Korean Menu Guide
Everything you actually face in a Korean restaurant: the words on the menu, the phrases
that solve problems, and how ordering works at each restaurant type. Tap any phrase card
to show it to staff, full-screen.
Show-to-staff phrases Tap a card — the Korean appears big enough to show across the counter.
안 맵게 해주세요. An maepge haejuseyo. Please make it not spicy. Works at flexible kitchens (bunsik, chains with spice levels). Fixed-recipe stews often can't change. 돼지고기가 들어가나요? Dwaeji-gogi-ga deureoganayo? Does this contain pork? Useful for mandu fillings, budae-jjigae, and broths. 해산물 육수를 사용하나요? Haesanmul yuksu-reul sayonghanayo? Do you use seafood broth? The key vegetarian question — anchovy broth hides in soups and even tteokbokki. 고기와 해산물 빼고 돼나요? Gogi-wa haemul ppaego doenayo? Can you make it without meat and seafood? Best at bibimbap, gimbap and sundubu restaurants where assembly is per-order. 아이와 같이 먹을 거예요. Ai-wa gachi meogeul geoyeyo. We'll be sharing this with a child. Staff will often flag spicy items and bring extra plates and scissors. 포장해 주세요. Pojang-hae juseyo. To go, please. Nearly everything except soups-in-stone-pots packs fine. 혼자인데 주문 돼나요? Honja-inde jumun doenayo? I'm alone — can I still order? Useful at BBQ and hot-pot places with 2-serving minimums; gukbap places never need it. 물 좀 주세요. Mul jom juseyo. Water, please. If they point, the water station is self-serve (셀프). 반찬 더 주세요. Banchan deo juseyo. More side dishes, please. Banchan refills are free and expected — this is a normal request, not an imposition. 뭐가 제일 맛있어요? Mwo-ga jeil masisseoyo? What's the best thing here? The single most effective phrase in any specialist restaurant — order what they say.
How ordering works, by restaurant type Korean BBQ restaurant Choose the meat — samgyeopsal (pork belly), galbi (marinated ribs), moksal (pork neck). Menus list price per serving (인분). Order servings — minimum is usually 2 servings (2인분) per table; you can always add more (추가) later. Add the supporting cast — a stew (kimchi-jjigae or doenjang-jjigae), steamed egg (gyeran-jjim), and rice come mid-meal. Understand the free stuff — lettuce, ssamjang, garlic, kimchi and salad banchan refill for free. Finish the Korean way — fried rice (bokkeumbap) or cold naengmyeon after the meat is the standard ending. Dishes to know here:
Samgyeopsal Galbi Dwaeji Galbi
Gukbap (soup-rice) restaurant Order at the counter or table — usually one dish in several sizes (보통 regular / 특 special with more meat). Sit anywhere — solo counter seating is normal; this is Korea's one-person format. Season it yourself — salt, scallions, saeujeot (salted shrimp) and dadaegi (chili paste) are on the table; broth arrives unseasoned at milky-soup houses. Add rice to the soup — dunk the whole bowl in or eat separately, both are correct. Kkakdugi is the partner — the radish kimchi crock on the table is unlimited. Dishes to know here:
Gukbap Sundae Guk Seolleongtang
Bunsik (snack-food) shop Order combinations — the culture is mix-and-match: tteokbokki + sundae + gimbap + fried things (twigim). Portions are small and cheap (₩3,000–₩6,000) — over-ordering is the tradition. Dip everything in the tteokbokki sauce — twigim and sundae are meant to go in. Self-serve water and sometimes broth — look for the station. Dishes to know here:
Tteokbokki Gimbap Sundae
Korean fried chicken & hof Choose the style — huraideu (plain crispy), yangnyeom (sweet-spicy glaze), or banban (half-half: the wise answer). One whole chicken serves about two people with beer. Pickled radish cubes (chicken-mu) come free — they are the palate reset. Order beer by the pitcher — chimaek (chicken + maekju) is the whole point. Delivery works identically — chicken is Korea's #1 delivery food. Dishes to know here:
Korean Fried Chicken
Convenience store (pyeonuijeom) Grab a cup or bag ramyeon — the wall of options is sorted roughly mild (left) to extreme (right, look for 불/fire branding). Use the hot-water machine — free, next to the counter; bag ramyeon uses the tabletop induction cookers at bigger stores. Upgrade like a local — add a samgak-gimbap (triangle rice ball), string cheese, or a boiled egg from the chiller. Eat at the window counter — completely normal at any hour. Sort your waste — separate bins for liquid, plastic and general are standard. Dishes to know here:
Ramyeon
✕
Show this to the staff · Tap anywhere to close