Restaurant Korean — Ordering, Paying, Allergies

In Korean restaurants, "어서오세요" (Welcome) is an automatic greeting at the entrance. Once seated, water, spoons, and chopsticks are provided first, and after ordering, "잘 먹겠습니다" (I will eat well) is the standard greeting. After the meal, you conclude with "잘 먹었습니다" (I have eaten well). If you want to adjust the spice level, ask for "덜 매운 거로 주세요" (less spicy) or "안 매운 거 있어요?" (do you have non-spicy?). Banchan (side dishes) are refilled for free, but if you want more, request "OO 더 주세요" (Please give me more OO). Additional local details: In Korean restaurants, "단무지" (danmuji, yellow pickled radish) is always free — it comes standard with kimchi jjigae, bibimbap, etc. If you order samgyeopsal (pork belly), ssam vegetables (lettuce, perilla leaves, cabbage) come with it — you grill it yourself and can finish with fried rice by asking for "변발" (bindae, added rice). Korean traditional alcohol — it's polite to drink soju once it's poured for you; "소맥" (soju + beer mix) is a smooth but potent combination. Snack bars (tteokbokki, kimbap, ramyeon) accept card payments, but small street stalls (pojangmacha) may only accept cash. Asking for "반찬 많이 주세요" (Please give me a lot of banchan) is a common request and usually okay at most places. After a meal, "잘 먹었습니다" is really important — in Korea, this one phrase is the standard of politeness.

The restaurant deck can be completed in 2-3 days. After memorizing 10 sentences, go alone to a snack bar or kimbap place during lunchtime and practice the entire process within 30 minutes: "2 인이에요" (Table for two) → "메뉴판 주세요" (Menu, please) → "추천 메뉴 뭐예요?" (What do you recommend?) → "덜 매운 거 주세요" (Less spicy, please) → "카드로 계산할게요" (I'll pay by card). This will be the most rewarding 30 minutes of your Korean learning. Three specific drills: (1) Before eating — open the deck, listen to the audio twice, close your eyes, and recall and say the 10 sentences in order. (2) During eating — deliberately use one sentence you haven't used in real life yet (e.g., even if you're not ordering curry, ask the staff, "이 음식 매워요?" (Is this dish spicy?)). (3) After eating — write down one expression that surprised you today (refilling banchan? card payment limit? spice level of kimchi jjigae?) in your notes and add it to your spaced repetition deck. In a week, you'll be able to "order / change / pay" without translation, and in a month, you won't freeze even if the staff asks unexpected questions (allergies, pairings, off-menu recommendations).