Korean Food Vocabulary for Restaurants

Korean food culture is inseparable from the language. Whether you're at a Korean restaurant abroad or planning a trip to Seoul, knowing food vocabulary transforms the experience. Here are 40 essential words and phrases.

Basic Food Words

Popular Dishes

Ordering Phrases

Here are the phrases you'll actually use at a restaurant:

Getting Seated

• 여기요! (yeogiyo!), Excuse me! (to get a server's attention)
• 몇 분이세요? (myeot buniseyo?), How many people? (the server asks this)
• 두 명이요 (du myeong-iyo), Two people

Ordering

• 메뉴 주세요 (menyu juseyo), Menu, please
• 이거 주세요 (igeo juseyo), This one, please (pointing at the menu)
• 비빔밥 하나 주세요 (bibimbap hana juseyo), One bibimbap, please
• 물 주세요 (mul juseyo), Water, please
• 더 주세요 (deo juseyo), More, please

During the Meal

• 맛있어요! (masisseoyo!), It's delicious!
• 매워요 (maewoyo), It's spicy
• 안 매운 거 있어요? (an maeun geo isseoyo?), Do you have something not spicy?
• 배불러요 (baebulleoyo), I'm full

Paying

• 계산이요 (gyesan-iyo), Check, please
• 카드 돼요? (kadeu dwaeyo?), Can I pay by card?
• 얼마예요? (eolmayeyo?), How much is it?
• 잘 먹었습니다 (jal meogeotseumnida), Thank you for the meal (said after eating)

Taste Words

Dietary Preferences

• 채식주의자예요 (chaesikjuuijayeyo), I'm vegetarian
• 알레르기가 있어요 (allereugi-ga isseoyo), I have allergies
• 땅콩 알레르기 (ttangkong allereugi), Peanut allergy
• 고기 안 먹어요 (gogi an meogeoyo), I don't eat meat

Korean Dining Etiquette

A few things to know:

1. Wait for the eldest to start eating, Don't pick up your chopsticks first
2. Don't pour your own drink, Pour for others, and they'll pour for you
3. Rice bowls stay on the table, Unlike Japanese dining, don't lift the rice bowl
4. Banchan is free refills, Side dishes can be refilled for free. Just ask: 반찬 더 주세요

Practice on Chamelingo

Chamelingo's Unit 5 covers ordering food in depth. You'll practice menu reading, ordering dialogues, and number+counter combinations (두 개, 세 병) that you need for real restaurant situations. Every phrase includes Korean pronunciation audio so you can compare what you read with what you hear.

Browse all food-related words in our vocabulary reference organized by unit, and master the -주세요 request pattern so you can confidently order anything on a Korean menu.