How to Order Food in Korean: Restaurant Dialogue & Essential Phrases 🍱

Going to a Korean restaurant for the first time can be exciting, but ordering might seem daunting. This lesson walks you through a complete, realistic dialogue from entering the restaurant to paying the bill. You’ll learn how to ask for a table, order the famous dish bibimbap, and even make a special request to ensure your food isn’t too spicy.

💬 Video Transcript

민준: 어서 오세요. 식당입니다.
(Minjun: Welcome. This is the restaurant.)

서연: 안녕하세요.
(Seoyeon: Hello.)

민준: 몇 분이세요?
(Minjun: How many people?)

서연: 한 명이요. 혼자 왔어요.
(Seoyeon: One person. I came alone.)

민준: 네. 이쪽으로 앉으세요. 편한 자리에 앉으세요.
(Minjun: Yes. Please sit this way. Sit in a comfortable seat.)

서연: 감사합니다. 저기요.
(Seoyeon: Thank you. Excuse me.)

민준: 네, 손님.
(Minjun: Yes, customer.)

서연: 메뉴 주세요.
(Seoyeon: Menu, please.)

민준: 네, 여기 있습니다. 메뉴 여기 있습니다. 천천히 보세요.
(Minjun: Yes, here you are. The menu is here. Please take your time.)

서연: 네, 감사합니다.
(Seoyeon: Yes, thank you.)

(잠시 후)
(A little later)

민준: 주문하시겠어요?
(Minjun: Would you like to order?)

서연: 네, 주문할게요. 음… 뭐가 맛있어요? 이 식당은 뭐가 제일 맛있어요?
(Seoyeon: Yes, I’ll order. Hmm… What’s delicious? What is the most delicious thing at this restaurant?)

민준: 저희 식당은 비빔밥이 맛있어요. 비빔밥이 인기가 많아요.
(Minjun: Our restaurant’s bibimbap is delicious. Bibimbap is very popular.)

서연: 아, 비빔밥이요. 메뉴에 있는 이 사진이 비빔밥이에요? 이게 뭐예요?
(Seoyeon: Ah, bibimbap. Is this picture on the menu bibimbap? What is this?)

민준: 네, 맞아요. 그게 비빔밥이에요. 밥하고 야채가 있어요. 아주 건강하고 맛있어요.
(Minjun: Yes, that’s right. That is bibimbap. It has rice and vegetables. It’s very healthy and delicious.)

서연: 와, 좋아 보여요. 그럼 이거 주세요. 비빔밥 하나 주세요.
(Seoyeon: Wow, it looks good. Then I’ll have this. One bibimbap, please.)

민준: 네. 비빔밥 하나 주문하셨습니다.
(Minjun: Yes. You’ve ordered one bibimbap.)

서연: 아, 그리고 아주 중요해요. 맵지 않게 해주세요. 저는 매운 음식을 못 먹어요. 정말 맵지 않게 해주세요.
(Seoyeon: Ah, and this is very important. Please make it not spicy. I can’t eat spicy food. Please, really make it not spicy.)

민준: 네, 알겠습니다. 맵지 않게 해 드릴게요. 음료는 필요하세요?
(Minjun: Yes, I understand. I will make it not spicy for you. Do you need a drink?)

서연: 네. 음료도 주세요. 콜라 하나 주세요. 그리고 물도 한 잔 주세요.
(Seoyeon: Yes. Please give me a drink too. One cola, please. And a glass of water, please.)

민준: 네. 비빔밥 하나, 맵지 않게. 그리고 콜라 하나, 물 한 잔. 맞으세요?
(Minjun: Okay. One bibimbap, not spicy. And one cola, one glass of water. Is that correct?)

서연: 네, 맞아요. 감사합니다.
(Seoyeon: Yes, that’s right. Thank you.)

(음식이 나온다)
(The food arrives)

민준: 주문하신 비빔밥 나왔습니다. 콜라도 여기 있습니다. 맛있게 드세요.
(Minjun: The bibimbap you ordered has arrived. The cola is here too. Enjoy your meal.)

서연: 와! 정말 맛있어 보여요. 감사합니다. 잘 먹겠습니다.
(Seoyeon: Wow! It looks really delicious. Thank you. I will eat well.)

(서연이 밥을 먹는다)
(Seoyeon eats her meal)

서연: 음… 맛있다! 이거 너무 맛있어요. 맵지 않고 정말 맛있어요.
(Seoyeon: Mmm… Delicious! This is so delicious. It’s not spicy and really tasty.)

민준: 손님, 더 필요한 거 있으세요?
(Minjun: Customer, is there anything else you need?)

서연: 아니요, 괜찮아요. 음식이 정말 맛있어요.
(Seoyeon: No, I’m okay. The food is really delicious.)

민준: 감사합니다. 천천히 드세요.
(Minjun: Thank you. Please take your time.)

(서연이 식사를 마친다)
(Seoyeon finishes her meal)

서연: 아, 배부르다. 정말 잘 먹었습니다. 저기요!
(Seoyeon: Ah, I’m full. I really ate well. Excuse me!)

민준: 네!
(Minjun: Yes!)

서연: 계산해 주세요. 계산하고 싶어요.
(Seoyeon: Please give me the bill. I’d like to pay.)

민준: 네, 알겠습니다. 자리에서 계산해 드릴게요.
(Minjun: Yes, I understand. I’ll take care of the payment at your table.)

서연: 얼마예요? 전부 얼마예요?
(Seoyeon: How much is it? How much is it all together?)

민준: 비빔밥하고 콜라, 총 만 원입니다.
(Minjun: Bibimbap and cola, it’s 10,000 won in total.)

서연: 네. 카드로 할게요. 이 카드로 계산해 주세요.
(Seoyeon: Okay. I’ll pay by card. Please charge this card.)

민준: 네. 잠시만요. 여기 영수증하고 카드 있습니다.
(Minjun: Okay. Just a moment. Here is your receipt and card.)

서연: 감사합니다. 잘 먹었습니다.
(Seoyeon: Thank you. I ate well.)

민준: 감사합니다. 안녕히 가세요. 또 오세요.
(Minjun: Thank you. Goodbye. Please come again.)

서연: 네, 안녕히 계세요.
(Seoyeon: Yes, goodbye.)

📝 Essential Vocabulary

Here are some key phrases from the dialogue that you’ll need to navigate a Korean restaurant with confidence.

🔍 Grammar Focus

Let’s break down two crucial grammar patterns from the dialogue that will make your restaurant experience much smoother.

1. Making Polite Requests with -(으)세요 and 주세요

The particle 주세요 (juseyo) is your best friend when ordering. It literally means “please give” and is attached to nouns to request something politely.

• 메뉴 주세요. (Menu, please.)
• 비빔밥 하나 주세요. (One bibimbap, please.)
• 콜라 하나 주세요. (One cola, please.)

You can also combine it with verbs to ask someone to perform an action for you, as seen when Seoyeon asks for the bill:

• 계산해 주세요. (Please calculate/give me the bill.) Here, 계산하다 (to calculate) becomes 계산해 and combines with 주세요.

2. Making Negative Requests: ~지 않게 해주세요

This is a key pattern for any dietary restrictions. Seoyeon can’t eat spicy food, so she uses this structure to make a special request.

The basic negative form for adjectives and verbs is Stem + ~지 않다.

• 맵다 (to be spicy) → 맵지 않다 (to not be spicy)

To ask someone to do something “in a not X way,” you change ~지 않다 to ~지 않게 and add 해 주세요 (please do it for me).

• 맵지 않게 해 주세요. (Please make it so that it is not spicy.)

This is an incredibly useful pattern. You could also use it for things like:

• 짜다 (to be salty) → 짜지 않게 해 주세요. (Please make it not salty.)

🌍 Cultural Tip

🃏 Flip & Learn

Practice the key phrases from our dialogue with these flashcards.

💡 Key Takeaways

Here are the most important points to remember from this lesson for your next visit to a Korean restaurant:

• Getting a Table: Be ready to answer 몇 분이세요? (How many people?) with the number of people in your group, e.g., 한 명이요 (one person) or 두 명이요 (two people).
• Ask for a Recommendation: If you’re not sure what to order, simply ask 뭐가 맛있어요? (What’s delicious?).
• Use 주세요 for Everything: This polite phrase is essential for requesting the menu (메뉴 주세요), ordering food (비빔밥 하나 주세요), and asking for the bill (계산해 주세요).
• Communicate Dietary Needs: The ~지 않게 해주세요 (Please make it not…) pattern is crucial. For spicy food, 맵지 않게 해주세요 is a lifesaver.
• Paying is Simple: Get the server’s attention with 저기요 (Excuse me) and say 계산해 주세요. You can specify your payment method with 카드로 할게요 (I’ll pay by card).

🎯 Practice Quiz

Test your understanding of the dialogue with these questions.

✍️ Fill in the Blanks

Let’s test your spelling and memory! Fill in the missing words below. Use correct spelling.