Korean restaurants are usually specialists — a place does barbecue, or knife-cut noodles, or fried chicken, not all three.
How a meal works
- Banchan (side dishes like kimchi and greens) come free and are refilled on request.
- Water, cups, and cutlery are usually self-serve from a station or a drawer in the table.
- You often pay at the counter on the way out, not at the table.
Easy first dishes
- Bibimbap — rice, vegetables, egg, chilli paste; mix it all together.
- Kimchi jjigae — a hearty kimchi stew.
- Samgyeopsal — pork belly you grill at the table.
- Kalguksu — hand-cut noodle soup.
Good to know
Tipping is not expected anywhere. Many small places are cash- or card-only and close between lunch and dinner.