Korean Restaurant Phrases — Phrases for Eating Out in Korea

One of the most rewarding things to learn in another language is how to order out. And the more interesting the cuisine, the more rewarding it can be! So we put together this guide for eating out in a Korean restaurant.

In most languages, this interaction is limited to understanding how to ask for a suggestion, request something, and pay.

But Korean makes it more complicated with its formality levels and different words that people use when being polite. There are different words for “to give”, “to eat”, and even “restaurant” — all critical words to use when eating out!

Below is a quick guide to eating out in Korean, with some Korean restaurant phrases and quick explanations. These were things we learned while we stayed in Korea for a few months working on our Korean.

Korean Restaurant Phrases — Overview

In most parts of the world, I find phrases for dining at restaurants quite simple.

But it gets complicated in Korean. Because of Korean formality levels, multiple things change when speaking to a Korean restaurant staff member. They don’t just change the way they speak — they even use different verbs for everyday actions like eating.

On top of that, a few examples of quite complex Korean grammar are evident in simple everyday phrases.

An example of all of the above is how a Korean restaurant staff member may ask you whether you’re dining in or taking away, and the way in which you respond.

The most common question you’re asked is “드시고 가세요? 아니면 가져가실래요?”

This sentence alone carries with it formal verbs and a complicated structure used for “to take”.

And to respond that you want to dine in (supposedly), you say “먹고 갈게요.” — a different verb altogether.

This is just a snapshot of the complexity of dining out in Korea and how you learn to need partially a new vocabulary just to make it work.

Arriving at a Korean restaurant

The first thing that happens at a Korean restaurant is that you are greeted. This might be in English, but you can switch to Korean by simply saying hello and the number of people — or you want to order takeout.

One of the things that I do to instantly set the tone is to announce myself in Korean with a bright and clear “안녕하세요!” This states that I speak Korean, and the rest of the interaction can be in Korean (until I run out of words, anyway).

Asking for suggestions

Below are some useful phrases for asking for recommendations in a Korean restaurant.

The first one was my go-to!

Korean restaurant staff are always happy to recommend something, but they often ask if you can eat spicy food.

Requesting items

Asking for items in Korean is the easiest part (but it’s not over yet).

Usually, I’d refer to an item, once mentioned, or pointing at it, with

So it’d usually go

Eat In or Take Away?

Eat in or take away was, surprisingly, the most complicated part of ordering food in Korean!

Unless I made a request, they’d use any of the following phrases to ask if I wanted to dine in or take away.

Usually some will ask two questions, one after the other, like

There are a few key words to hear. The most important thing is to understand the question, and make one of the simple statements at the end about whether you’re dining in or eating out.

The most complicated part is that when someone asks you a question, you have to respond using different words.

So if a waiter asks you if you’ll dine in with “드시고 가세요?” you respond “네, 먹고 갈게요.”

Asking for the bill

Like everywhere else in the world, you can usually ask for the bill in Korea using a hand gesture from a distance.

If necessary, you can mouthe the words “계산서 주세요!”

Wrap up

Eating out in a Korea restaurant — or getting takeout — is rewarding for the food alone. If you’re learning Korean, then using Korean language to eat out makes it even more fun.

If you ever get stuck, staff in big cities will normally speak enough English to help you get by. Don’t be afraid to switch (here are some ways of dealing with it), and keep practising for next time.