Korean food, how to actually order it

1. 1Sit down — staff will turn on the gas grill and bring the side dishes (banchan).
2. 2Order by number of "인분" (in-bun = portion). Most places require 2 portions minimum.
3. 3Tell them the cut: 삼겹살 (samgyeopsal — fatty belly) or 목살 (moksal — neck, leaner) or 항정살 (hangjeongsal — pork jowl).
4. 4A server will start the grilling for the first round, then leave you to it.
5. 5Cut the meat with scissors as it cooks. Flip when the bottom is golden brown.
6. 6Build a wrap: lettuce → rice (optional) → meat → ssamjang → garlic / kimchi → fold and eat in one bite.
7. 7Order naengmyeon (cold noodles) or doenjang-jjigae (soybean stew) as a closer.

• Lettuce / perilla leaves (ssam)free
• Kimchi, pickled daikon, salads (banchan)free
• Ssamjang and salted sesame oilfree
• Garlic to grillfree
• Soju / beerpaid
• Rice bowlpaid
• Naengmyeon at the endpaid

• •삼겹살 2인분 (2 portions of pork belly)
• •된장찌개 (Doenjang stew) to share
• •냉면 1 (Naengmyeon) or 공기밥 (rice bowl) per person

• • Default meat is not spicy. Kimchi side and ssamjang are mild.
• • If you order 매운 갈비찜 (spicy short ribs) or 매운 막창 (spicy intestines) — those will be hot.

Soju + beer = "somaek" mixed drink. Or sparkling makgeolli on rainy days.

1. 1Walk up to the counter or sit at a table — most places use a paper order slip you tick.
2. 2Pick a style: 돼지국밥 (dwaeji-gukbap, pork — Busan classic), 순대국밥 (sundae-gukbap, blood sausage), 콩나물국밥 (kongnamul, bean-sprout — hangover cure), 설렁탕 (seolleongtang, white ox-bone).
3. 3Season at the table: add salt (소금), red pepper (다대기), shrimp sauce (새우젓), chopped scallion from the dishes on the table.
4. 4Mix the rice into the broth or dunk it spoon by spoon — both are normal.
5. 5Eat the kimchi alongside; refills are free.

• Banchan (kimchi, pickles)free
• Seasoning (salt, gochugaru, saeujeot)free
• Extra rice (공기밥 추가)paid
• Sojupaid

• •Dwaeji-gukbap "보통" (medium) for first-timers in Busan
• •Kongnamul-gukbap with raw egg (수란 추가) — best hangover cure
• •Seolleongtang in Seoul Jongno area

• • The soup itself is not spicy.
• • The red sauce on the side (다대기) is — add half a teaspoon at a time.

Soju on cold days; rice tea (숭늉) usually closes the meal.

1. 1Order at the counter; pay first at most chain bunsik (Gimbap Cheonguk etc).
2. 2Tteokbokki (spicy rice cake) is the default. Order with cheese (치즈) to cut the heat.
3. 3Add eomuk (fish cake) and odeng (skewered fish cake in broth) for the full experience.
4. 4Pick a gimbap roll — tuna (참치), beef (소고기), cheese, or vegetable.
5. 5Twigim (mixed tempura) is sold by piece — gather what you want on a small plate.

• Fish-cake broth (오뎅 국물)free
• Pickled radishfree
• Soft drinkspaid

• •치즈 떡볶이 1 + 김밥 1줄 + 모듬튀김 (cheese tteokbokki, kimbap, mixed tempura)
• •라볶이 (ramyeon + tteokbokki combo)

• • Tteokbokki is sweet-spicy by default. Ask for 덜 맵게 (less spicy).
• • 쫄면 is even hotter than tteokbokki.

1. 1Order at the table — staff usually take orders within a minute of you sitting.
2. 2Pick a style: 잔치 칼국수 (banquet — anchovy broth), 닭 칼국수 (chicken), 바지락 칼국수 (clam).
3. 3Side dish is usually whole-onion kimchi (백김치) or chopped kkak-du-gi — both free.
4. 4When you finish the noodles, ask for a refill of broth or order a small rice ball.

• Banchan + sesame kimchifree
• Broth refillsometimes
• Extra noodles (사리 추가)paid

• •잔치 칼국수 1 (banquet-style)
• •Bossam (boiled pork) as a side if it's a sit-down place

• • The noodles themselves are not spicy. The kimchi on the side is mild.

1. 1Phone-order via Yogiyo / Coupang Eats / Baemin or walk into a parlor (치킨호프).
2. 2Pick a sauce style: 후라이드 (plain), 양념 (sweet-spicy red), 간장 (soy garlic), 파닭 (scallion).
3. 3Order by the whole bird ("마리"). One bird feeds 2 people; two birds for 3–4.
4. 4Pair with pitcher of draft beer (생맥주) — usually 2,000 won mug specials.
5. 5Pickled radish cubes (치킨무) are free and necessary — they cut the grease.

• Pickled radish (치킨무)free
• Sauce extrassometimes
• Beer / sojupaid

• •양념 반 후라이드 반 (half spicy, half plain — pick one bird)
• •생맥 500cc per person

• • 양념 (sweet-spicy red) is the default of the spicy options — moderate heat.
• • Avoid 핵불닭 / 매운 갈릭 — those are extreme.

Pitcher of draft beer or soju. Mid-night second-round.

1. 1Sit at any open stool. Greet the ajumma / ajossi running the cart.
2. 2Order verbally — they'll bring you a small plate with napkins.
3. 3Staples: 오뎅 (fishcake on skewers), 닭발 (chicken feet), 잔치국수, 떡볶이, 김치전.
4. 4Drink: 소주 (small green bottle), 막걸리 (rice wine), or both mixed ("소맥" with beer).
5. 5Pay in cash if you can — many carts are cash-only.

• Fishcake broth (오뎅 국물) refillfree
• Anything elsepaid

• •오뎅 2 skewers + 떡볶이 1 + 소주 1 — about ₩13,000 for one person

• • Tteokbokki is sweet-spicy; ddak-bal (chicken feet) is extremely hot.

Soju + beer is the canonical pairing.

1. 1Pick a main (보쌈 boiled pork, 갈비찜 short ribs, 생선구이 grilled fish, 비빔밥, etc.).
2. 2Banchan arrive before the main — try a little of each.
3. 3Most banchan are refillable for free — ask "더 주세요" (deo ju-se-yo).
4. 4Set meals at lunch are excellent value: ₩12,000–18,000 for everything you can eat.
5. 5White rice + soup is your anchor — fill your bowl, eat everything around it.

• All banchan + refillsfree
• Soup (sometimes free, sometimes a course)sometimes
• Extra ricepaid

• •보쌈 (boiled pork wraps)
• •갈비찜 (braised short ribs)
• •생선구이 정식 (grilled fish set)

• • Set itself is mild. The one spicy banchan you can leave alone.