Tips for eating at Korean restaurants 4 tips for Korean baekban, gukbab, bunsiks, and buffets.

In the modern world, each country’s food culture is very similar.

In the olden days, they used traditional methods, used different ingredients, and ate with rituals.

But nowadays, in the modern world, they’re pretty much the same.

However, the Loah family wants to help foreign travelers to Korea, so today they are going to go to the restaurant themselves and take pictures

and share the information here.

We hope that these tips and tricks will be useful for travelers to Korea

Tips for eating at Korean restaurants

There are many different types of Korean food, including delivery, diners, snacks, and meals at home,

but today we’re going to talk about the most basic restaurants that travelers can try.

Chinese, Japanese, and other foreign restaurants are very popular in Korea.

There are many different types of restaurants. First, let’s focus on Korean-style restaurants,

4 there are hansikbaekbanjip, kukbap, bunsik, and buffet.

1. Korean baekban

In Seoul and the metropolitan area, chairs and tables are usually used,

However, in more rural areas, rural areas, and traditional houses, it is common to take off your shoes.

If you’re going to go to a restaurant like this, you’re probably going to go with a Korean acquaintance, or you’re probably going to study before you go.

The advantage of Korean Baekban is that for 10,000 won, you can taste a variety of Korean side dishes.

Also, except for rice and main side dishes (fish, soup), you can keep refilling.

The all cost of the meal is KRW 20,000. It is for two people.

Only the soup in the center and the rice in the silver bowl cannot be refilled.

The rest can be refilled as you eat.

Also, as you can see in the upper right corner of the photo, there are free wet wipes.

Of course, water is also provided.

You already know a lot about spoons and chopsticks, right?! I’m not going to talk about them here!

Korean restaurants usually have menus like this on the wall, but the average Korean restaurant is only in Korean, which can make it difficult to choose.

Many Korean restaurants in Seoul and the metropolitan area have their own menus, often in English, Chinese, and Japanese.

“HANSIK BAEKBAN” <- This is the most basic menu.

In a restaurant with chairs, it looks like this.

Usually, when you walk in, you pick a seat, sit down, and within two or three minutes, you call the waiter to take your order.

Or you go up to the counter, tell them your menu, and they take it right away and start making it.

When you finish your food, you pay for it by the door on your way out.

South Korea is almost 100% card-enabled, with Apple Pay and Samsung Pay available in some places.

Koreans have been known to do bad things in the past, such as intentionally misrepresenting prices in the 80s, but nowadays, even in the countryside, they don’t do bad things.

There is a good reporting system, and there are CCTVs everywhere, so you can rest assured.

Disadvantages of Korean food

There are so many types of side dishes that you can have leftovers.

So, even though I have reduced the number and types of side dishes now more than in the past, there are still a lot of them as shown in the picture. hahahaha

The downside is this.

Usually when you go to other countries, you have to pay for every side dish, and even buy water and wet wipes, but in Korea, everything is free.

After traveling to Korea, you may be familiar with the famous Korean chicken, chicken ribs, pork belly, bibimbap, bulgogi, etc.

but real Koreans consider Korean white rice to be the basic food.

So I wanted to let foreigners know.

“However, people from Europe and America may be very unfamiliar with it, so it may not suit their taste.”

((There are also many very good pizza and hamburger restaurants in Korea hahahaha))

2. The second food we’re going to introduce is gukbab.

It has almost the same atmosphere as a Korean bakban.

However, while there are tons of side dishes at a bakban, at a gukbap restaurant

you get a very hot bowl of soup, 4-6 simple side dishes, and rice.

Again, wipes and water are of course free, and all the side dishes in the small bowl in the photo are refillable.

Gukbap is a staple meal that Koreans eat with white rice.

For travelers from Asia, gukbab can be a good choice.

Especially for travelers from China and Vietnam, it can be a challenge.

However, if you’re a European or American traveler, it might be more of an adventure than a challenge.

You might think, “What does this taste like?” at first, but you might end up liking it.”

The system is the same as Korean bakban, but there are fewer side dishes and a lot of ingredients in a big bowl.

You put the rice in there and mix it up.

3. Snack shop

Korean bunsik(snack) have a wide variety of menu items.

The most common are kimbap and tteokbokki.

Tteokbokki, in particular, is very spicy and not recommended for international travelers.

However, if you’re familiar with and love Korea, you might want to try Tteokbokki.

Tteokbokki is characterized by its red color and spicy-sweet flavor,

It is a snack-like food for Koreans who are addicted to the spicy flavor when they first get used to it.

It usually costs between 3,000 won and 5,000 won per serving,

If you are a foreigner trying it for the first time, it is recommended to order only one serving and test it with 2-3 people first.

Kimbap is another famous Korean dish.

There are so many types of gimbap, but the most popular ones are tuna gimbap and cheese gimbap.

It consists of rice, various vegetables, cheese, eggs, etc. wrapped in seaweed in a circle.

Cut it up and eat it.

Above is a cheese gimbap

This is bulgogi gimbap.

Roa is looking at it like she wants to eat it hahahaha.

The price is usually around 2,000 won to 5,000 won per kimbap.

If you eat one, the amount feels small, and if you eat two, you can get full.

Of course, you can easily buy tteokbokki and gimbap at convenience stores these days.

Even if you don’t go to a bunsik specialty store, you can easily eat at a convenience store.

Although they have the advantage of being cheap and quick and easy to eat compared to other foods,

They may not be good for your health as they are high in sodium from the recommended daily allowance.

4. This is a favorite buffet of Koreans.

There are many types of buffets,

Korean buffet and fusion buffet are the most popular types.

It is a system that prepares as few as 20 to as many as 40 Korean-style side dishes and allows you to eat as much as you want for about 10,000 won.

If you’re a big eater and love Korean food, you can find it and try it.

It’s just like a regular Korean restaurant,

but instead of ordering and getting a single serving of rice and soup.

everything is refilled.

In Korea, this is commonly referred to as a “driver’s restaurant”(kisasikdang).

You can eat a lot for the price and experience a variety of Korean food.

It is very popular among Koreans, especially uncles.

Fusion buffets are a favorite among Koreans.

You can try salads, meat, sushi, fish, spaghetti, pizza, and the list goes on and on.

You can put Chinese food, Japanese food, European food, etc. on multiple plates like this

and you can keep eating.

That’s how much Koreans love it.

It depends on the restaurant, but you can usually pay between 23,000 won and 30,000 won per person on weekdays for

all-you-can-eat.

Lunch is also slightly cheaper on weekdays, and dinner is around + 5,000 won.

Babies under 36 months old are admitted free of charge,

children under 7 years old are admitted for around 15,000 won.

Drinks include a variety of sodas, coffee, slushies, and ice cream.

Another great thing about this place

There’s a kids’ cafe, which is great because little ones can get bored.

They can play to their heart’s content for free

There are many children who want to come here.

Usually, restaurants in big cities like Seoul and other metropolitan areas have wheelchair seats, stroller seats, and baby chairs,

but in smaller rural areas or very small restaurants, this may not be the case.

South Korea is not yet very sensitive to allergies, so there is no way to tell if something is allergenic or not.

If you are allergic to certain foods, you should let the restaurant know in advance.

There are some vegan and halal restaurants in Korea, but not many.

Compared to 10 years ago, the standard of Korean restaurants has improved considerably.

Hygiene and ingredients are much cleaner, and the flavor of the food has also improved.

These are just a few of the restaurants you can try in Korea.

If you have any more questions or want to know the location of a restaurant, please leave a comment.

Today, we’ve shared some useful information about Korean restaurants in general,

Next time, we will focus on delicious restaurants.