Korean BBQ for First-Timers: How to Order, Grill and Eat Without Feeling Lost

Samgyeopsal (pork belly) with garlic and onion on the grill. Photo: hellochris, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

You walk into a Korean BBQ restaurant, sit down, and a server drops a pair of tongs and scissors on the table. There is a grill in front of you, a menu written mostly in Korean, and everyone around you seems to know exactly what to do. If that sounds stressful, don't worry. Korean BBQ (gogi-gui, 고기구이, literally "meat grilling") follows a simple pattern, and once you know it, it becomes one of the most fun meals you can have in Korea.

This guide walks you through the whole meal in order, from the moment you sit down to the moment you pay. Keep it open on your phone and you'll be fine.

Quick version: order 2 or more servings of one meat, let it cook without flipping too often, cut it with scissors, wrap it in lettuce with a little sauce and garlic, and finish with stew or cold noodles. Pay at the counter on your way out. No tipping.

Step 1. Check the menu: the meats you will see most

Most Korean BBQ restaurants specialize in either pork or beef. Pork places are more casual and more common; beef places are usually more expensive. Here are the names you will see again and again.

Pork (dwaeji-gogi, 돼지고기)

• Samgyeopsal (삼겹살) – pork belly, the classic. Thick, juicy strips with layers of fat. If you only try one thing, try this.
• Moksal (목살) – pork neck/shoulder. Less fatty than belly, with a chewier, meatier bite.
• Hangjeongsal (항정살) – pork jowl. Small, crunchy pieces that many locals love.
• Dwaeji-galbi (돼지갈비) – marinated pork ribs, sweet and garlicky.

Beef (so-gogi, 소고기)

• Chadolbagi (차돌박이, often spelled "chadolbaegi" on menus) – very thin slices of beef brisket. Cooks in seconds.
• Deungsim (등심) – sirloin, often served in thick pieces.
• So-galbi (소갈비) – beef short ribs, either plain or marinated (yangnyeom-galbi, 양념갈비).
• Hanu (한우) – not a cut, but a label: it means Korean native beef, which is prized and priced higher.

A tip: words like yangnyeom (양념) mean "marinated" and saeng (생) means "fresh (chilled, not frozen)" or "plain, unmarinated." If you see 생삼겹살, that is fresh pork belly; 생갈비 means ribs without marinade.

Thick-cut grilled pork, ready to be cut with scissors. Photo: jinsoo jang, Wikimedia Commons, CC0

Step 2. Order the right amount

Meat is ordered by the serving (1인분, il-inbun, "one person's portion"). A serving is often around 150–200 g, but it varies by restaurant, so check the menu if a weight is listed.

• Many places require at least 2 servings, especially for the first order. Eating alone? Look for a restaurant that says 1인 or "solo" welcome, or ask before you sit.
• A common pattern is to order one serving per person to start, then add more if you are still hungry. You can always add; you can't un-order.
• To order, point at the menu and say the name plus the number: "Samgyeopsal i-inbun juseyo" (삼겹살 2인분 주세요) means "Two servings of pork belly, please."

Step 3. Get to know the table

Before the meat arrives, the table usually fills up with small dishes. Here is what they are for.

• Banchan (반찬) – side dishes such as kimchi, pickled radish, bean sprouts or salad. In most restaurants, refills of basic side dishes are free. Just ask: "Jom deo juseyo" (좀 더 주세요, "a bit more, please"). Some places have a self-service bar for refills.
• Ssam vegetables (쌈 채소) – lettuce leaves and often perilla leaves (kkaennip, 깻잎), which have a minty, herbal taste.
• Ssamjang (쌈장) – a thick, savory paste made from soybean paste and chili paste.
• Gireumjang (기름장) – sesame oil with salt (and sometimes pepper). Great with plain pork belly or beef.
• Garlic and green chili – eat them raw in a wrap, or put the garlic on the grill to soften.

A charcoal grill surrounded by banchan: kimchi, garlic, sauces and soup. Photo: suksim, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

Step 4. Grilling: who does it and how

This depends on the restaurant. In many places, especially beef restaurants and more upscale spots, a server will grill and cut the meat for you, at least for the first round. In casual pork restaurants, you may be left to do it yourself. If you are not sure, it is fine to wait a moment and see whether a staff member comes over.

If you are grilling yourself:

1. Wait for the grill to get hot. Meat placed on a cold grill sticks and turns grey.
2. Lay the strips flat and leave them alone. Flip pork belly once it is golden on the bottom, not every 20 seconds.
3. Cut with the scissors. Korean restaurants use kitchen scissors to cut meat into bite-size pieces right on the grill. It is completely normal.
4. Pork should be cooked through. Beef such as sirloin can be eaten medium; thin brisket only needs a few seconds per side.
5. Ask for a new grill plate if it gets black and sticky: "Bulpan bakkwo juseyo" (불판 바꿔 주세요, "please change the grill plate").

Step 5. Make your first ssam (lettuce wrap)

This is the heart of Korean BBQ. There is no single correct recipe, but a typical wrap goes like this:

1. Hold a lettuce leaf (or a lettuce leaf plus a perilla leaf) open in your palm.
2. Add a piece of meat dipped in sesame oil salt.
3. Add a small dab of ssamjang, a slice of garlic, and maybe some kimchi or green onion salad.
4. Fold it into a small bundle and eat it in one bite. That is the local way, and it keeps the wrap from falling apart.

You don't have to wrap every piece. Many people alternate: one bite plain with sesame oil salt, one in a wrap, one with kimchi grilled next to the meat.

A wrap made with a perilla leaf, lettuce, pork belly and green onion. Photo: 대경라이프, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Step 6. Drinks

Korean BBQ often comes with soju, beer, or a mix of the two called somaek (소맥). If you don't drink, soft drinks and barley tea are normal too, and nobody will think it is strange.

If you are eating with Korean friends or colleagues, a few small gestures go a long way:

• People usually pour for each other instead of for themselves.
• When an older person pours for you, hold your glass with two hands (or one hand supporting the other wrist).
• With elders, younger people often turn their head slightly away while drinking. Friends of the same age don't bother.

Step 7. Don't skip the "after meat" course

Many Koreans finish a BBQ meal with something extra. Popular choices are:

• Doenjang-jjigae (된장찌개) – soybean paste stew, often served with rice.
• Naengmyeon (냉면) – cold buckwheat noodles, refreshing after fatty meat.
• Bokkeumbap (볶음밥) – fried rice cooked on the grill with leftover kimchi and meat, offered at some restaurants.

If you see 공기밥 on the menu, that is just a bowl of steamed rice.

Step 8. Calling staff and paying

• Many tables have a call button. Press it and someone will come. If there is no button, raise your hand and say "Jeogiyo!" (저기요, "excuse me").
• In most BBQ restaurants you pay at the counter by the door when you leave, not at the table. Take the bill if one was left on your table.
• Tipping is not expected in Korea. Service is included.
• Cards are widely accepted. Splitting the bill is possible at many places, but it can be easier for one person to pay and settle up later.

A few things that trip up first-timers

• Your clothes will smell like grilled meat. Some restaurants provide plastic bags or covers for jackets. Use them.
• The grill and the tongs get very hot. Keep sleeves and bags away from the grill.
• Allergies: marinades often contain soy sauce, sesame, garlic and sometimes fruit. If you have allergies, ask the staff or show a written note in Korean.
• Peak times are busy. Dinner around 7 p.m. can mean a wait at popular places. Going a bit earlier or later helps.

Korean BBQ is less about perfect technique and more about sharing a table, chatting while the meat sizzles, and building wraps the way you like them. Order pork belly, take your time, and enjoy the smell of the grill. You will probably want to go back the next night.

Planning more meals in Korea? Our upcoming guide on Korean street food covers 10 snacks worth trying on a walk through any market.