Food and Restaurant Tips

One of the biggest things I was looking forward to was the food. Before I came here, I would always watch Korean street food and cafe vlogs, baking channels, and recipe videos. As someone who hasn't eaten a lot of Korean food before, I especially wanted to try a lot of new dishes.

After living in Korea for 4 months, here were some of my favorite foods.

In addition, I like how there is a great selection of food in Seoul, and how much more affordable it is here than in Hawaii (I eat out for every single meal). The food is also served fairly quickly.

Overall, Korean restaurants are pretty different from what I'm used to. From my research and personal experiences, here are some tips about dining in Korea.

1. No tipping

I was already expecting this since you don't tip in Japan either. All you have to pay for is the listed price, which already includes tax as well (this is the same for anything else you buy in Korea).

2. Serve yourself

In most restaurants I've been to, you do a lot of things that the waiters usually do in America, like get your own water and utensils. Usually there is a drawer on the side of your table with utensils and napkins or you have to go near the counter to find it. Some places also have a counter full of banchan (Korean side dishes, e.g. kimchi) and you can just get whatever you want.

3. Use the call button

Most restaurants have a call button somewhere on the table. When you are ready to order or if you need something, just press that.

4. Using the kiosk/ticket machine to order

Depending on where you go, you order using a kiosk or ticket machine. I've mostly seen this at fast food restaurants (e.g. McDonalds), chain cafes (Ediya Coffee), and Yonsei's cafeterias. The machines usually have an English language option, but if they don't (e.g. Yonsei's cafeterias), it is very helpful to be able to read Korean hangul (even if you don't understand what it means). Usually there are pictures of the food somewhere, so I just choose what I want after looking at that and then look for the name on the machine.

5. Go up to the counter to pay

For some restaurants, after you are done eating, you go up to the counter to pay (don't stay at your table). Certain restaurants give you your check right when they serve the food, so I just take that to the counter when I'm done eating and pay.

6. Aesthetic cafes vs study cafes

It is very common to study at cafes in Korea, but some cafes are more geared towards being aesthetic rather than being a study spot. For examples, there are a lot of cafes in Insadong that are focused on its aesthetic (the ones you see on Instagram), while it is more common to see people studying at chain cafes like a Twosome Place or at cafes near universities.