Ordering guide
What to order at a Korean restaurant
Korean BBQ gets the spotlight, but the best Korean restaurants are often judged by their stews, banchan, and bibimbap. Here's what to order.
Must-try Korean dishes
- Korean BBQ (galbi or samgyeopsal)
- Bibimbap (stone bowl)
- Kimchi jjigae
- Tteokbokki
- Japchae
- Korean fried chicken
Frequently asked questions
What should I order at a Korean restaurant?
If they do BBQ, order galbi (marinated short rib) or samgyeopsal (pork belly). If not, go for bibimbap in a hot stone bowl (dolsot), kimchi jjigae, or Korean fried chicken. The banchan (side dishes) tell you a lot — good restaurants serve 6+.
What is the most popular Korean dish?
Korean BBQ, bibimbap, kimchi jjigae and Korean fried chicken are the four most ordered Korean dishes. Tteokbokki has surged in popularity thanks to K-dramas and street food trends.
Is Korean food spicy?
Many dishes are, but plenty aren't. Bulgogi, japchae, galbi, mandu and most BBQ cuts are mild. Spicy staples include kimchi jjigae, tteokbokki, buldak and anything with gochujang as the main sauce.
What's the best Korean dish for first-timers?
Bibimbap is the perfect entry point — rice, vegetables, beef and a fried egg you mix together with as much or as little gochujang as you like. Korean BBQ is also approachable because you control the cook.
How do you eat Korean BBQ properly?
Grill the meat yourself, then wrap a piece in lettuce with a smear of ssamjang, a slice of garlic and a bit of rice. Eat the whole wrap in one bite. Pace yourself — banchan is unlimited and refilled for free.
Top Korean restaurants right now
Ranked by community votes on DishVote.
