At a Restaurant

Ordering at a Korean restaurant is one of the most rewarding early-stage practical skills. The basic flow: enter and the staff says 어서 오세요 (welcome). You take a seat and look at the menu. To order, you point at the menu or say the dish name and add 주세요 (please give me): 김치찌개 주세요. For two of something, you add a number + counter: 김밥 두 개 주세요.

Almost all Korean restaurants give you free side dishes (반찬) that refill automatically. You do not need to ask for them. Common useful phrases: 매워요? (is it spicy?), 안 매운 거 있어요? (do you have non-spicy options?), 물 좀 주세요 (some water please), 계산해 주세요 (please add up the bill, said as you leave). The 'please add up the bill' phrase replaces the English 'check please' — Korean restaurants typically have you bring the bill to the counter rather than paying at the table.