How to Eat Korean BBQ in Korea. The first time you walk into a Korean BBQ restaurant, the table can look a little confusing.
How to Eat Korean BBQ
There is a grill in the middle. Raw meat arrives on a plate. Someone gives you tongs and kitchen scissors. Small dishes appear one after another. Then there is a basket of green leaves, several sauces, garlic and kimchi.
And you may quietly wonder:
What am I supposed to do with all of this?
Don’t worry. Korean BBQ is much easier once you understand the rhythm of the meal.
If this is your first Korean BBQ experience, samgyeopsal, or Korean pork belly, is a great place to start.
Korean BBQ is not usually a meal where one person receives one finished plate.
Instead, the meat is cooked on a grill in the middle of the table, and everyone eats as it is cooked.
This means the meal happens in small stages.
You order the meat, cook a little, eat it, cook some more, and continue talking while the next pieces are grilling.
At some restaurants, the staff will cook the meat for you. At others, you will be expected to use the tongs yourself.
So if a server takes the tongs from you, don’t worry. It doesn’t mean you did anything wrong.
They are simply helping with the grill.
Start with samgyeopsal
Samgyeopsal is grilled pork belly and is one of the most familiar Korean BBQ dishes.
The meat usually comes in thick slices, often with visible layers of meat and fat.
Put a few pieces on the hot grill rather than filling the entire grill at once.
This is one of the easiest ways to enjoy Korean BBQ.
Cook a small amount, eat it while it is hot, and then put more meat on the grill.
You don’t have to cook everything at the beginning.
In fact, cooking a little at a time makes the meal much more enjoyable.
Don’t be surprised by the scissors
This is one of the first things that surprises many visitors.
You may see the staff or another person at the table cutting the meat with kitchen scissors.
Yes, scissors.
And yes, this is completely normal.
At Korean BBQ restaurants, scissors are commonly used to cut grilled meat into smaller pieces directly on the grill.
Once the pork has been cooked enough to handle, it can be cut into bite-sized pieces.
So if you see someone reaching for the scissors, there is no need to look for a knife.
Before making a ssam, try the meat by itself
Here is a small tip that can make your first Korean BBQ experience better.
Don’t immediately put everything into a lettuce wrap.
Try one piece of grilled samgyeopsal by itself first.
You can also try it with a little salt or a simple dipping sauce, depending on what the restaurant provides.
This lets you taste the pork before adding kimchi, garlic and ssamjang.
After that, start experimenting.
And this is where the green leaves become important.
Those green leaves are not a salad
If you are given lettuce or perilla leaves, you are looking at one of the most recognizable parts of Korean dining culture:
ssam.
Ssam means food wrapped in a leaf.
The idea is simple.
You put grilled meat and a few other ingredients inside a leaf, fold it into a small bundle and eat it.
Korea Tourism Organization describes ssam as a combination of meat, fresh leaves and ssamjang, often with other ingredients added to the wrap.
How to make your first ssam
Take one lettuce leaf and place it in your palm.
Add one or two pieces of grilled samgyeopsal.
Then add a small amount of ssamjang.
Now you can add whatever you like.
Try:
- grilled garlic
- kimchi
- green chili
- seasoned green onion
- another favorite side dish
But there is one beginner mistake worth avoiding.
Don’t make it too big.
A ssam should be something you can comfortably eat as one bite.
If you pile on half the table, you will probably end up chasing lettuce, pork and kimchi around your plate.
Start small.
You can always make a bigger one later.
Why do Koreans eat it all in one bite?
You may notice that Korean diners often put the entire ssam into their mouth rather than taking a bite and putting the rest back on the plate.
This is not because there is a strict rule that foreigners must follow.
It is simply the practical and traditional way to enjoy a ssam.
The ingredients are meant to come together in one bite: hot meat, fresh leaves, savory ssamjang, garlic, kimchi and whatever else you added.
If your first ssam is too large, don’t worry.
Make the next one smaller.
There is no need to create a giant wrap just to prove that you can eat Korean food.
What is ssamjang?
Ssamjang is the thick sauce commonly used with ssam.
It has a savory, salty and slightly spicy flavor and is made from fermented Korean pastes and other ingredients.
It is quite strong, so you usually only need a small amount.
If you are sensitive to spicy or salty flavors, start with just a little.
You can always add more.
what about the kimchi?
Put it on the grill.
At least once.
Kimchi is often served alongside Korean BBQ, and many people enjoy grilling it with the pork.
As the kimchi heats up, its texture changes and its sharp flavor becomes a little different.
You can eat it fresh, eat it grilled, or put it inside your ssam.
Try all three.
The same goes for garlic.
Raw garlic has a strong flavor, while grilled garlic becomes softer and milder.
You don’t have to use every side dish
A Korean BBQ table can become crowded very quickly.
There may be kimchi, pickled vegetables, seasoned vegetables, sauces and other small dishes.
These are generally called banchan.
You don’t have to put every single one into your ssam.
That is another common misconception for first-time visitors.
Think of the table as a collection of choices.
Try a few things and find your favorite combination.
There is no exam at the end of the meal.
Who should control the grill?
This depends on the restaurant and the people at the table.
At some restaurants, staff members cook the meat.
At others, diners do it themselves.
If you are eating with Korean friends, you may also notice that one person naturally takes charge of the grill.
Once someone is confidently managing the meat, there is usually no need for everyone to reach for the tongs at the same time.
Just enjoy the food.
If you are unsure, simply ask the staff:
“Do we cook it ourselves?”
That’s an easy question, and there is nothing embarrassing about asking.
One thing foreigners often wonder about: Should you tip?
If you are visiting Korea from a country where tipping is expected, this may be the most useful part of the guide.
At ordinary Korean restaurants, including Korean BBQ restaurants, tipping is generally not customary.
Korea Tourism Organization specifically notes that tipping is not necessary at Korean restaurants.
So if your bill is 60,000 won, you generally don’t need to add another 10 or 20 percent just because someone cooked your meat or helped you at the table.
This may feel strange if you are used to American-style tipping.
But in Korea, you normally just pay the amount shown on the bill.
Of course, individual businesses can have their own clearly posted policies or charges, so check the bill or restaurant information if something additional is stated.
In a normal Korean BBQ restaurant, however, you should not feel guilty about leaving without a tip.
A simple “Thank you” is enough.
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What should you do at the end?
Don’t leave immediately when the last piece of pork disappears.
Korean BBQ often has a second act.
Depending on the restaurant, you may want to order something to finish the meal.
Popular choices include:
Naengmyeon — cold Korean noodles that can feel especially refreshing after rich grilled meat.
Doenjang-jjigae — a warm Korean soybean paste stew, often enjoyed with rice.
Bokkeumbap — fried rice prepared using the remaining flavors from the grill at restaurants that offer it.
You don’t need to order all three.
Choose one based on your appetite.
The easiest Korean BBQ formula for a first-timer
If all of this still sounds complicated, forget the long list.
Just remember this:
1. Order samgyeopsal.
2. Grill a few pieces at a time.
3. Cut the meat into bite-sized pieces with the provided scissors.
4. Taste one piece by itself.
5. Take a lettuce leaf.
6. Add pork + a little ssamjang.
7. Add kimchi or grilled garlic if you like.
8. Fold it into a small ssam and eat it in one bite.
9. Keep cooking and trying different combinations.
10. Pay the bill without worrying about an American-style tip.
That’s really all you need.
Korean BBQ is not about doing it perfectly
Perhaps the most important thing to remember is that Korean BBQ isn’t a performance.
You don’t need to know every Korean word.
You don’t need to build the perfect ssam on your first attempt.
And you certainly don’t need to put every side dish on your plate.
The fun of Korean BBQ comes from the table itself: cooking together, trying different combinations, sharing side dishes and eating the meat while it is still hot.
So when you sit down in a Korean BBQ restaurant for the first time, don’t worry if the table looks unfamiliar.
Pick up a piece of samgyeopsal.
Try it.
Then make a small ssam.
And if you accidentally make it too big?
That’s part of learning how to eat Korean BBQ.
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