and refillable, so don’t feel pressured to clear every side dish.
Can vegetarians eat easily in Korea?
It takes some care — many dishes use fish sauce, anchovy stock, or meat even when they look vegetable-based. Temple-cuisine restaurants, bibimbap (ask for no meat), and dedicated veggie spots are your safest bets. Learn the phrase for “no meat, no fish” or show it written in Korean.
Do I need to take my shoes off at restaurants?
Only at traditional places with raised floor seating. You’ll see a step up and a shoe rack at the entrance. Most modern restaurants have regular tables and chairs where shoes stay on.
Is it okay to share dishes and double-dip?
Sharing communal stews and banchan is normal Korean dining. In casual settings eating from shared dishes is expected, though many restaurants now provide serving spoons. When in doubt, use the serving utensil if one is offered.
Explore more Korea Go Now guides
- Find what to eat with our Busan food guide
- Brush up on everyday Korean etiquette
- Order with confidence using essential Korean phrases
- Fit great meals into the perfect 3-day Busan itinerary