At a Restaurant and Café

Walking in

When you enter a restaurant, a staff member often says 어서 오세요 (Welcome) and asks 몇 분이세요? (How many people?). 분 is the polite counter for people. You answer with a native Korean number + 명: 두 명이요 (Two people). If you are alone, say 한 명이요.

In many casual restaurants you can choose your own table. If the staff point to a seat, just say 네, 감사합니다.

Calling the staff: 여기요 and 저기요

In Korea it is normal and polite to call staff by raising your hand a little and saying 여기요! (Over here!) or 저기요! (Excuse me!). Nobody thinks it is rude. Waiting silently for eye contact may take a long time, because staff expect you to call them.

Many restaurants also have a small call button on the table. Press it, and a staff member will come. In some places you order on a tablet at your table or at a machine (키오스크) near the door.

Paying the bill

In most Korean restaurants you pay at the counter near the door, not at your table. When you finish, take the bill (if there is one) to the counter and say 계산할게요 (I’d like to pay) or 계산해 주세요.

Cards are accepted almost everywhere. To be sure, ask 카드 돼요? (Do you take cards?). If friends want to pay separately, say 따로 계산할게요 (We’ll pay separately). To pay together: 같이 계산할게요.

There is no tipping in Korea. The price on the menu is the price you pay. Leaving extra money can confuse staff, and they may run after you to give it back! A warm 잘 먹었습니다 (Thank you for the meal) on your way out is the best "tip".

At a café

Cafés usually work like this: you order and pay at the counter, then wait for your drink. Many cafés give you a buzzer (진동벨) that vibrates when your order is ready, or they call your number.

The staff will often ask two questions. First, 드시고 가세요? (Will you drink it here?) — answer 여기서 먹을게요 (For here) or 포장이요 / 가져갈게요 (To go). Second, for coffee, 따뜻한 거요, 아이스요? (Hot or iced?).

Americano is very popular in Korea, and many people drink it iced even in winter. Sizes are often called 톨, 그란데 and so on in big chains, or simply 작은 거 (small) and 큰 거 (big).

Small table manners

A few simple customs will make you look very thoughtful. When eating with older people, it is polite to wait until the oldest person starts eating. Many people say 잘 먹겠습니다 before a meal ("I will eat well"), especially when someone else is paying. Spoons and chopsticks are often in a drawer on the side of the table, and it is a kind gesture to set them out for others. Try not to stick your spoon or chopsticks straight up in a bowl of rice, because many Koreans connect this with memorial rites for ancestors (제사).