Korean Restaurant Phrases: Order, Pay & Say Cheers

What Are the Most Useful Korean Restaurant Phrases to Learn First?

Learn nine lines in the order of a meal: ask for a menu, order, state allergies, ask for water, hear the host say enjoy your meal, toast, praise the food, ask for more and pay. Together they cover almost every step of a restaurant visit, and each one is short enough to say after a few tries.

Revised Romanization (the South Korean government standard of 2000) is shown only as a reading aid. Learn the Hangul first, because menus and signs use it. Two of these lines are not requests at all: 맛있게 드세요 is what the host or server says to you, and 건배 is shared by the whole table. The next section explains how to pick the form for each listener.

How Do You Choose between Formal, Polite and Casual Korean Restaurant Phrases?

Pick the phrase by the situation first (order, water, bill), then by the listener: the polite style ends in 요 or 주세요 and works with every server and host. Korean grammar marks the listener with three styles, and the page on Korean speech levels explains them in depth. The polite style (해요체) is the safe default, the casual style (해체) is for close friends at the table, and the formal style (합쇼체) is for announcements, toasts and formal dinners.

A server should always hear the polite column; friends at the table can use the casual one with each other. Three habits shape a Korean meal before the guide list: how to call staff, how to start and end a meal, and how to talk about food you cannot eat.

Call the Server and Pay at the Counter

Call the server with 여기요 (yeogiyo, "over here, excuse me") or with the call button on the table, which sounds a bell at the counter. Korean servers expect this and often do not stop by unprompted, so waiting quietly can mean a long wait. Then make the request: 물 주세요, 하나 더 주세요, 계산해 주세요.

Paying works differently from many countries. In many restaurants you take the bill to the front counter (계산대, gyesandae) on your way out and pay there, rather than at the table. Tipping is not customary in most Korean restaurants. If the bill sits on your table or the staff point to the counter, take it there and say 계산해 주세요 as you hand it over. If you are not sure where to pay, the same line at the table gets you an answer.

Now the phrases around the food itself.

Table Rituals before and after Eating

Two set phrases frame a meal. Before eating, say 잘 먹겠습니다 (jal meokgetseumnida, "I will eat well") to the host, the cook or whoever is paying. After finishing, say 잘 먹었습니다 (jal meogeotseumnida, "I ate well"). With close friends and family, the casual forms are 잘 먹을게 and 잘 먹었어. Many families also wait for the oldest person to lift their spoon first, so watch the table before you start.

The host or server says 맛있게 드세요 (masitge deuseyo, "please enjoy your meal") when food arrives. You can reply with 잘 먹겠습니다 or a smile and a nod. A toast with 건배 (geonbae, cheers) starts a round of drinks, and in formal groups the most senior person usually proposes the toast.

The last habit is about food you cannot eat.

Dietary Lines and Hidden Broths

For dietary needs, say the need and then ask what is in the dish. 저는 채식주의자예요 (jeoneun chaesikjuuijayeyo, "I am a vegetarian") and 알레르기가 있어요 (allereugiga isseoyo, "I have an allergy") are the two core lines. Follow them with 이거 뭐가 들어갔어요? (igeo mwoga deureogasseoyo, "what is in this?").

The extra question matters because many Korean soups and stews are made with anchovy or beef broth, even when the visible ingredients are vegetables. A dish that looks vegetarian may not be. Say the exact food you cannot eat after the line, for example 땅콩 알레르기가 있어요 (peanut allergy), and listen for the server's answer. The two dedicated pages in the list below give more forms.

Now the guide list itself.

All Korean Restaurant Phrases Guides

The list below has all 15 guides, each with its lead phrase and a short audio clip. Start with the four main pages, then use the alphabetical list for the rest. Every published guide follows the same layout: a quick answer, a register table, pronunciation with audio, usage scenes, short dialogues and common mistakes. The Korean phrases hub holds the other situation clusters.

Start Here

Cheers in Korean

The lead phrase is 건배 (geonbae), which means "cheers." It covers the shouted 건배! at the table, the formal toast 위하여 (wihayeo) and the borrowed word 원샷 (wonsyat, bottoms up) for drinking games.

Delicious in Korean

The lead phrase is 맛있어요 (masisseoyo), which means "it's delicious." It gives the formal 맛있습니다, the casual 맛있어 and the plain 맛있다, and explains the sound changes between spelling and speech.

One More Please in Korean

The lead phrase is 하나 더 주세요 (hana deo juseyo), which means "one more, please." It adds 반찬 더 주세요 for side-dish refills, 한 번 더 주세요 for a repeat and 추가해 주세요 for paid extras.

Water Please in Korean

The lead phrase is 물 주세요 (mul juseyo), which means "water, please." It adds 물 한 잔 주세요 (a glass of water), 얼음물 주세요 (ice water) and 물 좀 주세요 (some water, please).

More Phrases

The remaining 11 guides are listed in alphabetical order.

Do You Have an English Menu in Korean

The key phrase is 영어 메뉴판 있어요? (yeongeo menyupan isseoyo), which means "do you have an English menu."

Enjoy Your Meal in Korean

The key phrase is 맛있게 드세요 (masitge deuseyo), which means "enjoy your meal."

I Have an Allergy in Korean

The key phrase is 알레르기가 있어요 (allereugiga isseoyo), which means "I have an allergy." It names a food after the line, as in 땅콩 알레르기가 있어요 (peanut allergy), and asks 이거 뭐가 들어갔어요? (what is in this?).

I'd Like to Order in Korean

The key phrase is 주문할게요 (jumunhalgeyo), which means "I'll order."

I'll Treat You in Korean

The key phrase is 제가 살게요 (jega salgeyo), which means "I'll treat you."

I'm Vegetarian in Korean

The key phrase is 저는 채식주의자예요 (jeoneun chaesikjuuijayeyo), which means "I'm a vegetarian."

Is This Spicy in Korean

The key phrase is 이거 매워요? (igeo maewoyo), which means "is this spicy."

Not Spicy Please in Korean

The key phrase is 맵지 않게 해 주세요 (maepji anke hae juseyo), which means "please make it not spicy."

The Bill Please in Korean

The key phrase is 계산해 주세요 (gyesanhae juseyo), which means "the bill, please."

To Go Please in Korean

The key phrase is 포장해 주세요 (pojanghae juseyo), which means "to go, please."

What Do You Recommend in Korean

The key phrase is 뭐가 맛있어요? (mwoga masisseoyo), which means "what's good here."

How Do You Practise Korean Restaurant Phrases?

Restaurant phrases improve fastest when you say them in the order of a real meal. Use this routine for ten minutes a day:

1. Play the clip beside a lead phrase above and repeat it twice, matching the speed.
2. Say the nine core lines in meal order without looking, then check them against the table.
3. Switch the listener on purpose: say each line to a server, then to a friend.
4. Cover the Romanization and read the Hangul alone, as you would on a menu.
5. Drill the cluster with the phrase flashcards, which pair each phrase with audio.

Short daily sessions beat one long one, because restaurant lines must come out without thought when the server is waiting. For word lists to go with them, see Korean restaurant vocabulary and restaurant in Korean. After practice, watch for the mistakes below.

What Mistakes Do Learners Make with Korean Restaurant Phrases?

Learners most often wait for staff to come to the table. Four more mistakes appear often:

1. Waiting for the server. Fix: call 여기요 or press the table call button.
2. Using the casual form with staff. 물 줘 is rude to a server. Fix: say 물 주세요.
3. Skipping the table rituals. Fix: say 잘 먹겠습니다 before eating and 잘 먹었습니다 afterwards.
4. Assuming a vegetable dish is meat-free. Fix: say your need, then ask 이거 뭐가 들어갔어요?.
5. Using Sino numbers for items. 일 더 주세요 is wrong. Fix: use 하나 더 주세요 or 두 개 더 주세요.

Most of these fixes come down to calling staff directly and speaking politely. The questions below cover details that the cards do not.

Frequently Asked Questions

The answers below add details about Korean restaurant phrases beyond the guides above.