Planning on going to a Korean restaurant…?
In South Korea?
You’ll need Korean restaurant phrases. so let’s not waste more time. This guide will teach you 50+ Korean restaurant phrases for ordering food faster than you can say….
“annyeonghaseyo.”
And… if you want the free PDF cheat sheet with these phrases, scroll down to the end and you’ll find it.
Before the Restaurant
Before the restaurant, you might want to make a reservation. You’ll need to call and tell them and make one. Maybe you want to ask a friend if they’re hungry. Or, if they want to go to restaurant.
So here are the phrases for this.
| English | Korean | Romaji | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Let’s go to a restaurant. | 레스토랑에 가요. | Reseutorang-e gayo. | |
| Are you hungry? | 배고파요? | Baegopayo? | |
| I’d like to make a reservation. | 레스토랑 예약하고 싶어요. | Reseutorang yeyakago sipeoyo. | |
| I have a reservation. | 미리 예약했어요. | Miri yeyakhaesseoyo. | |
| My name is [Your Name]. | 제 이름은 [Your Name]이에요. | Je ireumeun [Your Name]-ieyo. | |
| My phone number is… | 제 전화번호는 …이에요. | Je jeonhwabeonhoneun …-ieyo. | |
| I’m hungry. | 배고파요. | Baegopayo. |
Deciding & Ordering
After you’ve arrived at the restaurant and sat down…
You’ll want these Korean restaurant phrases — ordering food, asking about recommendations, and saying thank you in Korean, and more.
| English | Korean | Romaji | |
|---|---|---|---|
| And this. | 그리고 이거. | Geurigo igeo. | |
| Can I have a fork/spoon? | 포크/숟가락 주세요. | Pokeu/sutgarak juseyo. | |
| Can I have the menu, please? | 메뉴 주세요. | Menu juseyo. | |
| Do you have an English menu? | 영어 메뉴 있어요? | Yeongeo menyu isseoyo? | |
| Do you have vegetarian options? | 채식 메뉴 있어요? | Chaesik menyu isseoyo? | |
| Excuse me (to get attention) | 저기요. | Jeogiyo. | |
| How much is this? | 이건 얼마예요? | Igeon eolmayeyo? | |
| I did not get my food yet. | 아직 음식 안 나왔어요. | Ajik eumsik an nawasseoyo. | |
| I haven’t decided yet. | 아직 결정 못 했어요. | Ajik gyeoljeong mot haesseoyo. | |
| I’d like to order. | 주문할게요. | Jumunhalgeyo. | |
| Is this spicy? | 이거 매워요? | Igeo maewoyo? | |
| No meat, please. | 고기 빼고 해 주세요. | Gogi ppaego hae juseyo. | |
| Not spicy, please. | 맵지 않게 해 주세요. | Maepji anke hae juseyo. | |
| One more of this, please. | 이거 하나 더 주세요. | Igeo hana deo juseyo. | |
| Please leave out the ice. | 얼음 빼 주세요. | Eoreum ppae juseyo. | |
| Thank you | 감사합니다 | Gamsahamnida | |
| This, please. | 이거 주세요. | Igeo juseyo. | |
| What do you recommend? | 추천 메뉴 있어요? | Chucheon menyu isseoyo? | |
| What is this? | 이건 뭐예요? | Igeon mwoyeyo? |
Korean Restaurant Phrases for Drinks
On top of the food, you may want to order drinks.
Or more drinks. Like water, or “mul’ in Korean. So keep these in mind.
| English | Korean | Romaji | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Do you have coffee? | 커피 있어요? | Keopi isseoyo? | |
| Coffee, please. | 커피 주세요. | Keopi juseyo. | |
| Do you have tea? | 차 있어요? | Cha isseoyo? | |
| Tea, please. | 차 주세요. | Cha juseyo. | |
| I am thirsty. | 목말라요. | Mokmallayo. | |
| Water, please. | 물 주세요. | Mul juseyo. | |
| More water, please. | 물 좀 더 주세요. | Mul jom deo juseyo. | |
| Is a refill possible? | 리필 가능해요? | Ripil ganeunghaeyo? |
Talking About Food in Korean
Now, if you want to comment on the food…
Like saying “delicious” in Korean. Or maybe just exclaiming, “I love Korean food,’ you’ll want this. These are good phrases to use if you wanna talk about the food with your friends or with the restaurant staff. Just don’t tell them it’s bad. 😉
| English | Korean | Romaji | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| It’s very delicious! | 너무 맛있어요! | Neomu masisseoyo! | |
| The portion is large. | 양이 많네요. | Yang-i manneyo. | |
| This food is very unique. | 이 음식은 정말 독특해요. | I eumsik-eun jeongmal dokteukhaeyo. | |
| It’s too salty. | 너무 짜요. | Neomu jjayo. | |
| It’s too spicy. | 너무 매워요. | Neomu maewoyo. | |
| I like this. | 이거 좋아요. | Igeo johayo. | |
| I love this. | 이거 사랑해요. | Igeo saranghaeyo. | |
| I love Korean food | 한국 음식을 사랑해요. | Hanguk eumsigeul saranghaeyo. | |
| I don’t like this. | 이거 싫어요. | Igeo sireoyo. | |
| It’s okay. | 괜찮아요. | Gwaenchanayo. |
Extra Phrases You’ll Need
Of course, there may be some Korean questions you’ll need to know…
…that aren’t related to food. Like, “where’s the bathroom” in Korean. Plus, other general phrases that you may need… in case you drop a glass or have to pass by someone.
| English | Korean | Romaji | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where is the restroom? | 화장실 어디예요? | Hwajangsil eodiyeyo? | |
| Can I smoke here? | 여기서 담배 피워도 돼요? | Yeogiseo dambae piwodo dwaeyo? | |
| I’m sorry (polite) | 미안합니다 | Mianhamnida | |
| Excuse me (when you’re trying to pass by) | 잠시만요 | Jamsimanyo | |
| Excuse me (if you bumped into someone) | 죄송합니다 | Joesonghamnida |
After the Meal
After you’re done eating…
You may want to ask for the check. Or just say that you ate too much.
| English | Korean | Romaji | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| I am full | 배불러요. | Baebulleoyo. | |
| Can I have the bill, please? | 계산서 주세요. | Gyesanseo juseyo. | |
| Check, please. | 계산해 주세요. | Gyesanhae juseyo. | |
| Can I pay by cash? | 현금으로 계산할 수 있어요? | Hyeongeumeuro gyesanhal su isseoyo? | |
| Do you accept credit cards? | 카드 돼요? | Kadeu dwaeyo? | |
| Please split the bill. | 계산은 따로 해 주세요. | Gyesaneun ttaro hae juseyo. | |
| I ate well (meaning: thank you for the food) | 잘 먹었습니다. | Jal meogeotseumnida | |
| Thank you for the delicious food | 맛있는 음식 감사합니다. | Masitneun eumsik gamsahamnida |
Note — if you want to thank others for the food, you can use the two final phrases above instead of the usual thank you (gamsahamnida).
To clarify the above phrases…
잘 먹었습니다. (Jal meogeotseumnida)
- This means literally means “I ate well” and shows appreciation. But, it is understood as “Thank you for the food,” and you can say it after a meal.
맛있는 음식 감사합니다. (Masitneun eumsik gamsahamnida)
- This means “Thank you for the delicious food,” adding a compliment to the gratitude.
Read This Last
Now you know a whole bunch of Korean restaurant phrases.
You’re pretty much ready to order some food… that’s not too spicy.
Oh, and the PDF cheat sheet for these 50+ phrases? Click below. You can also find it (and other PDFs) on my Korean PDF Lessons page.
If you found this useful… leave a comment.
And if you’re interested in learning more Korean… well…
I suggest KoreanClass101 — a popular Korean program that teaches through conversation-based lessons. I don’t mean DuoLingo type games where you just learn words… but audio/video lessons where you listen to conversations, including restaurant interactions, and then the teachers explain everything so you understand it all.
– The Main Lingua Junkie
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