Sokcho is not Seoul. The English-language safety net that catches you in Itaewon or Myeongdong does not extend to a sundubu restaurant in Sokcho Tofu Village or a fish stall at the Sokcho Tourist & Fishery Market. You will not starve without Korean --- pointing and smiling gets you surprisingly far --- but a handful of phrases transforms the experience from managed confusion into genuine connection.
What follows is not a language course. It is a field kit: the twenty-odd phrases that cover walking into a restaurant, ordering food, surviving the meal, paying, and handling the occasional curveball.
Walking In
| What you need to say | Korean | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| Hello | 안녕하세요! | An-nyeong-ha-se-yo |
| Two people, please | 두 명이요 | Du myeong-i-yo |
| Three people | 세 명이요 | Se myeong-i-yo |
| Do you have an English menu? | 영어 메뉴 있어요? | Yeong-eo me-nyu iss-eo-yo? |
Most Sokcho restaurants do not have English menus. Some have photo menus, which are better anyway. If neither exists, you will use the next section heavily. If you want to bias the trip toward lower-friction ordering from the start, open Restaurants With English Menus in Sokcho.
Ordering
| What you need to say | Korean | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| This one, please | 이거 주세요 | I-geo ju-se-yo |
| One of these | 이거 하나 주세요 | I-geo ha-na ju-se-yo |
| Two of these | 이거 두 개 주세요 | I-geo du gae ju-se-yo |
| That one (pointing at another table) | 저거 주세요 | Jeo-geo ju-se-yo |
| What do you recommend? | 추천 메뉴 뭐예요? | Chu-cheon me-nyu mwo-ye-yo? |
| What is popular here? | 여기 뭐가 맛있어요? | Yeo-gi mwo-ga ma-shiss-eo-yo? |
The single most effective ordering technique in Korea does not require any Korean at all: point at what someone else is eating and say "저거 주세요" (jeo-geo ju-se-yo) --- "that one, please." Koreans do this constantly. Nobody will think it is strange. At a busy place like Manseok Dakgangjeong, the large box on the next table is all the menu you need.
During the Meal
| What you need to say | Korean | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| Water, please | 물 주세요 | Mul ju-se-yo |
| More rice, please | 밥 더 주세요 | Bap deo ju-se-yo |
| More side dishes, please | 반찬 더 주세요 | Ban-chan deo ju-se-yo |
| It is delicious | 맛있어요! | Ma-shiss-eo-yo! |
| Is this spicy? | 이거 매워요? | I-geo mae-wo-yo? |
| Not spicy, please | 안 맵게 해주세요 | An maep-ge hae-ju-se-yo |
| A little less spicy | 덜 맵게 해주세요 | Deol maep-ge hae-ju-se-yo |
A note on side dishes: banchan refills are free at virtually every Korean restaurant. You are not being greedy by asking for more. The phrase "반찬 더 주세요" is one of the most useful sentences in the Korean dining vocabulary.
Paying
| What you need to say | Korean | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| The check, please | 계산이요 | Gye-san-i-yo |
| Can I pay by card? | 카드 돼요? | Ka-deu dwae-yo? |
| How much is this? | 이거 얼마예요? | I-geo eol-ma-ye-yo? |
| Receipt, please | 영수증 주세요 | Yeong-su-jeung ju-se-yo |
Card acceptance in Sokcho is nearly universal --- even market stalls and tiny pojangmacha tents usually have a card reader. Cash is rarely essential, but carrying ₩20,000--30,000 for the occasional holdout is smart.
In most Korean restaurants, you pay at the counter near the entrance, not at the table. When you are ready to leave, walk to the register and say "계산이요." Do not wait for a server to bring a check --- it will not come.
Dietary Needs
| What you need to say | Korean | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| I am vegetarian | 저는 채식주의자예요 | Jeo-neun chae-shik-ju-ui-ja-ye-yo |
| No meat, please | 고기 빼주세요 | Go-gi ppae-ju-se-yo |
| No seafood, please | 해산물 빼주세요 | Hae-san-mul ppae-ju-se-yo |
| I have an allergy | 알레르기가 있어요 | Al-le-reu-gi-ga iss-eo-yo |
| No shellfish | 조개류 빼주세요 | Jo-gae-ryu ppae-ju-se-yo |
A frank word: Sokcho is one of the more difficult Korean cities for strict vegetarians. Seafood broth is foundational to much of the cuisine, and many dishes that appear vegetable-forward contain anchovy stock or shrimp paste. The sundubu restaurants can sometimes accommodate you, but confirm with "고기 안 들어가요?" (Go-gi an deul-eo-ga-yo? --- "Is there no meat in this?") before ordering.
The Two Phrases That Cover Almost Everything
If you remember nothing else from this article, remember these:
주세요 (ju-se-yo) --- "Please give me." Point at literally anything and add this word. It works for food, for water, for the check, for directions. It is the Swiss Army knife of Korean dining.
감사합니다 (gam-sa-ham-ni-da) --- "Thank you." Say it when you sit down. Say it when the food arrives. Say it when you leave. In a small Sokcho restaurant where the owner is also the cook and the server, this word carries real weight. It signals that you are not just passing through --- you noticed the effort.