Ordering Food in Korean: 주세요, -(으)세요, and 하고 (And)

To order food in Korean you need one magic word: 주세요 (please give me). Name the dish, add a number, done — 김치찌개 하나 주세요 (one kimchi stew, please). Call staff with 여기요! (over here!), join dishes with 하고 (and), and any restaurant in Korea is yours. This lesson stocks the menu words, unpacks the polite request ending -(으)세요 hiding inside 주세요, and adds the unwritten rules of 반찬 and the table bell.

Menu survival vocabulary

Ten words that cover ninety percent of a first restaurant visit:

Want more food words after dinner? Branch out with the Korean fruit vocabulary pack.

The 주세요 formula — and the -(으)세요 inside it

주세요 is just 주다 (to give) wearing the polite request ending -(으)세요. You have actually been saying this ending since Lesson 3: 안녕히 가세요 is literally “please go peacefully.”

Numbers ride along with the native counters from Lesson 8: 하나 alone, but 두 개, 세 개 before a counter. For shareable mains you will hear 인분 (portion) with Sino numbers instead: 불고기 이 인분. And when the menu defeats you, pointing plus 이거 주세요 (this one, please — straight from Lesson 5) is completely respectable Korean.

How do you say “and” — 하고, 이랑, or 과/와?

All three also mean “with (someone)”: 친구하고 밥을 먹어요 = I eat with a friend. Register is the whole game — 하고 can never offend, 이랑 makes you sound local among friends, and 과/와 belongs to menus, contracts, and news anchors. Make 하고 your default and upgrade by context.

How do you call the server in Korea?

You do not wait to be noticed. Korean servers consider hovering rude, so the table does the summoning: a clear, friendly 여기요! (over here!) or 저기요! (excuse me!), or a press of the 호출벨 — the silver call bell bolted to the table edge. Nobody will think you are impatient; sitting quietly is the only move that never gets you served.

Two more house rules. 반찬 arrive automatically, free, and refillable — just ask with 반찬 좀 더 주세요. If no water appears, scan the wall for a 셀프 (self) sign: water and cups are usually self-serve. And tipping does not exist; the number on the menu is the number you pay.

One dinner, fully ordered

Here is the whole lesson compressed into one chat with a friend who knows the restaurant:

Notice the two ordering verbs working different directions: 시켜요 between friends deciding (저는 비빔밥 시켜요 — I’m ordering bibimbap), 주세요 toward the staff actually asking. Two verbs, two audiences — mixing them up is harmless, but keeping them straight sounds sharp.

FAQ

What is the difference between 하고, 이랑, and 과/와? All three mean “and” between nouns — the difference is register. 하고 is neutral and safe everywhere: 비빔밥하고 물. (이)랑 is casual and spoken — 랑 after vowels, 이랑 after consonants: 불고기랑 밥, 물이랑 김치. 과/와 is formal and written — 와 after vowels, 과 after consonants: 김치와 밥. Default to 하고 and you can never go wrong.

Is it rude to shout 여기요 in a Korean restaurant? Not at all — it’s the system. Korean servers deliberately leave you alone, so the table calls them: a clear 여기요! (over here!) or 저기요! (excuse me!), or a press of the 호출벨, the call bell mounted on the table edge. Nobody hears it as impatient. Sitting quietly and waiting is the only strategy that fails.

Are banchan refills really free? At most everyday restaurants, yes — 반찬 come with the meal, and asking 반찬 좀 더 주세요 is completely normal. Water is usually self-serve (look for a 셀프 sign near the water cooler), and there is no tipping in Korea: the menu price is the final price.

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Next: shopping in Korean — 얼마예요 and 만. Previous: Korean negation — 안, 못, and 아니에요. Full path: curriculum hub.